Great Things Come in 3s!

In the mid-2000s, a radio module with a unique through hole form factor was released. This module was truly revolutionary in that a fully functional FCC/ IC certified radio module was accessible for those who needed a wireless solution but did not have the expertise in discrete board level RF design, which would be a huge time and cost saver. That module is known today as the Digi XBee ®. Later a surface mount version was released, and the XBee had two great form factors to pick from.

The Digi XBee portfolio is an ecosystem that supports a wide variety of radio protocols such as ZigBee, 802.15.4, DigiMesh®, Wi-Fi, and 3G/LTE Cellular. These devices exhibit ranges from hundreds of feet to upwards of 65 miles, and they utilize frequencies of 868 MHz, 900MHz, 2.4GHz, or 3G/LTE cellular bands depending on module. Digi is the go-to company for radio modules.

Now Digi has come out with a third form factor, and that is the Digi XBee3™ Micro. According to Digi, the Digi XBee3 modules are fully integrated, certified and ready to connect wireless mesh networks. This new Micro form is a very small 13 mm x 19 mm x 2 mm, which is one third the size of the original Digi XBee. See a comparison image below. Great things do come in 3s!

These Digi XBee3 modules feature the Silicon Labs EFR32MG transceiver, and ZigBee 3.0 will be the first protocol released. Other protocols will follow shortly which will include Thread, 802.15.4, DigiMesh, Wi-Fi, and LPWA. All XBee modules can be configured using the free Digi XCTU software. Programming is simple using MicroPython, and connectivity to localized sensors and inputs can be done serially with UART, SPI, and I2C options.

With the first release of ZigBee 3.0, customers will have two transmit power levels and three antenna configurations to choose from. Indoor ranges for these modules are 200 ft (60 m) and 300 ft (90m) for the higher power Pro version. Outdoor ranges are 4000 ft (1200 m) and 2 miles (3200 m) for the Pro version. The antenna configurations include a U.FL connector, Chip Antenna, and an RF Pad antenna option. All Digi XBee modules are fully FCC and IC certified and ETSI as applicable in Europe.

Digi has done it again with the release of the new Digi XBee3 Micro form factor. With great technology, multiple protocols, and now three form factors, they are the perfect choice for a plug and play FCC/IC/ETSI certified radio module. Great things do come in 3s!