Digi XBee 3 Cellular LTE-M User manual

Digi XBee® 3 Cellular LTE-M/NB-IoT
Smart Modem
User Guide

Revision history—90002258
Revision Date Description
R October
2020
Updated Transmit (TX) Status - 0x89.
S November
2020
Added information for File system APIframes.
Updated Software libraries.
Added Mexico (IFETEL).
T December
2020
Updated update instructions: over the wire and over the air.
Updated command: D0 (DIO0/AD0).
New command: FC(Frequency Channel Number).
Updated Power Saving Mode (PSM).
U January
2021
Added design recommendations for SIM cards.
Updated the instructions for configuring the regulatory firmware for
testing the cellular component.
Updated Socket Connect - 0x42.
Updated Socket Connect Response - 0xC2.
Updated commands: CP (Carrier Profile) and N# (Preferred Network
Technology).
Updated HM (Health Metrics).
Updated Regulatory approvals and added Brazil (ANATEL) information.
V January
2021
Updated cellular antenna information.
W May 2021 Updated the example to include information about Allow Offline option.
Updated prerequisites: Update an XBee module cellular component
using FOTA (over the air)
Updated maximum baud rates.
Updated Enable SM/UDP.
Added PG (Ping).
Trademarks and copyright
Digi, Digi International, and the Digi logo are trademarks or registered trademarks in the United
States and other countries worldwide. All other trademarks mentioned in this document are the
property of their respective owners.
© 2021 Digi International Inc. All rights reserved.
Disclaimers
Information in this document is subject to change without notice and does not represent a
commitment on the part of Digi International. Digi provides this document “as is,” without warranty of
any kind, expressed or implied, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of fitness or
merchantability for a particular purpose. Digi may make improvements and/or changes in this manual
or in the product(s) and/or the program(s) described in this manual at any time.
Digi XBee® 3 Cellular LTE-M/NB-IoT Global Smart Modem User Guide 2

Warranty
To view product warranty information, go to the following website:
www.digi.com/howtobuy/terms
Customer support
Gather support information: Before contacting Digi technical support for help, gather the following
information:
Product name and model
Product serial number (s)
Firmware version
Operating system/browser (if applicable)
Logs (from time of reported issue)
Trace (if possible)
Description of issue
Steps to reproduce
Contact Digi technical support: Digi offers multiple technical support plans and service packages.
Contact us at +1 952.912.3444 or visit us at www.digi.com/support.
Feedback
To provide feedback on this document, email your comments to
[e-mail]
Include the document title and part number (Digi XBee® 3 Cellular LTE-M/NB-IoT Global Smart Modem
User Guide, 90002258 W) in the subject line of your email.
Digi XBee® 3 Cellular LTE-M/NB-IoT Global Smart Modem User Guide 3

Contents
Digi XBee® 3 Cellular LTE-M/NB-IoT Global Smart Modem User Guide
Applicable firmware and hardware 17
SIM cards 17
NB-IoT network 17
Get started with the XBee Smart Modem
Identify the kit contents 19
Determine cellular service and acquire a SIM card 21
UScustomers 21
European customers 21
Cellular service 21
Connect the hardware 22
Install and upgrade XCTU 23
Add a device to XCTU 23
Update the device and cellular firmware using XCTU 24
Configure your module for cellular connectivity 24
UScustomers 24
European customers 25
Check for cellular registration and connection 25
XBee connection examples
Connect to the Echo server 28
Connect to the ELIZA server 30
Connect to the Daytime server 32
Perform a (GET) HTTP request 34
Connect to a TCP/IP address 35
Debugging 35
Software libraries 36
Get started with MicroPython
About MicroPython 38
Why use MicroPython 38
MicroPython on the XBee Smart Modem 38
Use XCTU to enter the MicroPython environment 38
Use the MicroPython Terminal in XCTU 39
Troubleshooting 39
Digi XBee® 3 Cellular LTE-M/NB-IoT Global Smart Modem User Guide 4

