On-Star, just riding around

A bit more relevant would  be Blue tooth in vehicles to take calls, play music, etc with one's phone has been standard issue in vehicles nearly 10 years and works well.

Just because someone likes the ability to pair a phone does not make them a model railroader.

Imo, blue tooth is more about being able to use the phone than the device it's paired to.

Until the very recent models from Lionel, their BlueTooth wouldn't reach end to end on my layout, so that was less than 30 feet!  So, if I were to use that at home or when we have modular club outings, I'd have to continually follow the train around!  I notice the ES44AC that came with the Rocket Booster Train actually has better range, and it'll work from anywhere in the room to my Samsung Galaxy S21 G5 phone.

My setup is full DCS using the app because I got into the hobby late (around 2017). I had and still have no intentions of adding another control system if it is just another app to control it with so I stayed away from the Lionel Legacy control system when they stopped making controllers. The Bluetooth was a great addition for me. It requires no control system and allows me to run LC, LC+, LC+ 2.0 and Legacy using Bluetooth without the addition of another control system. In my situation Bluetooth was a game changer and I would not have any Lionel trains if it were not for Bluetooth. I would like to experience a nice hand held controller sometime because from what I have heard the phone/tablet control takes away from the experience which I can definitely see. I know I can get controllers on the 2nd hand market but if they are no longer being made or supported I would rather not even fool with it.

Brad

Look at it like the car that has a black key and a red key, but the red key is out of stock and the manufacturer doesnt know when you'll be able to get one.

Its an cheap alternative means to operate the most basic functions of a $2000 toy because they apparently haven't figured out how to keep the full fledged control system in stock on a steady basis since it was released.  Without the bluetooth functionality, anyone who doesn't have a legacy set is not a customer at all. By building in bluetooth, at least you have a way to run stuff without a Legacy set, while you sit and wait years for another production run of the full feature system to be in stock.

As far as starter sets go, its fine, because the basics are all they do anyways. The lack of actual functionality beyond the barebones basic functions (train go, train stop, honk honk, ding ding) makes it a pretty useless feature in a legacy locomotive.

@RickO posted:

Imo, blue tooth is more about being able to use the phone than the device it's paired to.

Are you saying that it's not very useful in general, model trains or not?

This is definitely not the case for me.  I agree that it might have limited, or no, usefulness with trains, but there are two Bluetooth pairings that I can't live without:

1. Wireless headset for conference calls so that I don't have to hold the phone to my ear for an hour, and those around me don't need to hear the meeting via my phone's speakerphone while the meeting's going on.
2. Totally hands free in the car because I can summon the phone, dial a number, connect, talk, and hang up without ever touching the phone itself.  Critical here in Michigan as of June 30 of this year because it's now against the law to use, or even hold, your phone while driving.  Fortunately totally hand-free is permitted.

Can't do either without Bluetooth and the device to which it' s paired.

BTW -- My car will be 15 years old in April, and has had Bluetooth since day one.  It still works perfectly to this day.

Mike

@Mellow Hudson Mike posted:

Are you saying that it's not very useful in general, model trains or not?

This is definitely not the case for me.  I agree that it might have limited, or no, usefulness with trains, but there are two Bluetooth pairings that I can't live without.

No, it's certainly useful, but as your answer supports. It's about the phone, not the car.

Bluetooth will not unearth hidden modelrailroaders that didn't know they were model railroaders....until Bluetooth arrived on the scene.

@RickO posted:

No, it's certainly useful, but as your answer supports. It's about the phone, not the car.

I still don't understand.

It's about the phone and the car, together, is it not?  (You do get more out of them paired than you do from them individually.)

Mike

I think what's being said is that people don't buy the car (or the model railroad engine) just because it has Bluetooth capability.  The inclusion of Bluetooth is another advantage, but not generally the driving (pun intended) quality that causes the purchase.

Chuck