XBee WiFi Hookup Guide - Digi-Key
Contents
1. sparkfun XBee WiFi Hookup Guide Introduction Digis XBee WiFi modules are a nifty all in one solution to get your project connected to a wireless network and up into the lt wavy hands gt Cloud lt wavy hands gt These modules may look just like normal XBee s they re even the same size and pinout but they re built to seamlessly connect to 802 11b g n networks An XBee WiFi Module with Whip Antenna They re also offered with PCB antennas and RPSMA and U FL connector options Aside from talking over a different wireless standard these modules work just like any XBee You can set them up using X CTU which also helps get it connected to a network You can toggle I O pins read analog and digital inputs and set the module to sleep They can operate completely on their own without the need for an external controlling microcontroller That said if you want to hook up an Arduino or another processor it can be easily done through the serial port You can use these modules just as you would any other XBee to set up a local wireless serial gateway One XBee WiFi module can easily talk to another as long as it has the local IP address of the other But these modules have another more unique application to make Internet of Things projects super easy Using the Etherios Device Cloud service you can quickly get them connected to the Cloud where they can publish data and receive commands as well Page2. Modem Parameter and Firmware r Parameter View r Profle Versions _Fiead wie Restore a Save graa M Always Update Finmwun Show Deiauir Load werno Modem ABEE Furchon Sel ertian HE 28 WF BEE Wi Fi 2021 Active Scan Sean a EH HADLPHY a D 23 Al Association Indication 4 0 Device Cloud indicalo jE CH Channel E B FFILM Link Magn B it PL Power Lawal EHE Network D 2 4H Network type B 2 CE Indrastuctue Mode D ssp D IG EE Ernciyption Enable D PE Pastpheace i 0 IP 1P Protocet a 0 Ma OP Addressing Mode D ETH TCP Ghent Connection Timeout 298 TS TCP Server Connection Timeout 3 00 Device Options flogin etherios com EQ Ethevios Device Cloud FOCON j ord Atela COMS8 3600 6 N 1 FLOWNONE EZEWF Verais A view of the XBee WiIFi s default parameters 5 Select Active Scan near the top of the scrolling window Then click the Scan button that appears This will open the network scan utility Page 7 of 11 6 Click the Scan button at the bottom of the scan window If all goes well your network should appear above The Link Margin value represents the strength of the signal bigger is better And the Security value indicates the encryption mode of the network Scan eee K i TS AP Secure room 122 NBeeTest Security Key WooXBees Select your network
3. of 11 o Make sure you re on the Manual half of the Add Device window Find your XBee WiFi s MAC address This is listed in X CTU under the SL and SH serial number low and high entries You ll need to concatenate the two values to get your MAC address o m D 40 SH Serial Number High D 9D5E 4670 SL Serial Number Low a 4 E i a D a fess f 192 168 0 101 DL Destination IP Address D 1NI Node Identifier In X CTU this is where you ll find the MAC address o Set the drop down menu to MAC address Then type your XBee s address into the text box nearby You may need to add a couple leading O s to make it 6 bytes long Then click Add Add Devices Find pout Gevice on the Newark Discover NO devices i0 acd Carel o gt After some thumb twiddling your XBee and its MAC address should appear in the list below Click OK 5 Now you should have an entry for your XBee in Device Cloud now Right click on the XBee and select Properties or select the XBee and click the Properties button above Here you can view and control just about everything as it relates to your XBee You can set pins direction and value in the Input and Output Settings tab Try setting a pin to Output High then click Save The pins should have been driven to 3 3V but how do you know Time to whip a circuit together Take an Circuit Assembly Break Here s the circuit we ll use to get the mo
