Pulsenode W
Wireless and battery-powered, with tri-axial vibration from 2 Hz to 10 kHz, surface temperature and magnetic flux. Up to 5 years on a battery at hourly sampling; IP68; Class I Division 2 variant.
IoT Monitoring
Know which bearing, which fault, and when
Pulsenode sensors watch vibration, ultrasound, temperature and motor current on the assets that matter. Each alert names the likely fault, is checked by an analyst before it reaches you, and lands in your CMMS as a work order.
The problem
Alert floods teach people to ignore alerts
Many condition-monitoring rollouts fail the same way. Sensors go on every motor in reach, each with a vibration threshold, and within a month the maintenance team is getting dozens of alarms a week. Most are a pump that runs rougher at low flow, or a sensor knocked loose during a guard change. After the third false alarm, people stop reading them — and the one that mattered gets read on Monday.
Route-based collection has the opposite problem. A technician with a handheld analyzer visits each asset once a month, which is fine for faults that develop over months and blind to the ones that develop over days.
Reliability teams need fewer, better alerts: which asset, which fault, how urgent, and what to do about it — with enough evidence that a planner will schedule the work.
How it works
Six failure modes and the signals that reveal them
Each Pulsenode measures something different. Fault diagnostics in the Asset Health module combine them, so an alert names a probable cause instead of just a level.
| Failure mode | What the signal shows | Sensor |
|---|---|---|
| Imbalance | High vibration at 1× running speed, mostly radial | Pulsenode W |
| Misalignment | Raised 1× and 2× running speed, often with strong axial vibration | Pulsenode W |
| Bearing defects | Energy at the bearing's defect frequencies and a rising high-frequency floor; harmonics and sidebands as damage grows | Pulsenode W; Pulsenode U for early stages |
| Mechanical looseness | Many harmonics of running speed, sometimes half-orders | Pulsenode W |
| Lubrication faults | Rising ultrasound levels from friction before vibration changes | Pulsenode U |
| Electrical faults | Current imbalance and harmonics, sidebands around line frequency, magnetic-flux changes | Pulsenode C; Pulsenode W magnetic flux |
Sensors, software and people
From signal to scheduled work order
Pulsenode C
A clamp-on electrical node for panels and motor control centers — current and voltage harmonics, phase imbalance and energy for each motor feed.
Pulsenode U
Ultrasound from 20 to 100 kHz catches early lubrication faults before vibration rises, and also checks compressed-air leaks and steam traps.
Fault diagnostics
Spectra, trends and fault classification for each asset in Perflens Console, with severity and a recommended action.
Human-verified alerts
With Care Verified, a Perflens analyst reviews the data behind each alert within 4 business hours before it reaches your team. False alarms stop at the desk.
CMMS work orders
Verified alerts open work orders through the API of systems such as IBM Maximo, SAP PM, Fiix, Limble or UpKeep, with the evidence attached.
Where to start
Rank assets by criticality before buying sensors
Not every motor deserves a sensor. We start with an asset criticality ranking, run with your maintenance and production leads: what each failure costs in lost production, safety exposure, repair cost and spare-part lead time, and how likely it is given the asset's history and duty.
- A — critical: continuous monitoring with Pulsenode W, C or U, and verified alerts.
- B — important: lower sampling rates or a periodic ultrasound and vibration route.
- C — run to failure: cheaper to replace than to watch; no sensor.
The ranking becomes a criticality register you keep. The downtime cost calculator is a good way to put numbers on the A list before the call.
Process
From ranking to verified alerts
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Criticality ranking
We rank the candidate assets with your team and agree which ones are worth continuous monitoring.
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Proof of Value
Loaner Pulsenodes and a gateway on up to 25 assets, with success criteria agreed in writing — for example, alert precision and which fault types must be caught.
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Deployment and baseline
Sensors mounted, gateways commissioned, CMMS connected, and a normal baseline learned for each asset across its usual operating range.
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Verified alerts and reports
Analysts verify alerts, work orders flow to planners, and Perflens Care reports alert precision and asset health every month.
Pricing and commitments
Published, per asset
$89
per monitored asset per month, including Pulsenodes, gateway, Console and Care Essentials
25
assets minimum on a 36-month subscription
4 hours
analyst verification of alerts on business days with Care Verified
5 years
Pulsenode W battery life at hourly sampling (up to)
Care Verified adds $18 per asset per month. Capital purchase is also available. See pricing.
Honest fit
Where condition monitoring pays — and where it doesn't
A good fit when
- Motors, pumps, fans, gearboxes and compressors where an unplanned stop costs more than the monitoring
- Assets that are hard or hazardous to reach on a route
- A team that has been burned by alert floods and wants fewer, better alarms
- A CMMS that planners already trust and use
Probably not when
- Slow-turning equipment below roughly 120 rpm, under the 2 Hz floor of Pulsenode W — it needs specialist low-frequency sensors
- Assets that are cheaper to replace than to watch
- Fewer than 25 assets worth monitoring — consider a capital purchase or a periodic route instead of a subscription
See it in context
Condition monitoring in practice
Condition monitoring on 38 corrugator drives
Pulsenode W and Care Verified on drives, gearboxes and fans, with unplanned downtime on monitored assets down about 35% in the modeled scenario.
Read more
Packaging, paper & wood products
Continuous lines where one failed drive stops everything downstream.
Read more
Metals & fabrication
Presses, rolling equipment, fans and hydraulic units in heat, dust and vibration.
Read moreFAQ
Questions we hear often
How soon are alerts meaningful?
Severe faults are flagged from day one against general severity limits. Asset-specific alerts improve over the first weeks as each machine's normal baseline is learned across its usual loads and speeds.
What does human-verified actually mean?
With Care Verified, a Perflens analyst looks at the spectra, trend and operating context behind each alert within 4 business hours, confirms or dismisses it, and adds the likely fault and a recommended action. Care Dedicated verifies within 1 hour, 24/7.
Is hourly sampling often enough?
For most bearing, alignment and balance problems, which develop over weeks or months, yes. Critical assets can sample more often at the cost of battery life, or be watched continuously by a wired Pulsenode C.
Can Pulsenodes go in hazardous areas?
Pulsenode W has a Class I Division 2 variant. We review your area classification during the site walk and mark any locations it doesn't cover.
What about the sensors we already have?
Existing online systems that publish data over OPC UA or Modbus can feed the same Console, so verified alerts and work orders cover old and new sensors alike.
Start with 25 assets you can't afford to lose
A six-week Proof of Value puts loaner Pulsenodes on up to 25 assets and measures what verified alerts are worth on your site.