In the previous tutorial, Zigbee technology and its application in building wireless sensor networks were discussed. In this tutorial, learn how to perform simple client-to-client communication via the Zigbee protocol. There will be two Xbee modules used and configured to communicate data with each other over the air.
Xbee devices communicate with each other wirelessly over the air. They do not have any microcontroller or processor of their own, so they cannot manage the data received or sent. They can simply transfer the information they receive. But they can be interconnected with other microcontrollers and processors such as Arduino, Raspberry Pi or PC via serial interface.
So basically, Xbee modules are capable of two types of communication – wireless communication and serial communication. Wireless communication occurs between Xbee devices so that the devices act as radio frequency (RF) devices. For data to be transmitted and received from one Xbee module to another, both devices must be on the same network. Data between two devices is transmitted wirelessly. Through serial communication (UART), Xbee modules can communicate with microcontrollers and processors.
A microcontroller, processor or PC can send data through the serial interface to the Xbee module (transmitter) and the Xbee module transmits the data wirelessly to another Xbee module (receiver). The Xbee receiver module transmits data via the serial interface to the controller, processor or PC it is connected to. The controller connected to the Xbee module processes the information received by the Xbee devices. This way, controllers can monitor and control remote devices by sending messages through local Xbee modules.
Xbee modules communicate with each other in two modes – Transparent mode and API (Application Peripheral Interface) mode. This project is based on Transparent mode. In transparent mode, Xbee modules act as a substitute for the serial line. All data received via the serial input is immediately transmitted over the air. When another Xbee module receives data wirelessly, it sends it exactly as it receives it via the serial interface and vice versa. Unlike this, in API mode, data is transmitted with some additional information.
In this project, two Xbee modules will be interconnected with two PCs and will be configured to communicate data between each other in transparent mode. XCTU software can be used on PCs to send and receive data between PCs and Xbee modules.
Project technical sheet
https://www.engineersgarage.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/ResumeManishKhandelwal.pdf
