Understanding Usage & Limits
Learn how PulseMesh tracks usage and manages plan limits for your displays.
This guide helps you understand how PulseMesh tracks your usage, what each metric means, and how to manage your plan limits effectively.
Overview
PulseMesh tracks several key metrics to ensure fair usage and optimal performance for all users. Your plan determines the limits for each metric, and the Usage & Limits dashboard helps you monitor your current consumption.
Key Metrics Explained
Yearly Sessions
A session is created whenever a viewer connects to one of your displays through the PulseMesh app. Sessions are tracked annually based on your billing period.
- What counts as a session: Each unique viewer connection to your display
- Billing period: Resets annually on your subscription anniversary
- Free plan: 250 sessions per year
- Pro plan: 2,500 sessions per year
- Commercial plans: 5,000 to 50,000 sessions per year
When you exceed your annual session limit, your displays are automatically disabled until you upgrade your plan or your billing period resets.
Concurrent Viewers
This represents the maximum number of people who can be listening to your display at the same time.
- Real-time limit: Enforced in real-time as viewers connect
- What happens when exceeded: New viewers are queued until slots become available
- Free plan: 5 concurrent viewers
- Pro plan: 25 concurrent viewers
- Commercial Lite: 100 concurrent viewers
- Commercial Pro: Unlimited concurrent viewers
The system tracks when you hit this limit and shows how many times it occurred in your current billing period.
Active Displays
The number of separate displays (locations) you can create and manage.
- Free plan: 1 display
- Pro plan: 2 displays
- Commercial Lite: 1 display
- Commercial Pro: 5 displays
Each display can have its own address, schedule, and set of connectors.
Connectors per Display
Connectors are the FPP or xSchedule instances that connect to PulseMesh to stream your show data.
- Per-display limit: This limit applies to each display individually
- Free plan: 1 connector per display
- Pro plan: 3 connectors per display
- Commercial Lite: 3 connectors per display
- Commercial Pro: Unlimited connectors per display
Multiple connectors allow for redundancy or multi-zone setups within a single display.
Understanding the Usage Dashboard
Usage Cards
The dashboard shows two primary usage cards:
-
Yearly Sessions Card
- Shows current usage vs. annual limit
- Progress bar indicates percentage used
- Color coding:
- 🟢 Green: Under 75% usage
- 🟡 Yellow: 75-90% usage
- 🔴 Red: Over 90% usage
- Displays daily average and remaining sessions
-
Concurrent Viewers Card
- Shows current active viewers vs. maximum allowed
- Real-time indicator updates as viewers connect/disconnect
- Tracks if you've ever hit the limit
- Shows when the limit was last reached
Display Status Table
The table provides a real-time view of all your displays:
- Status: Online (green pulse) or Offline (gray)
- Current Viewers: Active listeners right now
- Today's Sessions: Total connections today
- Connectors: Shows usage as "X / Y" format
- Color coded based on usage percentage
- Red when at limit, yellow when approaching
Secondary Metrics
- Active Displays: How many displays you're currently using
- Today's Sessions: Daily activity with growth percentage
Billing Periods
How Annual Periods Work
Your usage counters reset annually based on your subscription start date:
- Period Start: The day you first subscribed (or upgraded)
- Period End: Exactly one year from the start date
- Auto-reset: Session counters automatically reset to zero at period end
- Continuous tracking: Concurrent viewer limits are always enforced
Pro-Rated Periods
When upgrading mid-period:
- Your new limits take effect immediately
- Session counts continue from current usage
- Period end date remains the same
- Billing is pro-rated for the remainder of the period
What Happens When You Hit Limits
Annual Session Limit Exceeded
When you exceed your yearly session limit:
- Automatic disable: All displays are immediately disabled
- Notification: Alert appears on your dashboard
- Resolution options:
- Upgrade to a higher plan for immediate reactivation
- Wait for your billing period to reset
- Contact support for special circumstances
Concurrent Viewer Limit Reached
When maximum concurrent viewers is reached:
- Queueing: New viewers see a "Display at capacity" message
- Auto-retry: App automatically retries connection
- No disruption: Existing listeners continue uninterrupted
- Tracking: System logs each limit hit for your reference
Display or Connector Limits
These are hard limits that prevent creation of new resources:
- Cannot create more displays than plan allows
- Cannot add more connectors per display than limit
- Upgrade required to increase these limits
Plan Limits Quick Reference
| Feature | Starter | Pro | Commercial Lite | Commercial Pro |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual Sessions | 250 | 2,500 | 5,000 | 50,000 |
| Concurrent Viewers | 5 | 25 | 100 | Unlimited |
| Displays | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
| Connectors/Display | 1 | 3 | 3 | Unlimited |
| Display Radius | 0.5 mi | 2 mi | 5 mi | 5 mi |
| Overage Billing | No | No | $20/1k sessions | $20/1k sessions |
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I check my current usage?
Navigate to Dashboard → Usage & Limits to see all your metrics in real-time. The page auto-refreshes to show current viewer counts.
Can I buy additional sessions without upgrading?
Commercial plans (Lite and Pro) support overage billing at $20 per 1,000 additional sessions. This is automatically billed when you exceed your limit.
What counts as a "session"?
A session begins when a viewer opens your display in the PulseMesh app and connects to hear audio. Multiple connections from the same device on the same day still count as separate sessions.
Why did my displays get disabled?
Displays are automatically disabled when you exceed your annual session limit. This protects you from unexpected overages and ensures fair platform usage.
How can I reduce my session usage?
- Use geo-radius connectors instead of public QR codes
- Schedule your displays for specific hours
- Consider your marketing reach vs. plan limits
- Monitor daily usage to predict annual consumption
When should I upgrade my plan?
Consider upgrading when:
- You regularly hit concurrent viewer limits
- You're approaching 75% of annual sessions
- You need more displays or connectors
- You want commercial use rights
Getting Help
If you need assistance understanding your usage or selecting the right plan:
- Email: [email protected]
- Compare plans: View Pricing
- Facebook group: Join Community