Milesight EM500-CO2: Outdoor LoRaWAN CO2 Sensor
Milesight EM500-CO2 outdoor LoRaWAN CO2 sensor: own ChirpStack/ThingsBoard decoder, decoded example, plus temperature, humidity and pressure on one device.
- LoRaWAN
- Class A, OTAA
- Band / port
- EU868 / port 85
- Ingress protection
- IP66
- CO2 range
- 0 to 5000 ppm (NDIR)
- Temperature / humidity
- -30 to +70 °C / 0 to 100 % RH
- Barometric pressure
- 300 to 1100 hPa
- Battery
- Replaceable, up to several years
What the EM500-CO2 measures
CO2
NDIR sensor, 0 to 5000 ppm, the lead measurement for air quality and ventilation.
Temperature
-30 to +70 °C, useful for outdoor and harsh environments.
Humidity
Relative humidity 0 to 100 % RH (non-condensing).
Barometric pressure
300 to 1100 hPa, reported as hPa with one decimal.
Battery level
Reported periodically, with local storage and retransmission.
Integration
Sensor / controller
Measures or controls in the field and sends LoRaWAN uplinks.
LoRaWAN gateway
Receives the radio packets and forwards them to the server.
ChirpStack
Network server: manages sessions and decodes the payload.
ThingsBoard / Grafana
Dashboards, alarms, rules and reports.
function decodeUplink(input) {
var bytes = input.bytes;
var data = {};
for (var i = 0; i < bytes.length; ) {
var channel = bytes[i++];
var type = bytes[i++];
if (channel === 0x01 && type === 0x75) { // battery (%)
data.battery = bytes[i]; i += 1;
} else if (channel === 0x03 && type === 0x67) { // temperature (°C)
data.temperature = readInt16LE(bytes, i) / 10; i += 2;
} else if (channel === 0x04 && type === 0x68) { // humidity (%RH)
data.humidity = bytes[i] / 2; i += 1;
} else if (channel === 0x05 && type === 0x7d) { // CO2 (ppm)
data.co2 = readUInt16LE(bytes, i); i += 2;
} else if (channel === 0x06 && type === 0x73) { // pressure (hPa)
data.pressure = readUInt16LE(bytes, i) / 10; i += 2;
} else {
break;
}
}
return { data: data };
}
function readUInt16LE(b, i) {
return (b[i + 1] << 8) | b[i];
}
function readInt16LE(b, i) {
var v = readUInt16LE(b, i);
return v > 0x7fff ? v - 0x10000 : v;
}
Implemented from the published Milesight byte specification (Communication Protocol / User Guide).
Channel format: 01 75 battery (%), 03 67 temperature (INT16 little-endian, /10), 04 68 humidity (/2), 05 7d CO2 (UINT16 little-endian, ppm), 06 73 pressure (UINT16 little-endian, /10, hPa). Implemented from the published Milesight byte specification. The device also sends history records (channel 0x20) when buffered and downlink responses; add those branches if you enable retransmission. For ThingsBoard the same channel logic goes into an uplink converter.
Uplink (hex)
0175640367EB00046864057DEE0206739427Decoded JSON
{ "battery": 100, "temperature": 23.5, "humidity": 50, "co2": 750, "pressure": 1013.2 }Use cases
Configuration & pitfalls
NFC setup
Keys, collection and reporting interval, and CO2 thresholds are set over NFC with the Milesight ToolBox before rollout.
CO2 calibration
The NDIR sensor supports automatic baseline (ABC) and manual calibration. Disable ABC where CO2 never drops to fresh-air levels, otherwise the baseline drifts.
Channels can be disabled
Temperature, humidity, CO2 and pressure can each be switched off in config. If a channel is missing from the uplink, the decoder simply skips it.
Warm-up after power-on
The NDIR sensor needs a short warm-up before the first stable CO2 reading. Do not alarm on the very first uplinks after a battery change.
How merkaio supports your EM500-CO2
From sourcing to day-to-day operation, all from one partner on our own European infrastructure.
Pre-staging & provisioning
We configure the EM500-CO2, set keys, intervals and alarms, and ship it ready to deploy.
Own decoder
Payload codec for ChirpStack v4 and ThingsBoard, implemented from the Milesight specification.
Dashboard integration
Data lands in your ThingsBoard or Grafana, with alarms and reports.
Operations & monitoring
We run the LoRaWAN stack and dashboards on European infrastructure, you just use the data.
Frequently asked questions
Let's discuss your infrastructure. Digital and on-site.
Whether it's IoT platform development, hardware selection, managed hosting for ChirpStack, ThingsBoard, Grafana or NetBird VPN, or migration from a self-hosted setup - we'll find the right solution for your use case. Book a free 30-minute consultation, no commitment required.
Your contact
Timo Wevelsiep
Founder, merkaio
15 minutes, no commitment, directly with Timo.
Decoder for ChirpStack v4. merkaio is an independent integrator and is not affiliated with Milesight.