4. s SSID enter a passkey if necessary and click Select AP 7 Select your network If it is encrypted enter your Security Key Then click Select AP not Done X CTU will configure your XBee and it ll try lease a DHCP address if your network is set up for it o This step can take a while Be patient Hopefully once connected you ll see a window telling you the XBee connected to your network in x milliseconds 8 After successfully connecting click Read at the top of the window again This will update all of the XBee s settings including GW the gateway IP MK the subnet mask and MY the module s assigned IP If these values all make sense then congratulations your XBee is connected to your WiFi network aE COMS8 X CT Modem Parameter Profile Remote Configuration Versions PC Settings Range Test Terminal Modem Configuration Modem Parameter and Firmware Parameter View gt m Profile Versions Read Write Restore Clear Screen Save Download new Always Update Firmware Show Defaults Load versions Modem XBEE Function Set Version XB2B WF 7 BEE WI FI v 2021 dd f login etherios com EQ Etherios Device Cloud FADN A 8 43 Addressing D 40 SH Serial Number High B 9D5E 4670 SL Serial Number Low B 192 168 0 1 NS DNS Address B 255 255 255 255 DL Destination IP Address J NI Node Identifier D KP Device Cloud Description D KC Device Clou
5. O and even Arduino capability Bluetooth Basics Another wireless option if WiFi isn t the best fit for your project is Bluetooth Learn all about Bluetooth in this technology tutorial RN 52 Hookup Guide If Bluetooth is your thing we recommend either the RN 52 for audio or the BlueSMiRF Hookup Guide The BlueSMiRF is a fantastically easy Bluetooth module perfect for passing low data rate serial data over the air Page 11 of 11 https learn sparkfun com tutorials xbee wifi hookup guide ga 1 202054481 193945695 6 24 2015
6. a left and whip antenna right No external antenna needed If you need more range consider going with the modules with a U FL connector or an RPSMA connector Either of these will require an compatible external 2 4GHz antenna Page 3 of 11 e0e0000008 12 AILLI I b XBee WiFi modules with a U FL left and SMA right antenna connector For the U FL version the Adhesive 2 4GHz antennas make a nice low profile choice For the SMA version duck antennas large and regular make a nice stylish choice Choosing a Breakout Board The easiest way to use these modules is to plug them into a mating breakout board For the next pages of this tutorial we recommend you get an XBee Explorer which will let you communicate to the XBee from your computer The Explorers come in mini B USB USB Dongle and RS 232 Serial if you ve got an ancient computer with a serial port versions Any of the three will work As alternatives to the USB and Serial explorers there are more simple XBee breakout boards There s the XBee Breakout Board which simply breaks out the 2mm spaced XBee to a more breadboard friendly 0 1 pitch Then there s the XBee Explorer Regulated which breaks out the pins and Page 4 of 11 has onboard voltage regulating to help mesh with the 3 3V XBee Either of these are great for embedding into a project but may be a little more difficult to interface with your computer On the next few pages we ll show y
7. computer o gt If you haven t already installed drivers for your Explorer you may need to do so Check out our How to Install FTDI Drivers tutorial for help there 2 Open X CTU It should open up on the PC Settings tab On there select your XBee Explorer s COM port and make sure the port settings are as below 9600 8 N 1 Page 5 of 11 Page 6 of 11 PC Settings Range Test Terminai Modem Configuration Com Port Setup Baud 9600 USB Serial Port COM Flow Control NONE Data Bits fe Shop Bits j Test Query Host Setup User Com Posts Netweek Inteface API Reponse Timeout T Enable API 7 1000 C Use rocks oe AT command Se ASC Haw Command Character CC uo Guard Time Before BT 1000 r Modem Flash Update Ho baud change First setup your COM port and make sure the settings are correct 3 Hit Test Query to make sure you can communicate with your XBee WiFi You should get a response like Com test Query Modem eee Communication with modem OE Modem firmware version 2021 Modem type B2B WF Serial Number 409056 4670 This is a good sign Means we re communicating with the XBee 4 Click over to the Modem Configuration tab And click Read to display your XBee WiFi s stored settings BB coM58 X CTU omj Modem Parameter Profile Remote Configuration Versions PC Settings Range Test Terminal Modem Configuration
