PHOTOS - Retail MagicBands take prominent position in Walt Disney World shops

[Rob562]

Except that the lanyard and card holder were never used for admission. The MB's are. I never said that the purchase of the MB was mandatory, but once it IS bought, people have then paid for that which they use for admission. To me, that sounds like paying for one's admission media.

I'd equate it with buying a Bluetooth headset for your cell phone. Do you *have* to have the headset to use the phone? No. Does it make using the phone more *convenient* in some situations? Yes.

Not everyone who has a cell phone has a headset.
Not everyone *wants* a headset.
Those who want a headset buy a headset. They shouldn't necessarily be mocked by people who are content in using their phone without a headset.

-Rob

(Of course that won't stop me from mocking people walking through a store apparently loudly "talking to themselves" because they're wearing the Bluetooth with the phone in their pocket)

 

[englanddg]

Except that the lanyard and card holder were never used for admission. The MB's are. I never said that the purchase of the MB was mandatory, but once it IS bought, people have then paid for that which they use for admission. To me, that sounds like paying for one's admission media.

No. They have purchased alternative admission media.

They will still be issued RFID cards.

The only functional differences between the RFID cards and the bands (outside of form factor) is that the cards do not have Active RFID (see my post earlier), only Passive RFID (cause...where are you gonna put the battery in a card? It's too thin...).

Therefore, it will interface with the Passive readers (xPD and xTP), but not with the Active ones (xBR).

This means that Disney will not be able to track anything but actual taps on xPD or xTP readers, not path through park, and any other features that the longer range Active RFID system will allow...which, outside of providing information to Disney, isn't really anything at this point. But, in the future it could be something (like Staggs mentioned about characters knowing your name, and Small World saying goodbye to you by name, etc...)...

But, right now...there is not much of a functional difference, to the end user, between cards and bands, outside of form factor.

 

[note2001]

Odd.

The FCC Filing (which would have been required before rolling out in the parks for any large scale testing, and indeed, was filed in October 2012) clearly shows that it is powered by a coin cell battery.

Which would imply (no, actually, require) that the units always had a battery before any wide scale public testing. The battery is for powering the active radio chip MB-R1G1 (yep, those numbers on the back of the Magicband).

I should clarify, for those unfamiliar with the terms "Active RFID" and "Passive RFID", there are some important distinctions.

Active RFID is battery operated, and requires very low signal strength with the reader station to connect. As a result, it has a very long communication range (around 100 meters or even more, given conditions). It has a much larger data capacity (128 kilobits). It is more expensive then Passive RFID per chip, but cheaper per reader (interrogator, actually).

Passive RFID has no power of it's own, as all power is supplied by the reader through short range wireless power transmission. As a result, they require high signal strength, and have a limited range (around 3 meters or less, given conditions). They have less data capacity (128 bits), but they are pretty darned cheap. However, the readers are more expensive since they are more intensive, and the readers generally will require either strong battery, or some external DC power source.

So, the Magicband has a coin cell powered Active RFID chip. This is the chip that interfaces at 2.4 Ghz with the long range xConnect xBR units (3 versions filed for those, v3.0, v3.2 and v4.0. These are the units that will interface with the Active RFID chip, and will be used to track guests, among other things.

3.0


3.2


4.0


The filing from 2012 clearly indicates that the battery is to power the radio transmitter for the active RFID functions, which is to be expected, as that's how Active RFID works. For the band, this requires FCC 15C compliance ("Low Power, Non-Licensed Transmitters").

However, the kiosk / stanchion installations use the Synapse xTP reader. It connects to the passive RFID chips in the MagicBand (there are two, one UHF and one HF, both passive as indicated in the FCC filing). The Payment pin pads use the Synapse xPD-R1G1.

Both of these readers, rather then using external antennae, have a long internal coil antenna assembly. The chips they read in the MagicBand are passive RFID, and require compliance only with FCC 15B. If they were to add a battery to the MagicBand to power these chips, then it would no longer be passive RFID, but active, and would require recertification by the FCC.