Digi XBee® 3 Cellular LTE-M/NB-IoT Global Smart Modem User Guide 5
Example: hello world 39
Example: Turn on an LED 39
Example: debug the secondary UART 40
Exit MicroPython mode 41
Other terminal programs 41
Tera Term for Windows 41
Use picocom in Linux 42
Get started with BLE
On XBee 3 Cellular firmware ending in x16 or newer 44
On XBee 3 Cellular firmware ending in x15 or newer 44
On XBee 3 Cellular firmware ending in x14 or older 45
Enable BLE on an XBee device 45
Enable BLEand configure the BLEpassword using XCTU 45
Get the Digi XBeeMobile phone application 46
Connect with BLEand configure your XBee device 47
BLE reference 47
BLE advertising behavior and services 47
Device Information Service 47
XBee API BLEService 47
API Request characteristic 48
API Response characteristic 48
Get started with Digi Remote Manager
Create a Remote Manager account and add devices 49
Create a Remote Manager account 50
Add an XBee Smart Modem to Remote Manager 50
Verify the connection between a device and Remote Manager 51
Configure Remote Manager features by scheduling tasks 51
Overview: Create a schedule for a set of tasks 52
Examples 52
Example: Read settings and state using Remote Manager 52
Example: Configure a device from Remote Manager using XML 53
Example: Schedule a task to update the device firmware using Remote Manager 54
Example: Update MicroPython from Remote Manager using XML 56
Manage data in Remote Manager 59
Review device status information from Remote Manager 60
Manage secure files in Remote Manager 60
Remote Manager reference 61
Enable SM/UDP 61
TCP connection 62
Disconnect 63
Configure XBee settings within Remote Manager 63
Examples: IOT protocols with transparent mode
Get started with CoAP 67
CoAP terms 67
CoAP quick start example 67
Configure the device 68
Example: manually perform a CoAPrequest 68

Digi XBee® 3 Cellular LTE-M/NB-IoT Global Smart Modem User Guide 6
Example: use Python to generate a CoAP message 69
Get started with MQTT 71
Example: MQTT connect 71
Send a connect packet 73
Example: send messages (publish) with MQTT 74
Example: receive messages (subscribe) with MQTT 75
Use MQTT over the XBee Cellular Modem with a PC 76
Update the firmware
Create a plan for device and cellular component firmware updates 81
Update the device and the cellular firmware using XCTU 82
Update the device and cellular firmware using XCTU and USBDirect access 82
Update the device firmware 84
Update the firmware from the Devices page in Remote Manager 84
Update the firmware using web services in Remote Manager 85
Use a host processor to update the modem firmware for XBee 3 devices over UART prior to
*10 87
Use a host processor to update the device firmware for XBee 3 devices over UART after *10 89
Update the cellular firmware 91
Update an XBee module cellular component using FOTA (over the air) 91
Update an XBee module cellular component using APImode (over the wire) 93
Update the cellular module from a PC using the EasyFlash Firmware Update 96
Technical specifications
Interface and hardware specifications 98
Cellular RF characteristics 98
Bluetooth RF characteristics 98
Cellular networking specifications 98
Power requirements 99
Power consumption 100
Electrical specifications 101
Regulatory approvals 102
Hardware
Mechanical drawings 104
Pin signals 104
Pin connection recommendations 106
XBee header connector requirements 106
RSSI PWM 106
SIM card 107
Associate LED functionality 107
Development boards 109
XBIB-CU-TH reference 109
XBIB-C-GPS reference 113
Interface with the XBIB-C-GPS module 114
Antenna recommendations
Antenna placement 116

