What controller is best with outdoor WiFi?

[SarahD]

So - I've successfully run my first show this year, with a few thousand pixels. I've run the whole show with 11 raspberry pi Zero W's distributed across the garden, controlling AC via relay boards, and pixels in Alan Hanson's excellent RPi-28D+ 2 port capes. While this is unusual, it made sense for us as we have an Orbi mesh wifi network including an outdoor Orbi, so high speed wifi available right across my layout. (The deal at our place is all Christmas lights must be clear of the lawn so it can be mown through December - this setup only requires power and has worked very well).

But I've got the bug now, and expansion plans for next year will hit the limitations of that system. I'm going to need a bigger controller (or 2) and trying to figure out whether to get a Falcon F16v4 or Falcon F48v4.

I've got one location now where I'll be running 5x100 node trees, 550 nodes of leaping arch LED strip, 1000 node selfie wings, and 500 nodes of fence border. I've got two other locations where I'll also be >1200 nodes across >2 ports. I'd like to be able to talk from a central Falcon board via wifi to daughter boards (RJ45 won't be practical for their locations).

Everything is WS281*, and everything is 12 volts and planning on staying that way for simplicity. Running xLights and FPP from one of the Pi's to control the show over wifi.

Advice very welcome on what questions I need to consider, recommendations, and vendors? Many thanks in advance.

Sarah (Mersey Christmas Lights)

 

[Notenoughlights]

If you are able to connect all the pi's to the same network, you could use Master/Slave mode to prevent loss of data/lights freezing up etc due to bad signal. HE123mk2 from Hanson Electronics with a BBB/BBG + Wifi dongle could be used to operate a large number of pixels in a close proximity if you are not wanting to have wires going anywhere.
Sadly most of the daughter boards I assume you are talking about (Expansion boards) require an ethernet cable in order to operate. You may have to go down the route of having multiple FPP installed pi's/Beaglebone devices hooked to wifi.

 

[SarahD]

If you are able to connect all the pi's to the same network, you could use Master/Slave mode to prevent loss of data/lights freezing up etc due to bad signal. HE123mk2 from Hanson Electronics with a BBB/BBG + Wifi dongle could be used to operate a large number of pixels in a close proximity if you are not wanting to have wires going anywhere.
Sadly most of the daughter boards I assume you are talking about (Expansion boards) require an ethernet cable in order to operate. You may have to go down the route of having multiple FPP installed pi's/Beaglebone devices hooked to wifi.

Thanks - that's the path I'm already on. 10 pi's in slave mode and one master, with all the sequences downloaded to each pi beforehand over wifi. Works brilliantly. Problem is I've only got two ports per pi, and need 4 or more in a few places. It's actually quite a cheap way to do it, once the wifi is there (not cheap, but good for other reasons). If I'm limited to ethernet connection expansion boards with Falcon, that helps me decide they're not going to do it. Might just double up the pi's and capes in each box to get 4 ports, as you suggest. Will have a look at the HE123Mk2 as well. Much appreciated.

 

[Notenoughlights]

Yeah HE123mk2 would be the way to go, 16 onboard ports with the capacity of 48 total with expansion modules.

 

[SmartAlecLights]

I used one of my pixelbone48 cape + bbb + wifi adapter on my neighbours house. so i could control it

Then i tested out the Wifi 4 port version of the Quinled-dig-quad board, nice an easy with wled firmware.