xbee router or a node?

I read the wonderful tutorial at http://www.makingthings.com/documentation/tutorial/xbee-wireless-interface/tutorial-all-pages about how to connect a sensor to a xbee module and send data to the MAKE controller... but my query is, if this happens over the zigbee standard ? if yes then who maintains the zigbee network?

I have a few queries:

1) The tutorial did not talk anything about making one of the modules as a router or a node etc. Any idea anyone?

2) What if I have three rooms, A,B,C in this sequential order. MAKE controller is in room A. If sensor in room C sends data, will it automagically hop from the sensor in room B to reach the MAKE controller in room A?

well, they actually both talk back to the make controller receiver module. it's like a star type network. There may be a way to set things up differently, but it works pretty darn good out of the box.

There's no meshing available (as far as I know) with the original XBee modules - only with the series 2 modules. We've just picked up a couple of these, so hopefully we'll be able to add some compatibility for those into the XBee codebase.

Hmm ok, I just saw the series 2 which you are talking about at:

http://www.digi.com/products/wireless/zigbee-mesh/xbee-series2-module.jsp

and it's manual at: http://ftp1.digi.com/support/documentation/90000866_C.pdf

My concern was that in a house with multiple rooms, what if currently my regular xbee node is too far away from the MAKE controller. What are you guys doing about it?

Will such things help: http://www.digi.com/products/wireless/zigbee-mesh/xbee-wall-router.jsp ?

Check this out too.. it SEEMS that the original xbee also does support mesh, but with some programming effort i think: http://www.digi.com/support/kbase/kbaseresultdetl.jsp?id=2182

Whatever the case be, support for series 2 with mesh networking will be supercool! as only that will really start using the full capabilities of zigbee.