Walkie talkie Android apps for your phone/tablet
Lately I have been looking for Android apps that can enable walkie talkie (intercom) functionality over LAN/wifi/bluetooth.
Normal internet based options are not ideal as we live in a very remote area with no powerlines, phonelines or wired anything. We also don’t generally get reliable cell phone reception. So satellite internet (WildBlue) is our primary internet connection. Latency is too high and bandwidth too precious, to really support reliable voice communications when it has to be routed out over the internet (like Skype or Google Voice and myriad other centralized services).
We do, however, have a very solid local ethernet and WiFi network setup between our house and the other buildings in the areas (my outside office, the fields on our farm, and a wireless bridge setup to connect with my parents house).
The power and functionality of Android devices lends themselves ideally to supporting PTT (push to talk) and similar functionality on a local network setup. Here are the apps I have found so far:
Up to 3 people over bluetooth.
Up to 11 people over wifi.
Android Intercom acts like a walkie talkie (two way radio):
·Minimum configuration
·No registration
·No accounts
·No buddy list
Sometimes you can’t talk directly to people around you:
·Motorbike communications. Rider-copilot. There are special headsets for all types of helmets.
·Inter vehicle communications (up to 100 meters / 238 feet). Motorbikes, cars, …
·Sports (ski, cycling, hiking, climbing).
·Noisy environments (construction, concerts, etc.)
Remember, with Android Intercom you will not be charged and you will not waste data from your data plan.
Features:
*Audio Activated Connection: Connect or reconnect to the other device by saying anything loud enough (Bluetooth mode).
*Microphone calibration: To adjust to every microphone sensibility
*Audio Threshold: To avoid sending noise.
Notes:
*Bluetooth headsets are supported on Android 2.2+ devices.
*We recommend specialized headsets for each use case, just find the one that fits you best.
Recent changes:
Great performance improvement.
3 audio selection methods are now available.
Virtual Walkie Talkie | AppBrain Android Markethttp://www.appbrain.com/app/virtual-walkie-talkie/ix.com.android.VirtualWalkieTalkie“Virtual Walkie Talkie Pro” available.
a walkie talkie for voice communication with multiple persons through (also built-in) multi-channel ip server.
ad-supported.
please mail problems, errors or questions, i cannot answer to comments.
Recent changes:
-force close fixed
-icon fixed for android 1.5
-switch-on/off sound fixed for android 2.3 gingerbread
-layout fixed for small screens
-new icon
-new menu icon
Options that appear to be non-local?
I stumbled on this post from a Google search, and I am looking for the exact type of app you describe. Did you ever find anything that works well?
Hi C Lind,
Thank you for your comment.
Unfortunately, I never found a good solution for a true walkie talkie type Android (or iOS) app that will work on LANs. 🙁
I have some experience developing iOS apps so I may have to try my hand at Android development, with the first app being a walkie talkie app! 🙂
In the meantime, if I happen to find a new app that works well for this purposes I will make sure to let you know. Thanks C Lind!
Best regards,
-JD