Digi XBee® 3 Cellular LTE-M/NB-IoT Global Smart Modem User Guide 7
Design recommendations
Cellular component firmware updates 118
Power supply considerations 118
Minimum connection diagram 118
Heat considerations and testing 119
Custom configuration: Create a new factory default 119
Set a custom configuration 120
Clear all custom configurations on a device 120
Clean shutdown 120
SD (Shutdown) command 120
Sleep feature 121
Airplane mode 121
SIMcards 121
Cellular connection process
Connecting 123
Cellular network 123
Data network connection 123
Data communication with remote servers (TCP/UDP) 123
Disconnecting 124
Modes
Select an operating mode 126
Transparent operating mode 127
API operating mode 127
Command mode 127
Enter Command mode 127
Troubleshooting 128
Send AT commands 128
Response to AT commands 128
Apply command changes 129
Make command changes permanent 129
Exit Command mode 129
MicroPython mode 129
USB direct mode 130
Connect the hardware for USBDirect mode 130
Configure the data pins 131
Enable USB direct mode 131
Configure and use PPP with a Digi XBee 3 Cellular LTE-M/NB-IoT modem 132
Bypass operating mode (DEPRECATED) 135
Enter Bypass operating mode 135
Leave Bypass operating mode 136
Restore cellular settings to default in Bypass operating mode 136
Sleep modes
About sleep modes 138
Normal mode 138
Pin sleep mode 138
Cyclic sleep mode 138

Digi XBee® 3 Cellular LTE-M/NB-IoT Global Smart Modem User Guide 8
Cyclic sleep with pin wake up mode 138
SPI mode and sleep pin functionality 138
The sleep timer 139
MicroPython sleep behavior 139
Power saving features and design recommendations
Airplane mode 141
Power Saving Mode (PSM) 141
Enable PSM 141
Overview of PSM functionality on XBee 3 Cellular 141
PSM behavior 143
Low voltage shutdown 143
Deep Sleep mode 144
Serial communication
Serial interface 146
Serial data 146
UART data flow 146
Serial buffers 147
CTS flow control 147
RTS flow control 147
Enable UART or SPI ports 147
I2C 148
SPI operation
SPI communications 150
Full duplex operation 150
Low power operation 151
Select the SPI port 152
Force UART operation 153
Data format 153
File system
Overview of the file system 155
Directory structure 155
Paths 155
Secure files 155
XCTU interface 156
Encrypt files 156
Socket behavior
Supported sockets 158
Best practices when using sockets 158
Sockets and Remote Manager 158
Sockets and API mode 158
Socket timeouts 158
Socket limits in API mode 159

Digi XBee® 3 Cellular LTE-M/NB-IoT Global Smart Modem User Guide 9
Enable incoming TCP sockets in API mode 159
API mode behavior for outgoing TCP and TLS connections 159
API mode behavior for outgoing UDP data 160
API mode behavior for incoming TCP connections 160
API mode behavior for incoming UDP data 161
Transparent mode behavior for outgoing TCP and TLS connections 161
Transparent mode behavior for outgoing UDP data 162
Transparent mode behavior for incoming TCP connections 162
Transparent mode behavior for incoming UDP connections 162
Extended Socket frames
Examples 163
Available Extended Socket frames 164
Extended Socket example: Single HTTP Connection 164
Send a Socket Create frame 164
Receive a Socket Create response 165
Send Socket Connect 165
Receive a Socket Connect Response 165
Receive a Socket Status 166
Send HTTP Request using Socket Send frame 166
Receive TX Status 167
Receive one or more Receive Data frames 167
Receive Socket Status indicating closed connection 168
Extended Socket example: UDP 168
Send a Socket Create frame 168
Receive a Socket Create response 169
Bind local source addres 169
Receive Bind/Listen Response 169
Send to Digi echo server 170
Receive TX Status 170
Receive echoed data 170
Send to Digi time server 171
Receive TX Status 171
Receive daytime value 171
Close the socket 172
Receive close response 172
Extended Socket example: TCPListener 173
Send a Socket Create frame 173
Receive a Socket Create response 173
Designate the socket as a listener 173
Receive a Socket Bind/Listen Response 174
Making a connection to the listener socket 174
Receiving Data from the new socket 175
Receive a Socket Status indicating closed connection 175
Transport Layer Security (TLS)
Specifying TLS keys and certificates 178
Transparent mode and TLS 179
API mode and TLS 179
Key formats 179
Certificate formats 179
Certificate limitations 179

