Serial communication

An XBee module can operate as a stand-alone device or it can be attached to an intelligent device. For example, you can place several battery-powered XBee modules in remote locations to gather data such as temperature, humidity, light, or liquid level.

• When operating as a stand-alone device, an XBee module simply sends sensor data to a central node.
• When an XBee module is connected to an intelligent device (such as a computer, Arduino, or Raspberry Pi), it uses serial communication:
  • The intelligent device sends data through the serial interface to the XBee module to be transmitted to other devices over the air.
  • The XBee module receives wireless data from other devices, and then sends the data through the serial interface to the intelligent device.

The XBee modules interface to a host device such as a microcontroller or computer through a logic-level asynchronous serial port. They use a UART for serial communication with those devices.

For additional information about serial communication, go to the legacy XBee/XBee-PRO 802.15.4 RF Module User Guide or the XBee/XBee-PRO S2C 802.15.4 RF Module User Guide.

Microcontrollers attached to an XBee module can process the information received by the module and thus monitor or even control remote devices by sending messages through their local XBee module. For prototyping, you can use external microcontrollers such as Arduino or Raspberry Pi, sockets, and breadboards.

 

The boards included in this kit allow you to use the XBee modules in either mode:

• If you plug the modules into the boards and connect them to a computer or microcontroller using the micro USB cables, you can configure the XBee modules, test the connection, and send/receive data to/from other modules.
• If you plug the modules into the boards and connect them to a battery, the XBee modules work autonomously. For example, they can gather data from a sensor and send it to a central node.