14.4.7.1 Overview

The crystal oscillator generates the reference frequency for the AT86RF212B. All other internally generated frequencies of the radio transceiver are derived from this frequency. Therefore, the overall system performance is mainly determined by the accuracy of crystal reference frequency. The external components of the crystal oscillator should be selected carefully and the related board layout should be done with caution.

The XOSC_CTRL register provides access to the control signals of the oscillator. Two operating modes are supported. It is recommended to use the integrated oscillator setup. Alternatively, a reference frequency can be fed to the internal circuitry by using an external clock reference.