Digi's XBee ZigBee Mesh Kit, available from Mouser Electronics, provides examples and step-by-step guidance for building efficient, low-power communication devices and sensor networks. ZigBee is a popular mesh networking protocol designed specifically for low-data-rate, low-power applications.
Through its mesh and routing capabilities, ZigBee enables data transmission over long distances by passing data through a mesh network of intermediate nodes to reach the most distant ones. The technology supports multiple network topologies, such as point-to-point, point-to-multipoint, and mesh networks, and allows up to 65,000 nodes per network. ZigBee is an open standard that enables interoperability between devices from different manufacturers and allows for over-the-air firmware updates. It also offers predefined profiles for common applications, such as power management and lighting controls.
The XBee ZigBee Mesh Kit includes three development boards featuring XBee Grove adapters, which provide interconnectivity capabilities with the Seeed Studio Grove modular system. The kit also includes three micro-USB cables and three XBee ZigBee modules. The modules provide up to 250 kbps of RF data and up to 1 Mbps of serial data (UART, SPI), with transmission distances ranging from 10 m to 100 m (line of sight).
