FRDM-MCXW72: AN14889 Sensitivity test

Marcon — Tue, 06 Oct 2026 10:31:27 GMT

Hello,

I am following the steps in the AN14889 to run sensitivity tests on but without success

I use the following sequence to run the test on channel 0 (2402 MHz).
Could you check it?

Connectivity Test Interface short cuts
------------------------------------------
-Press [t] for Tx operation
-Press [r] for Rx operation
-Press [z] to increase mode (GENFSK, BLE) and rate
-Press [x] to decrease mode (GENFSK, BLE) and rate
-Press [c] to toggle between fixed or per channel whitening (for BLE only)
-Press [q] for channel up
-Press [w] for channel down
-Press [a] for Power up
-Press [s] for Power down
-Press [n] to increase the Payload
-Press [m] to decrease the Payload
-Press [d] to increase the XTAL Trim value
-Press [f] to decrease the XTAL Trim value
These keys can be used all over the application to change
the test parameters
________________________________
| |
| Select the Test to perform |
|________________________________|
-Press [1] Continuous tests
-Press [2] Packet Error Rate test
-Press [3] Range test
-Press [4] Adjust RTC XTAL
-Press [5] Adjust PLL numerator offset
-Press [!] Reset MCU
Mode RX, Rate BLE 1Mbps, Whiten Chan, Channel 42, Power 8, Payload 6, XtalTrim 10>
--------------------------------------------------------------
[t] Tx [z] Mode/Rate+ [c] Fix/Ch whit. [q] Ch+ [a] Pw+
[r] Rx [x] Mode/Rate- [w] Ch- [s] Pw-
[n] Pyld+ [d] XtalTrim+
[m] Pyld- [f] XtalTrim-
--------------------------------------------------------------
______________________
| |
| PER Rx Test Menu |
|______________________|
-Press [space bar] to start/stop Receiving Packets
-Press any push button to stop Receiving Packets
-Press [p] Previous Menu
Mode RX, Rate BLE 1Mbps, Whiten Chan, Channel 42, Power 8, Payload 6, XtalTrim 10>
PER Test Rx Running

PER Test Rx Stopped

Average Rssi during PER: 0 dBm
Received 0 of 0 packets transmitted
Press [ENTER] to go back to the Per Rx test menu

I use a BLE tester to send the standard BLE test packets but the board doesn't receive any packet.
The application note does not specify any setting for the sensitivity test.

On the other hand if I use hci_bb application and standard HCI commands, the board gets stuck randomly at all PHY only when the tester sends the HCI_LE_RECEIVER_TEST or HCI_LE_ENHANCED_RECEIVER_TEST make it impossible to run the tests.
The transmitter test command works flawlessly.

Could you give me some advices?
I am using SDK_26_06_00_FRDM-MCXW72.

Thanks,
Marco

Re: FRDM-MCXW72: AN14889 Sensitivity test

sofiaurueta — Sat, 10 Oct 2026 00:20:13 GMT

Hello, hope you are doing well.

Some features of the Connectivity Test Application like Packet Error Rate or Range Tests require the usage of two devices. One of the platforms must be set in RX mode (by

pressing “r”) and the other in TX (by pressing “t”).

Could you please try the PER test with a board to board scenario? One board as the Tx and the other as Rx. This to first validate the Connectivity Test application in a controlled environment , and to identify if the configuration of the Rx was correct.

You can find more information on steps and packet configuration to perform the PER test here: Steps to perform a PER test | Connectivity Test CLI — MCUXpresso SDK Documentation

The RF test flow described in AN14889 does not specify a custom packet or frame format for the sensitivity test, but instead relies on the standard Bluetooth Low Energy specifications.

BLE RF PHY tests, including sensitivity and PER measurements, can also be performed using Direct Test Mode (DTM), which is defined in the Bluetooth Core Specification, Vol. 6, Part F. This section defines the LE Test packets and the standardized test procedures used for RF validation.

The underlying packet structure itself (preamble, access address, PDU, CRC) is defined in the Bluetooth Core Specification, Vol. 6, Part B. The LE Test packets used in DTM follow this same structure, with controlled payload patterns and parameters for testing.

The specific test conditions and limits for measurements such as sensitivity and PER are also defined in the Bluetooth RF-PHY Test Suite.

Best Regards,
Sofia.

topic FRDM-MCXW72: AN14889 Sensitivity test in Wireless MCU

FRDM-MCXW72: AN14889 Sensitivity test

Re: FRDM-MCXW72: AN14889 Sensitivity test