Pollen Sense APS400: Indoor Sampling, API Access and Costs
By Justin Carlson. Sources checked November 10, 2026. Documentation review only; not tested hands-on.
The Pollen Sense APS400 is a specialist airborne-particle sampler, not a general indoor air quality monitor: it collects particles on tape, images them, and assigns them to categories such as pollen types, mold spores and dust, using the manufacturer’s own identification models. No CO2, humidity or PM2.5 mass readings are documented for the APS400. It suits buyers who specifically need particle identification at a site, indoors or outdoors, and who accept quote-only pricing and a vendor-defined classification method. The central tradeoff: site data is available through a documented API and CSV export, but prices, sampling rate and API limits are not published.
Best fit and when it may not suit you
Good fit
Projects that specifically need airborne pollen, mold spore or dust particle identification over time at a site, rather than CO2, humidity or PM2.5 mass.
Research, clinical-support or facilities teams that want site-level particle counts in their own tools through a documented API or CSV export.
Buyers who already run a general indoor air quality monitor and want specialist particle data alongside it.
May be unsuitable
Buyers looking for a general indoor air quality monitor: no CO2, humidity, VOC or PM2.5 mass data is documented for the APS400.
Anyone who needs published prices, sampling rates or API limits before contacting sales.
Anyone expecting the data to prove that a building is mold-free, safe or successfully remediated. Particle counts describe what was sampled, not the condition of the building.
What this profile covers
Hardware
Pollen Sense APS400 automated particle sensor (tape-cartridge collection with on-device imaging and classification)
Platform
Pollen Sense Portal (organization, sites and sensors) and the Sensor Owner API v2 (sensors.pollensense.com/api) for the customer’s own sites. The separate Grid Data API serves modeled regional data and is not a measurement of any building.
Plan
Hardware is described as subscription-based and sold by quote. API access is purchased; terms and prices are not published.
Commercial and small projects. Sold by quote to organizations; the manufacturer lists indoor and industrial teams alongside environmental agencies, media and research users.
Capabilities apply to this setup only. Other Pollen Sense products may differ.
Pollen Sense measurements and units
Parameters reported by Pollen Sense APS400
Parameter
Type
Unit
Models
Notes
Particle categories (pollen types, mold spores, dust and other particles)
Classified count (vendor method)
counts per interval
APS400
The manufacturer says its “Particle Hunter AI” images and identifies collected particles from 0.3 to 158 microns, and that more than 98% of collected particles are imaged and identified (manufacturer claim; method not stated). Low-confidence identifications are counted as generic dust. A complete category list was not found. [2, 1, 11, 6]
Concentration per category
Classified count (vendor method)
particles per m³ (PPM3)
APS400 site data via API v2
Calculated by dividing counts by the air volume sampled in each interval. [6]
Normalized Misery Index
Platform-derived
0–1 scale (v2); 0–100 in deprecated v1
Site data via API v2
A vendor-calculated indicator, not a measurement. [3, 6]
Cartridge life and Wi-Fi signal (telemetry)
Estimated
% remaining (estimated), signal strength
APS400, shown in the app and portal
Cartridge life is estimated; no sensor measures actual cartridge use. Not yet available through an external API. [10]
Regional pollen and allergen grid
Modeled (not a site measurement)
GeoTIFF rasters (per category)
Grid Data API only (separate licence)
Interpolated from the vendor’s sensor network and weather factors. Not a measurement at the customer’s site. [8]
Requirements
Monitor
Available APS400 sensor with collection media (tape cartridges), assigned to a site in the portal. [2, 13, 12]
Gateway or hub
Not applicable No gateway is described; the sensor connects directly by Wi-Fi or Ethernet. [13]
Network
Available A stable Ethernet or Wi-Fi (WPA2 or open, no captive portal or WPA-Enterprise) connection with DHCP and outbound access to the vendor’s cloud; Wi-Fi is set up over Bluetooth with the Particle Sense app. A networking form must be completed before sensors ship. Power requirements are not stated on the pages reviewed. [14, 13, 16]
Account
Required A Pollen Sense Organization in the portal; purchasers are invited, and organization owners generate API keys. [12, 3]
Subscription
Conditional Hardware is described as “subscription-based”, and API access is purchased. Terms, durations and what continues after a subscription ends are not published. Condition: Confirm with vendor. [2, 12]
Local access, cloud API and export
The APS400 has no local data interface: Pollen Sense says the sensor cannot be accessed through the local network, and all data it generates is accessed through the vendor’s mobile and web platforms. Bluetooth is used only by the setup app to configure networking, and remote diagnostics by Pollen Sense technicians run over a vendor-managed VPN; neither is a way for the customer to read measurements. Each APS400 is assigned to a “site” in the Pollen Sense Portal with a provision type, such as Outdoor Ambient or an indoor type, and the data belongs to the site rather than travelling with the sensor. Several sensors at one site form a cluster. Organization owners generate API keys in the portal, and the Sensor Owner API returns that organization’s sites, sensors and site metrics.
