MT14 High Sampling Mode

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Overview

Fast Sampling mode on MT14 allows the sensor to enable faster sampling rate for key metrics that users may be interested in collecting more frequently as per the use case.

High Sampling Mode

The High sampling mode changes the following metrics:

Metric	Sampling Rate
Particulate Matter 2.5 (PM2.5)	1 second (USB-C power required)
Ambient Noise	5 seconds
TVOC	90 seconds (remains unchanged)
Temperature	Disabled
Humidity	Disabled
IAQ (Composite Score)	Disabled

Enabling High Sampling Mode

Device Settings

The MT14 Sensor Details page has a new tab available. Here are the steps to enable this feature on an MT14,

Ensure that at least 1 gateway (MR/MV) is within 15 feet of the sensors for optimum coverage.

Due to the increased amount of data being collected, the number of sensors per gateway has been reduced to 8 when using High Sampling Mode.

High Sampling mode can now be enabled on a per sensor basis. Navigate to Sensors>Sensors, select the MT14 you wish to use and under Settings tab you can toggle the PM2.5 High Sampling Mode

A warning is displayed before enabling the High Sampling Mode.

MT14 units must be persistently powered for this mode to work. The toggle shown above will be grayed out if the MT14 is on battery. Upon loss of external power when this mode is enabled, PM2.5 will not be sampled but other metrics will continue to sample if the AA batteries are installed.

After the High Sampling mode is turned on, the sensor will receive a configuration to modify the metric collection as outlined in the table above.
There's an optional step available to automatically create a new Default Potential Vape Alert Profile and assign it to the sensor in question. Users can simply add Alert Recepients to the profile and start receiving alerts.

It can take up to 20 minutes for the sensor to receive the new configuration as per the next check in period.

Default Potential Vape Detection Alert Profile

As noted above, while enabling High Sampling Mode for an MT14, a user can create or assign the sensor to a pre-defined Alert Profile that can help detect potential vape events.

The default value of Alert threshold for PM2.5 is currently set to 80 ug/m³ based on our internal testing. However, this threshold can be changed based on the current environment where the sensor is deployed.

While the MT14 sensor directly cannot detect and isolate components of an e-cigarette fumes, it uses PM2.5 to potentially indicate the presence of the vape smoke.

Also note that this Alert can also be triggered through a number of other influences such as smoke, fire, construction, etc,.

Minimum Firmware Requirements

MT	MR	MV
1.4.1	29.4.1	4.20+

Things to Consider

Use Cases

Fast sampling mode can be useful in a number of use cases where continuous sampling is beneficial to record transitory environmental states.

Particulate Matter (PM2.5) - This metric measures dust particles that are less than 2.5µm. PM2.5 comes from many sources including automobiles, construction sites, industrial facilities, fires, smokestacks, and cooking fumes along with vaping fumes from e-cigarettes. When the sampling frequency is increased to 1 second, the sensor can detect transitory changes introduced by these sources.
Ambient Noise - Ambient noise is the measurement of noise that’s in the area. To ensure comfort, prolonged exposure is usually measured over a long period of time. However, sampling it as frequently as 5 seconds, users can also get alerted for shorter spikes like loud noises that need to be investigated.

Installation Best Practise for Vape Detection

Mount the MT14 sensor between 8-10 feet above the ground on the wall.
- Ensure that external power (AC power or PoE) is available at the desired location.
Ensure that a compatible gateway(MV/MR) is within the range of the sensor.
- RSSI for the sensor to the closest gateway should be > -80 dBm.
To prevent vandalism, make sure that the MT14 mount plate is screwed in the wall and the security anchor screw(T6) on the top of the MT14 body is engaged to the mount plate.
Typical effective coverage area for MT14 in high sampling mode is at an 8 feet radius from the wall area with the sensor at a height of 8 feet. This translates the coverage area to roughly 100 sqft of circular area with the sensor at the center.
Additional factors such as room air flow, and the placement of the sensor can affect the efficacy of the MT14. Ensure that the MT14 is away from an inlet or outlet airflow vent.
The ability for a sensor to detect vape is influenced by numerous factors such as the size of the room, the proximity of the detector to the source of vaping, and the direction, speed, and volume of airflow in the room. Vape is an aerosol and travels via diffusion and can dissipate fairly quickly. Additional sensors might be required to cover some dead zones

Updated Dashboard Charts

With the fast sampling mode enabled, the data collected is now 300 times more than before. To accommodate the extra data, the dashboard charts will now be updated with aggregated data to improve performance.