Connecting Your Monitor to the Internet (WiFi Model)

When connecting your monitor to the internet and dashboard for the first time, we recommend following our onboarding guide which can be found here. This document covers much of the same information, and is intended to help you troubleshoot if you run into issues with online onboarding.

To access the data from your newly installed AirGradient Open Air, you must connect it to a WiFi network. This manual provides the steps to connect your Open Air monitor to WiFi for seamless data transmission to the dashboard.

When connected to WiFi, your monitor periodically sends data to the AirGradient dashboard. This platform helps you to collect and analyse your data, for instance to identify trends in local air quality. Data can be exported from the dashboard for further analysis and information.

Please note that a WiFi connection is required to view data from your air quality monitor.

1. Connecting Your Monitor to WiFi

1.1. What Do I Need? (Prerequisites)

To begin using your AirGradient Open Air O-1PST monitor and connect it to WiFi, you will need a few essential items. Firstly, you require access to a local WiFi network, and you must know its name (SSID) and password. It is crucial to note that the O-1PST only supports 2.4GHz WiFi networks; 5GHz networks are incompatible. Furthermore, the WiFi network must have an active internet connection. Networks with WPA Enterprise or captive portals are not supported. Finally, it’s important to ensure that no firewall is installed that might block unknown devices in the network. To whitelist devices, the monitor’s serial number corresponds to the MAC address.

Identifying if a network is 2.4GHz or 5GHz can be challenging and depends on the devices you are using. However, 2.4GHz networks are very common around the globe. So, first, try to connect the sensors to your WiFi network. If you succeed, you don’t need to worry about finding your network frequency. If you struggle to connect the sensors, try to find this information in the router’s or modem’s admin panel. If you have a smartphone or laptop connected to the same network, you can also view the network band in your settings menu (under WiFi network settings). The most obvious way to tell which band the network uses is from the network name - for example, in some cases, a network will have a name like WiFi_network_2.4GHz. This won’t always be the case, but it is the easiest way to tell which band a network uses.

Secondly, you will require a smartphone, tablet, or laptop equipped with WiFi capabilities and a web browser to complete the setup process.

1.2. Connection Steps

Power on the monitor:

• Connect your AirGradient Open Air O-1PST to a power source.

Observe the LED:

• Wait for the blue LED on the bottom of the device to start flashing, indicating the hotspot is active. Please note that the LED might take 10-15 seconds to begin flashing. While it’s normally faster than this, please allow up to 30 seconds for the LED to begin flashing before troubleshooting.

Connect to the hotspot:

• Using your smartphone, tablet, or laptop, locate the WiFi hotspot named “airgradient-xxxxx” (where “xxxxx” is the device’s serial number).
• Note down the hotspot name for future reference.
• Connect your device to this hotspot.
• The password for this connection is “cleanair.”

Android specific:

• If you are using Android 11 or 12, select “Manage router”.
• On some versions of Android, you might need to tap “Tap here to sign in to network” to proceed.

Access the WiFi Manager:

• The WiFi Manager screen should appear automatically within 10 seconds.
• If it doesn’t appear, open a web browser and navigate to 192.168.4.1 (ensure you enter this in the browser’s navigation bar, not a search engine). Also, please ensure you are still connected to the monitor’s WiFi hotspot as you will not be able to access this URL if you are using another network.
• Ensure you stay connected to the device’s hotspot.

Configure WiFi:

• On the WiFi Manager screen, press “Wifi Configuration.”
• Select your desired WiFi network from the list.
• If your network is hidden, manually enter the network name.
• Enter the password for your WiFi network (not “cleanair”).
• Ensure the box labeled “Prevent connection to AirGradient servers” is unchecked.
• Click “Connect.”

Saving Credentials:

• You will see a screen displaying “saving credentials…” Do not leave this screen.
• If the WiFi details are correct, the screen will close automatically after a few seconds.
• If the credentials are incorrect, you will be returned to the network screen.
• If the “saving credentials” screen times out, the captive portal will close, and the device will restart. In this case, repeat the process from step two.
• Sometimes, the screen will close without the ‘saving credentials’ screen showing. If this is the case, the monitor has successfully connected.

“No internet connection” warning:

• If your device prompts a “no internet connection” warning, remain connected to the hotspot. This is common, especially for iPhone users.
• Record the hotspot serial number for troubleshooting.

Captive portal issues:

• If the captive window does not automatically appear, search 192.168.4.1 in your browser navigation bar.

Troubleshooting:

• If issues persist, consult the troubleshooting steps or contact the support team.

1.3. Next Steps

Once you’ve connected your device to WiFi, please proceed to Chapter S4 - Connecting Your Monitor to the Dashboard which discusses adding your connected monitor to the AirGradient dashboard. If you have cellular variants to set up also, please proceed to Chapter S3.1 - Connecting Your Monitor to the Internet (Cellular Model). Finally, if you have run into any issues with connecting your device to WiFi, please refer to the troubleshooting steps below.

2. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Please refer to some of the commonly asked questions below if you encounter any issues when connecting your monitors to the internet and dashboard.

Can I use a 5GHz Wi-Fi network?

No, the Open Air only supports 2.4GHz Wi-Fi networks. Ensure your network is compatible before proceeding. You can find this information in the router’s or modem’s admin panel. If you have a smartphone or laptop connected to the same network, you can also view the network band in your settings menu (under WiFi network settings). Sometimes you can even tell the band from the network name - for example, in some cases, a network will have a name like WiFi_network_2.4GHz.

What if I don’t see the WiFi hotspot in my Wi-Fi networks?

If this is the case, you will want to reset your monitor using the instructions on this page.

What kind of Wi-Fi networks are not supported?

The monitor does not work on:

• WPA Enterprise networks.
• Networks with captive portals (e.g., networks requiring web-based login).
• Networks with firewalls blocking unknown devices.

What is the hotspot password?

The default password for the monitor’s hotspot is “cleanair”.

What should I do if the Wi-Fi Manager screen doesn’t appear?

Open a browser and go to 192.168.4.1. Ensure you are connected to the monitor’s hotspot.

My device says “no internet connection” when connected to the monitor’s hotspot. What should I do?

Stay connected to the hotspot. This message is normal and does not affect the setup process.

How do I access the AirGradient dashboard?

Visit the Onboarding Wizard and log in or create an account to register your monitor.

What information do I need to create an account?

You need an email address (or Gmail account) and must agree to AirGradient’s Terms and Privacy Policy.

What if the monitor doesn’t connect to Wi-Fi?

• Recheck your Wi-Fi credentials and try again.
• Ensure the network meets the compatibility requirements.
• If issues persist, contact AirGradient support.

What if the captive portal times out during setup?

The device will restart. Reconnect to the hotspot and repeat the setup steps.

Developed by AirGradient in Collaboration with the UNDP Global Centre Singapore CC-BY-SA