Digi XBee® 3 Cellular LTE-M/NB-IoT Global Smart Modem User Guide 10
Cipher suites 180
Server Name Indication (SNI) 180
Secure the connection between an XBee and Remote Manager with server authentication 180
Step 1: Get the certificate 181
Step 2: Configure device 181
Step 3: Verify that authentication is being performed 181
AT commands
Special commands 184
AC (Apply Changes) 184
FR (Force Reset) 184
RE (Restore Defaults) 184
SD (Shutdown) 185
WR (Write) 185
Cellular commands 186
PH (Phone Number) 186
S# (ICCID) 186
IM (IMEI) 186
II (Subscriber identity) 186
MN (Operator) 186
MV (Modem Firmware Version) 187
DB (Cellular Signal Strength) 187
DT (Cellular Network Time) 187
AN (Access Point Name) 188
CP (Carrier Profile) 188
BM (Bandmask) (LTE-M) 189
BN (Bandmask) (NB-IoT) 189
AM (Airplane Mode) 190
N# (Preferred Network Technology) 190
SQ (Reference Signal Received Quality) 190
SW (Reference Signal Received POWER) 191
PN (SIMPIN) 191
PK (SIMPUK) 192
CU (Cellular user name) 192
CW (Cellular password) 192
FC(Frequency Channel Number) 192
Network commands 193
IP (IP Protocol) 193
TL (TLS Protocol Version) 193
$0 (TLS Profile 0) 194
$1 (TLS Profile 1) 194
$2 (TLS Profile 2) 194
TM (IP Client Connection Timeout) 195
TS (IP Server Connection Timeout) 195
DO (Device Options) 195
DX (Requested eDRX cycle length) 196
D? (Network-provided eDRX cycle length) 197
PG (Ping) 197
Addressing commands 198
SH (Serial Number High) 198
SL (Serial Number Low) 198
MY (Module IP Address) 198
P# (Destination Phone Number) 198
N1 (DNS Address) 199

Digi XBee® 3 Cellular LTE-M/NB-IoT Global Smart Modem User Guide 11
N2 (DNS Address) 199
DL (Destination Address) 199
OD (Operating Destination Address) 200
DE (Destination port) 200
C0 (Source Port) 200
LA (Lookup IP Address of FQDN) 201
Serial interfacing commands 202
BD (Baud Rate) 202
NB (Parity) 202
SB (Stop Bits) 203
RO (Packetization Timeout) 203
TD (Text Delimiter) 203
FT (Flow Control Threshold) 204
AP (API Enable) 204
IB (Cellular Component Baud Rate) 204
I/O settings commands 206
D0 (DIO0/AD0) 206
D1 (DIO1/AD1) 206
D2 (DIO2/AD2) 207
D3 (DIO3/AD3) 207
D4 (DIO4) 208
D5 (DIO5/ASSOCIATED_INDICATOR) 208
D6 (DIO6/RTS) 208
D7 (DIO7/CTS) 209
D8 (DIO8/SLEEP_REQUEST) 209
D9 (DIO9/ON_SLEEP) 209
P0 (DIO10/PWM0 Configuration) 210
P1 (DIO11/PWM1 Configuration) 210
P2 (DIO12 Configuration) 211
P3 (DIO13/DOUT) 211
P4 (DIO14/DIN) 212
PD (Pull Direction) 212
PR (Pull-up/down Resistor Enable) 212
M0 (PWM0 Duty Cycle) 213
M1 command 214
I/O sampling commands 215
TP (Temperature) 215
IS (Force Sample) 215
Sleep commands 217
SM (Sleep Mode) 217
SP (Sleep Period) 217
ST (Wake Time) 217
PA (Requested Active Timer) 218
PU (Requested Tracking Area Update Timer) 218
Command mode options 219
CC (Command Sequence Character) 219
CT (Command Mode Timeout) 219
CN (Exit Command mode) 219
GT (Guard Times) 219
MicroPython commands 221
PS (Python Startup) 221
PY (MicroPython Command) 221
Firmware version/information commands 223
VR (Firmware Version) 223
VL (Verbose Firmware Version) 223

