Magic Bands. Can you use old and new in same trip?

[Zipadeelady]

I have old magic bands from 2.5 years ago. MME says they are still active. DD wants multiple colors to wear on our trip this summer. The question is can the old one work on this upcoming trip along with the new? Will they both open our room door, be able to charge items to our account, be able to enter the parks?

 

[Tom]

Yes, they can still be used. However, there's a life span on the batteries inside the bands. Those batteries power the small transmitters in the bands, which are used for automatically linking on-ride photos to your Photopass account, among other things.

2.5 years is pushing it on the battery life, but worth a try if you're not too concerned about on-ride photos.

 

[Monty]

I have old magic bands from 2.5 years ago. MME says they are still active. DD wants multiple colors to wear on our trip this summer. The question is can the old one work on this upcoming trip along with the new? Will they both open our room door, be able to charge items to our account, be able to enter the parks?

You can do all those things no problem. Room entry, Park entry and charging all use passive RFID in the MB, which doesn't require the battery. It'll also function for FP+ touchpoints. As @Tom points out, the battery life will be an issue, but if it's dead or dying, that would only impact on-ride photos, videos and upcoming features such as screens using your name during rides/experiences. To get on-ride photos, you can tap the band at the touchpoint under your photo at the end of rides that have that option [7dmt doesn't, but others do] and the photos will show up in your account.

 

[Zipadeelady]

Thanks @Tom and @Monty !!

I purchased Memory Maker for the first time so ride photos are definitely important this time.
If the battery was dead would MME state that the bands were active?

 

[Zipadeelady]

To get on-ride photos, you can tap the band at the touchpoint under your photo at the end of rides that have that option [7dmt doesn't, but others do] and the photos will show up in your account.

Are you referring to the old bands that I can do that with (as long as I tap the bands)? Thanks for all your help. I just want to make sure I know before we get there. I did read that with the new bands all you have to do is walk by and it knows to add it to your memory maker.

 

[Rob562]

Are you referring to the old bands that I can do that with (as long as I tap the bands)? Thanks for all your help. I just want to make sure I know before we get there. I did read that with the new bands all you have to do is walk by and it knows to add it to your memory maker.

Yes. Any and all tap-to-use functions of the Band will work indefinitely. It's only the things where they need to read it long-distance that are affected by the battery dying (the aforementioned auto-link of photos and the personalization stuff that's starting to be introduced).

Even with auto-linking, if I see an on-ride photo that I really like, I tap my Band to the reader anyway. Better to have the pic show up in my account twice rather than taking the time at a PhotoPass help desk trying to have them find the photo because it didn't auto-link.

As long as a Band is listed as Active, you can switch between them on a whim. (I had four different color Bands that I used on my last trip, the Band chosen each day based on what I was wearing)

-Rob

 

[Tom]

Thanks @Tom and @Monty !!

I purchased Memory Maker for the first time so ride photos are definitely important this time.
If the battery was dead would MME state that the bands were active?

Yes, bands will show as "active" in your MDE account regardless of battery life. Unfortunately, the system isn't sophisticated enough to detect that.

The active/inactive status is set by you. If you were to lose a band, or know that you won't be taking one with you (i.e. battery is likely dead), you can/should set it to inactive in your account. It just reduces the risk of it being used fraudulently.

As others have said, you can still get your on-ride photos and videos by tapping your band at the photo kiosks at the end of the rides (except 7DMT).

 

[HolleBolleGijs]

It's also worth noting that as long as you are wearing a new band, the on-ride photos won't be an issue (assuming you or someone in your party with a new band will always be riding with your daughter).

 

[Zipadeelady]

@Tom and @Rob562 you guys have been awesome! This is the information that I was looking for. It's our first trip with Memory Maker. All the kids are teenagers and I know that a lot of the time we won't be together so I'm threatening them and telling them they have to stop at all the photographers and ride photos so that we have lots of pictures. Plus i don't think I really want to drag my camera along this time. Thank you so much!

