On 03/12/2025 20:28, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

Anyone have any anecdotal or other wise informatin on pi PICO W and
other pis with wifi being more, or less able to connect with temperature.
I took mine outside and it connected and reported its indoor
temperature, but hasn't reported since. Wifi is on the bleeding edge (-94dBm)

I have a Pi Zero 2W in an unheated garage where it gets a fairly
weak signal. It has not had any problems at low temperatures.
John

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.1
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

On 03/12/2025 20:28, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

Anyone have any anecdotal or other wise informatin on pi PICO W and
other pis with wifi being more, or less able to connect with temperature.
I took mine outside and it connected and reported its indoor
temperature, but hasn't reported since. Wifi is on the bleeding edge
(-94dBm)

I've found that Wi-Fi on the Pico W to be dependent on its supply voltage. Two
A cells isn't enough.

--
David
Web: https://www.satsignal.eu

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.1
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

On 04/12/2025 07:52, David Taylor wrote:

On 03/12/2025 20:28, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

Anyone have any anecdotal or other wise informatin on pi PICO W and
other pis with wifi being more, or less able to connect with temperature.
I took mine outside and it connected and reported its indoor
temperature, but hasn't reported since. Wifi is on the bleeding edge
(-94dBm)

I've found that Wi-Fi on the Pico W to be dependent on its supply
voltage.ÿ Two A cells isn't enough.

I have *three* AAs ! The ultrasonics need nearer 5V.

It worked fine on my desk here but the signal strength was around -87dBn ..

Now it's outside on the far side of a garage I seem to have lost about 6dB.

I should be able to make that up with some sort of reflector.

It will all be a bit suck it and see sadly. I have nothing beyond a
mobile phone to measure field strength with...


--
"Anyone who believes that the laws of physics are mere social
conventions is invited to try transgressing those conventions from the
windows of my apartment. (I live on the twenty-first floor.) "

Alan Sokal


--- PyGate Linux v1.5.1
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

On 04/12/2025 07:52, David Taylor wrote:

On 03/12/2025 20:28, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

Anyone have any anecdotal or other wise informatin on pi PICO W and
other pis with wifi being more, or less able to connect with temperature.
I took mine outside and it connected and reported its indoor
temperature, but hasn't reported since. Wifi is on the bleeding edge
(-94dBm)

I've found that Wi-Fi on the Pico W to be dependent on its supply
voltage.ÿ Two A cells isn't enough.

All Pi Zero 2 wifi circuitry is powered by a 3V3 rail from the main
PMIC. If the 5V supply is low enough for this rail to fail I'd expect
other Pi issues too.

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.1
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

On 04/12/2025 14:43, Theo wrote:

The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> wrote:

On 04/12/2025 07:52, David Taylor wrote:

On 03/12/2025 20:28, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

Anyone have any anecdotal or other wise informatin on pi PICO W and
other pis with wifi being more, or less able to connect with temperature. >>>> I took mine outside and it connected and reported its indoor
temperature, but hasn't reported since. Wifi is on the bleeding edge
(-94dBm)

I've found that Wi-Fi on the Pico W to be dependent on its supply
voltage.ÿ Two A cells isn't enough.

I have *three* AAs ! The ultrasonics need nearer 5V.

It worked fine on my desk here but the signal strength was around -87dBn .. >>
Now it's outside on the far side of a garage I seem to have lost about 6dB.

Do the AAs suffer when the temperature drops? I recall stories of arctic explorers having to keep camera/etc batteries close to their skin so they don't freeze and stop working.
]

Well yes, but not enough to matter in this case

Maybe it's marginal but usable inside and the temperature drop is enough to tip it over the edge. Does it work better on a warm day than a cold night?

That was what I thought, but the reality is a bit different

see http://vps.templar.co.uk/Odds%20and%20Ends/POilSesnor.png

The unit measures battery voltage and temperature as well as the
received Wifi signal strength. In addition to oil level

[ I deliberately anticipated issues with any one of these]

As you can see the one parameter that is shit, is the signal strength

I posted the query before this one sample got through last night.

And proved that the unit was in fact operating, just unable to get
through 99% of the time

So it is on the ragged edge. And probably amenable to having an RF
mirror stuck behind it.

Which I will experiment with, Currently the access pint has a stainless
steel tray wedged behind it, but it doesn't seem to have improved much.

