⚡ Wireless Quiz Buzzer System
Welcome to the official documentation for the Intellidwell Quiz Buzzer System. This platform provides an ultra-low latency, commercial-grade trivia game show experience designed for classrooms, trivia nights, pub quizzes, company events, and party games.
The companion web interface is hosted and operational at quiz.intellidwell.net with SQL database multi-user authentication, instant WebSerial USB pairing, live Server-Sent Events (SSE) synchronization, and a built-in game-show sound synthesizer.
Why ESP-NOW Star RF Topology?
Connecting multiple individual ESP32 remotes directly to a local Wi-Fi router or phone hotspot introduces several bottlenecks:
- Network Client Caps: Mobile hotspots and basic access points often limit active connections (typically 8–10 clients max).
- TCP/IP Latency & Jitter: Standard Wi-Fi association and packet queuing add 50–200ms of unpredictable latency, making fair tie-breaking difficult.
- Battery Consumption: Maintaining active Wi-Fi associations draws ~80–120mA continuously, draining batteries quickly.
The Superior Solution: ESP-NOW Star Network
XIAO ESP32-C3 controllers in deep sleep (~44 µA). Instant GPIO wake on button press (A, B, C, D).
DevKit V1 receiving 2.4GHz packets < 5ms, managing state lockout, and streaming 115200 baud serial.
Browser game show engine displaying winner order, delta milliseconds, scores, and sound effects.
Terminal Topology Diagram (Click to Expand ASCII)
[ Remotes 1-8 (XIAO ESP32-C3) ] ────( ESP-NOW RF )────► [ Base Station (ESP32 DevKit) ]
│
(WebSerial USB)
▼
[ quiz.intellidwell.net ]Key Advantages:
- Sub-5 Millisecond Latency: Packets transmit virtually instantly with zero handshake or association overhead.
- Deep Sleep Power Saving: Remotes sleep at ~44 µA and wake up in microseconds via hardware GPIO interrupts upon pressing any button.
- Bidirectional Acknowledgment: Hardware MAC ACKs and broadcast feedback packets provide instant LED confirmation (Green for winner/ACK, Red for locked out).