What is "power saving mode"?
Power saving mode is a feature of solar and battery-powered Pulsa gateways that enables more than 4 times battery life through many optimizations, including turning the gateway off for 45 minutes of each hour and minimizing the usage of the status lights.
How is "power saving mode" different?
When a gateway is in power saving mode it will only receive sensor measurements for 15 minutes of each hour, and all measurements will be uploaded at the end of that period. In addition the gateway status lights operate only during the first 15 minute period and are otherwise turned off to conserve power.
If you need the status lights to test the gateway's reception of sensors and cellular connection you can turn the gateway off and on again, then the lights will indicate the gateway's status for 15 minutes before turning off again.
How will power saving mode affect my sensors?
If sensors are broadcasting through a gateway that is in power saving mode measurements for those sensors will only be received during the 15 minute period the gateway is on each hour, so new values may be delayed and the 'one_hourly' sensitivity is unavailable.
In every other way your sensors should behave as normal when broadcasting through a gateway that is in power saving mode. Though fewer measurements may be received each hour, Pulsa uses state-of-the-art methods to fill in trend graphs and ensure accurate predictions of future sensor values.
Which gateways support power saving mode?
Any Pulsa gateway with "Software version 4.21" or greater includes support for power saving mode, but it will only be activated if the gateway is operating on solar or battery power. You can check the version of your gateway by opening the page for that gateway and clicking on the "Manage" button in the top-right. In the panel that opens you can find "Software version" under "Gateway Details".
Can I turn off power saving mode?
At the moment power saving mode is automatically activated for any gateway running "Software version 4.21" or greater that is operating on solar or battery power. In the future we expect to give users the ability to disable power saving mode for a gateway. Please let us know if you're interested in the ability to disable power saving mode by emailing support@pulsasensors.com.
For any questions not covered here, please contact us: support@pulsasensors.com