In the xTP reader, the antenna is located in the Mickey Globe.





In the xPD it is located behind the Mickey face. You can see the antenna is the green piece in the upper right hand corner of this disassembly.



The "touch" systems all use this Passive RFID system.

One more item to clear up (which has nothing to do with the original comment), but this comes up a lot. No personal information (outside of the name you chose to have printed on the outside of your band) is actually stored on the band or any of the readers.

The readers interface through a private network (hard lined ethernet, just like your home cable modem to your computer or Xbox) to servers which host the databases that house your information. The RFID chips (Active or Passive) merely have a UID (Unique Identification Number). The format, I'm not aware of, but it's probably some long string of what looks like gibberish. 6F9619FF-8B86-D011-B42D-00C04FC964FF, or something like that. Each chip will have it's own number, so you'll have 2-3 from your band.

Then that UID will be associated with your band ID. Then the band ID will be associated with your profile ID.

Anyhow, this isn't gibberish. It's the ID of the transmitter, which then associates to the band and then your profile. All on back end servers. So, it's NOT YOU. However, somewhere in the database will be a table that then connects the ID of the band to another UID which is associated with you as a person. This ID is most likely generated when you set someone up in MDE, and then when you "link" the band, you are linking the UID of your band to your UID profile.

This is actually MORE secure then you would imagine. The ability to "unlink" the media (be it the band or a plastic KTTW card) is an excellent design feature.

Anyhow, the point is, people can't get your information off the band. It's not on the band. At the absolute most (and I doubt this) they have your name stored on the band, but I doubt that...as it's really not required for the system as they have it set up.

So, there ya go. More then you ever wanted to know.

Thank you for all that I'm one who likes to know how it all works, but dissecting my MB is not in the plans and it is only a small part of the whole picture so it wouldn't have told me much.

In essence, a room card, will contain the passive element (small, un-powered) But to interact, with the long distance readers, such as the Glow with the show ears do, there needs to be a good power source & associated components.

I'm excited over the options the active RFID units offer for the entertainment experience in the future (if Disney chooses to use them for entertainment, and not marketing that is.) Combine a few AI algorithms to guest behavior, and the modify the experience according to likes/dislikes or what they've experienced before to keep it new. Imagine the long hallways of Kidani... projectors along the path back to your room can illuminate a young Simba (or other random characters you've been shown to like) here and there who walks along with you, plays or makes comments regarding your day. Kids would love it. I'd love it! If they used it for marketing and playing commercials to us I'd be ticked.

As for those who don't like being tracked, it would be nice if Disney gave us the option of disabling the feature. But for now, the only suggestion is to leave the MB behind in the room or car, and forge forward with pass card only. They can still track where you use it, just not where you're standing at any given moment.

 

[wdwmagic]

But, in the future it could be something (like Staggs mentioned about characters knowing your name, and Small World saying goodbye to you by name, etc...)...

But, right now...there is not much of a functional difference, to the end user, between cards and bands, outside of form factor.

It is in the very near future - several entertainment experiences are being worked on right now that use the extra functionality of the MagicBand.

 

[englanddg]

It is in the very near future - several entertainment experiences are being worked on right now that use the extra functionality of the MagicBand.

Yep. I suspect in the next year or two we'll see lots of neat applications coming out. Once the infrastructure for the readers is up and solid (which, I'd suspect it's largely there now, working out small dead spots, etc...), they can really push forward hard with guest facing applications.

 

[wdwmagic]

Yep. I suspect in the next year or two we'll see lots of neat applications coming out. Once the infrastructure for the readers is up and solid (which, I'd suspect it's largely there now, working out small dead spots, etc...), they can really push forward hard with guest facing applications.

The first few should be within months from now.

