Unamplified and under excellent outdoor conditions, the Microchip module has up to a 400m range (1/4 mile) (according to microchip, of course. I'm doing testing on this and other modules as needed in the near future). That, and the fact that it's low power drew me towards this solution, but testing will show whether it's really that good. But yes, this design is meant for short range. Once it forms a mesh network, however, in a largish group its effective range is much larger - which would be the case for games such as capture the flag. This is large enough to communicate in an open play area of over 150 acres square, if the parent is in the middle, or if a repeater node is placed near the middle - again under ideal conditions. I expect to get a few hundred feet from it under average conditions, which will take care of most situations involving children of the age group this is meant for. For larger areas it will significantly decrease search time - you would only need to walk around a bit until you get a signal, and then follow it. A repeater could be made if this was a requested feature (especially if they wanted to keep RF energy for handheld or body worn units) For games, though, it'll involve many more people, and a robust mesh network will significantly extend the effective range. Of course, if this does become a commercial product I'll also integrate cellular modules into various versions for longer distance and more robust tracking, but that's not the primary market. -Adam On Mon, Oct 13, 2008 at 12:59 PM, Sean Breheny wrote: > Hi Adam, > > Looks really cool. However, are you depending on Zigbee for comms? > That has a typical range of only 100 meters (unless you go with the > higher powered version, but that still would be rather limited I'd > think). > > Sean > > > On Sun, Oct 12, 2008 at 11:09 PM, M. Adam Davis wrote: >> So many of you know I'm competing in a PIC32 contest (please vote!): >> >> http://mypic32.com/web/guest/contestantsprofiles?profileID=50331 >> >> and have thought of a few games that kids can play on the device, but >> was thinking about games people could play together with the device. >> >> As I was discussing it with a friend who mentioned Capture the Flag, I >> though this could be an interesting device to change old games. >> Incorprating games into the device itself is very important for child >> acceptance - they won't want to carry something that not only provides >> them minimal functionality, but also allows greater parental >> oversight. >> >> So an enhanced version of capture the flag might involve no flag at >> all. You lay out the boundaries of the play space by walking them >> while the unit records, and then specify a flag station for each team. >> If you walk into the flag station of an enemy team then your device >> captures the flag automatically, and the enemy team is alerted as you >> try to run away. You might be able to pass the flag onto another team >> mate, enact jails, spies, etc. You can see where your teammates are, >> and in certain version of the game your position might be made known >> to the enemy if you have the flag. >> >> Such a device (ie, 802.15.4 mesh network, GPS, compass, display) can >> probably be used to change the way many games are played. >> >> So what games do you think could be enhanced with this toy? >> >> -Adam >> >> -- >> Save Money * Save Oil * Save Lives * Save the Planet >> http://www.driveslowly.org >> -- >> http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive >> View/change your membership options at >> http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist >> > -- > http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive > View/change your membership options at > http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist > -- Caution: I wrote this email after only 3 hours of sleep over the last two days. If it doesn't make sense, well, that's par for the course. Save Money * Save Oil * Save Lives * Save the Planet http://www.driveslowly.org -- http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist