Streetpass Relay--why is it so hit and miss?

Jesse_Dylan

Jesse_Dylan

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So I've been experimenting a lot with Steetpass Relay, and like Streetpassing in general, it is mysterious, sometimes works, and sometimes leaves you feeling like a jilted lover.

Yesterday, I went to all the Streetpass Relays in town.  This consisted of: Two McDonald's, Barnes, Starbucks.  (One AT&T has a Nintendo Zone, but the relay NEVER WORKS; Best Buy doesn't even have any wifi set up, much less a Nintendo Zone.)

Normally, I get Relays at the two McD's and the Barnes.  Yesterday, one McD's didn't work, the Barnes didn't work.  Over my entire 90 minutes of wasted time trip, I got three streetpasses.  One was from the relay at McD's that did work (after sitting there five minutes), one was from my fiancee (I don't even have to leave the house to get hers), and the last was from a Gamestop demo 3DS.

What's the deal?  Why does it sometimes work and othertimes not?  Why do I sometimes have to sit there for 5+ minutes to get it to work (or not work) and other times it works in 30 seconds?

It's really frustrating.  I thought this would enable me to finally get some Streetpassing, but I have to make a giant circuit, and if I don't even get a Streetpass at each one, it's hardly worth it.

At least at Gamestop I can check their used DS games (although this will quickly become pointless and boring, I would have no reason to go in otherwise), and at least at BN I can browse.  I never buy anything at any of the Nintendo Zone places, so it's always going out of my way to go there.

It's actually worth the 90 minutes or whatever when I come home with 6-7 streetpasses, but yesterday was a giant cocktease.  Sometimes I wonder if it actually works better on days when the wifi is less busy.  Maybe people dicking around on their laptops and whatnot causes the relays to take a long time and/or not work at all.

Sorry for the giant message.  Hoping for insight.

 
stupid question, but are you sure the tags you received before were via relay and not someone with a 3ds?  might explain it for some of the places. 

I would think the best way to tell are the mii info of tags you got from those places: location (different/far state from you) and population (if their numbers don't seem to "reasonable" for your location). 

again people may put where they were born or grew up or may be visiting - or just lying.  my friend doubts he really got a tag from someone from Japan (this was over a year ago, and he doesn't get much tags).  if pop numbers are higher than what you'd expect from your area, it might just be from a relay as I'm sure many abusers have thousands.

 
Yup, it's definitely working sometimes.  I actually had decent success with it until this time.  I'm not sure what the deal was!

(To be fair to your point, the first time I ever "used" the relay, I apparently passed by a group of five gamers, causing me to think I got five relay passes at a single location.  I went home with 10 streetpasses that day.  If only it really worked like that!)

 
The streetpass relay is not working for me at all, I sent several emails to Nintendo about this and spent 20 min on the phone with them yesterday in what was a very unproductive phone call which ended up with them telling me if it doesn't start working they will have to send my system in for repair and I am 99% sure that is NOT the problem here. Moreover, I am not sending my system with all my data in for repair, no thank you.

The problem here is non working Nintendo Zones. They just flat out don't work, as of 2 weeks ago. They were working fine when the relay first launched, with my 3DS connecting within 60-90 seconds. When I went to McDonald's last week to get some relay data it didn't work, but the Nintendo Zone icon is lit up and this location is on the official Nintendo Zone locator.  Now you are only supposed to have to have your 3DS in sleep mode when entering the zone if I am correct on this but this is the part that is not working. Also when I boot up Nintendo Zone, it throws an error, when it previously used to work (this is just a test). So I assume based on this that Nintendo Zone locations are down. Also this happens at all Nintendo Zones, not at just one particular one.

The one in the Best Buy here again, lights up the icon on the home screen but just flat out does not connect.

However I was able to gather relay data from one starbucks by using this method that I got from another message board:

1. add the ATTWIFI connection manually via internet settings

2. boot up web browser and accept terms and conditions and wait for page to load

3. connect to Nintendo zone app on main menu of system and wait for it to load

4. exit Nintendo Zone app and close 3DS to put it into sleep mode and wait for data exchange to occur

However this is no good because the relays are not collecting any data from people simply passing by if its not working as it should, as most people won't go through this almost 5-10 min process just to get streetpass data.

You will know you got relay data because apparently it gives you the game data of every person who passed by that relay, so you might see for example 3/10 hits for Nintendogs when looking at your notifications. When you get a normal streetpass you don't usually get that type of data.

 
Check this thread out.

