Digi International XBee Cellular LTE Cat 1 Module

I was really excited to see that there is an inexpensive cellular option out there. Receiving text notifications and being able to control things with texts has always been an interest of mine, but I was always weary of the cost of the data plan tied to them. Thankfully they now have slower plans that are very reasonably priced. Having this module be able to store and run code by itself while also taking care of all the wireless interface reduces the number of extra components and devices needed.

The XBee Cellular Kit has everything you need to get started, from the development board needed to program the XBee to the power supply and antennas. It also includes 6 months of free service so you can try it out and not have to worry about setting up a plan. Once you order one kit, you can use the development board to program other XBee modules that you get in the future.

You can see a tutorial on how to make the same project shown in the video in Maker.io and alter it to suit a large variety of projects. I took the same design a little further by adding a red and yellow LED and posting the phone number in my department so anyone can change the color.

You can find more information on the EEWiki, and I’ll be able to answer any questions on the TechForum.