Xbee usb adaptors

I am trying to make up my mind deciding whether to purchase an adaptor for the series 1 xbee from RobotShop or adafruit. I see that on Robotshop, there are two usb adaptors (DFRobot and Parallax). What is the difference between the two? They both claim support for the Digi’s X-CTU software, but is that all that the usb is for or can I send data through the usb port (say from Matlab). The adaptor off of adafruit uses an FTDI plug. Is there a particular reason for doing so (such as simplifying having a computer send data over xbee)? My other question is do both adaptors have headers for connecting to an arduino? I noticed the Parallax board has adaptors but the DFRobot one does not have a picture of its underside or any documentation.

Thanks I will check out the shield but once the arduino is programmed I am planning on taking it out the of the board and sticking it into a circuit board so it takes up less space. I only chose those specific two because they came recomended over the bare bones variety. You say all of them have a USB to serial chip but is there a reason for using that over an FTDI connection? Also, how do I go about requesting RobotShop to get the baords from Adafruit should I decide to get them?

Hey thanks a lot for the help. I think it might not be showing up because it’s out of stock on adafruit. And I should have been more specific. One xbee module goes on the robot and the other connects to the computer (through usb). I was looking at the module off of adafruit because it is the one they used on their tutorial. I was just confused as to why they used a header cable to connect instead of the usb sockets as the ones you mentioned have. I’m guessing its so that the usb to serial is off the board and in a cable to save space?

Oh I guess that explains why the board is cheaper. In the end I guess it doesn’t pay off because you have to buy the cable anyways. So what’s your suggestion if each board works pretty much the same? The one off of adafruit w/ the cable, DFRobot, or parallax board? In the end they should be able to do computer to robot communication.
Thanks a lot for the help in explaining.

Last question. I’ll go with the Parallax board, and I noticed there are two board (Product code : RB-Plx-216, and RB-Plx-217). If I’m connecting a xbee module to a computer I use one with a usb plug, and use the blank board for the arduino side since that is not connected to the computer?

Actually, we offer a few USB to XBee boards:
Droids SAS XBe-USB Breakout
Droids SAS XBee DB9 breakout
Sparkfun XBee Explorer USB
DFRobot XBee USB Adapter
DFRobot XBee USB Adapter
Parallax USB-XBee adapter
Picaxe XBee Interface

These all do relatively the same thing and may use a different USB to serial converter chip. We are with Adafruit and can get their board as well. If you want to connect to an Arduino, it’s easier to simply buy a shield with XBee headers.

Ah - understood. The smallest footprint is the one offered by Parallax.

The ones provided in the list use a chip to convert from USB to serial, but that’s if you want to connect it to the computer. If you plan to connect it to the microcontroller, you don’t need USB to serial.

The product is RB-Ada-19 and was not on the RobotShop website for some reason. It should go live again within a few days. If you don’t see it live, then contact us via the RobotShop Support Center and we’ll take care of you there by providing you with a quote.

… more to save money, not space.

It’s really up to you - they all do basically the same thing.

That’s correct.