Digi XBee® 3 Cellular LTE-M/NB-IoT Global Smart Modem User Guide 12
HV (Hardware Version) 223
HS (Hardware Series) 223
CK (Configuration CRC) 223
AI (Association Indication) 224
FI(FTP OTA Update Indication) 224
FO (FTP OTA command) 225
Diagnostic interface commands 227
DI (Remote Manager Indicator) 227
CI (Protocol/Connection Indication) 227
AS (Active scan for network environment data) 229
Execution commands 231
NR (Network Reset) 231
!R (Modem Reset) 231
File system commands 232
Error responses 232
ATFS (File System) 232
ATFS PWD 232
ATFS CDdirectory 232
ATFS MDdirectory 232
ATFS LS [directory] 232
ATFS PUTfilename 233
ATFS XPUTfilename 233
ATFS HASHfilename 233
ATFS GETfilename 233
ATFS MVsource_pathdest_path 233
ATFS RMfile_or_directory 233
ATFS INFO 233
ATFSFORMAT confirm 234
BLE commands 235
BI (Bluetooth Identifier) 235
BL (Bluetooth MAC address) 235
BP (Bluetooth Advertisement Power Level) 235
BT (Bluetooth enable) 235
$S (SRPSalt) 236
$V, $W, $X, $Y (SRPpassword verifier) 236
Remote Manager commands 237
DF (Remote Manager Status Check Interval) 237
EQ (Remote Manager FQDN) 237
K1 (Remote Manager Server Send Keepalive) 237
K2 (Remote Manager Device Send Keepalive) 237
MO (Remote Manager Options) 238
$D (Remote Manager certificate) 238
RI (Remote Manager Service ID) 238
DP (Remote Manager Phone Number) 239
HF (Health Metrics Reporting Frequency) 239
HM (Health Metrics) 239
ER (Remote Manager TCP Port Override) 240
ES (Remote Manager UDP Port Override) 241
MT (Remote Manager Idle Timeout) 241
System commands 242
KL (Device Location) 242
KP (Device Description) 242
KC (Contact Information) 242
Socket commands 243
SI (Socket Info) 243

Digi XBee® 3 Cellular LTE-M/NB-IoT Global Smart Modem User Guide 13
Power measurement commands 244
%V command 244
%L (Low voltage shutdown base threshold) 244
%M (Low voltage shutdown reset offset) 245
Operate in API mode
API mode overview 247
Use the AP command to set the operation mode 247
API frame format 247
API operation (AP parameter = 1) 247
API operation with escaped characters (AP parameter = 2) 248
API frames
AT Command - 0x08 252
AT Command: Queue Parameter Value - 0x09 253
Transmit (TX) SMS - 0x1F 254
Transmit (TX) Request: IPv4 - 0x20 255
Tx Request with TLS Profile - 0x23 257
AT Command Response - 0x88 259
Transmit (TX) Status - 0x89 260
Modem Status - 0x8A 262
Receive (RX) Packet: SMS - 0x9F 263
Receive (RX) Packet: IPv4 - 0xB0 264
User Data Relay - 0x2D 265
Example use cases 265
User Data Relay Output - 0xAD 267
BLE Unlock API - 0x2C 268
Example sequence to perform AT Command XBee API frames over BLE 270
BLEUnlock Response - 0xAC 272
Socket Create - 0x40 273
Socket Create Response - 0xC0 274
Socket Option Request - 0x41 275
Socket Option Response - 0xC1 276
Socket Connect - 0x42 277
Socket Connect Response - 0xC2 278
Socket Close - 0x43 279
Socket Close Response - 0xC3 280
Socket Send (Transmit) - 0x44 281
Socket SendTo (Transmit Explicit Data): IPv4 - 0x45 282
Socket Bind/Listen - 0x46 283
Socket Listen Response - 0xC6 284
Socket New IPv4 Client - 0xCC 285
Socket Receive - 0xCD 286
Socket Receive From: IPv4 - 0xCE 287
Socket Status - 0xCF 288
File system APIframes
Local File System Request - 0x3B 288
File Open - 0x01 290
File Close - 0x02 291

