mbed 6LoWPAN Border Router HAT

Border router HAT for 6LoWPAN networks

Table of Contents

  1. Reprogramming the HAT
  2. Using the HAT
  3. Feature list
  4. Design Files

The Border router is a network gateway between a wireless 6LoWPAN mesh network and a backhaul network. It controls and relays traffic between the two networks. In a typical setup, a 6LoWPAN border router is connected to another router in the backhaul network (over Ethernet or a serial line) which in turn forwards traffic to/from the internet or a private company LAN, for instance.

For more information on the mbed Access Point, please see:

The default build of the mbed 6LoWPAN Access Point can be created by combining:

Both of these projects are open source and available from:

Reprogramming the HAT

When a new HAT is plugged in to your machine, it will not contain valid any firmware, and so will appear as a disk drive called "CRP Disabled".

To progam the HAT follow these steps:

  • Open the drive, and delete the file called "firmware.bin"
  • Download the latest firmware image from here
  • Copy the .bin firmware image file onto the "CRP Disabled" drive.
    • On Windows, replace firmware.bin with the above firmware
    • On Linux/Mac, use command: dd if={new_firmware.bin} of={firmware.bin} conv=notrunc
  • Unplug your HAT and plug it back in
  • It should now appear as a disk drive called DAPLink

You can re-program your HAT at any time by plugging it in with the button held down. This will cause it to appear as the "CRP Disabled" drive, at which point you can follow the steps above.

Using the HAT

  • If you wish to use the platform with a Raspberry PI (Default) - Move Jumper Reset_EN to 'On'.
  • If you wish to use platform the as an MBED - Move Jumper Reset_EN to 'Off'.

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Block Diagram

Below is the hardware block diagram of the border router, and its interconnection with the Access Point:

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Where to buy

Feature list

  1. NXP MK64F; ARM Cortex-M4F processor; 120MHz, 1Mb Flash, 256kB SRAM
  2. Atmel ATZB-RF-233; 2,4GHz, 802.15.4 Radio
  3. DAPLink interface, running on NXP LPC11U35 (Drag and drop programming, CMSIS-DAP Debug, USB COM Port)

Design Files

The design files for the mbed 6LoWPAN Border Router HAT can be found in the mbed HDK repository.