SNLA491 August 2025 DP83826AE , DP83826AI
The PHY has strap pins which assist with configuring the device in a predetermined mode. The voltage at these pins is the sole determining factor as to whether or not the device is in one mode or the other.
The expectation during the sampling time for strapping is that the external strap network (consisting of a PU or PD resistor, if applicable) along with the internal resistor creates a voltage divider in which the PHY samples. No other component on the line need to affect the DC bias set by this network.
However, in some cases, other devices on the board (for example, the MAC) will pull or drive these pins unexpectedly. The strap values can be read from the registers. The values are available in Reg 0x0467 (SOR1) and Reg 0x0468 (SOR2). If there is power cycle dependency to an issue, the strapping can be marginal and can be observed cycle to cycle against these registers to determine if the PHY is strapped in an unintended state.
Measurements can be made during power up and after power up when the RESET_N signal is asserted.