API Operation API frame format
Digi XBee® 3 Zigbee® RF Module
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Device Registration
The following image shows the API frame exchanges that take place at the serial interface when
registering a joining device to a trust center.
API frame format
An API frame consists of the following:
n Start delimeter
n Length
n Frame data
n Checksum
API operation (AP parameter = 1)
This is the recommended API mode for most applications. The following table shows the data frame
structure when you enable this mode:
Frame fields Byte Description
Start delimiter 1 0x7E
Length 2 - 3 Most Significant Byte, Least Significant Byte
Frame data 4 - number (n) API-specific structure
Checksum n + 1 1 byte
Any data received prior to the start delimiter is silently discarded. If the frame is not received correctly
or if the checksum fails, the XBee replies with a radio status frame indicating the nature of the failure.
API operation with escaped characters (AP parameter = 2)
Setting API to 2 allows escaped control characters in the API frame. Due to its increased complexity,
we only recommend this API mode in specific circumstances. API 2 may help improve reliability if the
serial interface to the device is unstable or malformed frames are frequently being generated.
When operating in API 2, if an unescaped 0x7E byte is observed, it is treated as the start of a new API
frame and all data received prior to this delimiter is silently discarded. For more information on using
this API mode, see the Escaped Characters and API Mode 2 in the Digi Knowledge base.