Documentation:Clickers/Why change frequency

From UBC Wiki

Q: Changing the remote frequency seems like a hassle. Why can't the receiver "find" the remotes automatically?

A: The i>clicker system has a unique protocol-that is, a unique way for the receiver and remotes communicate with each other. We considered adopting a protocol similar to competing systems, where the receiver would automatically find the frequency for the students. But our preliminary research directed us to rethink the approach. Our initial reviewer board (users of competing systems) all complained about students being required to register before voting could occur-they felt they lost 2-3 classes just trying to get students registered. So, we wanted to make sure i>clicker could collect and record votes regardless of whether the students were registered or not. Another aggravation consistently voiced by the reviewer board was the daily log-in procedure in which remotes must be "acknowledged" by the receiver before the remote can vote in the session. So, like the forced registration, we wanted to eliminate the daily log-in. Why do we explain all of this? Because these are the reasons we chose a protocol that requires students to change the remote frequency. We feel that the benefits far outweigh the drawbacks because today's students are generally very tech savvy, and even those who are not can easily find the directions to change their frequency on the back of their remotes.