I want to use the CO2 and PM2.5 values on the IKEA ALPSTUGA air quality sensor to create automations to start and stop air purifiers and exhaust fans. I’ve read that while the values are visible in Smartthings, they are not available to use for automations. Is that true? Is there a work around like using Sharp Tools?
Thank you. I probably used the wrong term. I want to create a “routine” in Smartthings to say if Alpstuga CO2 value is greater than 800, then turn on bathroom exhaust fan switch. Is that possible? And what drivers do I need with this sensor? Thanks.
Yes, of course it’s possible…
… with the standard Matter Sensor driver.
Delete the device in the SmartThings app and add it back again. You don’t have to switch the driver or anything - it works out of the box.
Would be great if you could post some screenshots.
Thank you. I don’t have the devices yet, I was asking before I ordered them. My initial web search showed other sources saying that while you can see some indication of Air Quality, one is not able to see actual CO2 ppm values or trigger automations based on CO2 values.
But from the screenshots I can see you know what you are talking so I’m ordering two.
Thanks.
Which aspects/metrics of the air quality sensor are exposed to Alexa?
Is it possible, for example, to create an Alexa routine so announce ventilation is required in a room, or is it necessary to resort to virtual switches?
I don’t know - I don’t have Alexa. All I know is that the pm2.5 and tVOC of the IKEA VINDSTYRA (Zigbee, but doesn’t matter) is not exposed to Alexa.
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Only temp is exposed in alexa
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Thanks, that’s a bit of a nuisance. I’d have liked to have an Alexa routine to announce ventilation needed without resorting to more virtual switches but I suppose I could still do it with a switch.
I agree. All these gadgets are smart…BUT not that smart. Happy new year.
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As far as I know, Alexa still only triggers routines from contact or motion sensors. About four years ago she proudly learned to tell us the temperature… and then stopped there. No humidity, no curiosity, no ambition. So I wouldn’t hold my breath for her doing anything useful with PM2.5, VOC or CO₂ anytime soon.
Happy New Year 2026
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You say it’s possible, but I can’t get SmartThings to recognize automations based on PM 2.5. I’ve created them, and it simply won’t work. I don’t think the device polls PM 2.5 the way it does CO2 and Humidity.
is that something a custom driver could fix?
I’m using routines based on PM2.5 equal or above/equal or below, and they are running - just tested to make sure.
What is of limited value is the Air Quality level that triggers at 15ppm Good /Unhealthy. Even the VINDRIKTNING triggered at 35 and then had a Medium and Unhealthy range. This issue has been commented on earlier posts here
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Of course it works. Can you please post a screenshot from your routine?
is that something a custom driver could fix?
Nothing wrong with the driver.
Actually, and much to my surprise, I just found that Alexa now does have triggers for my Matter/Thread CO sensor - two levels of CO, two levels of Battery, Hardware Failure, and End Of Life.
So I’d say it’s not entirely impossible to see some triggers on the IKEA thing. You’ll need to pair it directly with a Thread-capable Echo though, as first pairing or as secondary on invitation from ST to Alexa.
The other surprise last week was that Alexa now also supports stateless buttons, Matter/Thread only, so IKEA’s BILRESA is now the first and only action button that works here. Single presses only, but it’s a start.
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Thanks for the reply — sorry for the delay, I got sick for a bit.
So the good news is it does technically work. The bad news is it works so inconsistently that it’s barely useful in practice.
The issue is that my Alpstuga sensor sends PM 2.5 data to SmartThings so infrequently that automations based on it are unreliable. It’s not polling on any regular interval — sometimes it’ll report a few times in an hour, then go completely silent for hours. Last night it was polling regularly and toggling my AC on and off for about an hour, but then after I manually turned the AC on, it didn’t report PM 2.5 again for over five hours — even though PM levels stayed at 0 the whole time.
For context, I don’t need PM 2.5 updates as often as it pulls CO2 — I’d just like it to be consistent enough to actually trigger automations reliably. I could put together a video showing how sporadic it is in the history if that would help illustrate the problem.
Any idea what’s causing the PM 2.5 reporting to be so sporadic, and whether there’s something I can do on my end to improve it? Open to whatever the solution looks like.
Two different devices:
Reporting at least twice per minute.
The data isn’t pulled from the device (polling), it’s the device itself sending the values - and only when the value has changed. Light a candle next to it and see what happens.
Maybe delete the device, factory reset it and onboard it again.
