Silicon Labs AN1256 OpenThread Border Router User Guide

Connect your target part to the computer and open Simplicity
Studio 5.
Create a new project by selecting New > Silicon Labs Project
Wizard from the File menu.

Choose “ot-rcp” as the example project for the OpenThread
Border Router.
Configure the project settings and finalize the project
creation process.

FAQ

Q: What is the communication protocol used by the RCP?

A: The RCP utilizes Spinel on top of a serial connection (UART
or SPI) for communication.

Q: Can the RCP be used with any host platform?

A: The RCP is effectively host-agnostic when correctly
configured with the OpenThread Border Router on the host.

Q: Where can I find more information on building RCP
images?

A: Detailed instructions for building RCP images using
Simplicity Studio 5 are available in the user manual under the
“Build and Installation Instructions for the RCP Images”
section.

“`

View Fullscreen

AN1256: Using the Silicon Labs RCP with the OpenThread Border Router

This version of AN1256 has been deprecated with the release of Simplicity SDK Suite 2025.6.1 For the latest version, see docs.silabs.com.
************************************************************************** A Thread Border Router connects a Thread Network to other IPbased networks, such as Wi-Fi® or Ethernet®. A Thread Network requires a Border Router to connect to other networks. The Border Router provides services for devices within the Thread Network, including routing services for off-network operations, bidirectional connectivity over IPv6 infrastructure links, and service registry to enable DNS-based service discovery. Silicon Labs provides a Border Router Add-On Kit containing a Raspberry Pi device and an example Radio Co-Processor (RCP) application required to build Border Router software.
NOTE: Refer to the OpenThread release notes for the stable version commits of OpenThread (openthread) and OpenThread Border Router (ot-br-posix) repos supported by a Silicon Labs release. OpenThread release notes are installed with the SDK and are also available on docs.silabs.com. This applies to all default containers provided by Silicon Labs for the release, and the copies of these repos included in the release. While we support building using any commit on GitHub (using the ot-efr32 repo), note that the latest public code on GitHub can be unstable.

KEY POINTS
· Build and installation instructions for the RCP images
· Build and installation instructions for the Border Router Host
· OpenThread Border Router configuration information
· OpenThread resources

silabs.com | Building a more connected world.

Rev. 2.0

AN1256: Using the Silicon Labs RCP with the OpenThread Border Router
Introduction
1 Introduction
This application note is intended for software engineers who wish to develop an OpenThread Border Router (OTBR). It assumes some familiarity with OpenThread and basic Thread concepts. For an introduction to OpenThread and information on Thread concepts, visit https://openthread.io/. For information on OTBR setup and installation, refer to https://openthread.io/guides/border-router.
This application note assumes that you have downloaded Simplicity Studio 5 (SSv5) and the Silicon Labs OpenThread SDK and are generally familiar with the SSv5 Launcher perspective. SSv5 installation and getting started instructions, along with a set of detailed references, can be found in the online Simplicity Studio 5 User’s Guide, available on https://docs.silabs.com/ and through the SSv5 help menu. Refer to QSG170: Silicon Labs OpenThread Quick Start Guide for more information about configuring, building, and flashing OpenThread sample applications.
This application note addresses the following topics: · Build and Installation Instructions for the RCP Images
Explains the build and installation procedure for the Radio Co-Processor (RCP) image using UART as well as SPI interfaces. · Build and Installation Instructions for the OpenThread Border Router
Defines the build and installation procedure for the OpenThread Border Router on POSIX-based platforms, including an option to deploy a pre-built Docker container for the Raspberry Pi. · OTBR Configuration Information Provides OTBR information such as how to configure various Border Router features and the Network Address Translation (NAT64) interface. · Additional OpenThread Resources Includes links to OpenThread Resources.
1.1 Hardware Requirements
A Thread Border Router has two components: · A Raspberry Pi host with Thread Border Router support (Recommended: Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ or above) · A Thread-capable Silicon Labs Radio Co-processor (RCP)
The RCP in this application is only compatible with the Thread protocol and utilizes a serial connection (UART or SPI) to interface with the host. Spinel is used on top of this serial connection to facilitate communication. Provided that the OTBR is correctly configured on the host, the RCP should function seamlessly, making it effectively host-agnostic. For more information on supported host platforms, see OpenThread Border Router.
To create the RCP, you need the following: · EFR32MG Wireless Starter Kit or Thunderboard Sense 2 Sensor-to-Cloud Advanced IoT Kit · Silicon Labs board capable of Thread communication
Note: For information about Silicon Labs Precompiled RCP Images, see Use Precompiled RCP Images.

silabs.com | Building a more connected world.