Digi XBee® 3 Cellular LTE-M/NB-IoT Global Smart Modem User Guide 14
File Read - 0x03 291
File Write - 0x04 292
File Hash - 0x08 293
Directory Create - 0x10 293
Directory Open - 0x11 294
Directory Close - 0x12 295
Directory Read - 0x13 296
Get Path ID - 0x1C 296
Delete - 0x2F 297
Volume Info - 0x40 297
Volume Format - 0x4F 298
Local File System Response - 0xBB 298
Regulatory firmware
Install the regulatory firmware 301
Install regulatory firmware using XCTU 301
Install regulatory firmware using Remote Manager 302
Configure regulatory firmware for testing the Bluetooth radio 303
Configure regulatory firmware for testing the cellular component 303
Bluetooth DTMprotocol 304
Example 304
Regulatory testing commands 304
%# (Enable/disable test mode) 305
%1 (Start test mode) 306
%2 (Stop test mode) 306
%5 (Start modulated transmit) 306
%6 (Stop transmit) 306
%7 (Set the EARFCN) 306
%8 (Get the EARFCN) 307
%9 (Set transmit power) 307
%A (Get transmit power) 308
%D (Start receive mode) 308
%? (Query test state) 308
Troubleshooting
Cannot find the serial port for the device 310
Condition 310
Solution 310
Other possible issues 311
Enable Virtual COM port (VCP) on the driver 311
Correct a macOS Java error 312
Condition 312
Solution 312
Unresponsive cellular component in Bypass mode 313
Condition 313
Solution 313
Syntax error at line 1 313
Solution 313
Error Failed to send SMS 313
Solution 313
Network connection issues 314
Condition 314

Digi XBee® 3 Cellular LTE-M/NB-IoT Global Smart Modem User Guide 15
Solution 314
Brownout issue 314
Voltage brownout 314
Power-on discontinuities 314
How to distinguish revision B parts 314
Hardware flow control in Bypass mode 315
Baud rate in Bypass mode 315
Socket leaks 315
Condition 315
Solution 316
Regulatory information
United States (FCC) 318
OEM labeling requirements 318
FCC notices 318
FCC-approved antennas 319
RF exposure 320
FCC publication 996369 related information 320
Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) 321
Labeling requirements 321
RF Exposure 321
Mexico (IFETEL) 322
OEM labeling requirements 322
Brazil (ANATEL) 323
Deprecated kit (PN XK3-C-A2-UT-U or XK3-C-N1-UT-E)
Identify the kit contents 325
Connect the hardware 326
XBIB-U-DEV reference 327
Example: turn on an LED 330

Digi XBee® 3 Cellular LTE-M/NB-IoT Global Smart
Modem User Guide
The XBee Smart Modem provides OEMs with a simple way to integrate low-power cellular connectivity
into their devices.
Features include:
nFCC certified and carrier end-device certified
nExcellent coverage and building penetration
nManage and configure with XCTU and Digi Remote Manager®
nAvailable with Digi provided SIM cards and data plans
nDigital I/O support
nAnalog input support
nAPI and Transparent mode
nCommand mode
nBypass to the raw cellular modem
nSMS: Some carriers do not support SMS on LTE-M and/or NB-IoT. Check with your carrier for
details.
nTCP/UDP (up to six sockets)
nTLS (up to six sockets)
nIncoming connections
nMicroPython
lOn-module programmability to add local intelligence
lMany examples in the Digi MicroPython Programming Guide
lAT commands for managing run-time behavior
nLow power modes
nLTE power save mode (PSM)
nDeep sleep mode
nPin sleep support
nCyclic sleep support
nAirplane mode support
nDigi TrustFence secure boot
nMulti-network capability (Verizon, AT&T)
Digi XBee® 3 Cellular LTE-M/NB-IoT Global Smart Modem User Guide 16

