Magic Bands - Used for multiple trips?

[DonaldDuck21]

Just wondering if my magic band that I had in Nov would be used for my trip in July or will I get a new one?

 

[erionm]

Just wondering if my magic band that I had in Nov would be used for my trip in July or will I get a new one?

You will most likely be sent a new one, but your old ones will continue to work for any upcoming trips.

 

[bwang123]

You will most likely be sent a new one, but your old ones will continue to work for any upcoming trips.

until the battery dies.

 

[erionm]

until the battery dies.

There are 2 chips inside the MagicBand.

The passive RFID chip receives power from the touch point. The passive chip is used for most functions like touch to enter (theme parks & resort room), touch to pay, FP+ entry and PhotoPass. The RFID cards perform these same functions. This passive chip will last virtually forever.

The active transmitter is battery powered. This transmitter will be used for interactive queue elements and character interactions. Even if the battery for this transmitter dies, the passive chip will continue to function.

 

[disneynutz]

There are 2 chips inside the MagicBand.

The passive RFID chip receives power from the touch point. The passive chip is used for most functions like touch to enter (theme parks & resort room), touch to pay, FP+ entry and PhotoPass. The RFID cards perform these same functions. This passive chip will last virtually forever.

The active transmitter is battery powered. This transmitter will be used for interactive queue elements and character interactions. Even if the battery for this transmitter dies, the passive chip will continue to function.

I read that there are 3 chips, a low frequency RFID, a high frequency RFID and the Wi-Fi active transmitter. The differences between the RFID's is that one requires touch and the other can be read at a longer distance. Pretty amazing when you think about it.

Bill

 

[SuperRob]

There are two chips. The RFID chip is short range, and can be read at long range by more powerful receivers. It only needs a tiny bit of power, usually provided wirelessly by the receiver. The second is Bluetooth LE, which is powered by the coin battery, and can be communicated with at a distance of 30-50 ft.

 

[nabi]

I wonder if the scanners at grocery stores affect them?

 

[disneynutz]

Here is some info about Disney's FCC filing.

"FCC filings confirm that the Magic Band, model MB-R1G1, is a “wrist worn arm band that transmits a 2.4GHz signal to an indoor wireless infrastructure.” The device’s PCB board is “potted in plastic and completely overmolded with thermal plastic polyurethane.” It also appears that the Magic Band is disposable, since it has no on/off switch and relies on a non-replaceable battery. The Magic Band also has a passive UHF RFID tag radio and a passive HF RFID tag radio."

It's possible that the design might have changed. As time goes on I expect to see Disney roll out all kinds of features to improve the flow of people which will allow them to increase park attendance and decrease transportation wait times.

Bill

 

[SuperRob]

Not sure why the FCC filing only mentioned the RFID capability and not BTLE, because Tom Staggs confirmed it quite some time ago. Not to mention that 2.4GHz is the Bluetooth LE frequency. It's possible they haven't actually enabled the BTLE features yet, but Disney has been seen using parabolic antennas aimed at crowds to measure density, and they'd need BTLE active to do that.

Anyway, here's an infographic that describes the kinds of capabilities that BTLE and NFC can achieve. (RFID has the same sort of capabilities as NFC, so it's a good comparison.) http://www.retailcustomerexperience.com/images/BLE-vs-NFC-infographic.png

The main difference between RFID and NFC is that RFID is simply a piece of data stored in a chip that can be read with a reader. It is, quite literally, "Radio Frequency Identification." This is how Disney knows who you are, because that ID is linked in a database to your information. When they read the ID, they cross-reference it in the database quickly and retrieve your records.

NFC, on the other hand, actually has a microprocessor and can store a program that will execute when powered up. It's more complex than RFID, but also has a much shorter range (10 centimeters max). RFID can be read from father away.

Yeah, I know a little too much about this stuff.

 

[carlbarry]

I wonder if the scanners at grocery stores affect them?

The Magic Band uses radio frequencies. The check-out scanners use lasers to read the bar code.

 

[nabi]

The Magic Band uses radio frequencies. The check-out scanners use lasers to read the bar code.

there's something at check outs that you have to keep your credit card away from....deactivates security devices maybe.

 

[Mike2023]

there's something at check outs that you have to keep your credit card away from....deactivates security devices maybe.

That will have no effect on magic bands. It also has no effect on modern chip credit/debit cards other then the mag strip on the back of the card.

 

[carlbarry]

there's something at check outs that you have to keep your credit card away from....deactivates security devices maybe.

That uses a strong magnet. No effect on the Magic Band.