H1000 posted:John,
Lionel's filing with the FCC for the Universal remote indicates that the universal remote has a maximum power output of 1 mW. That makes it a class 3 device. You may get more range than that but it's not guaranteed. Most smart phones and tablets have Class 2 power output.
Beings that the Universal remote is a class three device, it would make sense that the locomotives are also class three devices.
If you are interested, here is a link to Lionel's FCC filing for the Universal remote (Functional description of the universal remote). Below is an excerpt from that document which indicates the 1mw power rating:
I've heard conflicting stories about the range of Class 3 which is everything from 3 feet, 10 feet, and less than 10 meters.
I feel like I need to write a letter to Lionel. I looked up the module listed and yep, it's class 3. This is very disappointing as the nrf24l01+ based transceivers used before the Bluetooth models met and exceeded the class 2 spec. there is absolutely zero excuse for a class 3 ble module in any product that needs to have a functional range over 1 meter especially when the previous generation of product was easily good for 20 meters. Going to have to do some testing when I get home since I've never bothered being more than about 15 feet from an LC engine with a universal remote. if that same module is used inside the engines it is ludicrous.
Gonna eat crow and it doesn't taste that great...
Upon looking over the data sheet for the actual part used in the remote, KW4521A, and going bact to cross reference, BLE(Bluetooth 4.0) does not seem to actually use the same class designations as older Bluetooth. From what I can find, a 1mW ble module should be good for at least 10 meters. there are only 2 classes I've found the ble.4 and .5 with the 5 having a 100 meter range at 10 mW. I'll test range when I get home, but I'm suspecting that even the 1mW version of BLE meets class 2 specs for range under the previous standard.