The current v2 metrics endpoints return counts, particles per cubic meter and a 0–1 “misery” index per category at hourly, daily or weekly intervals, in UTC. A separate CSV export endpoint returns the same series. Results can be requested at different processing layers: raw AI vision output, output after the vendor’s geospatial model filter, or output after human corrections (the default).
Pollen Sense also sells modeled regional pollen and allergen data through a separate Grid Data API. That data is interpolated from its sensor network and weather factors. It is a regional model, not a measurement from inside a specific building, and this guide treats it as a separate product.
Local access
Not available No direct local data access. Pollen Sense’s networking guide says the sensor cannot be connected to through the local network and that all data it generates is accessed through its mobile and web platforms. Bluetooth is used by the setup app to configure networking, not to read measurements. [14, 4]
Cloud API
Conditional Sensor Owner API (v2): sites, sensors, provision history, site metrics and CSV export for the organization’s own sites. A forecast endpoint is labelled beta. Condition: For organizations that have purchased an APS400 and API access. [4, 5, 12]
Manual export
Conditional CSV export of site metrics (misery index, particles per m³ or counts) through the API export endpoint. A CSV download button in the portal itself was not documented on the pages reviewed. Condition: Uses the Sensor Owner API, so it needs API access and a key. [7, 12]
Other protocols
Not publicly documented No MQTT, Modbus, BACnet or webhook interface is documented. [4, 3]
Pollen Sense API details
Authentication
Available API key generated in the portal by organization owners, sent as a query parameter or a request header. The pages name the header differently (“x-ps-key” and “ps-api-key”); see discrepancies. [3, 4]
Who can access which data
Available Keys reach the sites and sensors in the key holder’s organization; requests for other sites are refused (HTTP 403). [4, 6]
Latest versus historical data
Available Site metrics are requested by start and end time (UTC). There is no separate latest-reading endpoint; recent data is a short time range. Maximum query range and history depth are not stated. [6, 7]
Retention
Not publicly documented No retention period is stated for site data. Data from before the v2 migration is being reprocessed into v2. [3, 9]
Sampling and aggregation
Available API intervals are hourly, daily or weekly. The sensor’s physical sampling flow rate and cycle are not published; the vendor says collection adapts to particle density to extend sample time. [6, 1]
Timestamps and timezone
Available ISO date-times in UTC for requests and returned interval timestamps. [6]
Rate limits
Not publicly documented No rate limits or quotas are published. [4]
Export formats and limits
Available JSON from the metrics endpoint; CSV from the export endpoint, with category filtering and empty cells for missing intervals. [6, 7]
Multiple devices and sites
Available Organizations hold multiple sites and sensors, with team roles in the portal; a site can hold a cluster of side-by-side sensors. [12, 13]
Integrations
Not publicly documented No building-system or third-party integrations are documented for sensor owners. AllergenKit is a forecast widget built on modeled data, not site data. [3]
Usage and reuse restrictions
Unknown The terms of service linked from the API documentation did not load during review, so data-use terms could not be checked. [3]
Pollen Sense pricing: hardware, platform and API
Prices are shown only where the vendor publishes them; checked dates are in the sources list. Taxes, shipping and implementation work are not included unless stated. Pollen Sense sells this setup by quote: request a quote from Pollen Sense (this guide does not provide quotes).