Rev. 2.0 | 2

AN1256: Using the Silicon Labs RCP with the OpenThread Border Router
Build and Installation Instructions for the RCP Images
2 Build and Installation Instructions for the RCP Images
Note: The following instructions only apply to RCP images built using Simplicity Studio for a given GSDK release.
To build an RCP image using the latest OpenThread, follow instructions on the ot-efr32 repo.
2.1 Use Precompiled RCP Images Silicon Labs has precompiled images available for these boards with their associated image locations. The default precompiled images are configured for UART interface.
Note: By default, the Silicon Labs GSDK uses Thread protocol version 1.4. A set of prebuilt RCP demo applications are provided with the OpenThread SDK.
2.2 Build RCP Images Using Simplicity Studio 5 Silicon Labs has sample applications for several standard OpenThread images. 1. Select ot-rcp as an example for the default RCP image for the OpenThread Border Router over UART interface. 2. With your target part connected to your computer, open Simplicity Studio 5’s File menu and select New > Silicon Labs Project
Wizard. The Target, SDK, and Toolchain Selection dialog opens. Click NEXT. 3. The Example Project Selection dialog opens. Use the Technology Type and Keyword filters to search for ot-rcp as an example for
the default RCP image for the OpenThread Border Router. Select it and click NEXT. 4. The Project Configuration dialog opens. Rename your project, change the default project file location, and determine if you will link
to or copy project files. Note that, if you change any linked resource, it is changed for any other project that references it. Click FINISH. 5. The Simplicity IDE Perspective opens with the Project Configurator open to the OVERVIEW tab. See the online Simplicity Studio 5 User’s Guide for details about the functionality available through the Simplicity IDE perspective and the Project Configurator.

6. Make any configuration changes to the software components, as described in the next section. The autogeneration progress is available in the bottom right of the Simplicity IDE perspective. Make sure that progress is complete before you build.

silabs.com | Building a more connected world.

Rev. 2.0 | 3

AN1256: Using the Silicon Labs RCP with the OpenThread Border Router
Build and Installation Instructions for the RCP Images
7. Compile and flash the application image as described in QSG170: Silicon Labs OpenThread Quick Start Guide. 2.3 Configure RCP Image for SPI From Default OT-RCP Application Using Simplicity Studio 5 1. Generate ot-rcp application as described in section 2.2 steps 1 4. 2. Under the SOFTWARE COMPONENTS tab in your RCP project (.slcp), expand the Services menu. Select vcom under the IO
STREAM USART or IO STREAM EUSART component.

3. Click Uninstall to remove the component, which uninstalls the IO STREAM component as well.
4. Under the SOFTWARE COMPONENTS tab in your RCP project (.slcp), expand the OpenThread menu. Select the NCP SPIDRV component and click Install.

silabs.com | Building a more connected world.

Rev. 2.0 | 4

AN1256: Using the Silicon Labs RCP with the OpenThread Border Router
Build and Installation Instructions for the RCP Images

5. Compile and flash the application image as described in QSG170: Silicon Labs OpenThread Quick Start Guide.
2.4 Configure OpenThread Options in the RCP Images Using Simplicity Studio 5 1. Under the SOFTWARE COMPONENTS tab in your RCP project (.slcp), expand the OpenThread menu. Select Stack (RCP) for an
RCP build. 2. Click Configure to change the settings associated with the OpenThread build.
Note: You can select the Configurable Components and Installed Components checkboxes to filter only those components you can configure successfully.

3. Configure the various compile-time settings for your RCP project. The various build options are explained in the OpenThread documentation at https://openthread.io/guides/build.
4. For Coexistence with WiFi configurations, see AN1017 Zigbee and OpenThread Coexistence with WiFi.

silabs.com | Building a more connected world.

