Every XBee solution requires some degree of data processing. Depending on the architecture of your system, this intelligence can reside in different parts of the solution.
This chapter guides you through the main application development options depending on where your logic runs:
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Develop for the XBee Hive for Wi-SUN device: For advanced scenarios requiring local data processing or cloud interaction, you can create Python applications that run directly on XBee Hive for Wi-SUN devices. These applications can aggregate, analyze, and act on data at the network edge, reducing bandwidth usage and latency.
In remote areas without direct network access, the XBee Hive for Wi-SUN device can aggregate and analyze temperature data from multiple XBee-based sensors in real time. It can detect abnormal patterns and trigger alerts, sending only relevant insights to the cloud.
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Develop for the XBee: In a hostless architecture, where the XBee operates as a standalone module, you can use MicroPython to embed logic into the XBee for local sensing, control, or scheduled communication tasks. This is also useful in hybrid architectures, where the XBee handles specific tasks alongside an external microcontroller.
The XBee collects data from sensors (temperature, humidity, wind speed) and stores it locally. Then, it schedules periodic transmission to a remote server or cloud, optimizing network use by batching the stored data.
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Develop for external microcontrollers: In hosted and hybrid architectures, most of the system’s intelligence resides in an external microcontroller connected to the XBee device. In these scenarios, the microcontroller must run an application to interact with the XBee to manage communication, data processing and other tasks.
The microcontroller reads soil moisture and weather data from sensors connected to the XBee or to itself. Then, it processes the information, and sends commands to other XBee devices in the network (such as irrigation valves) to efficiently control water usage based on environmental conditions.
In some scenarios, your applications may need to exchange information with Digi’s cloud services or react to events triggered from the cloud. For these cases, Digi offers a set of APIs fully integrated with Digi Remote Manager that simplify device management, data collection, and automation tasks. See Integrate apps with Digi Remote Manager for details.
