WanderBreath Family — Decision Log
Running log of every keep/swap/drop decision across Stages 0-10. Refined + extended from the local-LLM 2026-04-24 draft (validated 92/100). Citations per entry.
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Source — local-LLM draft (preserved for audit)
Draft DECISIONS.md (10 items, validated 92/100 by _TEMPLATES/validate-draft.py) cited: 1. 60/30/10 Community Pool revenue split 2. 7-year parts commitment (battery + PMIC; cost+10%) 3. Dual operating modes (Mode 1 standalone / Mode 2 industry / Mode 3 WanderVerse-Hub) 4. Zero-cloud default (user opt-in for E2E-encrypted cloud sync) 5. Identity-aware security features (covert mode, duress code) 6. Saffron accent design (matte, internal LED) 7. Dual-sourced critical parts (ESP32-S3 primary, Nordic nRF52840 alt) 8. Ambassador assembly with unique signature 9. Battery-swap mechanism (3-min user replacement) 10. Invisible mode for security
Refinement notes:
- Items 5, 9, 10 (covert / battery-swap / invisible mode) are misapplied to WanderBreath. WanderBreath is a wall-powered premium-shelf monitor, NOT a covert / portable / duress-relevant device. Covert + duress + battery-swap belong to WanderShield + WanderBand, not the IAQ shelf monitor.
- Decision: keep items 1-4, 6, 7, 8 verbatim (they apply); replace 5, 9, 10 with WanderBreath-appropriate Standard 3 enforcement (anonymized data export + zero presence/audio capture).
- Add CARB HCHO test for Pro tier (only if claiming HCHO range — required per CARB if marketed for formaldehyde).
- Add SCD41 5-year recalibration cadence to 7-year-parts framing (consumable-class adjustment).
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Stage 0 — Feature-parity sweep (2026-04-24)
- Scope: premium-shelf standalone whole-home air-quality monitor; 2 tiers (Std + Pro)
- Competitive set: Awair Element ($299 + Awair+ subscription) · IQAir AirVisual Pro ($269) · Airthings View Plus ($299) · Airthings Wave Plus ($229 radon-focused) · Temtop M2000 ($299) · PurpleAir PA-II-SD ($279 outdoor community-science)
- Primary differentiator (unique): "Privacy-first IAQ that anonymizes every reading at export — and tells you why" combined with native Matter-over-WiFi + 7-year parts + identity-aware defaults
- Secondary differentiators: Pro tier bundles HCHO + radon + CO2 + PM at $269 (Airthings View Plus matches sensor scope at $299 but with mandatory cloud); zero-cloud architecture; cross-product purifier triggers
- 12 LEADS / 4 MATCHES / 3 LAGS per
_COMPETITIVE-AUDIT-2026-04-24.md
- LAGs: brand recognition (Awair / Airthings have head start); retail shelf presence (Best Buy / Home Depot); existing Apple Health partnership depth (Awair has direct integration; we go via Matter)
Stage 1 — Intake + freeze (2026-04-24)
- Source inputs:
- Local-LLM DECISIONS draft (validated 92/100; preserved for audit per Standard 4)
- WanderVerse master plan (
wanderverse_master_all_in_one_v5.md) — confirms premium-shelf monitor SKU
- Hero image (slim cream cylinder, vertical OLED, saffron pinstripe, mesh top, single button) — locked as visual identity
- WanderAir family DECISIONS — borrowed Sensirion sensor stack + ESP32-S3-WROOM-1 + identity-aware defaults framework
- WanderSense family DECISIONS — borrowed Standard 3 identity-free enforcement language
- Decision: WanderBreath is monitor-only — no fan, no HEPA, no purification. Distinct from WanderAir (purifier) and WanderSense (sensor fleet).
- Family expansion: 2 tiers (Std + Pro). NOT a 4-tier sprawl like WanderAir, NOT a 7-tier sprawl like WanderSense. One product, two tiers. Premium shelf placement requires focus.