Rev. 2.0 | 5

AN1256: Using the Silicon Labs RCP with the OpenThread Border Router
Build and Installation Instructions for the Border Router Host
3 Build and Installation Instructions for the Border Router Host
3.1 Install the Hardware
Connect each Wireless Starter Kit main board and the host computer to an Ethernet switch with an Ethernet cable as shown in the following figure. These connections will permit programming and network analysis of the RCP and end devices. Optionally, end devices may be connected to the host computer by USB rather than Ethernet. To connect Raspberry Pi Border Router with RCP over SPI, you can either hardwire the SPI pins with WSTK’s expansion connector or you can use wireless expansion board (brd8016), which mounts on the top of Raspberry Pi.

3.1.1 Hardwire SPI Connections Between Raspberry Pi and WSTK Connect the SPI pins as shown below:

Raspberry Pi Connector (SPI Pins) GPIO10 / Pin19 (MOSI) GPIO9 / Pin21 (MISO) GPIO11 / Pin23 (SCLK) GPIO7/8 / Pin24/26 (CS0/CS1) GPIO21 / Pin40 (Interrupt line) GND / Pin 6 GPIO20 / Pin38 (Reset line)

WPK’s Expansion Connector (brd4002) Pin 4 Pin 6 Pin 8 Pin 10 Pin 7 Pin 1 Pin F4 on breakout connector

silabs.com | Building a more connected world.

Rev. 2.0 | 6

AN1256: Using the Silicon Labs RCP with the OpenThread Border Router
Build and Installation Instructions for the Border Router Host

3.1.2 Wireless Expansion Board for SPI Connections Between Raspberry Pi and WSTK You can also use a wireless expansion board, which mounts on the top of Raspberry Pi to avoid hardwire connection, as shown below.

Note: Use correct OTBR_AGENT_OPTS as described in section 3.2.3 OTBR Configurations using SPI Interface depending on the SPI connections.
3.2 Install and Configure a Raspberry Pi for Use with RCP Two different methods for installing the OTBR software in a Raspberry Pi for use with an RCP are: · Manual installation · Docker container

silabs.com | Building a more connected world.

Rev. 2.0 | 7

AN1256: Using the Silicon Labs RCP with the OpenThread Border Router
Build and Installation Instructions for the Border Router Host
3.2.1 Manual Installation This guide covers how to build the OTBR using the tools provided by the Silicon Labs GSDK. You may also install the OTBR using the instructions detailed at https://openthread.io/guides/border-router/build. Note that this is a different build option, and either guide may be followed to build the OTBR.
For the manual setup, use the included version of the ot-br-posix in the Silicon Labs SDK: util/third_party/ot-br-posix
You can find the Thread specification for a selected SDK under util/third_party/openthread/README.md. If you have already downloaded the SDK as part of Simplicity Studio, skip the following step.
Begin by cloning the Simplicity SDK repository: git clone https://github.com/SiliconLabs/simplicity_sdk.git*
Check out the desired SDK branch. For this guide, we use the default branch.
In the util/third_party /ot-br-posix directory run: sudo ./script/bootstrap
After running the bootstrap step, make sure to check out the right version of the openthread stack in third_party/openthread/repo by either copying or creating a symbolic link to the OpenThread stack: util/third_party/ot-br-posix/third_party/openthread/repo -> util/third_party/openthread
Make sure that the git commit under third_party/openthread/repo is supported by the release. Refer to the OpenThread Release Notes for the stable commits supported by a given release.
To use Silicon Labs-specific configuration settings for border router, you can grab the special configuration header hosted in the SDK under <sdk_location>/protocol/openthread/platform-abstraction/posix/openthread-core-silabs-posix-config.h.
Note: This configuration header overrides a lot of settings to recommended values from the certifiable OTBR configuration. Please go over the configuration file to check any settings specific to your scenario.
Run the setup as follows: # Copy the config file to a known include path
sudo cp <sdk_location>/protocol/openthread/platform-abstraction/posix/openthread-core-silabs-posixconfig.h <sdk_location>/util/third_party/openthread/src/posix/platform/
# Run the setup by specifying the above config header # Adjust your infrastructure link name appropriately, such as eth0 for Ethernet or wlan0 for WiFi # (or whatever your link is named) sudo INFRA_IF_NAME=eth0 OTBR_OPTIONS=”-DOT_CONFIG=openthread-core-silabs-posix-config.h” ./script/setup
To build OTBR with SPI interface, specify RCP bus as follows:
sudo INFRA_IF_NAME=eth0 OTBR_OPTIONS=”-DOT_POSIX_RCP_SPI_BUS=ON” ./script/setup
Refer to /src/core/config and openthread/examples/README.md for compile-time constants and cmake build options, respectively.
Note: Prior to GSDK 4.4.0 the build flag for the OTBR SPI Interface was: -DOT_POSIX_CONFIG_RCP_BUS=SPI.
*For SDK 7.x and lower, users must clone the Gecko SDK repository. For more information, please visit https://github.com/SiliconLabs/gecko_sdk.

silabs.com | Building a more connected world.