 

[BwanaBob]

No. They have purchased alternative admission media.

They will still be issued RFID cards.

The only functional differences between the RFID cards and the bands (outside of form factor) is that the cards do not have Active RFID (see my post earlier), only Passive RFID (cause...where are you gonna put the battery in a card? It's too thin...).

Therefore, it will interface with the Passive readers (xPD and xTP), but not with the Active ones (xBR).

This means that Disney will not be able to track anything but actual taps on xPD or xTP readers, not path through park, and any other features that the longer range Active RFID system will allow...which, outside of providing information to Disney, isn't really anything at this point. But, in the future it could be something (like Staggs mentioned about characters knowing your name, and Small World saying goodbye to you by name, etc...)...

But, right now...there is not much of a functional difference, to the end user, between cards and bands, outside of form factor.

Thank you englanddg...

Nice detail. Appreciate seeing the other side of all this.

Was told, ad nauseam, that many of the initial issues experiencing were due to poor reception and that something had to be done to the antennae or the bands themselves. At any rate, there appeared to be a distinct difference months ago after several rounds of preliminary testing.

...and yes, trying to explain the difference between the passive "Sensormatic' RFID labels you see on merchandise in stores and an active RFID ....can be a lost cause

 

[Communicore]

They should allow the Magicband to interact with the screens in the Soarin queue! That would be totally awesome!

 

[englanddg]

Thank you englanddg...

Nice detail. Appreciate seeing the other side of all this.

Was told, ad nauseam, that many of the initial issues experiencing were due to poor reception and that something had to be done to the antennae or the bands themselves. At any rate, there appeared to be a distinct difference months ago after several rounds of preliminary testing.

...and yes, trying to explain the difference between the passive "Sensormatic' RFID labels you see on merchandise in stores and an active RFID ....can be a lost cause

The only change to the band which would effect the poles or the POS readers that I can think of would be increasing the passive antenna length. But, I doubt they did this.

I would suspect (and this is just a guess), that instead they spent a few months tweaking the settings on the units by pushing out firmware updates to adjust the power and range of the readers.

Passive RFID can go up to around 3 meters, but for a "tap to activate" system, it's a bit tricky to get it just right. You don't want the passive readers at the ticket gates to randomly try to connect to each band within a 3 meter radius, even if it's a directional antenna, that would still be a bad situation! So, I suspect, when they first rolled it out, they had the readers set at some minimum setting, and as they collected information about failures, they slowly tweaked it up until they found a setting that didn't fail so often yet didn't cause other issues.

But, that's just a guess on my part.

 

[englanddg]

They should allow the Magicband to interact with the screens in the Soarin queue! That would be totally awesome!

Hah, just about ANYTHING would be better then the games they have there right now! Heck, I'd prefer they just play old cartoons or something!

 

[BigTxEars]

Except that the lanyard and card holder were never used for admission. The MB's are. I never said that the purchase of the MB was mandatory, but once it IS bought, people have then paid for that which they use for admission. To me, that sounds like paying for one's admission media.

"Getting people to, in effect, pay for their own admission media. Walt weeps."

What was Walt weeping about then? WDW gives their guest a option to buy something to add enjoyment to their visit once they paid their admission into the park, not required them too in anyway shape or form. Seems a lot like the way DL sold ride ticket originally after the guest had paid admission into the park, when that guy was in charge, what was his name...Walt I think......

 

[LAKid53]

Something to think about if you have more then one Magic band. Back in Jan 13 a trip with friends. One friend had two bands, one from a prier trip and a new one for that trip (yes we questioned why did they need to give another band but the CM's were also cornfuzeled). We had one friend not "with the band" but wanted to wear the other friends old band so she could "fit in". in line to enter Epcot, the "not with the band" friend entered the park before the rest using her paper ticket. When it came for the 2 band owning friend to enter, he was pulled aside and sent to CR. When we check with CM at the CR, they ask the 2 band friend "Did you enter the park and leave and come back?" Nooooo. "Well our system shows you entered two times." Well our quick thinking came into play "to ourselves...oh crap! Non-band friend is wearing the old band!"

