Group Tour Mode
Guide-ID enables guided group tours using Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT), allowing one Podcatcher Pro device to broadcast audio to multiple visitors simultaneously. This creates a shared listening experience regardless of physical proximity within the group.
Key features
Section titled “Key features”Audio quality and performance
Section titled “Audio quality and performance”- Crystal clear sound with a bandwidth of 12 kHz and latency of approximately 14 milliseconds.
- Interference-free wireless communications.
- Automatic channel selection without frequency planning required.
Capacity and range
Section titled “Capacity and range”- Supports groups up to 128 visitors.
- Up to 32 independent groups can run at the same time in one venue without interfering with each other.
- Indoor range: up to 50 meters.
- Outdoor range: up to 300 meters.
Equipment
Section titled “Equipment”- Built-in microphone and jack plug for broadcasting.
- Suitable for both indoor and outdoor environments.
Implementation steps
Section titled “Implementation steps”- Access the Platform and navigate to the Hardware tab, then the Group Tour sub-tab.
- Use the step-by-step wizard to assign a beacon to the group tour feature and sync changes to Podcatcher Pro devices.
- When a Podcatcher Pro scans the designated beacon, it becomes a Group Leader Podcatcher Pro and plays an audio prompt confirming the group has started.
- Other visitors hold their Podcatcher Pro devices near the Group Leader’s device to join. Each device plays a confirmation prompt once it is paired with the group.
Broadcasting to the group
Section titled “Broadcasting to the group”In a group tour, the Group Leader broadcasts live to the whole group at once. To start talking, the leader presses the up arrow button on the Podcatcher Pro — this switches on the built-in microphone (or an audio source connected to the jack plug) so their voice plays on every connected Podcatcher Pro. Pressing the down arrow button switches the microphone off again.
The microphone stays on between those two presses, so the leader does not have to hold a button down while speaking — press up once to begin, press down once to stop. To keep the audio clean, visitor devices briefly mute the instant the leader starts or stops talking, then play the leader’s audio; visitors also feel a short vibration on each change.
As an optional extra, the leader can also broadcast pre-recorded content: scanning a stop or content code plays that stop’s audio for everyone in the group, kept in sync across all devices. Scanning a code also switches the live microphone off automatically, so there is no need to press down first.
Group Leader button controls
Section titled “Group Leader button controls”Only the Group Leader’s device controls the broadcast. These buttons take effect on the Podcatcher Pro that scanned the group beacon:
| Button | What it does |
|---|---|
| Up arrow | Switches the microphone on and starts broadcasting the leader’s voice live to the group. |
| Down arrow | Switches the microphone off and stops broadcasting. |
| Volume + / – | Adjusts the leader’s own listening volume — it does not change the volume on visitors’ devices. |
On visitors’ (non-leader) devices, the up and down arrows do not control the group audio — the microphone can only be opened from the Group Leader’s Podcatcher Pro. Each visitor can still set their own volume with the volume buttons, and their device mutes, unmutes, and gives a short vibration automatically whenever the leader starts or stops talking.
Ways to use Group Tour Mode
Section titled “Ways to use Group Tour Mode”Group Tour Mode suits any situation where one person leads a group and everyone needs to hear them clearly:
- Live guided walks with large or spread-out groups. The leader talks while walking and every visitor hears the commentary live — even at the back of the group or across an open space (up to ~50 m indoors and ~300 m outdoors). Ideal for city walks, gardens, zoos, and school groups.
- Difficult acoustics — loud or hushed. In noisy machine halls or busy galleries the leader speaks at a normal voice instead of shouting; in quiet galleries or sacred sites they can speak softly. Either way, each visitor hears clearly at their own volume, which also helps anyone who needs it a little louder.
- Live commentary plus recorded highlights. The leader narrates live between stops, then scans a stop or content code at a key exhibit to play a polished recorded segment for the whole group (the microphone switches off automatically), and presses the up arrow to pick up the live commentary again afterwards.
- Broadcasting an external source. Connect a phone or media player to the jack plug to stream music, an ambient soundscape, or a pre-produced narration to the whole group.
- Several groups at the same venue. Up to 32 groups can run at once without interfering, so multiple guides — or several school classes — can tour in parallel, each on their own group.
Group Tour Mode or Shared Experience?
Section titled “Group Tour Mode or Shared Experience?”Group Tour Mode and Shared Experience both keep a group together, but they solve opposite problems:
- Choose Group Tour Mode when a live guide speaks to the group in one language. One voice is broadcast to everyone at once — best for larger or spread-out groups.
- Choose Shared Experience when the group is self-guided with no live guide, and each visitor wants to hear the tour in their own language and at their own pace while staying in sync with the others.
The two cannot be combined: live commentary is not available inside a Shared Experience group.
Related articles
Section titled “Related articles”- Shared Experience — self-guided group listening alternative
- What is a Beacon? — understand beacon types and usage