The Design and Implementation of an IoT Sensor-Based Indoor Air Quality Monitoring System Using Off-the-Shelf Devices

Featured Application: A generic Internet of Things (IoT) framework presented in this paper offers users a guide to the efficient use of commercially available software and hardware to monitor indoor air quality (IAQ). Findings from this study offer important insights for sensor selection, data integration, and other considerations when using the framework as a guide. IAQ monitoring studies have gained renewed interest post COVID-19. Furthermore, accessibility to the corresponding enabling technologies has improved considerably in terms of cost and requisite knowledge. This paper aims to outline the key decisions involved for researchers and building managers alike to seek to implement their own environmental monitoring study using commercially available hardware and software. To do so, this paper first outlines the essential elements or building blocks of an IoT architecture, detailing the design criteria for selecting various hardware and software. Secondly, it outlines the process of integrating these different components and the flow of data from IoT device to databases and end-user applications. To demonstrate this process, an IAQ monitoring study was conducted at an open-plan office. Our results demonstrated the framework can be adapted to different worksites with minor modifications and provide the flexibility to interchange components. The data collected can be easily integrated into open-source analytic software for visualization and to make informed decisions to manage IAQ. It is through this process that we provide recommendations on how other users may adopt similar frameworks.