I can't seem to get any streetpasses unless I am within 3' or less of the 3DS or my hompass device.

 
SaraAB said:
The streetpass relay is not working for me at all, I sent several emails to Nintendo about this and spent 20 min on the phone with them yesterday in what was a very unproductive phone call which ended up with them telling me if it doesn't start working they will have to send my system in for repair and I am 99% sure that is NOT the problem here. Moreover, I am not sending my system with all my data in for repair, no thank you.

The problem here is non working Nintendo Zones. They just flat out don't work, as of 2 weeks ago. They were working fine when the relay first launched, with my 3DS connecting within 60-90 seconds. When I went to McDonald's last week to get some relay data it didn't work, but the Nintendo Zone icon is lit up and this location is on the official Nintendo Zone locator. Now you are only supposed to have to have your 3DS in sleep mode when entering the zone if I am correct on this but this is the part that is not working. Also when I boot up Nintendo Zone, it throws an error, when it previously used to work (this is just a test). So I assume based on this that Nintendo Zone locations are down. Also this happens at all Nintendo Zones, not at just one particular one.

The one in the Best Buy here again, lights up the icon on the home screen but just flat out does not connect.

However I was able to gather relay data from one starbucks by using this method that I got from another message board:

1. add the ATTWIFI connection manually via internet settings
2. boot up web browser and accept terms and conditions and wait for page to load
3. connect to Nintendo zone app on main menu of system and wait for it to load
4. exit Nintendo Zone app and close 3DS to put it into sleep mode and wait for data exchange to occur

However this is no good because the relays are not collecting any data from people simply passing by if its not working as it should, as most people won't go through this almost 5-10 min process just to get streetpass data.

You will know you got relay data because apparently it gives you the game data of every person who passed by that relay, so you might see for example 3/10 hits for Nintendogs when looking at your notifications. When you get a normal streetpass you don't usually get that type of data.
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Great advice, worked like a charm! It's a shame you have to jump through these hoops to get it to work. Thank you very much!
 
There's been some reports that this isn't a problem with the relay, but with changes on AT&T's backend.

I know HomePass works just fine, though.

 
What's HomePass?

I've got one McDonalds that still works.  All the other Nintendo Zones in town (if they bother to even turn them on) don't work.  :/  I tried adding ATTWIFI at barnes and noble last night, but sitting there on the clunky web browser hoping for the ATT login screen to come up, I just said hell with it and gave up.

It's really disappointing.  I wish they'd get this crap ironed out.  When the relay thing first came out, I had four that worked (and three that didn't).  Would be nice if all seven in town worked, although it seems like sort of a waste of time driving to each one...

I'm bitter and annoyed. :(

 
Basically:

- You have to be there for like a minute or two for it to catch.  If you're in a McD's drive through, it should be enough though as long as you're not fast

- For Best Buy, you actually have to connect to their BB wifi network for it to work

- You only get a Streetpass from the last person there, so if you're the first person through there, you won't get one (this shouldn't be a problem, but you never know)

- Various locations include: Best Buy, McDonald's, Starbucks, FedEx, AT&T stores, Simon Malls (I didn't know they were branded either)

 
As I said before, a lot of the locations having problems are using ATTWIFI as the SSID.

It seems, according to some other boards, that it has something to do with some script changes made in the guest login pages. Apparently it doesn't play nice with the 3DS.

A lot of Best Buy stores straight up removed the Nintendo Zones and didn't bother telling anyone, yet still put up advertising that they had the ACNL items. My local ones did that.

 
Actually got a hit from a relay while in the drivethru at McD's last night. I know it was from the relay thanks to one particular quirk of relay hits.

If you have multiple 3DS units on you, and go to a relay, only one unit will get the Streetpass hit, but other units will get hits that are game specific.

For instance:

Unit one games played: Animal Crossing, New Super Mario Bros 2

Unit 2 games played: Lego City 3DS, Nintendogs & cats.

Unit 1 gets hit for Streetpass, ACNL, Unit 2 got game-only hit for Nintendogs.

This happened last night, and happens when I do Homepass frequently.

 
It is working regularly for me now too. I can get a pass a week guaranteed at a McDs that is next to another store I go to weekly, I just walk over and stand in the door for 30 secs. Can get one every time I pass by Pac Sun in the mall just walk to the back of the store and walk out. I went Tuesday to Pac sun, got one, went last night and there was another pass waiting for me so the relays are definitely picking up data. Now I just have to hit some of the more out of the way locations to get more data for my games.
 
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