Vape Detection and Air Quality Monitoring

The Vape Detection & Air Quality Sensor is a PoE-powered environmental sensor managed directly in UniFi Protect. It combines industrial-grade air quality sensing with real-time vape detection, making it ideal for schools, workplaces, hospitality venues, and other areas where cameras aren't appropriate, such as restrooms and locker rooms.

The sensor connects and powers over a single Ethernet cable, making deployment plug-and-play: adopt it in Protect, mount it, and readings begin streaming immediately. Sensor readings can also be used in UniFi automations to send alerts or trigger actions when thresholds are crossed.

Sensor Metrics

Placement Best Practices

Sensor placement has the single largest impact on detection speed and reading accuracy. The ideal mounting height depends on your primary use case:

• If vape detection is the priority, install the sensor 2–2.5 m (6.6–8.2 ft) high, away from direct airflow and close to where vaping is likely to occur (e.g., near restroom stalls, not the door). In enclosed spaces, it typically detects vape events within several meters of the source, depending on room size and ventilation.
• If CO₂ and air quality (AQI) monitoring is the priority, install the sensor 1–1.5 m (3.3–4.9 ft) high in an occupied area, away from vents, windows, and heat sources.
• Mount where air naturally circulates. Aerosols and gases must physically reach the sensor. Avoid dead corners, alcoves, and spots where airflow rapidly dilutes or redirects airborne particles before they reach the device.
• One sensor per enclosed space. Walls and partitions block airflow. Large or segmented rooms benefit from multiple sensors.
• Keep it away from direct heat, sunlight, and moisture sources to preserve temperature, humidity, and CO₂ accuracy.

CO₂ Monitoring Best Practices

CO₂ is one of the most actionable air quality metrics because it directly reflects ventilation effectiveness and occupancy.

Understand the reference ranges

Recommendations

• Set alerts around 1,000–1,200 ppm as a practical "improve ventilation" trigger for most occupied spaces.
• Use trends, not single readings. A brief spike when a full meeting room door closes is normal; sustained elevation over 30+ minutes is the signal to act.
• Pair CO₂ alerts with automations. Protect automations can notify facilities staff or trigger downstream actions when thresholds are crossed, so ventilation issues are addressed while occupants are still in the room.

Vape Detection Best Practices

The sensor's Vape Index (0–100) identifies aerosol signatures characteristic of vapor and e-cigarette emissions in real time, giving staff immediate awareness in spaces where cameras can't be used.

Calibrating vape detection

Vape detection sensitivity is fully user-tunable. In the sensor's settings, adjust the calibration slider (0–100) to set how readily the sensor triggers a vape detection:

• Lower values increase sensitivity, ensuring even faint or brief vape events are caught. Ideal for high-priority areas where missing an event matters most.
• Higher values reduce sensitivity, filtering out weaker aerosol signatures and minimizing false positives. Ideal for spaces with routine background aerosols (cleaning products, occasional steam, dust).

As you adjust the slider, the sensor provides instant feedback, so you can see in real time how it responds at each setting.

Recommended calibration workflow

1. Start at a moderate setting and observe the live feedback under normal room conditions.
2. Perform a controlled test (e.g., a brief vape emission near the likely source area) and confirm the sensor triggers.
3. If routine activity in the space causes unwanted alerts, raise the slider incrementally and re-test.
4. Revisit the setting after the first week or two of real-world alerts and adjust as needed.

Getting the best results

• Place the sensor close to where vaping is likely to occur. Vape aerosols disperse and settle quickly, so proximity dramatically improves detection speed and confidence. Strong ventilation, large open volumes, or distance from the source can reduce the aerosol concentration reaching the sensor (see placement guidance above).
• Avoid routine aerosol sources. Vape detection errs on the side of awareness, so aerosol sprays, humidifiers, steam, and fog can occasionally produce elevated readings. To minimize false positives, keep the sensor away from air fresheners and fragrance diffusers, aerosol sprays and cleaning products, humidifiers and steam sources, and areas with frequent dust or particulate disturbances; the calibration slider lets you dial in the right balance for each space.
• Pair alerts with nearby cameras. The sensor tells you that vaping likely occurred and when. It cannot identify a specific person. Staff can corroborate events and follow up using cameras in adjacent hallways or common areas while maintaining privacy in the sensitive space. 
• Use automations for rapid response. Use Alarm Manager to route vape alerts to the staff best positioned to act, such as a notification to administrators or a nearby AI Speaker announcement.

Tip: During the first weeks of deployment, review each vape alert alongside nearby camera footage to confirm your calibration setting is well-tuned.

General Air Quality Best Practices

• Use the Air Quality Index for at-a-glance health, and the individual metrics (PM, VOC, CO₂) to diagnose why the index changed.
• Investigate PM2.5 spikes. Fine particles are the most health-relevant and commonly indicate smoke, cooking, or outdoor pollution intrusion.
• Watch TVOC after renovations, cleaning, or new furnishings, which commonly elevate VOC levels; increased ventilation usually resolves it.
• Track temperature and humidity together. Keeping relative humidity in the 30–60% range improves comfort and limits mold and virus survivability.