Rev. 2.0 | 8

AN1256: Using the Silicon Labs RCP with the OpenThread Border Router
Build and Installation Instructions for the Border Router Host
3.2.2 OTBR Configurations Using UART Interface · Configure the desired tty* port to use for the OTBR to connect your RCP at startup. Look for the tty* port of the RCP device. The
easiest way to do this is to look for a /tty/dev… entry once the RCP is connected. It should generally either be /dev/ttyUSB0 or /dev/ttyACM0. · Edit the /etc/default/otbr-agent file and look for the OTBR_AGENT_OPTS configuration. Include the tty* port name in that parameter as follows: OTBR_AGENT_OPTS=”-I wpan0 spinel+hdlc+uart:///dev/ttyACM0″ · If running a Backbone Border Router (Thread protocol version 1.2 or above), add the backbone interface as follows: OTBR_AGENT_OPTS=”-I wpan0 -B eth0 spinel+hdlc+uart:///dev/ttyACM0″ · If running a Thread 1.3 or greater Border Router, specify the Thread Radio Encapsulation Link (TREL) interface to enable Thread over Infrastructure links as follows:
OTBR_AGENT_OPTS=”-I wpan0 -B eth0 spinel+hdlc+uart:///dev/ttyACM0 trel://eth0″
3.2.2.1 UART Baud Rate Settings · By default, OTBR agent (the host daemon) is built to work with a baud rate of 460800. We recommend this configuration for a lot of
realistic OTBR deployment scenarios. Please make sure your RCP and WSTK/WPK/STK adapter are configured accordingly. · If you wish to change the default baud rate, we recommend that you update the radio URL options:
For example, to lower the baud rate to 115200: OTBR_AGENT_OPTS=”-I wpan0 spinel+hdlc+uart:///dev/ttyACM0?uart-baudrate=115200 trel://eth0″
If intending to change this value, you must also match the correct baud rate on the adapter board by issuing the following command on the admin console of the RCP’s WSTK/WPK/STK adapter:
> serial vcom config speed 115200 (optional if you have updated adapter firmware that will autosense this rate)
Make sure to also set the correct baud rate in your RCP project in the IO STREAM USART or IO STREAM EUSART component as shown in the following figure:

· To verify the baud rate in use, issue the command: stty -F /dev/ttyACM0
silabs.com | Building a more connected world.

Rev. 2.0 | 9

AN1256: Using the Silicon Labs RCP with the OpenThread Border Router
Build and Installation Instructions for the Border Router Host

3.2.3 OTBR Configurations using SPI Interface
· Configure the desired SPI ports to use for the OTBR to connect your RCP at startup. Ensure the SPI interface is enabled on the Raspberry Pi. If not:
· Enable it by adding following in /boot/config.txt

dtparam=spi=on dtoverlay=disable-bt

#Maybe not required

· Remove/comment dtoverlay=spi0-1cs,cs0_pin=26 if it is defined in /boot/config.txt. · Reboot the Raspberry Pi. · Use this command to validate the SPI port `ls /dev | grep spi’. · Two devices should be visible, spidev0.0 and spidev0.1, depending on your Raspberry Pi version. · Edit the /etc/default/otbr-agent file and look for the OTBR_AGENT_OPTS configuration. Include the correct GPIOs in that
parameter as per the hardware setup in sections 3.1.1 and 3.1.2. · Use the following parameters if Raspberry Pi is hardwired to SPI pins on WSTK’s expansion connector. Use spidev0.0 if using
Raspberry Pi’s CS0 or replace to spidev0.1 for CS1 pin.

OTBR_AGENT_OPTS=”-I wpan0 -B eth0 spinel+spi:///dev/spidev0.0?gpio-int-device=/dev/gpiochip0&gpio-int-line=21&gpio-reset-device=/dev/gpiochip0&gpio-reset-line=20&no-reset=1&spispeed=1000000″

· Use the following parameters if the radio board is mounted on Raspberry Pi using wireless expansion board (brd8016A).

