When's the last time you were

- sitting in a train, passing through a low network area and bored?

- in a seminar, looking for a quiet way to debate the topic

- at the mall/in a cafe, sipping on your drink with nothing to do?

- needed a groupchat in a room full of strangers but required location exclusivity?

- were trying to conduct an experiment in a room with random people? (probably never, lol)

Enter proximat, a location-based chatroom. One can create a chatroom and define a join radius, make it excludable by password (if required), and allows for entry through a tethered wireless connection that permits only data transfer through the chatroom.
-- vedarshi, Dec 06 2018

Wi-Fi Direct https://www.wi-fi.o...-wi-fi/wi-fi-direct
WFD Info [vedarshi, Dec 06 2018]

Yik Yak https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yik_Yak
The link I forgot to add yesterday [notexactly, Dec 08 2018]

Plain Plane Conferencing Plain_20Plane_20Conferencing
somewhat related [theircompetitor, Dec 08 2018]

Sat-Nav Wiki Sat-Nav_20Wiki
a not unrelated idea. [Skewed, Dec 08 2018]

I like it!
-- 21 Quest, Dec 06 2018


Prior art (defunct): Yik Yak [link]

// sitting in a train, passing through a low network area and bored? //

Probably won't get GPS signals either. GPS isn't great just indoors, even, depending on the roofing material and floors above you. Even when it works, it might not be precise enough for some users' desire (though I guess password- protecting it could help in such scenarios). Therefore, how do you propose to have this app locate its users?
-- notexactly, Dec 06 2018


[notexactly]

Using WiFi direct is a workaround for this specific issues. There exist apps like SuperBeam for iOS and Android that are able to transfer files and information between phones even if they do not have a network connection. WiFi Direct has a certain limited range, though- typically a cellphone's WiFi signals stretch around 60 metres; I believe that should easily cover some coaches.

If network is an absolute issue, Bluetooth connectivity may work (I'm not aware of the nuances with Bluetooth, though). Bluetooth 4.0 has a range of about 200 feet which is roughly 61 metres, about the same as WiFi direct; and is also increasingly being adopted across mobile phones in 2018.

The idea is the host device's broadcasted wireless signal 'manually' solves the location issue when there's no network available. If the GPS locates the device then the app defaults to using GPS.
-- vedarshi, Dec 06 2018


I guess that'll work. Or even a Wi-Fi ad-hoc network. Anyway, doesn't Wi-Fi Direct rely on Bluetooth to establish the connection? So generally, if you can use one, the other is probably also usable (as long as everyone's phone supports it).
-- notexactly, Dec 06 2018


Wi-Fi Direct works separate from a device's bluetooth, one is able to connect to both at the same time. (linked)
-- vedarshi, Dec 06 2018


Wikipedia says

// Wi-Fi Direct negotiates the link with a Wi-Fi Protected Setup system that assigns each device a limited wireless access point. The "pairing" or Wi-Fi Direct devices can be set up to require the proximity of a near field communication, a Bluetooth signal, or a button press on one or all of the devices. //

I guess I was misremembering "can establish the connection using Bluetooth" as "must establish the connection using Bluetooth". Also, that paragraph made me think of another question, which is whether more than two devices can connect to each other simultaneously, and then implicitly answered it with the words "all of the devices". Also, the previous paragraph, which I'm not going to quote because it would be too much typing, explicitly says Wi-Fi Direct supports more than two devices.
-- notexactly, Dec 07 2018


Is the "join radius" fixed to the location at which the chat room was initially created or does it move with the creators phone (or other device).

Or both (choosing which being optional at setup).

And what happens when someone already joined moves out of the join radius (or the location moves if it's a mobile radius).
-- Skewed, Dec 07 2018


[Skewed]

The join radius is settable by the user, I like the idea of it being optional though. However, the option to set a fixed location would only be possible with GPS and network availability (if they don't exist, the app defaults to WiFi Direct which creates a join-radius manually)

The chat-room's functional as long as any member is within the radius specified. This issue arises only with the GPS option, since the wireless hotspot option takes care of this automatically.
-- vedarshi, Dec 07 2018


Sounds good. [+]

My only further suggestion is to have an option to have a chatroom persist after everyone has left, so that it could be used for location-based general information purposes. I guess a wiki page would be more useful than a chat room for that, though. That could be another feature of this app, or a separate app.
-- notexactly, Dec 08 2018


There's a whole sub-genre of gothic waiting to be written, set in chatrooms persisting after everyone has left. It could also feature what happens in mirrors when there's no-one looking.
-- pertinax, Dec 08 2018


//It could also feature what happens in mirrors when there's no-one looking.//

All the mimes on the other side of the glass have swift tea break, I thought everyone knew that?
-- Skewed, Dec 08 2018


A thought: A persistent location-based chatroom could be used to get to know people who commute to/from/past the same place at different times of day or on different days.
-- notexactly, Dec 08 2018


//A persistent location-based chatroom//

It's called a notice board.
-- Skewed, Dec 08 2018


hmm.. actually you've given me an idea there (it's probably baked though) [linky].
-- Skewed, Dec 08 2018



random, halfbakery