Understanding Usage & Limits

This guide explains how PulseMesh tracks your usage, what each number means, and what happens when you reach a limit. For what each plan includes, see Subscription Plans & Limits.

Overview

Your plan sets limits on viewer sessions, concurrent viewers, displays, and sources. The Usage & Limits page in your dashboard shows where you stand on each.

Key Metrics Explained

Yearly Sessions

A session is one viewer listening to one of your displays through the PulseMesh app or web player. Sessions are counted across all your displays combined.

• What counts: a session counts once a viewer has been listening for about a minute while your show is playing. Reconnecting during the same visit doesn't count again; opening your display again later is a new session.
• When it resets: on paid plans, at the start of each billing year when your subscription renews. On Starter, every 12 months from when you signed up.
• Starter: 250 sessions per year
• Pro: 2,500 sessions per year
• Commercial Lite: 5,000 sessions per year
• Commercial Pro: 50,000 sessions per year

Concurrent Viewers

The number of people who can be listening to one display at the same time. This limit applies to each display separately.

• Starter: 5 concurrent viewers
• Pro: 25 concurrent viewers
• Commercial Lite: 100 concurrent viewers
• Commercial Pro: 1,000 concurrent viewers

Displays

The number of separate displays (locations) you can create and manage.

• Starter: 1 display
• Pro: 2 displays
• Commercial Lite: 1 display
• Commercial Pro: 3 displays

Each display has its own address, range, sources, and statistics.

Sources per Display

A show source is either a local player — FPP, xSchedule, or Light-O-Rama, running the PulseMesh Connector — or a Cloud Player. Either way, it is what streams your show data to PulseMesh.

• Per-display limit: this limit applies to each display individually
• Starter: 1 source per display
• Pro: 3 sources per display
• Commercial Lite: 3 sources per display
• Commercial Pro: Unlimited sources per display

Multiple sources are useful for things like a backup player or running different shows from one display.

Understanding the Usage Dashboard

Go to Dashboard → Usage & Limits. The page shows your numbers as of when it loaded; select Refresh to update them.

Usage Cards

1. Yearly Sessions

   • Sessions used against your annual limit, with a progress bar
   • The bar turns amber at 75% and red at 90%
   • Your daily average and how many sessions remain
   • When your billing year started and how many days are left

2. Concurrent Viewers

   • Viewers listening right now across all your displays, against your plan's per-display limit

Display Status Table

One row per display:

• Status: Online when at least one of the display's sources is connected, Offline otherwise
• Current Viewers: people listening right now
• Today's Sessions: sessions on that display today
• Sources: shown as "X / Y" against your plan's limit

Secondary Metrics

• Active Displays: how many displays you're using out of your plan's limit
• Today's Sessions: today's sessions across all displays, compared with yesterday

What Happens When You Hit Limits

Annual Session Limit Reached

Starter and Pro:

1. Your displays are set to private, which takes them off the nearby-displays list
2. An alert appears on the Usage & Limits page
3. You can't make the displays public again until your session count resets or you upgrade

To get going again, upgrade to a higher plan or wait for your session count to reset. If you have special circumstances, contact us.

Commercial Lite and Commercial Pro: Your displays stay active. Sessions beyond your limit are billed at $20 per additional 1,000 sessions (or part of 1,000) after your billing year ends, and the Usage & Limits page shows your current overage.

Concurrent Viewer Limit Reached

When a display has as many listeners as your plan allows:

1. New viewers see a message that the display is unavailable and to try again in a few minutes
2. People who are already listening aren't affected
3. As listeners leave, new viewers can join again

Display or Source Limits

These limits stop you from adding more:

• You can't create more displays than your plan allows
• You can't add more sources to a display than your plan allows
• Upgrade to raise these limits

Display Range

Each display's range can be set from 0.1 miles up to your plan's maximum: 0.5 miles on Starter, 2 miles on Pro, and 5 miles on the commercial plans. Viewers who join with a display code or direct link don't need to be within range.

Plan Limits Quick Reference

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I check my current usage?

Go to Dashboard → Usage & Limits. Select Refresh to see the latest numbers.

Can I buy additional sessions without upgrading?

On the commercial plans (Lite and Pro), yes: sessions beyond your limit are billed at $20 per 1,000 after your billing year ends. Starter and Pro don't offer additional sessions — upgrade to raise your limit.

What counts as a "session"?

A viewer listening to your display in the PulseMesh app or web player for about a minute while your show is playing. Reconnecting during the same visit doesn't count again, but opening your display again later is a new session.

Why were my displays set to private?

On Starter and Pro, displays are set to private when you reach your annual session limit. Upgrade, or wait for your session count to reset, to make them public again.

When should I upgrade my plan?

Consider upgrading when:

• Your displays regularly fill up on busy nights
• You're past 75% of your annual sessions with a lot of your season left
• You need more displays or sources
• You need a commercial license

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