OTBR_AGENT_OPTS=”-I wpan0 -B eth0 spinel+spi:///dev/spidev0.0?gpio-int-device=/dev/gpiochip0&gpio-int-line=22&gpio-reset-device=/dev/gpiochip0&gpio-reset-line=23&no-reset=1&spispeed=1000000″

· If using custom hardware connections, make sure to provide respective GPIOs pins. · Start otbr-agent service by either rebooting the Raspberry Pi or issue > sudo systemctl restart otbr-agent.
· Issue the > sudo ot-ctl state command on the Raspberry Pi to see the status of the connection between the host and RCP.
· Check whether all required services are running on the OTBR.

sudo systemctl status should not report any services as running in a “degraded” state. · Check /var/log/syslog for a running log of otbr-agent.

3.2.4 OTBR Configuration for CSL
· When running OTBR as a CSL transmitter, OTBR can sometimes fail to transmit CSL packets with the error “Handle transmit done failed: Abort”. This can happen if OPENTHREAD_CONFIG_MAC_CSL_REQUEST_AHEAD_US is set too low.
The default SiLabs POSIX config header includes a recommended value (5000) for this parameter. When building your OTBR from the instructions in section 3.2.1, make sure to use the latest openthread-core-silabs-posix-config.h.
If building the OTBR on your own using the instructions on the OpenThread website, then either: · Modify the value of OPENTHREAD_CONFIG_MAC_CSL_REQUEST_AHEAD_US in ot-br-posix/third_party/openthread/repo/src/core/config/mac.h or · Pass the value during setup as follows: sudo OTBR_OPTIONS=”-DCMAKE_CXX_FLAGS=’-DOPENTHREAD_CONFIG_MAC_CSL_REQUEST_AHEAD_US=5000′” ./script/setup

3.2.5 Installation Guidance
· Starting with GSDK 4.2.0, Silicon Labs OpenThread Border Router uses the OpenThread-based NAT64 implementation, which automatically sets up a NAT64 prefix for address translation purposes. See the example at https://openthread.io/guides/borderrouter/docker/test-connectivity.
Silicon Labs does not recommend using the default NAT configuration on a network using 192.168.x.x addresses because that NAT uses those addresses by default on the NAT64 interface.

silabs.com | Building a more connected world.

Rev. 2.0 | 10

AN1256: Using the Silicon Labs RCP with the OpenThread Border Router
Build and Installation Instructions for the Border Router Host

· For properly resolving mDNS queries, make sure the “hosts:” line under /etc/nsswitch.conf looks like the following:

hosts:

files mdns4 minimal mdns5 minimal dns

· For Thread 1.2 backbone routing and Thread 1.3 and 1.4 features, the onboard OTBR processes manage IPv6 prefixes and routing, so dhcpcd management of ipv6 should be disabled.

Check that the following lines are present in /etc/dhcpcd.conf:

noipv6 noipv6rs

3.2.6 OTBR Status
· Issue the > sudo ot-ctl state command on your Raspberry Pi to see the status of the connection between the host and RCP. · Check whether all required services are running on the OTBR.
sudo systemctl status should not report any services as running in a “degraded” state. · Check /var/log/syslog for a running log of otbr-agent.

3.2.7 Using ot-ctl to Configure and Control the OpenThread Border Router For a full command list, run: > sudo ot-ctl help Refer to https://openthread.io/guides/border-router/external-commissioning for examples on how to manually set up a Thread Network and examples on how to enable an external commissioner. Run these two commands to check for a running Thread Network: > sudo ot-ctl state and > sudo ot-ctl ifconfig
Note: The error message OpenThread Daemon is not running indicates a problem with the RCP connection. Check both for a valid /dev/tty entry and that a valid RCP application was flashed onto the device.

