OBR Talk: Motorcycle Intercom

OBR Talk is a motorcycle intercom for a rider and their passenger. This rider-to-passenger helmet intercom turns two phones you already own into a full-duplex bike intercom that works with no mobile signal, no internet connection and no data charges.

HOW IT WORKS

One phone creates a local Wi-Fi link. The other joins it. Your voices travel directly between the two handsets over that link, so the intercom keeps working in tunnels, on mountain passes, down forest roads and anywhere else your carrier does not reach.

Pair each phone with the Bluetooth headset already in your helmet, stow both phones, and ride.

FULL DUPLEX, NOT PUSH-TO-TALK

Both of you speak at the same time, exactly like a conversation in a car. No button to hold. No waiting for the other person to finish. No radio squelch.

NOTHING LEAVES YOUR TWO PHONES

No account. No sign-up. No subscription. No servers anywhere in the path. Your conversation is carried between the two handsets and is never uploaded, stored or routed through anyone else's infrastructure — because there is nothing in the middle to route it through.

BUILT TO BE USED IN GLOVES

Large controls, a high-contrast instrument-panel display, and a setup routine simple enough for a passenger who has never heard the word "hotspot". Pairing takes one code, or one QR scan.

WHO IT IS FOR

- A rider and a pillion passenger on the same bike
- Riders who want a no-fuss rider intercom without buying dedicated intercom hardware
- Riders who ride where there is no phone signal
- Anyone who does not want a monthly bill for talking to the person behind them
- Anyone who would rather their conversations did not pass through a company's servers

WHAT YOU NEED

- Two phones. At least one must be an Android phone running Android 8.0 or newer — that phone creates the link.
- The second phone can be another Android phone, or an iPhone.
- A Bluetooth headset in each helmet is strongly recommended.

IMPORTANT — PLEASE READ BEFORE BUYING A SETUP

Apple gives apps no way to switch on a Wi-Fi hotspot. An iPhone can therefore join a link but cannot create one. If you are both on iPhones, the rider can turn on Personal Hotspot by hand in Settings and the app will still work, but that needs a mobile plan allowing tethering.

RANGE

OBR Talk is designed for rider-to-passenger use on one motorcycle, where the two phones are roughly an arm's length apart. It is not a bike-to-bike intercom and will not reach a second motorcycle down the road.

WHAT IT IS NOT

Unlike a walkie-talkie or VoIP intercom app, OBR Talk does not need mobile data, and it does not need Wi-Fi from a router, a café or your home. The link is made by the phones themselves.

PERMISSIONS AND WHY

- Microphone — to carry your voice to your passenger.
- Nearby Wi-Fi devices / Location — Android requires one of these before an app may create a local Wi-Fi link. OBR Talk never derives your position from it and does not collect location data.
- Bluetooth — to route audio to the headset in your helmet.
- Notifications — to show the ongoing-ride notice, which is what keeps audio running with the screen off.

Ride safe. Keep your eyes on the road.