Xbee - Unstable link

I have been working with a pair of Xbee RF OEM modules for the past week and i find it odd that the radio works very erratically. there are times they are in perfect synch and keep transferring data and then there is no communication between them and all off a sudden communication springs up. Are xbee radios supposed to be like this? how do people use them in critical processes? and just to add that they are sitting right next to each other!