CHAIN is a new standalone motorcycle communication system that allows riders and groups of riders to link up and speak to each other, regardless of distance.
The system sits on your smartphone in the form of an app and connects people via Voice Over Internet Protocol, or VOIP. It’s the same system that is utilised by WhatsApp when you make a call using that app, and your voice is transmitted to another user via the phone’s 3, 4, of 5G signal.
While WhatsApp allows you to connect and even group call people, to do this you have to set up the call, scrolling through contacts and adding the people you wish to speak to from your contacts. CHAIN streamlines this process, by allowing anyone with the app to join your group by simply sharing a code with them.
The system has some benefits over conventional Bluetooth communication systems, name in that is connect anyone, with any smartphone together. Previously it was tricky to mesh different brands of Bluetooth intercom together, although it wasn’t impossible. The CHAIN system means all you need is the APP on your smartphone, a set of wired or wireless headphones, and the joining code to communicate over any distance.
There is one pitfall of the system and one that has affected me from time to time. While the system should work well in developed regions, head a little further afield and into the wilderness and the mobile phone signal might start to weaken.
That’s not going to be such a problem in the UK where phone signals are strong, and for some, not having to splash out on expensive intercoms is one of the big bonuses of this free-to-download app.
For more information, head to: www.ruroc.com
