Hi guys,
Firstly thanks to the guys who answered my previous post, very helpful indeed.
Im currently working on a ROV for an engineering competition and after being convinced by this fourm that the xBee is the simplist method of wireless communication I thought you guys may be able to answer a few follow-up questions.
Ive been looking at the XBee 802.15.4 (Series 1, correct me if im wrong) the spec's give a range of 30m indoor, has anyone tested this? Can someone confirm that value? I think im going to need a range of around 20m so am I pushing it?
Also am I right to to think that im going to need a sheild to connect my XBee to an arduino, if so which one is the best/cheapest.
Ive been looking at the XBee 802.15.4 (Series 1, correct me if im wrong) the spec's give a range of 30m indoor, has anyone tested this?
Yes, that range is possible, with the right antenna. That range assumes line-of-site to a degree, but mine work fine through walls (sheet rock, insulation, and 2x4s). Metal or concrete walls would decrease the distance.
I think im going to need a range of around 20m so am I pushing it?
I'm assuming that this competition takes place in a large open area, so I don't think you'll have range issues.
Also am I right to to think that im going to need a sheild to connect my XBee to an arduino, if so which one is the best/cheapest.
I've tried several. I like Sparkfun's the best. The XBee can be connected to the hardware serial port OR to two other pins for use with SoftwareSerial. The only problem is that you can connect it only to two other pins, 2 and 3, and those are the external interrupt pins.
I tried that shield on a Leonardo this morning, and was able to receive data over the hardware serial pins connected to Serial1 and talk to the PC using Serial.