Think of Radio Modes as a dial you can turn—like choosing the best way for your Compass to "talk" depending on your environment. On one end of the dial, you’ve got long range. On the other, you’ve got “meshes well with others.” Each mode shifts the way your Compass communicates to prioritize what matters most in that moment.
Let’s break it down 👇
🔊 Why It Matters: Talking vs. Listening
To send messages really far, the radio has to speak slowly and loudly. That works great when there aren’t many devices around—but when there are a lot of Compasses trying to do that all at once? Chaos.
Imagine 500 people in a room, all shouting slowly at the same time. No one’s listening, and no one’s getting heard.
In crowded environments, what you want instead is quick, efficient communication—short messages, more listening, and less airtime taken up by each device. That’s how you build a strong mesh network, where devices relay messages between each other smoothly.
🛠️ The Two Radio Modes (For Now)
With our latest update, your Compass gives you two Radio Mode options—each built for a different type of setting:
🌲 Wilderness Mode (Long Range)
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Ideal for open spaces with few Compasses
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Sends messages slowly and loudly for max distance
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Great when you’re far from others, like on hikes or in remote camping spots
🪩 High Traffic Mode
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Optimized for super dense areas with hundreds of Compasses nearby (like EDC Las Vegas)
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Sends messages quickly and efficiently
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Prioritizes a fast, stable mesh over long range
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Uses less battery, since it "talks" less and listens more
To change your Compass's Radio Mode, open the Crowd Compass Companion App -> Settings -> Radio Mode
📶 How Far Does High Traffic Mode Reach?
Great question—we tested it!
A few weeks ago, our team got at least ¾ mile of range on flat ground. That’s not the limit—it was just as far as we could go before hills got in the way. We’re heading to the coast soon to stretch that range even further, but early tests suggest up to a full mile is possible.
And for context: EDC Las Vegas spans less than ¾ mile, and the mesh network will be packed—meaning excellent coverage from every angle. High Traffic Mode is more than ready.
🔋 Bonus: Better Battery Life
Since High Traffic Mode keeps messages short and radios spend more time listening than talking, you’ll use less power overall. Talking takes more energy than listening—so High Traffic Mode helps you go longer between charges. Win-win.
🚧 What’s Next?
As we continue testing and gathering feedback, we’re planning to expand the Radio Mode lineup.
For example, for Bonnaroo, we’ll likely release a new, Roo-specific Radio Mode that finds the right balance between range and mesh-ability—since that environment has different layout and crowd dynamics than EDC Las Vegas.
Think of it as adding a new notch on the dial—something that sits between Wilderness and High Traffic Mode.
More updates coming soon as we dial in the perfect settings for every type of adventure.
Going to EDC Las Vegas?
Make sure you update your Compass firmware, download the latest app, and switch to High Traffic Mode before you get on-site.
Wander Freely,
The Crowd Compass Team
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