NEW XBEE PRODUCTS – Xbee ZB Series 2 – 2mW with Wire Antenna – XB24-Z7WIT-004, XBee Pro Module – ZB Series 2 – 63mW with Wire Antenna – XBP24BZ7WIT-004, XBee Pro Module – Series 1 – 60mW with Wire Antenna – XBP24-AWI-001, Building Wireless Sensor Networks by Rob Faludi.
XBee Module – ZB Series 2 – 2mW with Wire Antenna – XB24-Z7WIT-004
We now carry the Series 2 XBee “ZigBee” modules. This is the series 2 ZigBee protocol 1mW with wire antenna. Its good for point-to-point, multipoint and mesh networks. This module is a little more difficult to get going than the Series 1 – you must set up a “coordinator” module so they are not as plug-and-play. We suggest this module for those who are following the Building Wireless Sensor Network book as it focuses on Series 2.
Series 2 modules cannot talk to Series 1 modules so if you already have some S1 type XBees you may want to stick with them. The S2 modules are not necessarily ‘better’ than S1 for many projects. They’re just different as they use the “ZigBee” wireless stack instead of the 802.15.4. This makes them better for low power usage and advanced users who want a mesh topology (many XBees in a spread-out configuration) – but they are more difficult to use for basic point-to-point setups.
The pins on an XBee are 2mm spacing, not 0.1″ so they will not fit into a breadboard. For that reason, they work best in our XBee adapter module kit (which has a 250mA 3.3V regulator) or with the USB XBee adapter.
This module comes with a wire antenna, its the same price as a chip antenna but 50% more range because of the improved antenna, awesome!
- TX Peak Current: 40 mA
- RX Current: 40 mA (@3.3 V)
- Power-down Current: < 1 μA
- Indoor/Urban: up to 133 ft (40 m)
- Outdoor line-of-sight: up to 400 ft (120 m)
- Transmit Power: 2 mW (3 dBm)
- Receiver Sensitivity: -96 dBm
- Dimensions: 24mm x 28mm x 9mm (0.94in x 1.1in x 0.3in)
- 3.24g ( 0.14oz)
XBee Pro Module – ZB Series 2 – 63mW with Wire Antenna – XBP24BZ7WIT-004
We now carry the Series 2 XBee “ZigBee” modules. This is the PRO Series 2 ZigBee protocol 63mW with wire antenna. Its good for point-to-point, multipoint and mesh networks. This module is a little more difficult to get going than the Series 1 – you must set up a “coordinator” module so they are not as plug-and-play. We suggest this module for those who are following the Building Wireless Sensor Network book as it focuses on Series 2.
Series 2 modules cannot talk to Series 1 modules so if you already have some S1 type XBees you may want to stick with them. The S2 modules are not necessarily ‘better’ than S1 for many projects. They’re just different as they use the “ZigBee” wireless stack instead of the 802.15.4. This makes them better for low power usage and advanced users who want a mesh topology (many XBees in a spread-out configuration) – but they are more difficult to use for basic point-to-point setups.
The pins on an XBee are 2mm spacing, not 0.1″ so they will not fit into a breadboard. For that reason, they work best in our XBee adapter module kit (which has a 250mA 3.3V regulator) or with the USB XBee adapter.
This module comes with a wire antenna, its the same price as a chip antenna but 50% more range because of the improved antenna, awesome!
Details:
- TX Peak Current: 205mA
- RX Current: 47 mA (@3.3 V)
- Power-down Current: < 3.5 μA
- Indoor/Urban: up to 300 ft (90 m)
- Outdoor line-of-sight: up to 2 miles (3200 m)
- Transmit Power: 63mW (18dBm)
- Receiver Sensitivity: -102 dBm
- Dimensions: 24mm x 33mm x 9mm (0.94in x 1.3in x 0.3in)
- 3.91g ( 0.14oz)
XBee Pro Module – Series 1 – 60mW with Wire Antenna – XBP24-AWI-001
This is the Pro (higher-power) version of the popular XBee! This module is series #1 (802.15.4 protocol) 60mW wireless module, good for point-to-point, multipoint and convertible to a mesh network point. These are much more powerful than the plain XBee modules, great for when you need more range.
What we like about the Series 1 modules is that they are so easy to get set up. If you have two in range, they will automatically form a serial link with no configuration, so you can send TTL serial data back and forth. You can also configure the baudrate, as well as sleep modes, power modes and tons more stuff using the Digi XBee tool.
The pins on an XBee are 2mm spacing, not 0.1″ so they will not fit into a breadboard. For that reason, they work best in our XBee adapter module kit (which has a 250mA 3.3V regulator) or with the USB XBee adapter.
This module comes with a wire antenna, its the same price as a chip antenna but 50% more range because of the improved antenna, awesome!
- TX Peak Current: 250mA
- RX Current: 55 mA (@3.3 V)
- Power-down Current: < 10 μA
- Dimensions: 27mm x 33mm x 9mm (1in x 0.9in x 0.3in)
- 4g ( 0.15oz)
Building Wireless Sensor Networks by Rob Faludi
Get ready to create distributed sensor systems and intelligent interactive devices using the ZigBee wireless networking protocol and Series 2 XBee radios. By the time you’re halfway through this fast-paced, hands-on guide, you’ll have built a series of useful projects, including a complete ZigBee wireless network that delivers remotely sensed data.
Radio networking is creating revolutions in volcano monitoring, performance art, clean energy, and consumer electronics. As you follow the examples in each chapter, you’ll learn how to tackle inspiring projects of your own. This practical guide is ideal for inventors, hackers, crafters, students, hobbyists, and scientists.
- Investigate an assortment of practical and intriguing project ideas
- Prep your ZigBee toolbox with an extensive shopping list of parts and programs
- Create a simple, working ZigBee network with XBee radios in less than two hours — for under $100
- Use the Arduino open source electronics prototyping platform to build a series of increasingly complex projects
- Get familiar with XBee’s API mode for creating sensor networks
- Build fully scalable sensing and actuation systems with inexpensive components
- Learn about power management, source routing, and other XBee technical nuances
- Make gateways that connect with neighboring networks, including the Internet
This book focuses on the Xbee ZB (“Series 2”) modules. A lot of the projects can also be done with the 802.15.4 (“Series 1”) modules but the instructions might be slightly different. Series 2 modules are a little tougher to use than Series 1 so this book is a great accompaniment to our XBee Series 1 tutorials.
Awesomeness. I can buy XBee’s from my favorite open source hardware company now. 🙂
I have the ‘Building Wireless Sensor Networks’ book, and would HIGHLY recommend it to those starting out, or even to seasoned hackers. It’s a great resource that I still use and spells everything out in plain english, very easy to understand. Almost essential to setting up XBee’s for the first time. 🙂
XBee radios are awesome. The XBee adapter kit is a must have item- it makes wiring the radios super easy. I just used these for building a wireless control Iron Man helmet for a friend- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8G0ozF1Gs_k