[pugs]

I haven't gotten too much into the Xbee cards yet (the wireless portion of the combo), but I do believe its like the 2.4ghz radios in that they have to be bonded together and are on a code to minimize interference.

I would highly suggest buying the arduino book listed above and taking time to read it, if it looks like something you can handle than start experimenting. The plus side of the Arduino board in the model is that it can be used like a little PLC to monitor and adjust things without you having to worry about it, like maybe limit switches or temp sensors to protect something.