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Spotlight

Study Finds Strong Link Between Wildfire Smoke and Dementia

Air Pollution and Climate Change are Two Sides of the Same Coin

According to the World Health Organization, more than 90% of the people breathe unhealthy air. Air pollution is the biggest driver of premature death of all environmental health risks. With climate change and the warming of the planet, air pollution, e.g. through wildfires are also increasingly becoming a major issue in regions with previously very clean air.

Air quality can quickly fluctuate between good and unhealthy levels and thus a dense network of air quality monitors ensures that people know when they need to protect their health. The Open Air outdoor monitor keeps you always informed about the air you breathe.

The Open Air is one of the first low-cost air quality monitors that includes a CO2 sensor which allows the identification of local emission sources -which might not always emit large amounts of particles and therefore not always visible with the PM data.

What does it Measure?

The monitor measures PM, CO2, TVOCs, NOX, Temperature and Humidity.

The PM sensor (Plantower PMS5003T) measures particulate matter, especially smaller particles like PM1 and PM2.5 have the potential to cause significant harm to our well-being. These tiny particles are released into the air through various sources such as vehicle emissions, industrial activities, burning of fossil fuels or wildfires. When inhaled, these small particles can penetrate deep into our respiratory system, leading to a range of health issues. Long-term exposure to PM2.5 has been linked to respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, including asthma, bronchitis, heart attacks, and even premature death.

The CO2 sensor (SenseAir S8) can give you valuable information about local emission sources. These elevated CO2 levels can then also indicate other harmful gases that are often emitted with CO2 like SO2, NO and NO2. These emissions are not always visible with only measuring PM due to for example good filters in power plants or factories. Another use case is to detect leakage from underground carbon storage facilities. Please note that the sensor is not accurate enough to measure the exact atmospheric CO2 increases (currently around 430ppm), however our tests show a very high agreement with reference instruments.

The monitor also includes the Sensirion SGP41 TVOCs, NOX sensor. This sensor shows relative spikes in total volatile organic components and NOX based on the Sensirion VOC Index. Even though VOCs are typically associated with indoor sources, VOCs can also occur outdoors for example emitted from chemical factories, petrol stations, natural gas leakages, burning of garbage etc. Please note that VOCs are also triggered by harmless substances like ethanol or sunscreen. So an elevated value does not necessarily mean a harmful event.

We work very closely with a number of leading universities on air quality monitoring and our monitor has been selected for the largest study of classroom air quality in the world due to its performance and affordability. You can read more about our work with research institutions on our research page.

Flexible Data Platforms & Smart Home Support

Home linked to AirGradient Platform

The AirGradient Open Air monitor is unique as it gives you full flexibility on how you want to monitor and use the data. Being open-source you are not locked in to any specific data platform but can connect the data to any server, i.e. Home Assistant or use the AirGradient data platform - a data platform specifically made for air quality monitoring.

This gives you complete ownership and freedom of your data and our community has built a number of extensions to existing data platforms.

From Home Assistant 2024.6 onwards (and running the latest firmware), the AirGradient ONE now natively supports Home Assistant and will get auto discovered. The monitor also supports the Homey system and the Homey app can be installed from their market place.

Of course you can also use the AirGradient dashboard that is already pre-flashed on the monitor and very easy to setup.

This powerful dashboard lets you immediately see the air quality and environmental status of multiple locations. Built for speed and scale. You can set up specific alerts and are notified automatically if air quality is exceeds your defined ranges.

Get powerful daily and weekly reports detailing the air quality of each location, providing you with a clear, concise summaries at a glance.

Outdoor monitors can also be displayed on the AirGradient Map and you can opt-in to share your outdoor data with OpenAQ, a non-profit with the mission to democratize air quality data and make it freely available.

Community and Map

We are fortunate to have a strong community dedicated to our mission of providing open, accurate, and affordable air quality monitoring. Thousands of open-hardware monitors are being run in more than 70 countries worldwide, contributing valuable data to our platform.

By using the AirGradient data platform, you can opt-in to share your outdoor data with the public. This data will be displayed on the AirGradient map, along with many other monitors. Additionally, you can choose to share your data with OpenAQ, a non-profit organization that makes worldwide air quality data available for public and research purposes.

Easy to Assemble, Setup & Install

The kit version is very easy to assemble, and you can also get the monitor as fully assembled version. We provide detailed instructions and videos on how to connect the monitor to your WiFi network and set it up on the dashboard and map. If you run into any problem, just contact us directly and we are happy to help. You can also ask questions in the AirGradient Forum and get valuable tips from the community.

