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[Simon Hess]

I work in an 1,100 capacity theatre that regularly uses a fair to heavy amount of haze.  The bar POS system uses wireless handhelds that were new in 2007.  They connect via wifi to two wireless routers near the ceiling in two corners of the room, giving them clear paths to the servers on the floor.  The routers are also older units, using 2.4/5GHz frequencies.  The wireless routers then transmit order information via ethernet to a computer at the bar.

Lately connectivity between the wireless handhelds and the central computer has been so slow that it's been unusable.  The bar manager is quick to blame it on the hazer which she is not fond of to say the least.  I'm not saying it's not possible but I wonder how much the haze is coming into play.  I'm going to begin monitoring when the issues arise and see if there are any patterns.

Has anybody else had a similar experience or feel confident speaking to the effects of haze particles on wifi?  We are using one DF-50 with mineral oil blend fluid.

[Rob Spence]

Just a thought...

Scan the theater during a show to see how many smartphones are competing with the POS system.

Perhaps back when the wifi was installed, smartphones were not as common and the wifi configuration did not account for the wireless congestion?

The hand held POS units are either 2.4 or 5 gHz. No need for both radios running on the routers.

How well does it work with an empty house?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[Cailen Waddell]

I don't suppose a new business opened up next door that also is running a lot of wifi?   Or a new mcdonalds opened and is using the 2.4ghz hme stuff....

I don't think haze could have anything to do with it.  2.4ghz wireless dmx for lights, or maybe a whole bunch of other 2.4 gear, wireless headsets, mics, etc.....

[Jason Simonds]

Just a thought...

Scan the theater during a show to see how many smartphones are competing with the POS system.

I have a heavy background in wireless... yeah.. a couple of hundred cell phones scanning for hotspots would really cheese up the signals.. let alone that likely 70% of attendees have cell phones so you are looking at maybe 500 sources... it'd be a nightmare... If your units are using FHSS you''d better off, but still ...  try an experiment .. pre show.. just ask people to turn off their phones for 5 minutes and see what happens... or better yet test the network just before the audience arrives...

good luck and let us know what the results are

[Simon Hess]

I have a heavy background in wireless... yeah.. a couple of hundred cell phones scanning for hotspots would really cheese up the signals.. let alone that likely 70% of attendees have cell phones so you are looking at maybe 500 sources... it'd be a nightmare... If your units are using FHSS you''d better off, but still ...  try an experiment .. pre show.. just ask people to turn off their phones for 5 minutes and see what happens... or better yet test the network just before the audience arrives...

good luck and let us know what the results are

Thanks gents.  The last few shows have all been sold out rock shows with young crowds... meaning both heavy haze and cell phone use.  Tonight's an older crowd with a low haze artist so we'll see how it goes tonight.

[David Sturzenbecher]

I think you're changing too many variables..... Pump up the haze!

[Jerome Malsack]

There are a couple of mechanisms that will affect VHF and UHF propagation. The first involves weather, specifically temperature. For several reasons (fronts, heating over a cold surface, etc.) a layer of air of one temperature will trap a layer of a different temperature. Since the density of air depends on temperature, at the boundary between the two layers will be a rapid change in density. TV and FM signals approaching this region will get bent back towards earth instead of continuing out to space. This is tropospheric scattering. Sometimes, signals can get trapped in this region until another abrupt change knocks them out. The signal has travelled a lot farther than normal, and this is called ducting. Both tropo scatter and ducting affect a wide range of frequencies at the same time.

The other mechanism involves the ionosphere. Normally, ion density is not sufficient to bend VHF/UHF signals back down to earth. Occasionally, extra clouds of ionization form at the bottom of what's called the E-layer that are sufficient to bend back these signals. This effect is called sporadic-E propagation, and sets up very long distance reception, as in getting Kansas stations here. Often, local stations will be wiped out by the distant one, as the distant one has suffered very little loss along the way. This tends to be a VHF only event, and cuts off very abruptly above a certain frequency.

I clipped this description from some OTA  TV  blogs. 
What are the chances that a micro climate in a club ?

Added to all the Cell phones ? 

[ProSoundWeb Community]