Trouble Configuring XBee Series 1 with Uno R3 and XBee Shield using XCTU

Projects Networking, Protocols, and Devices
1

Hello, I am having difficulty configuring and communicating 2 Xbee series1 modules, while using the XCTU software.

Current set-up is as follows:

2x XBee Series 1 (802.15.4) modules
1x Uno R3 Board
1x XBee Explorer USB Dongle
1x Sparkfun XBee Shield
XCTU Software Version 6.3.5

One XBee is plugged into the XBee Shield, which is plugged into the Uno. The other XBee is plugged into the Explorer Dongle. Both the Dongle and the Uno are plugged into USB ports on my computer.

Problem: I open the XCTU software and click the "Discover Radio Modules" button. The software recognizes the XBee on the Dongle, but does not recognize the XBee attached to the Shield & Uno.

Things I have tried:

  1. Removing the Uno's ATmega chip before attempting to discover the XBee using XCTU.
  • No Change.
  1. Switching the XBee modules.
  • No Change, the one on the Dongle is recognized, the one on the shield is not.
  1. Putting a jumper wire between the reset pin and the ground pin on the Uno.
  • No Change.
  1. Selecting all USB/Serial Port Parameters (baud rates, parity, etc) when discovering radio modules.
  • No Change.

  1. Using a new and alternative XBee shield for the Uno.
    -No Change.

  2. Communicating between devices without XCTU configuration per Arduino's instructions, and utilizing an extra Uno and XBee shield.

  • I didn't understand the instructions to "put both jumpers on the shield to the 'USB' setting", and "Switch the jumpers to the Xbee setting". Ignoring those instructions, the XBees failed to communicate with each other.
  1. Configuring devices with an older version of XCTU (I don't know what version it is, and it doesn't say).
  • No Change.

Question:
How the heck do I setup my XBee & Arduino & Shield so that the XCTU software recognizes it?

Please, if you can offer any insight into how I might be able to get these XBee shields working, I would be super glad to hear it. Thank you!

2

How the heck do I setup my XBee & Arduino & Shield so that the XCTU software recognizes it?

Configure one of the XBees on the explorer. Take it off. Configure the other XBee on the explorer. Forget about trying to configure the XBee on the shield.

  1. Communicating between devices without XCTU configuration per Arduino's instructions, and utilizing an extra Uno and XBee shield.

Why do you think the instructions for using one shield are applicable to another shield?

3

Were you able to trouble shoot this issue? I am having the same problem.

4

Ive got a couple dev boards for my xbees and my xbee modules all seem to through a fit unless i use one of the ones that came from digi.

As PaulS has said, Use the explorer to program it. I had to program the xbees first. Then after they were programmed, i made sure they were connected and then disconnected them and put them on my bread board and using serial, i was getting data from one arduino to the other.

ALSO, not sure if anyone else has had it but make sure you disconnect your RX and TX lines. Ive had it where i upload a sketch to my arduino (on the correct COM port) and it corrupted my xbees firmware even when the arduino was powered off a power supply instead of USB.