Beginner
10 min

Add ZigBee wireless communication into your projects with XB24CZ7PIS-004 and STM32L496AG

Provide wireless connectivity to end-point devices in ZigBee mesh networks

XBEE Click with Discovery kit with STM32L496AG MCU

Published Jul 22, 2025

Click board™

XBEE Click

Dev. board

Discovery kit with STM32L496AG MCU

Compiler

NECTO Studio

MCU

STM32L496AG

High-performance XBee® RF module for extensive indoor and outdoor range, ensuring robust and globally accepted network solutions for energy and control systems

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Hardware Overview

How does it work?

XBee Click is based on the XB24CZ7PIS-004, a low-power Digi XBee® RF module from Digi International, providing wireless connectivity to end-point devices in ZigBee mesh networks. The transceiver chipset of the XB24CZ7PIS-004 is based on the Ember Silicon Labs EM357 SoC with an RF data rate of 250kbps (serial up to 1Mbps) and advanced configuration options available via simple AT or API commands. It also supports low-power sleeping nodes and has an outdoor RF line-of-sight range of up to 1.2km (urban range of up to 60m) in a combination of coverage, data redundancy, and data reliability. The XB24CZ7PIS-004 module has worldwide acceptance. Operating at a frequency of 2.4GHz, it allows its application in the US, Canada, Europe, Australia, and Japan. The ZigBee module also supports various security levels that are configured depending on the application's needs. This Click board™ comes with a configurable host interface allowing communication with MCU using the chosen interface. The XB24CZ7PIS-004 can communicate

with MCU using the UART interface with commonly used UART RX, TX, and hardware flow control pins UART CTS and RTS (Clear to Send and Ready to Send) or using the SPI interface (XBee module will work as an SPI-slave only). The module can be configured locally through serial commands (AT or API) or remotely through remote API commands to set or read any network device's configuration settings. In the case of the SPI interface, the users can use it to configure the module and write the library by themselves. XBee Click is associated with many other features. An active-low reset signal routed on the RST pin of the mikroBUS™ socket activates a hardware reset of the system, while the A/D pin routed on the INT pin of the mikroBUS™ socket represents a type of interrupt whose function can be selected by positioning an onboard SMD jumper to an appropriate position labeled as DTR or ATT. DTR position is a "Data terminal ready" function used to tell the XBee module that the host MCU is ready to communicate, while the ATT position (SPI Attention) represents an indicator

for the SPI interface whenever the XBee module has data for the host MCU. Alongside firmware updates, it supports commissioning and LED behaviors; a commissioning pushbutton marked as COMMI combined with an ASSOC LED provides various simple functions to aid in deploying devices in a network, such as a device wake-up, broadcast transmission, and more. On the other side, the yellow ASSOC LED indicates the device's network status and diagnostics information. If the LED is constantly on, it means that the module is not connected to the network, while the standard flashing of the LED represents the normal operating mode. This Click board™ can be operated only with a 3.3V logic voltage level. The board must perform appropriate logic voltage level conversion before using MCUs with different logic levels. However, the Click board™ comes equipped with a library containing functions and an example code that can be used as a reference for further development.

XBEE Click hardware overview image

Features overview

Development board

The 32L496GDISCOVERY Discovery kit serves as a comprehensive demonstration and development platform for the STM32L496AG microcontroller, featuring an Arm® Cortex®-M4 core. Designed for applications that demand a balance of high performance, advanced graphics, and ultra-low power consumption, this kit enables seamless prototyping for a wide range of embedded solutions. With its innovative energy-efficient

architecture, the STM32L496AG integrates extended RAM and the Chrom-ART Accelerator, enhancing graphics performance while maintaining low power consumption. This makes the kit particularly well-suited for applications involving audio processing, graphical user interfaces, and real-time data acquisition, where energy efficiency is a key requirement. For ease of development, the board includes an onboard ST-LINK/V2-1

debugger/programmer, providing a seamless out-of-the-box experience for loading, debugging, and testing applications without requiring additional hardware. The combination of low power features, enhanced memory capabilities, and built-in debugging tools makes the 32L496GDISCOVERY kit an ideal choice for prototyping advanced embedded systems with state-of-the-art energy efficiency.

