MAX79356SNF#

MAX79356SNF# Benefits and Features

● Low Power, Lightweight, and Portable, Operating onCold Wire, DC, or 110–240VAC, 50Hz/60Hz● Single FW Supports G3-PLC Standard CENELEC-A,CENELEC-B, FCC, and ARIB Frequency Bands asWell as Proprietary FCC-High Band● Captures and Displays Packets on PC with aWindows Graphic Application● Demonstrates Color Coded and Time-StampedG3-PLC PHY and MAC Frames Including Beacons,Bootstrapping, Routing, Tonemap Response,ACK/NACK and Data Packets● Configurable Decryption Keys Enable Real-TimeDisplay of Decrypted Packets● Channel Analyzer Function Graphically Visualizesthe Channel Quality of Each OFDM Tone● One-Click Report Generation for Statistical Analysis ofNetwork Stability, Topology, and Communication Quality● Programmable for Frequency Notching Support● Integrated Firmware Update Utility for Future Upgrades● A Must-Have Stand-Alone Tool in the Field forPLC Installers and Professionals That SignificantlyReduces the Installation Troubleshooting byProviding Signal Quality and Phase Information andEnabling Site Surveys

MAX79356SNF# General Description

The MAX79356 G3-PLC sniffer dongle is a lightweighttest and monitoring device for G3-PLC powerline com-munication networks. Accompanied by a user-friendlyWindows® application, this portable sniffer enables cap-turing and analysis of data and command packets onpowerline. A multifunction button allows the user to con-veniently change the frequency band to CENELEC-A,CENELEC-B, FCC, or ARIB. The sniffer dongle is pow-ered by a standard mini-USB port that can be connectedto a power bank and used as a handheld test device in thefield to check the signal phase and quality.

MAX79356SNF# Detailed Description

Powered by Maxim’s pioneer multiband G3-PLC chipset,the MAX79356 sniffer dongle works both as a snifferdevice for monitoring and analyzing packets in powerlinenetworks and as a handy portable test tool in the fieldto verify installations and diagnose the communica-tion problems. The sniffer is preloaded with a universalband FW that supports G3-PLC standard CENELEC-A,CENELEC-B, FCC and ARIB bands as well as the pro-prietary FCC-high band (320kHz–487kHz). The bandselection is done using a multifunction pushbutton on thedongle. A mini-USB cable (provided) is used to connectautomatically and it is identified as a COM port.OperationThe isolated power cord attached to the dongle is con-nected directly to AC, DC, or cold-wire line. If it is usedas a sniffer, the mini-USB port is connected to a PC andsniffer application (G3-PLC Sniffer Application section) islaunched. In case it is used as a stand-alone tester, themini-USB should be connected to a standard 5VDC USBsupply port such as a power bank (recommended).Changing Frequency BandBy pressing the multifunction pushbutton, the frequencyband is switched to the next band and red LED blinks tothe number associated with each band:1) CENELEC-A (default)2) FCC3) ARIB4) FCC-High5) CENELEC-BG3-PLC Sniffer ApplicationThe application communicates with the sniffer donglethrough the installed COM port. Figure 1 shows the cap-ture of packets. The upper window shows the packets intabular format with highlight of most frequently used infor-mation. The lower window shows the content of the select-ed packet with main fields dissected. The channel analyzerprovides a measure of signal quality for different tones.Figure 2 shows an example of channel quality in presenceof a strong 350kHz interference. To display the content ofencrypted packets, the decryption function is chosen andappropriate network keys are updated in the sniffer.The application is also capable of generating graphicalreports for a live sniffing session. The report displays thestatistics of packet modulation. LQI distribution, Tonemapresponse analysis, percentage of usage of each subband,distribution of types of packets and number of discoveredneighbors. Figure 3 displays an example of the report.Sniffer as a Standalone Test ToolSniffer dongle can be powered through a 5VDC USBpower bank (not included) and used as a test tool.Channel Quality: Upon receiving a packet, one of thecolored LEDs blinks to show the quality of the channelfor that packet with green/yellow/red indicating good/medium/bad quality, respectively.Phase Difference: To monitor the phase difference of thetransmitter of the packet with the sniffer, press and holdthe multifunction button for 2s. The phase difference isrepresented by color of 3 LEDs as shown in Table 1 (seethe polarity in schematics).Firmware UpgradeIf a new release of firmware is available, the integratedflash update utility in the Program menu of G3-PLC SnifferGUI can be conveniently used to upgrade the firmware.