Xbee Pro Series 1 Linux Configuration

I’ve been using a pair of Xbee Pro Series 1 radios to set up an RF link between two computers, each running Linux. I initially configured each radio using the XCTU utility in Windows (I set the radios to 56 kbaud). Once configured, I’ve been using the slip protocol for each radio to set up the link between them. e.g. Here’s how I setup one of the radios:

slattach -L -s 57600 -p slip /dev/xbee &

ifconfig sl0 10.0.0.1 netmask 255.255.255.0

Although this works, I’ve seen signifcant packet loss in use and when not too far away. So, question: Is there something in my setup that I can do differently to improve the reliability of the link? Is there another, better way to set up the link (i.e. not using the slip protocol)? I would greatly appreciate any feedback/guidance from anyone whose had good experience running these radios in Linux.

Thanks in advance for your help,

Tony