Xbee

From DD-WRT Wiki

(Difference between revisions)
Jump to: navigation, search
Revision as of 15:50, 10 May 2010 (edit)
Jeremyj (Talk | contribs)

← Previous diff
Revision as of 15:54, 10 May 2010 (edit) (undo)
Jeremyj (Talk | contribs)

Next diff →
Line 1: Line 1:
'''Xbee Serial Port Radio Link for WRT54GL''' '''Xbee Serial Port Radio Link for WRT54GL'''
-Using AdaFruit Xbee carrier boards, you can easily add a Xbee radio link to the router. The radios I am using are rated for a maximum distance of 300 feet and cost around $20, however, you can upgrade the radios and there are some that go 1 mile, but cost twice as much. +Using AdaFruit Xbee carrier boards, you can easily add a Xbee radio link to the router. The radios I am using are rated for a maximum distance of 300 feet and cost around $20, however, you can upgrade the radios and there are some that go 1 mile, but cost twice as much. The radios can be purchased from several sources: AdaFruit Industries, SparkFun Electronics, and DigiKey.
'''What you will need:''' '''What you will need:'''
Line 16: Line 16:
'''Make the Xbee Carrier Boards''' '''Make the Xbee Carrier Boards'''
-Again, visit the AdaFruit site and use her instructions for making the boards(http://www.ladyada.net/make/xbee/index.html).+Visit the AdaFruit site and use her instructions for making the boards(http://www.ladyada.net/make/xbee/index.html).
'''Configuring the Radios''' '''Configuring the Radios'''
Line 33: Line 33:
'''Other Routers''' '''Other Routers'''
-For other routers, simply apply power to the 3.3 volt terminal on the Xbee board and ground to the ground terminal. You need to switch the connections for the RX and TX terminals between the router and the Xbee Carrier board. For example, hook the TX from the router serial port to the RX on the Xbee carrier board, and hook up the RX from the router serial port to the TX of the Xbee carrier board.+For other routers, simply apply power to the 3.3 volt terminal on the Xbee board and hook up the grounds. You need to switch the connections for the RX and TX terminals between the router and the Xbee Carrier board. For example, hook the TX from the router serial port to the RX on the Xbee carrier board, and hook up the RX from the router serial port to the TX of the Xbee carrier board.

Revision as of 15:54, 10 May 2010

Xbee Serial Port Radio Link for WRT54GL

Using AdaFruit Xbee carrier boards, you can easily add a Xbee radio link to the router. The radios I am using are rated for a maximum distance of 300 feet and cost around $20, however, you can upgrade the radios and there are some that go 1 mile, but cost twice as much. The radios can be purchased from several sources: AdaFruit Industries, SparkFun Electronics, and DigiKey.

What you will need:

2 Xbee radios(http://www.adafruit.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=29&products_id=128)

2 Xbee carrier boards(http://www.adafruit.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=29&products_id=126)

1 USB FTDI cable(http://www.adafruit.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=29&products_id=70)

Female jumper wires(http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_id=9389)

XCTU software to configure the radios(http://www.digi.com/support/productdetl.jsp?pid=3352&osvid=57&tp=5&s=316)

Make the Xbee Carrier Boards Visit the AdaFruit site and use her instructions for making the boards(http://www.ladyada.net/make/xbee/index.html).

Configuring the Radios The AdaFruit site has a link to configuring the radios which is excellent (http://www.humboldt.edu/~cm19/XBee%20setup.pdf). Read through the document and setup one radio as the coordinator and the other as the end device. You can also visit the Funnel site and grab their software to configure the radios(http://code.google.com/p/funnel/downloads/list). Download the XbeeConfigTool.zip. This software seems easier to use but has less options for configuring the radios.

Remember to set the baud rate to 115200, that is the baud rate of the router, and I am not sure if it can be changed. If somebody can tell me how to change the baud rate of the router, then by all means let me know!

XBee hookup to Router Attach the 3.3Volt of the XBee carrier board to pin 1

Attach the GND pin of the XBee carrier board to pin 9

Attach the TX pin of the XBee carrier board to pin 6

Attach the RX pin of the XBee carrier board to pin 4

Other Routers For other routers, simply apply power to the 3.3 volt terminal on the Xbee board and hook up the grounds. You need to switch the connections for the RX and TX terminals between the router and the Xbee Carrier board. For example, hook the TX from the router serial port to the RX on the Xbee carrier board, and hook up the RX from the router serial port to the TX of the Xbee carrier board.