Simple wireless communication

An XBee wireless modem adapter that doesn't suck!

XBee modems are one of the easiest ways to create a wireless point-to-point or mesh network. They have error correction, are configured with AT commands, come in multiple flavors and can create a wireless serial link out of the box! I wanted to make a wireless Arduino project but all the adapter boards on the market made me unhappy. So I designed what I think is an excellent low-cost adapter board.

Yes it can act as a breakout board, but it also has...

  • Onboard 3.3V regulator to cleanly power your XBee, up to 250mA
  • Level shifting circuitry means that its trivial to connect it to 5V circuitry such as an Arduino without risk of damage
  • Two LEDs, one for activity (RSSI), the other for power (Associate)
  • 10-pin 2mm sockets included to protect the modem and allow easy swapping, upgrading or recycling
  • All the commonly used pins are brought out along the edge, making it easy to breadboard or wire up
  • For use with any XBee/Pro pin-compatible module (check your module datasheet to verify power needs) Works with XBee series 1 and 2!
  • Specifically created for use with an FTDI cable to connect to a computer via USB. This means that you can use, configure or upgrade the adapter painlessly simply by plugging in a cable:

Perfect for wirelessly communicating with a microcontroller project.

Reference Pinout

The DTR, RTS, RESET and RX pins (going into the XBee) pass through a level converter chip that brings the levels to 3.3V. You can use pretty much anywhere between 2.7 to 5.5V data to communicate with the XBee. The breakout pins on the bottom of the board are not level shifted and you should try to keep data going directly into the XBee pins under 3.3V

This guide was first published on Feb 16, 2015. It was last updated on Feb 16, 2015.

This page (Overview) was last updated on Mar 26, 2013.

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