How Accurate Is Aeris 1?

When you look at a CO₂ monitor, you are not really buying a gadget.

You are trusting a number.

That number will influence when you open a window, how you ventilate a bedroom, whether a classroom is safe, and even whether you should continue driving when feeling drowsy.
So a fair question is:

Can Aeris 1 actually be trusted?

This page explains — transparently — how Aeris 1 measures CO₂ and how accurate those measurements really are.

The Most Important Part: The Type of Sensor

Not all CO₂ monitors measure CO₂ the same way.

Many low-cost air quality monitors do not measure CO₂ directly.
They estimate it using VOC (smell) sensors and software algorithms. This is often called eCO₂ (equivalent CO₂). These devices react to perfumes, cooking, cleaning products, or humidity changes and can display completely incorrect values.

Aeris 1 does not estimate CO₂.

It measures it physically using a true NDIR (Non-Dispersive Infrared) CO₂ sensor.

NDIR is the same measurement principle used in professional indoor air quality instruments, laboratories, and HVAC diagnostic equipment.

Why NDIR Matters

CO₂ molecules absorb infrared light at a very specific wavelength.

Inside Aeris 1, a tiny infrared beam passes through the air sample.
The sensor measures how much light is absorbed, and from that it calculates the actual CO₂ concentration in parts per million (ppm).

This means:

• Cooking does not affect the reading

• Perfume does not affect the reading

• Humidity does not fake the value

• Cleaning products do not trick the sensor

The device measures CO₂ — not “air freshness”.

The Expected Accuracy

The sensor used inside Aeris 1 has a manufacturer-specified accuracy of:

±(50 ppm + 5% of reading)

What does that mean in real life?

If the display shows:

• 800 ppm → real value is approximately 750–850 ppm
• 1500 ppm → real value is approximately 1425–1575 ppm
• 2500 ppm → real value is approximately 2375–2625 ppm

For indoor air quality decisions (ventilation, sleep quality, classrooms, offices), this precision is more than sufficient and matches professional portable IAQ monitors.

Automatic Self-Calibration

CO₂ sensors slowly drift over long periods of time.
Professional equipment solves this with periodic calibration.

Aeris 1 includes automatic baseline calibration.

When the device detects fresh outdoor air conditions (typically near 420 ppm), it automatically adjusts its baseline reference. This keeps measurements accurate over months and years without requiring the user to perform complicated calibration procedures.

In normal home use, this happens naturally when:

• windows are opened

• the device is used in ventilated rooms

• it is occasionally exposed to outdoor air

No maintenance is required.

Real-World Testing

During development, Aeris 1 was tested in multiple real environments:

• closed bedroom

• ventilated apartment

• inside a car

• open outdoor air

The device consistently detected expected behavior:

• CO₂ rises quickly in an occupied, closed room
• CO₂ drops immediately when ventilation starts
• Outdoor air stabilizes near atmospheric baseline (~420 ppm)

The measurements were repeatable and stable, which is essential for detecting trends rather than just displaying numbers.

Why Absolute Perfection Is Not Required

For indoor air quality, the most important factor is not whether the room is 912 ppm or 948 ppm.

What matters is identifying conditions like:

• good ventilation (< 800 ppm)

• reduced cognitive performance (> 1200 ppm)

• poor air (> 2000 ppm)

Aeris 1 is designed to reliably detect these situations and alert you when ventilation is needed.

You are not using Aeris 1 as a laboratory gas analyzer.
You are using it as a decision-making tool — and for that, stability and correctness of trend detection matter more than single-digit precision.

The Goal of Aeris 1

Aeris 1 was designed with a simple mission:

Give you a number you can rely on.

Not a guess.
Not a software estimate.
A real physical measurement of the air you are breathing.

When Aeris 1 shows high CO₂, ventilation is needed.
When it drops after opening a window, the air actually improved.

That reliability is what the device was built for.

Still unsure? Contact me directly from the Contact page — I personally answer technical questions.