Discovery kit with STM32L496AG MCU double side image

Microcontroller Overview

MCU Card / MCU

STM32L496AG Image

Architecture

ARM Cortex-M4

MCU Memory (KB)

1024

Silicon Vendor

STMicroelectronics

Pin count

169

RAM (Bytes)

327680

Used MCU Pins

mikroBUS™ mapper

UART RTS
PA4
AN
Reset
PB2
RST
SPI Chip Select
PG11
CS
SPI Clock
PI1
SCK
SPI Data OUT
PD3
MISO
SPI Data IN
PI3
MOSI
Power Supply
3.3V
3.3V
Ground
GND
GND
UART CTS
PA0
PWM
Data Ready Indicator
PH2
INT
UART TX
PG10
TX
UART RX
PB6
RX
NC
NC
SCL
NC
NC
SDA
NC
NC
5V
Ground
GND
GND
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Take a closer look

Click board™ Schematic

XBEE Click Schematic schematic

Step by step

Project assembly

Discovery kit with STM32H750XB MCU front image hardware assembly

Start by selecting your development board and Click board™. Begin with the Discovery kit with STM32L496AG MCU as your development board.

Discovery kit with STM32H750XB MCU front image hardware assembly
Thermo 21 Click front image hardware assembly
Prog-cut hardware assembly
Board mapper by product7 hardware assembly
Necto image step 2 hardware assembly
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Discovery kit with STM32H750XB MCU NECTO MCU Selection Step hardware assembly
Necto No Display image step 8 hardware assembly
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Software Support

Library Description

This library contains API for XBEE Click driver.

Key functions:

  • xbee_get_serial_number - This function sends a get serial number command

  • xbee_set_device_name - This function sets the device name (node identifier)

  • xbee_set_destination_address - This function sets the destination address high and low bytes

Open Source

Code example

The complete application code and a ready-to-use project are available through the NECTO Studio Package Manager for direct installation in the NECTO Studio. The application code can also be found on the MIKROE GitHub account.

/*!
 * @file main.c
 * @brief XBEE Click Example.
 *
 * # Description
 * This example demonstrates the use of an XBEE Click board by showing
 * the communication between the two Click boards configured in transparent mode.
 *
 * The demo application is composed of two sections :
 *
 * ## Application Init
 * Initializes the driver and configures the Click board by performing a factory reset, 
 * and setting the device name, destination address, and api mode to transparent.
 *
 * ## Application Task
 * Depending on the selected application mode, it reads all the received data or 
 * sends the desired message every 3 seconds.
 *
 * ## Additional Function
 * - static void xbee_clear_app_buf ( void )
 * - static err_t xbee_process ( void )
 * - static err_t xbee_display_rsp ( uint16_t timeout )
 *
 * @author Stefan Filipovic
 *
 */

#include "board.h"
#include "log.h"
#include "xbee.h"

// Device name (Node identifier).
#define DEVICE_NAME                 "XBEE Click"

// Enter here the specific serial number high and low bytes of the remote device as a hex string or 
// leave it set to broadcast addresses for forwarding messages to all devices
#define DESTINATION_ADDRESS_HIGH    XBEE_BROADCAST_DEST_ADDRESS_HIGH
#define DESTINATION_ADDRESS_LOW     XBEE_BROADCAST_DEST_ADDRESS_LOW

// Comment out the line below in order to switch the application mode to receiver
#define DEMO_APP_TRANSMITTER

// Text message to send in the transmitter application mode
#define DEMO_TEXT_MESSAGE           "MIKROE - XBEE Click board\r\n"

