Any Air Integrated Wrist Computer Connectivity Issues?

[sixt3denied]

Hi all,

I am upgrading my dive gear and was looking into purchasing a wrist dive computer with wireless air integration via transmitter. I am looking at the Suunto D5, Shearwater Teric, Garmin Descent MK2i, Mares Genius to name a few (there are more). .

I previously owned a Mares Puck Air integrated console computer. I have never used a computer with wireless transmitter.

After watching countless videos comparing some of the computers listed above, I am seeing that it is fairly common for them to lose their connection under water. Even the super expensive Garmin MK2i which boasts "sonar communication" once submerged- will occasionally lose its connection. I think I would flip out - spending some hard earned cash on these - and then the communication would fail in the midst of a dive.

Can any of you comment on if this has been an issue for you?

I am rethinking my decision to by hoseless air integrated - and maybe just purchasing an Oceanic Pro Plus 4 or an Aqua Lung i550C - air integrated console - which costs about half the price of some of the wrist computers listed above. I am aware even an air integrated console can malfunction or flood during use - but this seems a lot less likely than communication issues that wireless AI computers have.


By the way - if any of you have the Oceanic Pro Plus 3 or 4, or the Aqua Lung i550C please let me know your thoughts on it as well.

Thanks all

 

[AndyNagy45]

I dive with the Teric and so far have not had any issues. I have the transmitter on short hose over my shoulder. I still retain my spg just in case i lose connection.

 

[lexvil]

In my experience it is rare to lose connection and on the few times it has happened it reconnects right away, I use the Teric, sometimes it’s a battery getting weak, I change the transmitter battery once a year ~

 

[BoltSnap]

Can any of you comment on if this has been an issue for you?

I use Ratio iX3m and NEVER had this issue in 3 years of use and I mean NEVER. The Ratio computer, you can adjust the power of the receiver via software. I also know of people use SP's hoseless AI computers and no issues with connectivity.

I own and use several Suunto hosless AI computer and they do lose signal. Some of them the disruption lasts for a very long time during the dive.

 

[sixt3denied]

I dive with the Teric and so far have not had any issues. I have the transmitter on short hose over my shoulder. I still retain my spg just in case i lose connection.

How are you liking the Teric? Its such a great looking computer! (drool)

 

[sixt3denied]

I have the transmitter on short hose over my shoulder. I still retain my spg just in case i lose connection.

Just curious why you don't have the transmitter plugged directly into your 1st stage? Why do you have it on a hose?

 

[GreggS]

I have dived with Suunto and Oceanic wireless AI computers and have not really had any connectivity problems with either. With the Suunto, you have to choose a wireless channel on the computer and connect it to the transmitter. If you are diving with someone using a Suunto as well one of you may have to change channels so that they don't interfere with each other. My wife and I did have this problem one time. My wife's computer lost connection during a dive and we did have to end it and change channels in order to reconnect it.

With the Oceanic, because it uses the Pelagic system, they will only connect to the serial number of the transmitter you are using although most of them will connect with at least 4 transmitters. You can easily change from one transmitter to the other while diving. I have on occasion had the computer very temporarily lose contact to the transmitter but it restored itself within 2 or 3 seconds. My computer (OCi) will beep and flash a red LED when it does lose connection. Usually, just moving my wrist a little closer to the transmitter does the trick. This has never proven to be a problem during a dive.

 

[asher102]

@sixt3denied Just curious why you don't have the transmitter plugged directly into your 1st stage? Why do you have it on a hose?

There are a couple schools of thought there. First is that, if you put the transmitter on a short hose, no one will try to pick up your tank by the transmitter and potentially break it. The second is that doing this introduced another failure point, the HP hose. Admittedly this is a minor risk, check out this video about the air loss difference between a HP and LP hose.

 

[scubadada]

Hi @sixt3denied

I have dived an Oceanic VT3 since July 2010, 1529 dives, 1612 hours. I have never lost communication longer than momentarily, generally positional. I added a Shearwater Teric in May 2019 and have about 200 dives on it. Again, no more than momentary signal loss, though I did have some early problems with the Teric, nicely taken care of by Shearwater. Both my computers use the Pelagic Pressure Systems tranmitter.
See Are Pressure Transmitters compatible across brands?

My wife and daughter both dive old Oceanic Pro Plus 2s, they continue to work perfectly.

 

[lexvil]

Just curious why you don't have the transmitter plugged directly into your 1st stage? Why do you have it on a hose?

As pointed out already there are some who worry about it being grabbed as a handle (it does look a little like the valve handle) but I use mine directly on the first.