Range test

Since communication between XBee RF modules takes place over the air, the quality of the wireless signal can be affected by many factors: absorption, reflection of waves, line-of-sight issues, antenna style and location, etc. A range test demonstrates the real-world RF range and link quality between two XBee modules in the same network. During a range test, XCTU send data packets from the local XBee module to the remote module and waits for the echo to be returned from the remote module to the local module. XCTU counts the number of packets sent and received by the local module and measures the signal strength of both sides as an RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator) value. Every sent packet from the local XBee should be received again as an echo by the same local XBee.

The following products support range testing:

Note When deploying an actual network, perform multiple range tests to analyze varying conditions in your application.