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Scam submission StoneTether tracking device passes 250k funding (self.shittykickstarters)

SethOtterstad が 投稿

Zeitungsjunge writes: "There are some clear indicators that StoneTether can just technically/physically not work (and some parallels to the infamous WeTag scam that could be stopped in the last minute)

They claim to be using Bluetooth 4.0 (Bluetooth LE, LowEnergy) which is a low power Bluetooth variant with a maximum reach ob about 10m (30ft). They claim to have a range of 500ft (170m) because "we are using an antenna while many other devices do not use an antenna" (which is clearly a false statement. Also, the reach is extended with "proprietary software". Since you can't control the hardware in the phone they can't change the reach there.

Additionally they show how the phone shows the location of a tag (without having a possibility to have GPS inside the tag). Bluetooth can only give you information on signal strength which could (at best) give you a very rough estimate of the distance of a device."

The StoneTether team lists a vauge track record, and only one of the members has a college degree (which is probably not even related to engineering since he didn't list it).

Bluetooth LE has a similar range to classic Bluetooth while using less power, which might explain why for several weeks, StoneTether has been promising a video showing the device working at 500ft, and has been delayed "due to the weather".

http://www.reddit.com/r/kickstarter/comments/2mvha1/kickstarter_supports_scam_submission_by_listing/

UPDATE: 500ft video has been released http://youtu.be/xVTyPJ8de38 http://youtu.be/Q5fd4nVjJrc

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[–]ekaceerf 6ポイント7ポイント  (5子コメント)

What I don't understand is a previous kickstarter was doing essentially the exact same thing. It was suspended because it was a scam. Now someone else just copied it and stupid people are still funding it.

[–]zoltecrules 1ポイント2ポイント  (1子コメント)

How is the WeTag the same as Stonetether? WeTag claimed to not have a battery and was powered by external electromagnetic energy.

[–]ekaceerf 6ポイント7ポイント  (0子コメント)

they are both magic tracking devices.

[–]bubar_babbler 1ポイント2ポイント  (2子コメント)

This uses a battery life. Also one year isn't that bad depending on chip BLE chipset they used and how infrequent the advertising interval is (I assume they'd use command to ping once you're actually trying to locate).

I do agree that playing hotter/colder walking around looking at RSSI readings of the BLE signal would be a pain in the ass.

[–]bubar_babbler 1ポイント2ポイント  (1子コメント)

Also I'd like to see how hard it is to replace the battery.

[–]Yareking 2ポイント3ポイント  (0子コメント)

life. Also one year isn't that bad dep

with the waterproof part? Probably impossible.

[–]zoltecrules 5ポイント6ポイント  (0子コメント)

I think the tag locating feature is basing it's location on the GPS of the phone that was last in contact with the tag, or GPS of other phones near the tag that might be connected to their "network". Probably is pretty useless unless everyone gets their app installed on their phone.

As for the range claim, while I agree 500 ft is a bit outlandish, 150 ft seems to be the possible with other bluetooth tag devices on the market:

http://pebblebee.com/features/ http://www.xyfindit.com/faq.html

However, it seems like the only thing that differentiates this bluetooth tag from the dozens of other ones out there is the 500 foot claim. Guess we'll have to wait for this "video" to surface to confirm it.

EDIT: The idea of setting a measurable distance by bluetooth is a little silly, because as you said it's based on strength of signal

[–]beener 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

It's this just like Tile and just as shitty?

[–]IMNotYurCat 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

Glad to see more than one person sees this as a scam.

We originally contacted them about buying a large quantity. They were happy to talk about seling them, but when we asked about tech specs they hung up on us!

We also were banned from their Facebook page and all of our comments were deleted.

The problem is the 500 feet. FCC restricts to 300 feet. Bluetooth LE can reach over 300 feet, but the power required would drain the battery.

The video they show is unrealistic considering it is a drone in the sky with clear line of site to the phone.

Scam.