MaxStream Extends ZigBee Range up to 40 Miles

XBee XTender Wireless Bridge Combines Long-Range XTend with Low-Power XBee

LINDON, Utah – October 25, 2006 – MaxStream® today announced the availability of the XBee XTender™ wireless bridge that extends the range of ZigBee™ and 802.15.4 networks up to 40 miles. Because the ZigBee and 802.15.4 standards focus on low-cost, low-power wireless monitoring and controlling of electronic devices, ZigBee modems typically must be located within 100-300 feet to communicate.

Many customers want to connect ZigBee/802.15.4 networked devices to monitoring locations beyond the range ZigBee affords. In order to meet extended distance requirements, MaxStream has combined the strengths of its XBee™ and XTend™ product lines into a wireless bridge. The multi-band XBee XTender permits shorter range 2.4 GHz XBee networks operating under the ZigBee or 802.15.4 wireless personal area network (WPAN) standards to communicate data up to 40 miles away via the powerful 900 MHz 1-Watt XTend RF modem.

“As a ZigBee market leader, MaxStream has unique visibility into practical problems faced by customers implementing ZigBee and 802.15.4 networks,” said Larry Kraft, senior vice president of sales and marketing, Digi International. “The XBee XTender is a fast, easy way to wirelessly connect to remote ZigBee networks.”

The low-power consumption of the XBee network makes it ideal for a wide range of battery-powered applications, while the high-power XTend can transmit through obstacles that would otherwise impede devices communicating via ZigBee/802.15.4. The range of the XTend coupled with the versatility and cost-savings of the XBee network give OEMs and systems integrators greater flexibility when designing wireless networks.

The multi-band bridge is enclosed in an aluminum housing and includes two half-wave dipole antennas. Additional antenna options can be connected via the RPSMA ports. Starting at $399, the XBee XTender will be available in December.

For more information, visit www.maxstream.net or email sales@maxstream.net.

For a high resolution image of the XBee XTender, please visit www.maxstream.net/images/pr/xbee-xtender.jpg.

About MaxStream
MaxStream, now part of Digi International (NASDAQ - DGII), is the leading worldwide developer of wireless modem networking for electronic devices. MaxStream provides wireless modem modules, stand-alone radio modems, RF design services, and supporting software. Products and services by MaxStream include designing, manufacturing and supporting wireless communications for embedded systems. For more information regarding MaxStream’s products and services, contact MaxStream, Inc. at www.maxstream.net, info@maxstream.net, or call (866) 765-9885.

For more information, visit Digi’s Web site at www.digi.com, or call 877-912-3444 (U.S.) or 952-912-3444 (International).

All brand names and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

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Jan McBride

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Digi International

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