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Gaia A18 product view

Overview

The GAIA A18 is an improved GAIA A12 design, with solar panel power and long-distance radio, allowing the station to operate in areas where either power supply or WiFi connectivity is unavailable.

Battery and Solar Powered

The GAIA A18 can operate using the battery for seven days without a recharge (when using LoRa). The solar panel battery can recharge the battery within a few hours under direct sun conditions. Using both the solar panel and the battery, the station can operate forever off-grid, provided there are a few sunny days every week.

Battery & Power Consumption:

Battery Model: 18650 LiPO battery (standard battery)
Capacity: 3400 mAh 3.7V (12.5 Wh)
Lifetime: 7+ days without solar harvesting (using LoRa)
Sensing Cycle: 30 seconds every 5 minutes (configurable)
Power Consumption: 130µA in sleep mode, ~100mA in sensing mode

Solar Panel:

Max output: 8V 500mA (4W)
Dimensions: 220 * 130 * 7mm
Weight: 260g

Monitoring Device:

Dimensions: 115 * 90 * 55 mm, excluding antenna
Weight: 450 grams, excluding battery
Weight: 600 grams, including battery

Additional accessories included with the station:

10m waterproof power cable
3400 mAh 18650 battery
fixation straps

Optional extensions (let us know at ordering time):

Optional SD-Card storage for off-network operation.
Optional GPS module for geolocation
Optional high gain WiFi antenna

Enhanced Connectivity using LoRa ("Long Range")

The GAIA A18 can operate using WIFI like the GAIA A12. But it also comes with "long-range" connectivity support (LoRA), allowing you to locate your station several hundreds of meters up to several kilometers from your network gateway (depending on the line of sight). The GAIA A18 comes with an external WIFI/LoRA gateway.

The GAIA A18 also contains an optional internal GPS sensor to make it easier to locate your remote stations.

Pricing

The GAIA A18 with both solar panel+battery and LoRa features connectivity costs 350.
It is also possible to get the A18 with only one feature (either Solar or LoRa) for 280.
Support for the GPS cost an additional 50.

Product version	GAIA A12	GAIA A18 Solar	GAIA A18 LoRa	GAIA A18 Solar+LoRa	GAIA A18 Solar+LoRa+GPS
Network Connectivity	WiFi	WiFi	LoRa + WiFi	LoRa + WiFi	LoRa + WiFi
Power Supply	Power Outlet	Battery + Solar Panel	Power Outlet	Battery + Solar Panel	Battery + Solar Panel
Accessories	10 meters power cable	10 meters power cable Solar Panel	10 meters power cable LoRa gateway	10 meters power cable Solar Panel LoRa gateway	10 meters power cable Solar Panel LoRa gateway
GPS	no	no	no	no	yes
Cost	200	280	280	350	380

GAIA A18 Solar+LoRa package content:

Ordering and Inquiry

Fill in the form below to get a quotation including the shipment cost.

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Delivery address: postcode + city

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Frequently Asked Questions:

Payment: It can be done using any regular credit card.

Discount: 10% discount when ordering 5 pieces, 20% when ordering 10 pieces or more.

DC Adapter: Products are shipped with localized power plug adaptors (USB power supply) for US, EU, AU and UK.

Installation & Mounting Instructions

Mounting:

Mounting with straps

Mounting with screws

There are 2 options for mounting the monitoring box:

Using screws: The GAIA enclosure is made of a standard outdoor ABS box, which comes with 4 holes dedicated to screwing the box.
Using standard plastic straps: The GAIA station is delivered with 2 straps of 1 meter, which can be used to fix the station on a pole.

Distance:

The station comes with a 10-meter (33-foot) power cable (5V with DC3.5 connector), so the station should be located no more than 10 meters away from the nearest power source. If needed, we can provide a longer power cable (contact us in this case).
The monitoring station uses a regular external WIFI antenna, which allows the station to be at most 20 meters away from the nearest WiFi access point. In case a longer distance is needed, an enhanced external antenna can be used (contact us in this case).

Location:

Average daily traffic (vehicles per day)	Minimum distance in meters
≤1,000	10
10,000	10
15,000	20
20,000	30
40,000	50
70,000	100
≥110,000	250

Overall, the most important is to place the station somewhere protected from direct winds, rain, and dust sources.

For official stations, there are two more requirements, with the intent to locate the station on sites representative of the ambient air quality levels:

Height: The station should be mounted at a height above a minimum of 1.5 meters. The objective is to prevent dust resuspension, which can happen if someone is walking near the station.
Distance from road traffic: The station should be located at least 10 meters away from the nearest road. See the table on the right for full specifications.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do the GAIA stations compare to the purple air stations?

comparison

Can I see how the GAIA station is made?

internals

Can I access the station data?
How is the WIFI setup done?

setup

I need longer power cables:
Can I use a PMS6003 instead of the PMS5003?

I do not want to share my exact location on the map:
Can the station be operated offline, eg without WiFi:

GAIA A20

Can the GAIA stations be integrated with Home Assistant:

Back to the GAIA Air Quality Monitoring station page

AQI	Air Pollution Level	Health Implications	Cautionary Statement (for PM2.5)
0 - 50	Good	Air quality is considered satisfactory, and air pollution poses little or no risk	None
51 -100	Moderate	Air quality is acceptable; however, for some pollutants there may be a moderate health concern for a very small number of people who are unusually sensitive to air pollution.	Active children and adults, and people with respiratory disease, such as asthma, should limit prolonged outdoor exertion.
101-150	Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups	Members of sensitive groups may experience health effects. The general public is not likely to be affected.	Active children and adults, and people with respiratory disease, such as asthma, should limit prolonged outdoor exertion.
151-200	Unhealthy	Everyone may begin to experience health effects; members of sensitive groups may experience more serious health effects	Active children and adults, and people with respiratory disease, such as asthma, should avoid prolonged outdoor exertion; everyone else, especially children, should limit prolonged outdoor exertion
201-300	Very Unhealthy	Health warnings of emergency conditions. The entire population is more likely to be affected.	Active children and adults, and people with respiratory disease, such as asthma, should avoid all outdoor exertion; everyone else, especially children, should limit outdoor exertion.
300+	Hazardous	Health alert: everyone may experience more serious health effects	Everyone should avoid all outdoor exertion

GAIA A18 Air Quality Monitoring Station
solar panel powered and long distance LoRA radio

Overview

Battery and Solar Powered

Enhanced Connectivity using LoRa ("Long Range")

Pricing

GAIA A18 Solar+LoRa package content:

Ordering and Inquiry

Installation & Mounting Instructions

Mounting:

Distance:

Location:

Frequently Asked Questions

About the Air Quality and Pollution Measurement:

About This Project

air quality research

Frequently Asked Questions

Credits

Settings

GAIA A18 Air Quality Monitoring Stationsolar panel powered and long distance LoRA radio

Overview

Battery and Solar Powered

Enhanced Connectivity using LoRa ("Long Range")

Pricing

GAIA A18 Solar+LoRa package content:

Ordering and Inquiry

Installation & Mounting Instructions

Mounting:

Distance:

Location:

Frequently Asked Questions

About the Air Quality and Pollution Measurement:

About This Project

air quality research

Frequently Asked Questions

Credits

Settings

GAIA A18 Air Quality Monitoring Station
solar panel powered and long distance LoRA radio