Program XBee

Jump to bottom

Mario Frei edited this page Jul 22, 2020 · 13 revisions

Before you start:
- Make sure to use an anti-static mat and an anti-static ground strap wrist band. XBees seem to be very sensitive to ESD.
- This guide is based on XCTU 6.3.1.
Install X-CTU from digi.com
Plug XBee into the SparkFun XBee Explorer board
Connect SparkFun XBee Explorer USB board with a USB cable to the computer
Click on «Add devices»
Select the Serial Port of the XBee Explorer USB board and click «Finish»
Click «Add selected devices»
Select the XBee you want to program in the left-hand side panel
Click on «Profile» -> Load configuration file
Choose the appropriate XBee configuration file from the repository
Change the node identifier manually (optional)
Write settings to Xbee
About the naming convention: The XBee profiles were numbered as follows:
- Coordinator devices were numbered as multiple of hundred, e.g. 100, 200, 300, etc. The XBee profile for coordinator nr. 100 is named «Coordinator_C100.xml». XBees programmed as coordinators are used for the gateways.
- End device numbers follow the number of coordinators, e.g. 101, 102, 103, etc. these end devices belong to the coordinator 100. The XBee profile for the end device nr. 101 is named «Endnode_E1xx.xml». XBees programmed as end devices are used for the main modules
- Router nodes start from 80, e.g. 180, 181, 182, etc. the router nodes belong to the coordinator 100. The XBee profile for router node nr. 180 is named «Router_R180x.xml». XBee programmed as routers are used for the router nodes.

Debugging XBee network

Connect the XBee module programmed as coordinator to the computer using the SparkFun Explorer USB board.
Open the XBee module in X-CTU (see above).
In the top right corner of the X-CTU window, click on the mesh network button.
Click on «Scan».
All XBee modules connected to the coordinator will show up.