3.2.8 OTBR Feature Configuration for Certification
For information on how to properly configure OpenThread Border Router features and services, visit https://openthread.io/guides/border-router.
The following flags are recommended for an OTBR “Device Under Test (DUT)” for Thread Certification:
(See section 3.2.1 for instructions on obtaining Silicon Labs-specific configuration settings for border router: openthread-core-silabsposix-config.h)
sudo RELEASE=1 NAT64=1 BORDER_ROUTING=1 DHCPV6_PD=0 REFERENCE_DEVICE=0 BACKBONE_ROUTER=1 WEB_GUI=0 ./script/bootstrap
sudo INFRA_IF_NAME=eth0 RELEASE=1 REFERENCE_DEVICE=0 BACKBONE_ROUTER=1 BORDER_ROUTING=1 NAT64=1 DHCPV6_PD=0 WEB_GUI=0 REST_API=0 OTBR_OPTIONS=”-DOT_THREAD_VERSION=1.4 DOT_PLATFORM_CONFIG=openthread-core-silabs-posix-config.h -DOTBR_DUA_ROUTING=ON DOTBR_DNSSD_DISCOVERY_PROXY=ON -DOTBR_SRP_ADVERTISING_PROXY=ON -DOTBR_TREL=ON -DOTBR_DHCP6_PD=ON” ./script/setup

silabs.com | Building a more connected world.

Rev. 2.0 | 11

3.2.9 Docker Installation

AN1256: Using the Silicon Labs RCP with the OpenThread Border Router
Build and Installation Instructions for the Border Router Host

Note: The following Docker containers are only supposed to be used with RCPs built using Simplicity Studio 5 for a given release. Be sure to match the container tag version with the GSDK version that you are using for testing.

Silicon Labs recommends deploying the company’s Docker container with the OTBR. Running the OTBR in a container allows for creation of easily deployable artifacts and fast development prototyping and testing.
Silicon Labs provides the following pre-built Docker containers (with tags), hosted on DockerHub:
https://hub.docker.com/r/siliconlabsinc/openthread-border-router/tags
For proprietary radio support (alpha release):
https://hub.docker.com/r/siliconlabsinc/openthread-border-router-proprietary-na-915/tags 3.2.9.1 Prerequisites · On the SD card, make sure to flash the Raspberry Pi OS Lite image or Raspberry Pi OS with Desktop. · Make sure to update the local repositories and package manager (apt-get update and apt-get upgrade prior to installing Docker). · Optional but recommended: Install Haveged for better entropy conditions. 3.2.9.2 Installation Guidance
Note: Replace the string <version> in the following commands with the actual version you are using. For example, gsdk-4.4.0, sisdk2024.6.0, etc.

· Make sure to reboot after any updates:
curl -sSL https://get.docker.com | sh
· Once finished, you can modify the Docker user settings to not require sudo before each command:
sudo usermod -aG docker $USER
· Raspberry Pi and Linux users, make sure to run:
sudo modprobe ip6table_filter
for OTBR firewall support. This allows OTBR scripts to create rules inside the Docker container before otbr-agent starts. To make sure this setting persists between reboots, add the following line to /etc/modules:
ip6table_filter
If this step is not completed, modprobe errors may be displayed when starting a Docker container. · Issue the following commands to install the containers. Note that only one Border Router container can be running at one time with
the RCP. Also, be sure to verify the RCP version (Thread protocol version 1.4) that should be run against this container.
UART interface: docker pull siliconlabsinc/openthread-border-router:<version>
SPI interface: docker pull siliconlabsinc/openthread-border-router:<version>_spi
· To run an OpenThread Border Router (default is Thread protocol version 1.4), issue the following command: · Example for UART interface
docker run -d –name “otbr” –sysctl “net.ipv6.conf.all.disable_ipv6=0 net.ipv4.conf.all.forwarding=1 net.ipv6.conf.all.forwarding=1” -p 8080:80 –dns=127.0.0.1 -it –volume /dev/ttyACM0:/dev/ttyACM0 –privileged siliconlabsinc/openthread-border-router:<version> –radio-url “spinel+hdlc+uart:///dev/ttyACM0” –backbone-interface eth0
(See sections 3.2.2 and 3.2.2.1 for notes on configuring the UART Radio URL) · Example for SPI interface (for more information, see section 3.2.3 OTBR Configurations using SPI Interface)

silabs.com | Building a more connected world.