8. d Contact KL Device Cloud Location 2616 CO Source Port DE Dsctin ati F B 192 168 0 1 GW IP Address of gateway LE D 255 255 255 0 MK IP Address Mask amp 192 168 0 101 MY Module IP Address D 3 BD Baud Rate 0 NB Parity 0 SB Stop Bits Fully Qualified Domain name of Etherios Device Cloud Server COM58 9600 8 N 1 FLOW NONE XB2B WF Ver 2021 Our XBee WiFi module s IP address is 192 168 0 107 Yay What now There are a few directions you can go Communicating with Other XBees If you ve ever used XBees before you probably think of them as easy to setup wireless transceivers Two XBees configured correctly can seamlessly pass data to each other from one serial port to another XBee WiFi s are no different Following that same set of steps you can set up a second XBee WiFi module to also connect to your wireless network It ll get a unique IP address usually assigned via DHCP Take note of that To setup two XBees to communicate to each other you ll need to modify the DL Destination IP Address of each to the other XBee You can open a second X CTU window or configure each one at a time Imagine two XBees connected to a computer each with it s own USB explorer and X CTU window open If you want to configure them to talk with each other set the DL property of each to the other s IP address Then you can click over to the Terminal tab
9. motely Then read some buttons and potentiometers Pretty cool Now ask a friend from across the ocean to do it Even cooler If you want to build out your own app all of the required code is viewable by clicking the lt gt button on a widget It looks like everything s hosted on Digis GitHub page which we re huge fans of Resources amp Going Further Now that you ve taken your XBee to the cloud what nifty Internet of Things app are you going to make If you need any help or this tutorial didn t answer all of your question consider checking out these resources as well XBee WiFi Module Datasheet XBee WiFi User Manual XBee WiFi Development Kit Getting Started Guide Cloud Kit Getting Started Guide Cloud Kit Examples Mac and Windows users alike should check out the beta version of X CTU 6 0 soon to be official Digis XBee WiFi Cloud Kit GitHub page Going Further If you need some inspiration or just want to keep reading tutorials check these related guides out Internet Datalogging with XBee WiFi The XBee WiFi doesn t have to be relegated to talking with the Device Cloud Check out this tutorial where we combine the XBee WiFi with an XBee Shield and an Arduino to stick sensor readings on the Internet ATmega128RFA1 Development Board Hookup Guide ATmega128RFA1 Dev Boards are like fully customizable XBees They operate on the same standard as Zigbee so no WiFi but they supply you with tons and tons of I
10. of 11 Covered in This Tutorial In this tutorial we ll provide a quick overview of the XBee WiFi modules We ll then go over some examples We ll show you how to use X CTU to connect them to a nearby wireless network including setting the SSID and encryption protocols In the last example we ll show you how to connect the XBee WiFi up to the Device Cloud This allows you to control the XBee through a web app loaded up in your web browser You could control your XBee from across the sea or from the table across your room Required Materials To follow along with this tutorial you ll need the following items e An XBee WiFi Module o gt If you want to set up a local wireless serial gateway you ll need more than one e Either a USB Explorer Explorer Dongle or a Serial Explorer o These boards exist as a translator between the X CTU software on your computer and the XBee WiFi module e To follow along with the last example we recommend all of these are optional or you might have some comparable components o A Breadboard o gt XBee Breakout Board with headers attached o LED we like blue o Potentiometer SPDT Switch o Momentary Push Button Suggested Reading e Exploring XBees and XCTU This is a good XBee and XBee explorer primer If anything check out the Explorer overviews in this tutorial e Serial Communication XBees use serial to communicate and receive data Having some basic knowledge of serial ba
11. ou how to use the XBee WiFi with X CTU and Digi s Cloud Service This isn t the only way to use these modules but it s the easiest to get them up and running quickly If you follow along you can very easily have an XBee communicating with the cloud Using X CTU X CTU is Digi s XBee configuration software It makes communicating with XBees very easy and provides a nice interface to modify all of the module s settings When using it with the XBee WiFi s it even provides a WiFi network scanning and connection interface to make connecting to networks a breeze The current release of X CTU is available on Digi s website unfortunately it s only available for Windows For Mac OS X users there is a beta version of X CTU 6 0 0 available which we ve tested and found to work flawlessly with the XBee WiFi s Windows users can check it out too it s pretty slick Go ahead and download X CTU to follow along For this section we ll also assume you have an XBee connected to your computer via a USB Explorer or something similar The Explorer should have enumerated as a COM port on your computer This is the port we ll use to communicate with the XBee Connecting to a WiFi Network With X CTU Before we can begin using the XBee WiFi we need to set it up to connect to our WiFi network This is a process made simple with X CTU Follow the steps below 1 Plug your XBee into your XBee Explorer and plug the Explorer into your