// Application process buffer size
#define PROCESS_BUFFER_SIZE         200

static xbee_t xbee;
static log_t logger;

static char app_buf[ PROCESS_BUFFER_SIZE ] = { 0 };
static int32_t app_buf_len = 0;

/**
 * @brief XBEE clearing application buffer.
 * @details This function clears memory of application buffer and reset its length and counter.
 * @note None.
 */
static void xbee_clear_app_buf ( void );

/**
 * @brief XBEE data reading function.
 * @details This function reads data from device and concatenates data to application buffer.
 * @return @li @c  0 - Read some data.
 *         @li @c -1 - Nothing is read.
 *         @li @c -2 - Application buffer overflow.
 * See #err_t definition for detailed explanation.
 * @note None.
 */
static err_t xbee_process ( void );

/**
 * @brief XBEE display response function.
 * @details This function reads data from device until it sends OK or ERROR message or until
 * it exceeds the timeout value.
 * @param[in] timeout : Timeout value in miliseconds.
 * @return @li @c  0 - Read some data.
 *         @li @c -1 - Nothing is read.
 * See #err_t definition for detailed explanation.
 * @note None.
 */
static err_t xbee_display_rsp ( uint16_t timeout );

void application_init ( void ) 
{
    log_cfg_t log_cfg;  /**< Logger config object. */
    xbee_cfg_t xbee_cfg;  /**< Click config object. */

    /** 
     * Logger initialization.
     * Default baud rate: 115200
     * Default log level: LOG_LEVEL_DEBUG
     * @note If USB_UART_RX and USB_UART_TX 
     * are defined as HAL_PIN_NC, you will 
     * need to define them manually for log to work. 
     * See @b LOG_MAP_USB_UART macro definition for detailed explanation.
     */
    LOG_MAP_USB_UART( log_cfg );
    log_init( &logger, &log_cfg );
    log_info( &logger, " Application Init " );

    // Click initialization.
    xbee_cfg_setup( &xbee_cfg );
    XBEE_MAP_MIKROBUS( xbee_cfg, MIKROBUS_1 );
    if ( UART_ERROR == xbee_init( &xbee, &xbee_cfg ) ) 
    {
        log_error( &logger, " Communication init." );
        for ( ; ; );
    }
    
    xbee_hw_reset ( &xbee );
    xbee_process( );
    xbee_clear_app_buf( );
    
    log_printf( &logger, " - Enter command mode -\r\n" );
    xbee_enter_command_mode ( &xbee );
    Delay_ms ( 100 );
    xbee_display_rsp ( 1000 );
    
    log_printf( &logger, " - Factory Reset -\r\n" );
    xbee_factory_reset ( &xbee );
    Delay_ms ( 100 );
    xbee_display_rsp ( 1000 );
    
    log_printf( &logger, " - Get serial number -\r\n" );
    xbee_get_serial_number ( &xbee );
    Delay_ms ( 100 );
    xbee_display_rsp ( 1000 );
    
    log_printf( &logger, " - Set Device Name -\r\n" );
    xbee_set_device_name ( &xbee, DEVICE_NAME );
    Delay_ms ( 100 );
    xbee_display_rsp ( 1000 );
    
    log_printf( &logger, " - Set Destination Address -\r\n" );
    xbee_set_destination_address ( &xbee, DESTINATION_ADDRESS_HIGH, DESTINATION_ADDRESS_LOW );
    Delay_ms ( 100 );
    xbee_display_rsp ( 1000 );
    
    log_printf( &logger, " - Set API mode -\r\n" );
    xbee_set_api_mode ( &xbee, XBEE_MODE_TRANSPARENT );
    Delay_ms ( 100 );
    xbee_display_rsp ( 1000 );
    
    log_printf( &logger, " - Apply changes -\r\n" );
    xbee_apply_changes ( &xbee );
    Delay_ms ( 100 );
    xbee_display_rsp ( 1000 ); 
    
    log_printf( &logger, " - Save changes -\r\n" );
    xbee_save_changes ( &xbee );
    Delay_ms ( 100 );
    xbee_display_rsp ( 1000 );
    
    log_printf( &logger, " - Exit command mode -\r\n" );
    xbee_exit_command_mode ( &xbee );
    Delay_ms ( 100 );
    xbee_display_rsp ( 1000 ); 
    
    app_buf_len = 0;
    