Pollen Sense APS400 cost components
Component
Item
Status
Price and basis
Notes
Hardware
APS400 sensor (subscription-based hardware)
Confirm with vendor (quote only)
—
Described as “subscription-based hardware”; the product page links “Request a quote” to the contact page. [2, 15]
Implementation
Collection media (tape cartridges) and maintenance
Not publicly disclosed
—
Replacement media is ordered through the portal’s support tab; price not stated. [12, 10]
API
Sensor Owner API access
Not publicly disclosed
—
API access is purchased; no price was found. [12, 4]
Platform
Grid Data API (modeled regional data, separate product)
Confirm with vendor (quote only)
—
Licence assigned by an account executive; trials by request. [8]
Classification is the manufacturer’s own method; accuracy figures are manufacturer claims and no independent validation was found in the sources reviewed.
Hardware, media, API and subscription prices are not published.
Sample flow rate, sampling cycle, power requirements, API rate limits and data retention are not published.
Historical data can be reprocessed: results are tied to a branch, revision and processing layer, so figures for a past period can change.
The Grid Data API is modeled regional data. It must not be read as a measurement inside any building.
No indoor installation guide or HVAC sampling procedure was found; an indoor provision type is documented, and further provision types need technician approval.
Conflicting or unclear documentation
The API reference names the indoor site type “Indoor Discrete”, while the support site-selection guide maps indoor locations to “Indoor Residential”. Confirm which provision type applies to your deployment. [4, 13]
The API key header is given as “x-ps-key” in the Sensor API documentation and error messages, and as “ps-api-key” in the same pages’ Swagger instructions. The query-parameter method is consistent. [4, 6]
The v1 API migration dates differ. The documentation home says new v1 data stopped after March 11, 2026 and v1 remains until backfill completes; the migration post moved the cutoff to March 23, 2026 and originally scheduled removal by March 26, 2026; the changelog says historical v1 data stays available until reprocessed. Use v2; no final v1 removal date is confirmed. [3, 11, 9]
The Sensor API page says it is for buyers of an APS400 or later sensor, while the portal overview says APIs can also be bought by data-only customers (who receive modeled data, not site measurements). [4, 12]
Not yet answered by public documentation
What do the APS400, collection media, maintenance and API access cost, and on what basis?
What does “subscription-based hardware” mean in practice, and what data access remains if the subscription ends?
What are the sample flow rate, sampling cycle and power requirements for indoor use?
Which indoor provision types are available, and what is the documented indoor installation procedure?
How long is site data retained, and are there API rate limits or maximum query ranges?
What do the data-use terms allow?
Before requesting a quote
Confirm the particle categories you need (specific pollen types, mold spore groups, dust) are reported for your region and provision type.
Ask whether the price covers hardware, media cartridges, maintenance, portal access and the Sensor Owner API, and for how long.
Ask for the indoor provision type, installation guidance and sampling cycle for the space you plan to monitor.
Ask which processing layer and revision your reports should use, and how reprocessing can change past figures.
Get the data-use terms in writing, and keep site measurements separate from any modeled Grid Data in your reports.
These are ordinary links to the manufacturer; none earns a commission. The editor has previously met with representatives of Pollen Sense, including its founder and CEO. Pollen Sense has not reviewed or approved this page. Indoor Air API Guide does not provide manufacturer support. Disclosures.
Sensor API (Sensor Owner API reference), Pollen Sense (documentation). Checked November 10, 2026. Page date: API version 1.0.0 (OpenAPI 3.1.1); v2 site endpoints.
Sites v2 endpoints, Pollen Sense (documentation). Checked November 10, 2026.
Kaiterra Sensedge Mini API and data export: A general commercial indoor monitor (CO2, PM2.5, TVOC, temperature, humidity) with a cloud history API; it does not identify particle types.
