Communication models

All types of communication require a sender, a message, and at least one receiver. Communication with XBee devices is no different: you need a device to send the message, the message itself, and a device (or devices) to receive that message. The channel in the device communication is the air because the message is transmitted wirelessly.

Considering the sender and the receiver, we can distinguish two types of communication:

Point-to-point communication involves just one sender and one receiver, so the message transmitted by the sender can only be heard by the receiver. Think of a simple telephone call with your friend.

Point-to-multipoint communication involves one sender and multiple receivers. The sender can transmit a message to one receiver or to all (broadcast message). Think of a conference call with all your friends.

In both cases, the communication is bi-directional. This means the sender can also be the receiver, and vice versa.