Environmental sensing selected by readings, retention, and compliance

The Verkada environmental sensor family spans the SV11, SV21, SV23, and SV25 product generations, along with high-retention (SV25-128-HW) and government-certified (SV25-HW-F) hardware configurations. Selecting the appropriate model requires identifying which ambient and air quality indicators an organization must track, where representative readings can be gathered, whether data supports health or OSHA compliance guidelines, and whether federal procurement or sovereign cloud requirements apply. Sensor capabilities vary significantly across generations and must not be generalized without their specific datasheets.

For the SV25 generation specifically, Verkada provides an extensive suite of 22 simultaneous readings, split between 11 ambient environment metrics and 11 air quality indicators. Ambient metrics encompass temperature (23°F to 113°F / -5°C to 45°C), relative humidity (0% to 95% non-condensing), heat index, Canadian Humidex, dew point, a mold risk index (0 to 3) assessing temperature and humidity conditions in enclosed spaces, passive infrared (PIR) motion detection across a 120-degree field of view, ambient noise levels (20 to 120 dB SPL via MEMS microphone to aid OSHA compliance monitoring), ambient light (0 to 7,000 lux), barometric pressure (300 to 1,250 hPa), and tamper detection with an omnidirectional digital microphone for audio recording (disabled by default with privacy controls, supporting 90 to 365 days of retention). Air quality readings include photoacoustic carbon dioxide (CO2 from 0 to 40,000 ppm), a composite Vape Index (0 to 100), US Air Quality Index (AQI 0 to 500), the RESET® Viral Index (0% to 100% assessing airborne transmission probability), Total Volatile Organic Compounds (TVOC via MOX sensor, 0 to 500), electrochemical carbon monoxide (CO from 0 to 1,000 ppm), laser optical particulate matter across three channels (PM 2.5, PM 4.0, and PM 10.0 from 0 to 1,000 ug/m3), and electrochemical formaldehyde (0 to 5,000 ppb).

The catalog features two primary hardware options for the SV25: the standard commercial SV25-HW ($1,299 list) and the FIPS-validated SV25-HW-F ($1,449 list). The SV25-HW-F is built specifically for United States federal agencies, defense operations, and strictly regulated enterprise environments. Unlike the standard commercial SV25-HW, the SV25-HW-F incorporates cryptographic modules validated to Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS), enforcing hardware-backed encryption-in-transit and encryption-at-rest by default. It is fully compliant with the Trade Agreements Act (TAA) and the FY2019 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), qualifying it for GSA Schedule contracts and federal procurements that exclude standard commercial devices. Furthermore, while the commercial SV25-HW connects to standard Verkada Command cloud infrastructure, the SV25-HW-F can be paired either with standard Command or with Command deployed in AWS GovCloud using government licenses (such as LIC-SV-1Y-CAP-G through LIC-SV-10Y-CAP-G), keeping all telemetry and device management inside an authorized, sovereign cloud boundary.

Across the SV25 line, sensors draw a maximum of 4W over IEEE 802.3af Power over Ethernet (PoE) and maintain a bandwidth profile under 5 kbps per unit. If network connectivity is interrupted, the sensor continues taking readings every five seconds and logging them locally, with up to 365 days of onboard retention that synchronizes when connectivity returns. HTS helps customers plan sensor density, verify PoE switch budgets, select commercial or GovCloud licensing, configure alert thresholds, and establish automated notification routing. Where physical protection is required, designs can include the reinforced mount accessory (ACC-SV-MOUNT-1).