#ifdef DEMO_APP_TRANSMITTER
    log_printf( &logger, " Application Mode: Transmitter\r\n" );
#else
    log_printf( &logger, " Application Mode: Receiver\r\n" );
#endif
    
    log_info( &logger, " Application Task " );
}

void application_task ( void ) 
{
#ifdef DEMO_APP_TRANSMITTER
    xbee_generic_write( &xbee, DEMO_TEXT_MESSAGE, strlen( DEMO_TEXT_MESSAGE ) );
    log_printf( &logger, "%s", ( char * ) DEMO_TEXT_MESSAGE );
    Delay_ms ( 1000 );
    Delay_ms ( 1000 );
    Delay_ms ( 1000 ); 
#else
    xbee_process( );
    if ( app_buf_len > 0 ) 
    {
        log_printf( &logger, "%s", app_buf );
        xbee_clear_app_buf(  );
    }
#endif
}

int main ( void ) 
{
    /* Do not remove this line or clock might not be set correctly. */
    #ifdef PREINIT_SUPPORTED
    preinit();
    #endif
    
    application_init( );
    
    for ( ; ; ) 
    {
        application_task( );
    }

    return 0;
}

static void xbee_clear_app_buf ( void ) 
{
    memset( app_buf, 0, app_buf_len );
    app_buf_len = 0;
}

static err_t xbee_process ( void ) 
{
    int32_t rx_size;
    char rx_buf[ PROCESS_BUFFER_SIZE ] = { 0 };
    rx_size = xbee_generic_read( &xbee, rx_buf, PROCESS_BUFFER_SIZE );
    if ( rx_size > 0 ) 
    {
        int32_t buf_cnt = 0;
        if ( ( app_buf_len + rx_size ) > PROCESS_BUFFER_SIZE ) 
        {
            xbee_clear_app_buf(  );
            return XBEE_ERROR;
        } 
        else 
        {
            buf_cnt = app_buf_len;
            app_buf_len += rx_size;
        }
        for ( int32_t rx_cnt = 0; rx_cnt < rx_size; rx_cnt++ ) 
        {
            if ( rx_buf[ rx_cnt ] != 0 ) 
            {
                app_buf[ ( buf_cnt + rx_cnt ) ] = rx_buf[ rx_cnt ];
            }
            else
            {
                app_buf_len--;
                buf_cnt--;
            }
        }
        return XBEE_OK;
    }
    return XBEE_ERROR;
}

static err_t xbee_display_rsp ( uint16_t timeout )
{
    uint16_t timeout_cnt = 0;
    xbee_process ( );
    while ( ( 0 == strstr( app_buf, XBEE_RSP_OK ) ) && 
            ( 0 == strstr( app_buf, XBEE_RSP_ERROR ) ) && 
            ( timeout_cnt++ < timeout ) )
    {
        xbee_process ( );
        Delay_ms ( 1 );
    }
    if ( app_buf_len > 0 )
    {
        for ( int32_t buf_cnt = 0; buf_cnt < app_buf_len; buf_cnt++ )
        {
            log_printf( &logger, "%c", app_buf[ buf_cnt ] );
        }
        xbee_clear_app_buf ( );
        log_printf( &logger, "--------------------------------\r\n" );
        return XBEE_OK;
    }
    return XBEE_ERROR;
}

// ------------------------------------------------------------------------ END

Additional Support

Resources

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