Mounting Options

The monitor can be mounted on walls or poles. For pole mounting, use two stainless steel zip ties and feed them through the zip tie holders. Alternatively you can use two screws and mount the monitor on a wall. To prevent theft, there is a small hole on the monitor that you can use with a secure screw to prevent the monitor from easily taken off.

The enclosure is fully weather proof so it can be mounted being exposed to the elements.

Optimized Enclosure

The enclosure has been designed with two primary goals, firstly to ensure accurate measurements of the air quality and secondly to be robust and long lasting.

For accurate measurements it is important that there is a good airflow to the sensor modules, that air loops in front of the sensor modules are avoided and that the risk of condensation inside the enclosure is as much as possible reduced.

The enclosure itself is very robust and consists of high quality ASA plastic that gives an excellent durability as well as UV protection.

Get the AirGradient Open Air

AirGradient PRO Fully Assembled

Outdoor air quality monitor. Measures PM1, PM2.5, PM10, CO2, TVOCs, NOX, Temperature and Humidity. Fully assembled and tested.

Get the AirGradient Open Air

  • Model O-1PST
  • Measures PM, CO2, TVOCs, NOX, Temperature and Humidity
  • 4m USB C cable (w/o power plug)
  • 24 months AirGradient data platform with map (or connect it to your own server, e.g. home assistant)
  • Fully open-source code so you can easily make adjustments
  • Local Home Assistant support with auto discovery
  • Fully assembled
  • Tested in our test chamber with test report
  • Certified: CE, FCC, RoHS, REACH
  • 12 months warranty

USD 190.00

Buy Now

Also available as Kit for:
USD 125.00

Spotlight

The Hidden Cost of Air Quality Monitoring

Technical Data

Below is the technical data of the default version of the Open Air as it is available in our online store.

SpecificationDescription
ModelO-1PST (AirGradient Open Air)
MicrocontrollerESP32-C3-MINI (32-bit RISC-V single-core processor, up to 160MHz, 384 KB ROM, 400 KB SRAM, 8 KB SRAM in RTC, 4 MB flash in chip package)
WiFi2.4GHz IEEE 802.11 b/g/n-compliant
BluetoothBluetooth LE: Bluetooth 5, Bluetooth mesh
ExtensionsBroken out on PCB: I2C, 3 GPIO, 2 UART
PeripheralsStatus LED, Push Button, USB C Connector
External Hardware WatchdogTexas Instruments TPL5010
Particle Sensor ModulePlantower PMS5003T (laser scattering principle). Accuracy: ±10%@100~500μ g/m³, ±10μg/m³@0~100μ g/m³
Temperature and HumidityENS210 (inside PMS5003T module). Accuracy: Temperature ±0.2°C @ 0 - 70°C; Humidity ±3.5% RH @ 20 - 80% RH
CO2 Sensor ModuleSenseAir S8 (NDIR). 0 to 10000ppm. Accuracy: ±40 ppm ±3% of reading at 5 to 30°C, 0-85% RH (400 - 2000ppm range)
TVOC/NOX ModuleSensirion SGP41. Accuracy: TVOC <±15 @ 0 to 500 VOC Index; NOX <±50 @ 0 - 500 NOX Index
EnclosureASA Plastic, UV Resistant and Weather Proof
Mounting OptionsWall or pole mounting options
Cable4m USB C Cable including Data Lines for Flashing
Power Plug (not included)

2A 5V USB A Power Plug is Required

CertificationsCE, RoHS, REACH, FCC ID: 2AC7Z-ESPC3MINI

Keep in Touch

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Ideally combined with indoor monitors

In order to fully understand the air quality of your environment, we recommend you also monitor the air quality indoors. We spend most of our time indoors and often the indoor air can also be very unhealthy due to indoor pollutants like volatile organic components (VOCs), or high particle concentrations from cooking. High CO2 values due to insufficient ventilation can lead to tiredness and lower cognitive performance.

By monitoring both, indoor and outdoor air quality you get valuable additional data, e.g. where the pollution is coming from, how well does the ventilation and air purification of your home works etc. The AirGradient dashboard is especially suited to compare indoor and outdoor air quality in combined reports and charts.

Go to our indoor air quality monitor page to learn more about our open-source indoor monitors.

In 2019, 99% of the world population was living in places where the WHO air quality guidelines levels were not met. Ambient (outdoor air pollution) in both cities and rural areas was estimated to cause 4.2 million premature deaths worldwide in 2016.

