Creating a Wireless Network| Creating a wireless network from scratch is a fairly simple process. The devices start searching for a nearby network once they are installed. The coordinator will initialise a network on its own, to which the devices can connect. Figure 1 shows this stage of the process. | 
Figure 1 - Devices Initially Searching for a Network | | Any devices that are within range of the coordinator will join its network as shown in Figure 2. These devices become nodes in the network and once they have connected can be found by other devices searching for the network. | 
Figure 2 - Devices Closest to Coordinator Connect First | Figure 3 shows the next tier of devices connecting to the existing network as it forms. In this fashion the network is created in a cascade of devices as the network expands.
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Figure 3 - All Devices Connected | Once the devices have all joined the network they can be assigned to a network ID. Once the network has been assigned a new ID it will not allow extra devices to connect unless it is instructed to allow them. This increases security and simplifies setting up parallel networks that might be within range of each other. The devices are assigned a unique physical addresses when they connect but this can be changed via the control interface. When setting the network ID of a new network any devices that are not to be on the new network should be assigned a physical address of zero. Once the required devices have been set to the correct physical addresses the network can be given a new network number, channel and security key. Any remaining devices will begin to search again for another network. Note that each network requires a single controller unit to co-ordinate the network. In order to add new devices to an assigned network the network can be told to search for unassigned devices near a particular node and allow them to join. |
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