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Digi Development Kit Setup

Set up your kit

The quick start process provides a demo and ensures proper setup.

Continue with kit setup

I already set up my kit. Take me to documentation.

Identify your kit components

Confirm that all of the following components are present.

XBIB-C Development Board, Antennas, SIM Card, XBee 3 modem, USB cords
  • Development board
  • Antenna
  • XBee modem
  • 12V power supply
  • USB cord

Download XCTU

XBee Configuration and Test Utility (XCTU) is a multi-platform program that enables users to interact with Digi radio frequency (RF) devices through a graphical interface. The application includes built-in tools that make it easy to set up, configure, and test Digi RF devices.

To use XCTU, you may need to install FTDI Virtual COM port (VCP) drivers onto your computer. Click below to download the drivers for your operating system.

Windows
Windows
Mac
Mac
Linux
Linux x64
Linux
Linux x86

Connect all the components of the hardware

The XBee 3 Module should already be plugged into the XBIB-CU-TH development board.

  1. Verify the XBee Smart Modem is plugged into the XBIB-CU-TH development board. Please note that the SIM card should already be inserted in the XBee Modem.
  2. Connect the antennas to the XBee Smart Modem. Align the U.FL connectors carefully, then firmly press straight down to seat the connector. You should hear a snap when the antenna attaches correctly. U.FL is fragile and is not designed for multiple insertions, so exercise caution when connecting or removing the antennas. We recommend using a U.FL removal tool.
  3. Connect the USB-C cable from a PC to the USB port on the development board. The computer searches for a driver, which can take a few minutes to install.
    • Note: The USB port on the PC should be a minimum of USB 3.0 to supply adequate power, and for the device to work as expected.
Digi XBee 3 LTE-M/NB-IoT Kit Connections

Connect your device to the cellular network

Once your device is communicating with the cellular network the blue LED on the board will blink.

Add your device to XCTU

1. Click Discover Devices.

2. Select the proper port your development board is connected to.

3. Select default port parameters.

4. Click “Add selected devices.”

Select the Radio Module and Update to the Most Recent Firmware

Configure module for NB-IoT

Select an XBee module from the Radio Modules list. Set the APN using the AN command. You should get the APN from your carrier when you purchased your SIM card. To set the APN, in the AN field, type the APN value from your carrier and click the Write button.

Select an XBee module from the Radio Modules list. Set the APN using the AN command. You should get the APN from your carrier when you purchased your SIM card. To set the APN, in the AN field, type the APN value from your carrier and click the Write button. Set the N# parameter to 3. In the N# field, select NB-IoT Only [3] and click the Write button.

Configure module for NB-IoT Cont.

Enable the bands. The bands are specified as a bit mask given as a hexadecimal value. To enable bands 8 and 20, in the BN field, enter 80080 and click the Write button. To set the CP, in the CP field, select No Profile (1) and click the Write button. Reset the module with either the reset button which can be found on the development board.

Contacting the Echo server demo

Switch to TCP communication, in the IP field, select 1 and click the Write button.

Contacting the Echo server demo – Continued

Enable the XBee Cellular Modem to recognize carriage return as a message delimiter, in the TD field, type D and click the Write button.

Contacting the Echo server demo – Continued

Enter the destination address of the echo server, in the DL field, type 52.43.121.77 and click the Write button.

Contacting the Echo server demo – Continued

Enter the destination IP port number, in the DE field, type 2329 and click the Write button.

Contacting the Echo server demo – Continued

Click the Consoles working mode button on the toolbar to open a serial console to the device. Click the Open button to open a serial connection to the device. Click in the left pane of the Console log, then type in the Console to talk to the echo server.

Congratulations, you completed the first demo

During this demo you have verified that your XBee has connected to the network and successfully communicated with the Echo server.

Next steps

To explore the additional demos in our documentation, click the button below.

Explore additional demos View the XBee 3 LTE-M/NB-IoT user guide