5ghz wifi support

Wishlist
#1

I would like to recommend/request that pulse devices start to support 5ghz wifi. Or even an ethernet wired base station that supports one of the more resilient long distance radio protocols.

Because of the limitation to 2.4ghz of almost all iot devices, including every one of the drop cams I use, the 2.4ghz band is very busy. Despite the band seeming to support more than the data and devices that I have, there is something about grow rooms that seems to prevent expected operation on 2.4ghz. I’ve started to suspect that the light ballasts or fans in the room emit enough resonant noise in the 2.4ghz region to interfere with transmissions because the number of dropouts and the terrible performance I get on 2.4ghz in my grows seems consistent across all rooms I’ve operated, even when I have a business class access point within the room itself.

When I set up a pulse device in my office or at home, it usually works in one try. When I set them up within a grow room, depending on the room, sometimes it can take several attempts. As for other devices, my Wyze cameras are lucky to connect at all within the grow room, and when they do they’re choppy and drop out constantly. Wifi calls made on 2.4ghz within the room also seem to drop out. Maybe I’m tripping, but I just think this band isn’t suitable for large grow rooms.

From what I’ve read, resonant noise is less likely to occur in the 5ghz band, and many more devices can communicate simultaneously. Also, using 5ghz means that in facilities with very large numbers of wifi devices, we can isolate them better due to 5ghz not penetrating walls as well.

I don’t know the reason why IOT hardware seems so consistently locked to 2.4ghz but I think it would be helpful for those of us having issue to be able to use 5ghz. Alternatively, my soil sensors and some of my environmental sensors use other radio protocols with a base station and can transmit small size data packets over huge distances and never seem to experience any dropouts; and some of these devices can operate for a year or more on a single AA battery.

Typically I try to wire everything in my grow because of how important it is to ensure a connection, but I can see why that would be super annoying for drop in sensors like pulse; however I think stuff like the pulse hub and open sprinkler are better off wired if there is any chance that it might lose a wireless connection for trivial reasons.

If anyone else is having issues with 2.4ghz in their grow please chime in.

#2

Migration to 5 GHz would require new hardware. Most 2.4 GHz devices lack the internal components to use 5GHz. On the other hand 2.4 GHz has a better range than 5 GHz, which is likely the reason they chose it. 2.4GHz usually has a better reach because lower frequencies penetrate walls and obstacles more effectively . Florescent, HPS, or any ballasts really can interfere with 2.4GHz wifi. They can even cause issues with ethernet cables if they are in close enough proximity.

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#3

Monstermash is 100% right on this one.
I don’t have much to add here.

Please note that we can always try to help with your setup if you contact our support.

Thank you for the discussion!

#4

I understand that in many cases it would require different hardware, but I think pulse should consider migrating to that hardware.

As far as range, I suggested that in some cases shorter range is a good thing. I don’t want my sensors to have to compete with the noise being ejected by all 300 ballasts and motors in my building as well as every one of the countless sensors and clients. Because of the (poor) reliability of wifi in general, I put dedicated access points within each large grow room or at the center of groups of smaller ones. IMO having a less crowded/wider frequency with less resonant noise and less interference from outside devices is all a good thing.

And if I’m correct in thinking that the grow room equipment itself is the cause of the poor wifi connectivity I experience then it is probably a really good idea to look into wifi quality for sensors that are primarily intended to be used in these environments.

Additionally, I’m in los angeles where even in the industrial area I’m in, I can pick up over 20 other access points scattered across the 14 available 2.4ghz channels.

Add to that, someone in the break room microwaving their hot pocket can make the entire IOT network drop out until their breakfast is hot.

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#5

I agree with Noah. We have a facility with about 30 Pulse units. They have a proprietary wifi ssid that is only broadcasting 2.4GHz. Every room has its own wifi hotspot.
It is a daily battle to keep these units connected to the wifi. As I type this, 15 of my units are offline. 5GHz or direct wired Ethernet would provide a much more reliable option.

#6

As MonsterMash mentioned, 2.4g is used in low bandwidth IoT applications as it has superior range and wall-penetration capability over 5g. 5g is lower range but faster-- good for things like streaming movies etc.

Pulse devices do a great job of keeping themselves offline if disconnected, but you need the network to connect. Grows have unique challenges with thick insulation & interference from lighting ballasts.

However, there are some easy fixes:

  1. Use a WiFi extender. You can run ethernet to the room, plug in the extender, and the WiFi will be solid in the room for $20. Use them as a repeater and you can keep the network info the same: Amazon.com

  2. Use a Pulse Hub. Many large facilities mount their Hubs in the hallway areas between their cultivation rooms because there is stronger signal & less interference. Then they run a single cable into the room to start the Hub’s communication daisy chain. It can be extended and tee’d for over 500ft, just like irrigation, to get sensor inputs exactly where you need them.

We have plenty of large (1000+ light facilities) that use them in all of their rooms, so these suggestions should help resolve the issues you are having. LMK either way!

#7

As I mentioned, in our facility, every room has a dedicated wifi hotspot. No Pulse units are very far from a wifi connection and none of them need to broadcast through walls.

#8

Additionally, people poopoo on 5ghz range but it has plenty of range, especially when it’s not dealing with interference. Line of sight range is similar to 2.4ghz, which means in-room it’s a great option, and in-field it’s a fine option.

If we had to stick to 2.4ghz, it would be nice if they’d support a more resilient low bandwidth and less crowded protocol which is probably already supported on whatever 2.4 chip they’re using, like Zigbee among others.

I’m not going to hold my breath. Even “high res” wifi cameras are still primarily using 2.4ghz even though they have high throughput, choke constantly and have terrible connectivity. I’m unlucky enough to have several of these in the same room with the pulse sensors and every other iot device so I’m lucky if I can get 5 seconds of video before a jitter.

Lastly, 99.9% uptime might sound “great” to a software developer who doesn’t operate a grow. It sounds awful to a grower who’s phone is set up to get him out of bed if he gets even a single alarm from a room. If these sensors have to compete with 50 other devices on the same frequency and potentially old and low quality ballasts spewing out noise along with the breakroom microwave, I’m going to have to get out of bed a lot for no reason.

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