Earlier this month, Digi International launched the compact Digi XBee RR embedded platform which supports Zigbee 3.0, 802.15.4, DigiMesh and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). The company is also offering the Digi IX15 IoT gateway/router to simplify IoT management. 

There are two variants of this new IoT module, they are the Digi XBee RR and the Digi XBee RR PRO. Both seem to integrate the EFR32MG SoC series from Silicon Labs. According to the datasheet, the Pro variant has a larger coverage (indoor 90m, outdoor 3200m) compared to the standard variant (indoor 60/outdoor 1200m). 

Digi XBee RR TH RPSMA
(click image to enlarge)

The XBee RR  devices can be interfaced via Digi XCTU which is a free platform that can configure and manage multiple RF modules remotely. Additionally, Digi provides the XBee mobile app compatible with Android and iOS which provides similar IoT management features. 

 
Digi XCTU interface (left) and Digi mobile app (right)
(click images to enlarge)

Digi is also offering the Digi IX15 which is an industrial-grade IoT Gateway/Cellular Router supporting Zigbee, DigiMesh, 802.15.4 Bluetooth 5.0 and RS-232/485 for serial devices.  

The Digi IX15 “allows management of an XBee network including industrial devices connected through the WebUI and CLI.” To be more specific, “the gateway allows devices to interface across ethernet/Wi-Fi/cellular networks for WAN connectivity to cloud-based software applications.”

Digi IX15 (left) and Digi XBee RR form factors (right) (click images to enlarge)

Custom applications can be developed using Python 3 and they can be deployed in the Digi IX15. The Digi IX15’s CLI can also be used to configure the settings of the XBee devices. See this link for additional documentation related to the Digi IX15.

Specifications listed for the Digi XBEE RR include: 

• SoC:
  • Silicon Labs EFR32MG SoC
• Memory/Storage:
  • 96kB RAM
  • 1MB Flash
• Bluetooth:
  • BLE 4.2 (slave only)
  • Can interface BLE 5.0  devices supporting 1M PHY
  • Up to 15m (49ft) indoor/urban range
  • Up to 300m (984ft) outdoor/rf line-of-sight 
  • +8 dBm transmit power
  • -95 dBm receiver sensitivity
• Frequency Band:
  • ISM 2.4 GHz
  • 16 Zigbee channels
  • RF 250 Kbps, serial up to 1 Mbps
• Zigbee (Digi Xbee RR):
  • Up to 60m (200ft) indoor/urban range
  • Up to 1200m (4000ft) outdoor/rf line-of-sight
  • 6.3 mW (+8 dBm); channel 26 max power: +3 dBm 
  • -103 dBm receiver sensitivity
• Zigbee (Digi Xbee Pro):
  • Up to 90m (300ft) indoor/urban range
  • Up to 3200m (2 miles) outdoor/rf line-of-sight 
  • 79 mW (+19 dBm); channel 26 max power: +3 dBm
  • -103 dBm receiver sensitivity
• I/O Interfaces:
  • 13 Digital I/Os including UARt, SPI, I2C
  • 10-bit ADC inputs 
• Other Features:
  • Supports API or AT commands
  • Supports OTA updates
  • 128/256 bit AES encryption
• Operating Temperatures:
  • 40º C to 85º C
• Dimensions:
  • Through-hole: 2.438 x 2.761cm
  • SMT: 2.199 x 3.4 x 0.305cm
  • Micro: 13 x 19 x 2mm 

 Further information

The Digi XBee RR is available in different form-factors and pricing seems to vary from ~$20.00s to $40.00s. See the Digi-Key and Mouser websites for more info.