Terminology » Zigbee » XBEE Series 1 vs Series 2: Key Differences

XBEE Series 1 vs Series 2: Key Differences

wireless communication zigbee xbee mesh network radio hardware

The XBEE chip, manufactured by Digi International, comes in different flavors with varying radio hardware. XBEE Series 1 radios utilize a microchip made by Freescale, while XBEE Series 2 radios use a microchip from Ember Networks. XBEE Series 2 is widely popular, especially for Zigbee mesh networking applications.

This article highlights the key differences between XBEE Series 1 and XBEE Series 2 Zigbee radios. Digi also offers Series 2B, which enhances existing functionalities and introduces new features.

XBEE Series 1 vs. Series 2: A Comparison

SpecificationsZigbee XBEE Series 1Zigbee XBEE Series 2
Typical Range (Indoor/Outdoor)30 meters40 meters
Best LOS Range100 meters120 meters
Tx/Rx Current45/50 mA40/40 mA
Digital Input/Output Pins8 (+1 input only)11
Analog Input Pins74
Analog PWM Output Pins2None
Interoperable Mesh Routing, Ad-hoc Network Creation, Self-healing NetworksNOYES
Firmware Available802.15.4 (IEEE)
DigiMesh		ZB (Zigbee2007)
ZNet 2.5 (OBSOLETE)
Mesh, Cluster Tree TopologiesNOYES
Requires Coordinator NodeNOYES
Point-to-Point ConfigurationSIMPLEMORE INVOLVED
Standard Based ApplicationsNOYES
Standard Based NetworkingYESYES