Mac OS X Talks to AVR MT 128 via XBee

This little project is about communicating between a Mac (or Linux) system and an AVR MT 128 using an XBee device for wireless communications. [Update 1/6/2009: Also see Ruby::XBee which is a Ruby class and utilities to talk to XBees from Mac OS X and Linux. Also, since this article was first written many new breakout boards for XBees have come onto the market. One of my favorites is the Sparkfun XBee Explorer.]

So, what's an XBee? It's a small wireless transceiver that operates in the same 2.4GHz spectrum as WiFi (and doesn't interfere at all), can implement the IEEE "ZigBee" standard based on firmware configuration, and is manufactured by Digi (formerly Maxstream). They are primarily designed for wireless control applications, but have all sorts of uses. The simplest use for a pair of XBees is a wireless serial cable replacement. Depending upon power/range, you can buy them for $20 or about $35 from DigiKey. In the picture below, the XBee is the blue device mounted on the circuit board.