World Health Organisation

Easy to Extend

The open-hardware / open-source nature of the monitor allow easy changes and additions on the firmware as well hardware. The board is powered by an ESP32-C3-MINI microcontroller that is easy to program with a wide eco-system and has integrated WiFi and Bluetooth capabilities.

The ESP32 can directly be flashed through the USB C port and thus changes in the open-source firmware can easily be done.

For the ones, who would like to make adjustments to the monitor, there are breakout pins available for I2C and three additional IOs. In addition, you can repurpose the two UARTs. The board provides both, 5 and 3.3 volts.

We integrated an external hardware watchdog chip that automatically reboots the unit in case something goes wrong and thus the monitor can achieve high up times.

Reviews

We are very thankful for the overwhelming support we get for the AirGradient air quality monitors and are especially thankful for people that write about their experiences using the monitors. Below is a wide range of reviews from AirGradient users!

Open Hardware, Open Source, Open Data

As the name implies, the Open Air has been designed from the ground up with the strong desire democratizing air quality monitoring. Access to the information about the air you breathe should not be a privilege of the rich. Air pollution is one of the largest global environmental and health risks, requiring a high density sensor network to understand and solve the problem. We provide a blueprint of a robust, affordable and open design that citizens and NGOs worldwide can use to accurately measure air quality.

Fully Open Source

All code, schematics, 3D files etc. are open-source and published under CC-BY-SA 4.0 license. You can easily adapt the hardware as well as flash your own firmware.

You own your Data

There is a trend in our industry to monetize air quality data to the extent that often the owner of the monitor does not own the data. We believe this is wrong. The data that your monitor generates should belong to the owner of the monitor.

OpenAQ

We have partnered up with OpenAQ, a non-profit with the mission to provide air quality data to influence policy, and to enable the public to access information on air pollution through open data and open-source tools.

1% for the Planet

We joined 1% For The Planet and pledged to donate at least one percent of your annual sales to non-profit organisations dedicated to protect the planet. You can read more about our motivation to join 1% for the planet on our plog post ‘Why We Joined 1% For The Planet’

Activities and Stories From and About our Community

We are blessed to have such an active community. Read more about community engagement.

The AirGradient Manifesto

This manifesto reflects our core values and the principles we stand for:

Positive Disruptor

We must be bold. We always follow our convictions and call out the issues that matter, sharing our views on topics surrounding air quality and environmental responsibility. We will not compromise for profit. We believe that open, informed, and candid discussions are the catalysts for meaningful change. We will lead by example and become a driving force for environmental monitoring.

Responsible Products

We will deliver benefits for both people and the planet. This is why we prioritise creating high-quality air quality monitors with designs that enable easy repairs and recycling, thereby extending the product’s lifespan and reducing its environmental footprint.

Open Science and Research

Our research is driven by a commitment to environmental protection, not by profits. This is why we don’t patent our air quality monitor designs but on the contrary, share them openly, allowing everyone to build them and to contribute to positive change. We do not lock users into proprietary eco-systems and we encourage sharing of air quality data and algorithms as a public good.

Community Building

We want to raise awareness about air pollution through active community building with a strong focus on informing about the dangers of air pollution. We actively support environmental justice organisations and educational institutions in their missions to provide healthier environments for everyone.

Profit Follows Impact

To deliver positive impacts on the communities, and the environment, we must sustain our business model. However we will not prioritise profits above our convictions. We embed this rationale into our everyday decision-making processes throughout all layers of our company. (e.g. by joining 1% for the Planet).

Transparency and Accessibility

AirGradient is built on a foundation of openness and inclusivity. We aim to make our products and services available to a wide range of users with a special focus on underrepresented communities. We strive to work with all organisations that want to make a positive contribution independent of their financial means.

Why we care about Air Quality

AirGradient started as a volunteer project to help a school in Northern Thailand monitor the air quality in classrooms during the highly polluted burning season. From the beginning, we have worked with students and educators to building hardware to increase awareness in the area of air quality, to understand the health impacts of pollutants, and to empower the positive changes that can be made to reduce air pollution.

The experience and expertise that we gained designing and manufacturing our professional AirGradient ONE RESET Air Accredited Monitor has been put into our open-source / open-hardware air quality build instructions and kits.

The industry-grade sensor modules used in our open hardware monitors are the same modules found in pre-built monitors costing hundreds of dollars. As a result, you get highly accurate data quality, essential to having a reliable understanding of the air around you.

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