 

[Zipadeelady]

It's also worth noting that as long as you are wearing a new band, the on-ride photos won't be an issue (assuming you or someone in your party with a new band will always be riding with your daughter).

She is 19, i guess i could have stated that , so there may be times shes not with us. But thanks for the advice!

 

[HolleBolleGijs]

She is 19, i guess i could have stated that , so there may be times shes not with us. But thanks for the advice!

Oh that changes things lol. But it still shouldn't be a huge deal. Pretty much every attraction has MB scanners under the photo displays that work, regardless of whether the long range battery is dead. I had a new MB, and I still scanned it every time for my photo because I was scared it wouldn't work automatically.

 

[Zipadeelady]

Oh that changes things lol. But it still shouldn't be a huge deal. Pretty much every attraction has MB scanners under the photo displays that work, regardless of whether the long range battery is dead. I had a new MB, and I still scanned it every time for my photo because I was scared it wouldn't work automatically.

I will probably do the same just in case that one picture that in my mind would've been great and i'd be afraid that it would get lost in the system.

 

[FrostyNaples]

Two wrists = band on each We never leave the resort without two per person.

..i wonder if they will fit around the ankle..

 

[CaptainAmerica]

@Tom @Rob562 do you know if there's anywhere in the parks to test whether the battery still works? Can they tell you at guest relations?

 

[Rob562]

@Tom @Rob562 do you know if there's anywhere in the parks to test whether the battery still works? Can they tell you at guest relations?

I have not heard of such a setup, but now that the earliest MagicBands are approaching (or beyond) the expected end of their lifespans, perhaps we'll see something put in place.

Back when this issue first came up in discussions, the engineer in me hypothesized a simple setup they could install at Guest Relations locations: Have your typical tap-reader on a post or mounted to the wall connected to a long-range reader x-number of feet away (mounted in the ceiling, for example). When you tap the reader, the system then also looks whether it can "see" that same Band using the long-range reader. If yes, you get a green Mickey head. If no, you get the blinking-blue "there's a problem" indicator.

Assuming that there is some kind of direct correlation between the serial number from the tap-to-read tag and the serial number the powered long-range tag broadcasts, such a system wouldn't even have to be connected to the MDE network. It could be a stand-alone setup.

-Rob

 

[BrianV]

As a follow-up, if your magic band totally dies when you show up to enter the park, I assume it won't let you in. But if you no longer carry the admission media with you because it is all encoded in your bands, what do you do? Is there a way for them to look you up and find your tickets in the cloud?

 

[Tom]

As a follow-up, if your magic band totally dies when you show up to enter the park, I assume it won't let you in. But if you no longer carry the admission media with you because it is all encoded in your bands, what do you do? Is there a way for them to look you up and find your tickets in the cloud?

This will not happen - at least not because of a "dead" band. The passive RFID chip is used for all touch points (turnstiles, credit card terminals, resort room doors), and it will work until it's destroyed.

 

[Tom]

I have not heard of such a setup, but now that the earliest MagicBands are approaching (or beyond) the expected end of their lifespans, perhaps we'll see something put in place.

Back when this issue first came up in discussions, the engineer in me hypothesized a simple setup they could install at Guest Relations locations: Have your typical tap-reader on a post or mounted to the wall connected to a long-range reader x-number of feet away (mounted in the ceiling, for example). When you tap the reader, the system then also looks whether it can "see" that same Band using the long-range reader. If yes, you get a green Mickey head. If no, you get the blinking-blue "there's a problem" indicator.

Assuming that there is some kind of direct correlation between the serial number from the tap-to-read tag and the serial number the powered long-range tag broadcasts, such a system wouldn't even have to be connected to the MDE network. It could be a stand-alone setup.

-Rob

Genius.

 

[Tom]

Two wrists = band on each We never leave the resort without two per person.

..i wonder if they will fit around the ankle..

Why do you always carry 2 per person?

 

[cslafferty]

Is there a way to change the batteries?