Know Your MagneTag System

MagneTag systems come in several shapes and forms. This documentation will make reference to the different types of systems listed below – make sure you know which one you have. This will make it a lot easier to follow and understand the rest of the documentation.

MagneTag System Types

Form Factors

There are two basic form factors for MagneTag systems:

  • Kiosk Cabinet: The kiosk cabinet includes an arcade-style cabinet. The cabinet contains a touch screen that players interact with. A PC and networking equipment are inside the kiosk.
  • Portable: The portable form factor consists of a laptop or tablet PC. There’s no stationary cabinet housing the system.

Service Modes

Additionally, there are two basic modes for operating a MagneTag system:

  • Self-Service: In self-service mode, players operate the MagneTag system on their own. There may be some sort of payment collector (coin-op, card swipe, etc.) attached to the system. This is generally used with the kiosk cabinet form factor.
  • Full-Service: Full-service mode is intended for use when the MagneTag system is staffed. The staffer can control various elements of the game play. In this mode, it’s assumed that any sort of payment is handled manually and not managed by MagneTag. This is generally used with the portable form factor.

Hub Types

Finally, there are two basic ways of running the MagneTag Hub software:

  • On-Premises: The entire system is self-contained and runs on site. No internet connectivity is required for normal operation (although it’s still required for certain functionality, like software updates).
  • Cloud: The software powering the system is run from the cloud. The armor vests and any displays connect directly to the cloud; accordingly, they all need an internet connection.

Included Hardware

A MagneTag system may include the following hardware:

  • Armor Vests: These are worn by each player. They detect hits and have LEDs that show game progress.
  • Weapons: These may include swords, Nerf guns, foam throwing stars, etc. Anything that has magnets embedded and can trigger the armor vests.
  • PC: The PC is a computer that runs the MagneTag Hub software. This could be a laptop/tablet PC or a PC inside the kiosk cabinet. Cloud-powered systems don’t have a PC – the software runs in the cloud instead.
  • Router: Armor vests connect to the PC through WiFi. Most systems have a dedicated router that the PC and armor vests connect to. This router may or may not be connected to the internet.
  • WiFi Bridge: The WiFi bridge is a device that connects the router to an existing WiFi network. This is used to provide internet access to the MagneTag router and the devices on its network. This isn’t needed if the system is running without internet connectivity. It’s also not needed if there’s a physical LAN/ethernet connection available for the router.
  • Display PC: This is an optional component. It’s a PC that can be used to mirror the display of the PC. This is useful for projecting the game screen on a TV, overhead projector, etc.

Credentials

You should receive a list of credentials along with your MagneTag system. These credentials are for the various hardware and software components that make up your system, including:

  • Wifi Network/Router
    • Network SSID and password
    • Router admin username and password
  • PC
    • Kiosk password
    • MagneTag (admin) password
  • MagneTag Hub Software
    • Admin username and password
    • Manager username and password

Just Play MagneTag

Your MagneTag equipment is only designed and supported for playing MagneTag games. So don’t try to do anything else with them, and don’t try to install anything else on the PC.