Scouting System Using Xbox360 Controllers

[Tamloo]

Hello, my team is using a new scouting system which we made ourselves during the build season. We are finished with it, however we don't know if we are allowed to use Xbox 360 Controllers to input the data into the computer.

In Team Update #11 on the First website it states that "Teams are not allowed to set up their own 802.11a/b/g/n (2.4GHz or 5GHz) wireless communication (access points or ad-hoc networks) in the venue". Does the wireless communication include Xbox 360 Controllers and the Microsoft Wireless Gaming Receiver? Both of these products rely on the 2.4 GHz protocol and we are unsure if we are allowed to use them throughout the competition to help with scouting. We would only be using these controllers in the stands. Will they be allowed?

Thanks in advanced,
Tamloo

[DavidGitz]

A quick search shows that the XBox-360 uses a "proprietary 2.4 GHz protocol". I would read Team Update #11 as stating that 802.11a/b/g/n networks cannot be setup but does not define a policy for all 2.4/5 GHz wireless networks.

BUT: You definitely want to get a Q&A for this. My opinion does not count for a whole lot, especially relative to the GDC.

[NullEntity]

You should ask Q&A, but isn't Bluetooth (i.e. Wiimote scouting) on the 2.4Ghz band?

[Joe Ross]

We tried using wireless controllers last year (non-xbox) for scouting last year and had a lot of random issues when we had six of them going at once. We switched to wired controllers and it worked fine after that.

[Racer26]

Yes, bluetooth is in the 2.4GHz band. As I've said in other threads, theres really no reason for FIRST to be restricting teams use of the 2.4GHz band anywhere but Israel, since our robots are all running in the 5GHz band.

[NullEntity]

Frankly, the only problem I can see is all of the teams flooding the 2.4Ghz band. Even with the restriction, IIRC, every comp last year we participated in had it's own wireless network. I wonder if there's any other bands that it's possible to use...