THPO Sensor
LoRaWAN Environmental Monitor
Rapidly deployable, non-intrusive environmental sensor for warehouse monitoring — custom 3D-printed enclosures, dual-variant design, 99% packet reliability across 12 deployed devices.
Designer & Engineer
PlatformIO · ChirpStack
22,000 sq ft
no Wi-Fi required
The Problem
Three hard constraints.
No off-the-shelf answer.
The client needed to validate a warehouse environmental monitoring proof-of-concept across 22,000 sq ft — fast. They needed dozens of sensors commissioned quickly, with zero reliance on building Wi-Fi (security policy blocked it), and zero modifications to the ceiling infrastructure (business continuity required it).
Off-the-shelf sensors required Wi-Fi, permanent mounting, or expert installation. None of them fit the constraints. The only path was to build something custom.
The Innovation
Dual-variant design.
One form factor never fits all.
Different parts of the warehouse had different power availability and mounting surfaces. Instead of compromising, I engineered two distinct variants that share the same firmware and sensor suite.
Plugs into standard outlets
- ✓ Uses off-the-shelf AC-DC charger — no custom wiring
- ✓ Compact form factor fits any standard outlet
- ✓ OLED display for local status readout
- ✓ Deployed in under 60 seconds per unit
Engineered for sprinkler hole diameter
- ✓ Sized to match standard 2" sprinkler system holes
- ✓ Zero construction — drops in, no drilling required
- ✓ Powered via PoE — single cable for power + data uplink
- ✓ Invisible from floor level
Technical Architecture
Full-stack from sensor to dashboard.
Every layer of the stack was chosen to eliminate infrastructure dependencies and maximize deployment speed. Firmware is modular — adding a new sensor type requires no hardware changes.
Heltec LoRa 32 V3
915 MHz
Self-hosted
Dashboard
- · BMP280 — temperature & barometric pressure
- · PIR proximity sensor — occupancy detection
- · Plug-and-play: dynamic sensor config in firmware
- · Heltec LoRa 32 V3 (ESP32 + SX1262)
- · LoRaWAN Class A, 915 MHz
- · ChirpStack v4 network server
- · PlatformIO — cross-platform build toolchain
- · OTAA join with automatic retry
- · Datacake for real-time visualization
Hardware Design
3D-printed enclosures, production quality.
Both variants were designed in CAD with tight tolerances, printed in ASA for UV and heat resistance, and assembled without tools. The ceiling body, front cap, back plate, and bracket are all separate components for serviceability.
body + bracket
4-part assembly
OLED showing live readings
Field demo — sensor commissioning and live data transmission
Deployment Results
99% packet success.
Zero IT involvement.
Deployed across a 22,000 sq ft warehouse with 12 sensors, the network maintained 99% packet success rate in real industrial conditions — dust, temperature swings, and RF-dense environments.
Future Roadmap