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New Zealand-based company AirSuite has unveiled a state-of-the-art indoor monitor, the 'AirSuite Glance,' designed to detect and record a wide range of environmental factors that can impact the well-being and productivity of people in various settings, including commercial, industrial, and residential spaces. Equipped with an array of sensors, this device can monitor carbon dioxide (CO2) levels, temperature, humidity, acoustics, lighting, air pressure, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), promptly notifying users of any potential hazards.
The device records environmental data every minute and displays it through an ePaper screen using informative graphics. It transmits this data to users' smartphones in near real-time via Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) connectivity, provided by the Nordic Semiconductor nRF52840 System on Chip (SoC). Additionally, it sends data to the cloud using either LTE-M or narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) connectivity through the nRF9160 System-in-Package (SiP), at intervals of at least every fifteen minutes. AirSuite Glance sensors are suitable for a variety of settings, including classrooms, offices, warehouses, retail spaces, and homes.

Diverse Range of Measured Variables
According to Peter Pooran, CEO of AirSuite and Group Business Administrator, "The AirSuite Glance offers one of the most extensive sets of measured variables compared to other devices on the market. These sensors enable the AirSuite Glance to detect invisible factors contributing to suboptimal conditions in a user's environment and remind users of unhealthy conditions they may have grown accustomed to. This is crucial for helping users make informed decisions about maintaining a healthy indoor environment."

The nRF52840 SoC serves as the primary controller for the device, overseeing the sensors with its robust 64 MHz, 32-bit Arm Cortex M4 processor, complete with a floating-point unit (FPU). This SoC transmits data to the AirSuite Monitor app on users' mobile devices. It also shares data with the 'AirSuite Cloud' using the nRF9160 SiP's multi-mode LTE-M/NB-IoT modem, which incorporates an RF Front End (RFFE). This enables remote monitoring and control of environmental conditions by facility management, among other applications.
Through the app or web platform, users can manage and receive alerts when environmental metrics fall outside desired ranges. Historical data is accessible via the 'AirSuite Monitor Web Portal,' allowing users to view trends and compare values for different rooms or sites.

Five-Year Battery Life
The AirSuite Glance is powered by an integrated primary cell battery pack, providing over five years of operation. It also features a secondary USB (universal serial bus) connection to extend its usage even after the battery is depleted. The nRF9160 SiP boasts 'class-leading' power consumption, supporting power-saving modes like PSM and eDRX (Extended Discontinuous Reception). For both LTE-M and NB-IoT, the PSM floor current is as low as 2.7 µA, with an average current of 6 µA for LTE-M and 9 µA for NB-IoT with an eDRX interval of 655 s.

Throughout the development process, AirSuite leveraged the Nordic Power Profiler Kit 2 (PPK2) to fine-tune the AirSuite Glance's software and hardware, ultimately achieving the targeted five-year battery life. The PPK2 offered precise current consumption measurements at an affordable cost, facilitating efficient testing and development cycles.
Furthermore, connection range was a pivotal factor in selecting the nRF9160 SiP, and the nRF52840 SoC was chosen for its powerful processor, 1 MB Flash memory, and 256 KB RAM. The nRF Connect SDK streamlined development by enabling the utilization of Nordic's standard libraries.