Rev. 2.0 | 12

AN1256: Using the Silicon Labs RCP with the OpenThread Border Router
Build and Installation Instructions for the Border Router Host
docker run -d –name “otbr” –sysctl “net.ipv6.conf.all.disable_ipv6=0 net.ipv4.conf.all.forwarding=1 net.ipv6.conf.all.forwarding=1” -p 8080:80 –dns=127.0.0.1 -it –volume /dev/spidev0.0:/dev/spidev0.0 –privileged siliconlabsinc/openthread-border-router:<version> –radio-url “spinel+spi:///dev/spidev0.0?gpio-int-device=/dev/gpiochip0&gpio-int-line=21&gpio-reset-de-
vice=/dev/gpiochip0&gpio-reset-line=20&no-reset=1&spi-speed=1000000” –backbone-interface eth0
(See section 3.2.3 OTBR Configurations using SPI Interface for notes on configuring the SPI Radio URL.)
Use additional arguments to configure the containers. For more information, see 3.2.9.3 or the Dockerfile in the ot-br-posix installation directory.
3.2.9.3 Docker Configuration Notes
Note: Silicon Labs-hosted Docker containers are only supposed to be used with RCPs built using Simplicity Studio 5 for a given release. Be sure to match the container tag version with the GSDK version that you are testing with.
Note: Replace the string <version> in the following commands with the actual version you are using. For example, gsdk-4.4.0, sisdk2024.6.0, etc.
· Configure the desired TTY port for the OTBR to connect the RCP at startup. Look for the TTY port of the RCP device. The easiest way to do this is to look for a /tty/dev… entry once the RCP is connected. It should generally either be /dev/ttyUSB0 or /dev/ttyACM0.
· Run the Docker installation as follows (example for UART interface):
docker run -d –name “otbr” –sysctl “net.ipv6.conf.all.disable_ipv6=0 net.ipv4.conf.all.forwarding=1 net.ipv6.conf.all.forwarding=1” -p 8080:80 –dns=127.0.0.1 -it –volume /dev/ttyACM0:/dev/ttyACM0 –privileged siliconlabsinc/openthread-border-router:<version> –radio-url “spinel+hdlc+uart:///dev/ttyACM0” –backbone-interface eth0
· -d ensures that the container runs in detached mode. · Review the running logs for the container any time using the docker logs command. · –name is sticky until the docker container is properly closed (or removed). · Port 8080 indicates the port of the web server hosting the Border Router management webpage. · Issue commands directly to the container without having to attach to it: docker exec -ti otbr sh -c “sudo ot-ctl state” For more information, see the docker exec documentation. · Directly obtain an interactive shell above by issuing this command: docker exec -ti otbr sh -c “sudo ot-ctl” · Check the window running the OTBR Docker container for running log output of the Border Router, or follow the container log as follows: docker logs [container-id] -f · Manage the containers as shown below if they are loaded improperly: # list all container images docker images otbr # remove existing container docker image rm -f <container ID> # list running containers docker ps -a # to remove running container docker rm -f <container name>

silabs.com | Building a more connected world.

Rev. 2.0 | 13

AN1256: Using the Silicon Labs RCP with the OpenThread Border Router
OpenThread Resources
4 OpenThread Resources
Silicon Labs provides components and configuration options that enable you to configure Thread 1.4 features with sample applications. For more information, see AN1499: Configuring OpenThread Applications for Thread 1.4.
For information specific to Thread 1.3, see AN1372: Configuring OpenThread Applications for Thread 1.3. Thread 1.4 is the recommended protocol version starting with the silabs-2024.12 SDK for the soc and starting with silabs-2025.6 SDK for the otbr.
To find more resources or take advantage of the OpenThread community pages, visit: https://openthread.io/resources.
For information about the OpenThread Border Router, visit: https://openthread.io/guides/border-router.
Consult these troubleshooting webpages for more information: · https://openthread.io/guides/border-router/build#verify-services · https://openthread.io/guides/border-router/access-point#troubleshooting

silabs.com | Building a more connected world.

Rev. 2.0 | 14

Documents / Resources

Silicon Labs AN1256 OpenThread Border Router [pdf] User Guide
QSG113, AN1256, AN1256 OpenThread Border Router, AN1256, OpenThread Border Router, Border Router, Router

References

User Manual

Silicon Labs AN1256 OpenThread Border Router User Guide

AN1256 OpenThread Border Router

Specifications

Product Usage Instructions

1. Hardware Requirements

2. Build and Installation Instructions for the RCP Images

2.1 Use Precompiled RCP Images

2.2 Build RCP Images Using Simplicity Studio 5

FAQ

Q: What is the communication protocol used by the RCP?

Q: Can the RCP be used with any host platform?

Q: Where can I find more information on building RCP
images?

Documents / Resources

References

Leave a comment

Cancel reply