Well, the CM just said we needed to deactivate the old band via the My Magic app and all would be fine. So lesson is, deactivate your bands if you let your friends wear them AND Disney knows where you are when you have them on!

Disney, the land of DATA mining....

 

[dreamscometrue]

They should allow the Magicband to interact with the screens in the Soarin queue! That would be totally awesome!

One of my favorite things to do at WDW is use my FP+ to walk by the people standing in the 140 minute Soarin' queue playing those games.

 

[bhg469]

One of my favorite things to do at WDW is use my FP+ to walk by the people standing in the 140 minute Soarin' queue playing those games.

One of my favorite things to do is go on living with the land and not get involved with that ride that makes me feel like my contact lenses prescription is completely wrong.

 

[CDavid]

Passive RFID can go up to around 3 meters, but for a "tap to activate" system, it's a bit tricky to get it just right. You don't want the passive readers at the ticket gates to randomly try to connect to each band within a 3 meter radius, even if it's a directional antenna, that would still be a bad situation! So, I suspect, when they first rolled it out, they had the readers set at some minimum setting, and as they collected information about failures, they slowly tweaked it up until they found a setting that didn't fail so often yet didn't cause other issues

With a range of nearly ten feet (3 meters) for passive RFID, wouldn't this also be sufficient for tracking people through the parks? You probably couldn't get a signal from someone walking down a pathway (too wide), but anytime someone entered any door (attraction, shop, restaurant, the ever important bathrooms) or stood near a merchandise cart or something, wouldn't you be able to get a reading from the passive RFID card?

Clearly the band's powered RFID works much better for something like this, but if I understand you correctly, couldn't you still paint a fairly clear picture of guest movements even with just passive RFID? Of course, this isn't the system Disney has implemented and, for the record, I'm not too worried over being tracked. Just curious, especially as a critic of what this little project has cost.

 

[englanddg]

With a range of nearly ten feet (3 meters) for passive RFID, wouldn't this also be sufficient for tracking people through the parks? You probably couldn't get a signal from someone walking down a pathway (too wide), but anytime someone entered any door (attraction, shop, restaurant, the ever important bathrooms) or stood near a merchandise cart or something, wouldn't you be able to get a reading from the passive RFID card?

Clearly the band's powered RFID works much better for something like this, but if I understand you correctly, couldn't you still paint a fairly clear picture of guest movements even with just passive RFID? Of course, this isn't the system Disney has implemented and, for the record, I'm not too worried over being tracked. Just curious, especially as a critic of what this little project has cost.

Keep reading, I address this later.

Yes it would work, but it would also defeat the 'tap to activate' capability.

 

[wogwog]

Getting people to, in effect, pay for their own admission media. Walt weeps.

But P. T. Barnum laughs.

 

[biggy H]

Why are people complaining about Disney selling these? Why not, it will help recoup some of the costs associated with MM+. I know quite a few people who are staying offsite and have wanted to buy one when they where first rolled out to onsite guests.

People will also buy all the sliders and other stuff that goes with them. A smart move by Disney. Although I do agree the amount in the Emporium is a bit excessive, hopefully it will be reduced over time.

 

[BigTxEars]

Why are people complaining about Disney selling these? Why not, it will help recoup some of the costs associated with MM+. I know quite a few people who are staying offsite and have wanted to buy one when they where first rolled out to onsite guests.

People will also buy all the sliders and other stuff that goes with them. A smart move by Disney. Although I do agree the amount in the Emporium is a bit excessive, hopefully it will be reduced over time.

People would complain if Disney did not sell them, they can't win.

 

[ScoutN]

Keep reading, I address this later.

Yes it would work, but it would also defeat the 'tap to activate' capability.