Its cold and wet and I am not bothering to go outside and play with the external installation today.
:-(



--
?But what a weak barrier is truth when it stands in the way of an
hypothesis!?

Mary Wollstonecraft


--- PyGate Linux v1.5.1
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

Anyone have any anecdotal or other wise informatin on pi PICO W and
other pis with wifi being more, or less able to connect with temperature.
I took mine outside and it connected and reported its indoor
temperature, but hasn't reported since. Wifi is on the bleeding edge
(-94dBm)


--
I was brought up to believe that you should never give offence if you
can avoid it; the new culture tells us you should always take offence if
you can. There are now experts in the art of taking offence, indeed
whole academic subjects, such as 'gender studies', devoted to it.

Sir Roger Scruton

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.1
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

On 03/12/2025 23:05, John R Walliker wrote:

On 03/12/2025 20:28, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

Anyone have any anecdotal or other wise informatin on pi PICO W and
other pis with wifi being more, or less able to connect with temperature.
I took mine outside and it connected and reported its indoor
temperature, but hasn't reported since. Wifi is on the bleeding edge
(-94dBm)

I have a Pi Zero 2W in an unheated garage where it gets a fairly
weak signal.ÿ It has not had any problems at low temperatures.
John

Thank you John. I have had just one signal that got through and
reported the signal strength at -95dBm, and the outside temperature at
7.2øC.

So it seems that its signal strength rather than temperature that is the issue, and the hardware is actually working but not getting enough signal.

Time to give the unit a tinfoil hat I think! :-)

(more likely a 3D printed paraboloid and copper foil)...

Ho hum. Product development eh?

--
Climate Change: Socialism wearing a lab coat.


--- PyGate Linux v1.5.1
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> wrote:

On 04/12/2025 07:52, David Taylor wrote:

On 03/12/2025 20:28, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

Anyone have any anecdotal or other wise informatin on pi PICO W and
other pis with wifi being more, or less able to connect with temperature. >> I took mine outside and it connected and reported its indoor
temperature, but hasn't reported since. Wifi is on the bleeding edge
(-94dBm)

I've found that Wi-Fi on the Pico W to be dependent on its supply voltage.ÿ Two A cells isn't enough.

I have *three* AAs ! The ultrasonics need nearer 5V.

It worked fine on my desk here but the signal strength was around -87dBn ..

Now it's outside on the far side of a garage I seem to have lost about 6dB.

Do the AAs suffer when the temperature drops? I recall stories of arctic explorers having to keep camera/etc batteries close to their skin so they
don't freeze and stop working.

Maybe it's marginal but usable inside and the temperature drop is enough to
tip it over the edge. Does it work better on a warm day than a cold night?

Theo

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.1
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

On 04/12/2025 15:24, Richard Jones wrote:

On 04/12/2025 07:52, David Taylor wrote:

On 03/12/2025 20:28, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

Anyone have any anecdotal or other wise informatin on pi PICO W and
other pis with wifi being more, or less able to connect with
temperature.
I took mine outside and it connected and reported its indoor
temperature, but hasn't reported since. Wifi is on the bleeding edge
(-94dBm)

I've found that Wi-Fi on the Pico W to be dependent on its supply
voltage.ÿ Two A cells isn't enough.

All Pi Zero 2 wifi circuitry is powered by a 3V3 rail from the main
PMIC. If the 5V supply is low enough for this rail to fail I'd expect
other Pi issues too.

Ah. Is it now?

That's a useful data point.


--
"And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch".

Gospel of St. Mathew 15:14



--- PyGate Linux v1.5.1
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

On 12/4/25 09:43, Theo wrote:

Do the AAs suffer when the temperature drops?

Yes (virtually all batteries do)

I recall stories of arctic
explorers having to keep camera/etc batteries close to their skin so they don't freeze and stop working.

When I was stationed in Alaska (Ft. Richardson, '72-'74), during Winter
we had to keep the batteries for our AN/PRC77 radios in a pouch
underneath our parkas, to prevent deteriorating voltage.

--
I forget things I want to remember,
and remember things I want to forget.

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.1
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

On 04/12/2025 15:24, Richard Jones wrote:

All Pi Zero 2 wifi circuitry is powered by a 3V3 rail from the main
PMIC. If the 5V supply is low enough for this rail to fail I'd expect
other Pi issues too.

Thanks!

--
David
Web: https://www.satsignal.eu

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.1
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)