12. st of XBee s example cloud dashboard You don t have to hook up every part but we recommend at least trying the LED connected to pin 13 Page 9 of 11 The schematic and breadboard diagram for the cloud example Click to embiggen You ll still need to power the XBee WiFi module It can remain in the XBee Explorer or you can plug it into a separate XBee Breakout Board Here s an image of our hookup using e Half Breadboard e 10k Trimpot with Knob e Mini Push Button e Mini Power Switch e 5mm Super Bright Blue LED e 5V 3 3V Breadboard Power Supply set to 3 3V Now that we ve attached some buttons and LEDs it s time to take it to the cloud Setting Up XBee Dashboard You can use Digi s Example App to test out your Device Cloud setup Follow these steps to get up and running 1 Log in to the XBee WiFi Cloud Kit Use the same login as the Device Cloud earlier 2 On the next page under the Select a Device heading you should see a dropdown menu with your XBee address already selected Then just click Yes recommended to configure your XBee for this example XBee Wi Fi Cloud Kit a eae aie Dashboard Creation Step 1 Select a device Cnr Step 2 Configure dawice for Cloud Kit a 3 Choose a layout preset and then Create Dashboard You should see something like this on the next screen XBee Wi Fi Cloud Kit i LIO Googe Page 10 of 11 Play around with it Try turning the LED on re
13. to type characters and have them sent from your computer through one XBee into the other XBee and out to a second terminal Another optional application for these modules is to use them on the cloud Digis Device Cloud service makes this very easy Click over to the next page to see an example setup To the Cloud XBee WIFi s are built to enable simple communication with Device Cloud by Etherios The Device Cloud service allows you to interface your XBee WiFi with the web where you can control the I O pins and read its status from the comfy confines of your web browser anywhere in the world Now Device Cloud s a paid service but it s pretty reasonably priced down to 0 50 per device per month They also provide a free 30 day trial if you just want to try it out which is what we ll do here Setting up Device Cloud To begin we ll need to set up the Device Cloud to communicate with our XBee WiFi Follow the steps below to set this up 1 Go to the Device Cloud Login Page Login or make an account if you don t already have one If you re just looking to try it free don t worry you won t have to enter any payment info 2 In Device Cloud click to the Device Management tab 3 In the Device Management section click the Add Devices button near the top This is where we ll point our XBee WiFi module to our Device Cloud ID 4 There are two methods for adding your XBee We recommend the manual method Page 8
14. ud rate RX TX etc goes a long way e How to Use a Breadboard On the last page of this tutorial we ll build a circuit on a breadboard to control the XBee WiFi from the cloud e Logic Levels The maximum operating voltage of the XBee WiFi is 3 3V Don t go attaching 5V controllers and sensors to it An Overview The XBee WiFi modules all share the same footprint and pinout as most normal XBees They ve got 20 through hole pins each spaced by 2mm The pin functions range from power input to GPIO to analog input to SPI Here from the datasheet is the table of pins and their function XBee WiFi Pinout table Click to embiggen Page 2 of 11 XBee WiFi modules can be connected to another microcontroller via their serial port but what makes them special is they ve got a whole host of I O pins of their own An XBee alone can toggle LEDs or motors or relays and it can read digital or analog inputs as well We ll take advantage of the XBee I O capabilities in the To the Cloud page connecting LEDs and buttons directly to the little WiFi module Choosing an Antenna There are a variety of XBee WiFi modules each with their own antenna termination Two of the module have integrated antennas the PCB antenna and wire whip antenna These are the best choice if you re looking for cheap but they ll also have less range e eee E j Il B 3 6 F ri ug r XBee WiFi modules with PCB antenn
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