Digi XBee® 3 Cellular LTE-M/NB-IoT Global Smart Modem User Guide Applicable firmware and hardware
Digi XBee® 3 Cellular LTE-M/NB-IoT Global Smart Modem User Guide 17
Applicable firmware and hardware
This manual supports the following firmware:
n114xx and above
Note This manual uses the placeholder value "xx" in the firmware versions listed above, as the
manual documents the released features as of the time of its writing. Digi International periodically
releases new firmware containing bug fixes and new features. As new firmware is released and
distributor stock is refreshed, the new firmware will gradually become available without the need to
update. However, no guarantees can be made that a specific version of the firmware will be populated
on any given XBee as delivered. If a specific revision is desired, it is the user's responsibility to ensure
that version is loaded onto all XBees purchased.
Note You must upgrade your device to the latest firmware for all features to be available. See Update
the firmware.
It supports the following hardware:
nXB3-C-A2-UT-xxx
SIM cards
The XBee Smart Modem requires a 4FF (Nano) size SIM card. The SIM interface supports both 1.8 V
and 3 V SIM types.
NB-IoT network
NB-IoT network is supported by XBee 3 Cellular. Note the following:
nNB-IoT does not support roaming. You cannot roam between networks.
nFor NB-IoT, TCP support is dependent on the network. Contact your network provider for
details.
nFor NB-IoT, SMSsupport is dependent on the network. Contact your network provider for
details.
nDigi Remote Manager® requires TCPand will not work with NB-IoT unless the network
supports TCP.
nThe SIM card in the device determines whether the device supports NB-IoT, LTE-M, or both.

Get started with the XBee Smart Modem
This section describes how to connect the hardware in the XBee, and provides some examples you can
use to communicate with the device.
You should perform all of the steps below in the order shown.
1. Identify the kit contents
2. Determine cellular service and acquire a SIM card
3. Connect the hardware
4. Install and upgrade XCTU
5. Use one of the following methods to verify your cellular connection:
nConnect to the Echo server
nConnect to the ELIZA server
nConnect to the Daytime server
Optional steps
You can review the information in these steps for more XBee connection examples and examples of
how to use MicroPython.
1. Review additional connection examples to help you learn how to use the device. See XBee
connection examples.
2. Review introductory MicroPython examples. You can use MicroPython to enhance the
intelligence of the XBee to enable you to do edge-computing by adding business logic in
MicroPython, rather than using external components.
nExample: hello world
nExample: turn on an LED
Digi XBee® 3 Cellular LTE-M/NB-IoT Global Smart Modem User Guide 18

Get started with the XBee Smart Modem Identify the kit contents
Digi XBee® 3 Cellular LTE-M/NB-IoT Global Smart Modem User Guide 19
Identify the kit contents
The Developer's kit includes the following:
Item Description
One XBIB-CU-TH board
One cellular antenna with a U.FL connector
One Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) antenna
One USB-C cable
Note This cable is used to power the development
board.
One Micro USBcable
Note This cable is used only with USBDirect mode.
Do not use this cable to power the
development board.
One XBee Smart Modem
Note The XBee Smart Modem comes attached to the
board in ESDwrap.

Get started with the XBee Smart Modem Identify the kit contents
Digi XBee® 3 Cellular LTE-M/NB-IoT Global Smart Modem User Guide 20
Item Description
One SIMcard
Note NB-IoT kits do not include a SIM card. Contact
your NB-IoT mobile carrier provider to obtain a SIM
card and service. See Determine cellular service and
acquire a SIM card.