- Device IDs:
WV-BRT-STD / WV-BRT-PRO
- Ship targets: Std 2027-Q2, Pro 2027-Q3
- Revision:
v1.0-candidate
Stage 2 — Component selection
MCU + PMIC (both tiers):
- Espressif ESP32-S3-WROOM-1-N16R8 — primary MCU (16 MB flash + 8 MB PSRAM; WiFi + BLE + Matter-capable native; ESPHome-supported)
- Reasoning: needs PSRAM for 6-month ring buffer + Matter cluster stack; Matter cert track via CSA
- Dual-source per
[rule: dual-source]: Espressif primary, Nordic nRF52840 alternative for ultra-low-power firmware variant if WiFi-coverage is a problem in a deployment (rare; ESP32-S3 covers 99%+ of use cases)
- TI TPS65086100 PMIC — multi-rail; shared with WanderAir + WanderSense flagship boards (platform commonality reduces sourcing burden + cert overhead)
Sensor stack — Standard:
- Sensirion SEN55 — PM1/2.5/4/10 + VOC + NOx + T + RH (single integrated module; Swiss + MY back-end; tariff-advantaged; flagship-grade)
- Sensirion SCD41 — NDIR photoacoustic CO2 (real CO2; auto-self-calibration weekly; 5-yr recommended recalibration cadence)
- Bosch BME688 — barometric pressure + secondary VOC-class + DSP-enhanced gas trending (mature; complements SEN55 with pressure that SEN55 doesn't provide)
Sensor stack — Pro (adds):
- Sensirion SFA30 — formaldehyde HCHO sub-ppb (new-construction + binder off-gassing + pregnant-household relevance); yearly recalibration cadence
- Radon module — vendor TBD at Stage 4:
- Option A: RadonEye RD200M USB-serial passive (popular consumer radon; $80 module; $4-day-rolling Bq/m³)
- Option B: FTLab pulsed-ionization-chamber module (smaller; $50-70; longer integration time)
- Option C: Airthings BLE bridge (uses Airthings Wave as a satellite; relies on Airthings cloud — REJECTED on Standard 3 grounds)
- Decision pending Stage 4 sourcing; module is socketed for vendor flexibility post-launch
Display:
- Standard: vertical 1.5-inch monochrome OLED (96 × 192 px, Sino Wealth SH1107 controller)
- Pro: vertical 1.8-inch monochrome OLED (128 × 256 px, same controller family) for radon trend display
Status indicator:
- Cree CLM3C-AKA single LED, saffron-tinted (NOT WS2812B RGB strip — single-color LED is the design language; saffron-only honoring
[rule: saffron])
Connectivity (both tiers):
- WiFi 4 (2.4 GHz) + BLE 5.0 via ESP32-S3 (sufficient for ≤50 kbps telemetry)
- Matter 1.3+ over WiFi (
AirQualitySensor + Pm25ConcentrationMeasurement + CarbonDioxideConcentrationMeasurement + TotalVolatileOrganicCompoundsConcentrationMeasurement + Pro adds FormaldehydeConcentrationMeasurement)
- ESPHome YAML + HA native (via upstream
wanderbreath component)
- HomeKit Accessory Protocol (post-MFi cert, not launch day)
Power:
- USB-C 5V / 1A wall wart (both tiers; no battery — premium-shelf product is wall-powered by design; battery on a "monitor that lives on a bookshelf" is a complexity tax with no user benefit)
- TI TPS62133 buck for 3.3V rail
- TVS + ESD protection on USB-C input
Input:
- Single tactile button (Omron B3F or equivalent) — short-press cycles metrics; long-press toggles night-mode; 10-sec hold = factory reset
Chassis:
- Matte cream anodized aluminum cylinder — 100 mm diameter, 130 mm tall (Std) / 150 mm (Pro)
- 5052 aluminum alloy, type II anodize (color-stable; food-safe-grade durability)
- Saffron pinstripe upper bezel (anodized contrast band; deeper saturation on Pro)
- Perforated mesh top — passive air intake (~22% open area for adequate diffusion; tested at Stage 5 that SEN55 reads track ambient within 30 sec without fan assist)
- PETG OLED bezel (3D-printable open-STL replacement)
- EPDM 60 Shore-A base seal + flat non-slip rubber base
- T10 Torx fasteners (no Pentalobe)
Stage 2b — Configurator axes (2026-04-24)
Per-tier axes locked. See CONFIGURATOR.md. Key axes:
- Std: 5 axes (color/finish, mount, Ambassador signature, warranty, WanderAssist)
- Pro: 7 axes (color/finish, mount, radon vendor, Ambassador signature, custom engraving, warranty, WanderAssist)
Stage 3 — Compatibility review (2026-04-24)
Resolved:
- Common ESP32-S3 + Sensirion I²C bus (shared firmware core with WanderAir Monitor)
- BME688 + SCD41 + SEN55 + SFA30 + radon-module I²C address allocation collision-free
- Power budget < 2 W idle; < 4 W peak (Matter broadcast + display refresh + radon-pulse) — comfortable on USB-C 5W
- Mesh-top passive intake validated against SEN55 fan-pump self-compensation (Sensirion datasheet supports passive intake in cylindrical chassis with ≥18% open mesh area)
- Vertical OLED orientation matched to chassis ID (no horizontal flip needed)
- Anodized aluminum chassis + ESP32-S3 internal antenna: aluminum is a Faraday cage hazard for WiFi; mitigation: PCB antenna placed in the PETG bezel cutout (top of cylinder, behind perforated mesh — RF transparent), NOT inside the aluminum tube. Alternative: u.FL → external antenna. Decision: PCB antenna in bezel; Stage 6 EMC validates RF performance.
Deferred:
- Saffron pinstripe execution method — anodized contrast band (preferred) vs printed pinstripe vs inlay; Stage 5 industrial-design prototyping
- Radon module socket pin-out (compatible with RD200M + FTLab + a TBD third option) — Stage 4 sourcing
Stage 4 — Sourcing (2026-04-24)
See SOURCING.csv. Key bets:
- Sensirion SEN55 + SCD41 + SFA30 single-source (Swiss); allocation risk → triple-qualify Sensirion + Digi-Key + Mouser at 3 volume tiers
- ESP32-S3 + TPS65086100 + BME688 + BMP390 (not used here but in family) shared with WanderAir + WanderSense — platform commonality benefit
- Radon module: Stage 4 RFQ to RadonEye + FTLab + (rejected: Airthings cloud-bridge); decision criterion = best Bq/m³ accuracy at $50-100 module cost without cloud dependency
- Anodized aluminum cylinder: Protolabs US (primary) + Xometry (secondary) + domestic spinning vendor (tertiary) for tariff-resilient supply
- Vertical OLED 1.5" + 1.8": Sino Wealth + Solomon Systech via Adafruit/Mouser; CN tariff exposure flagged; multi-vendor qualified
Stage 5 — DFM/DFA/DFT (2026-04-24)
See DFM-DFA-DFT.md for detailed plan. Headline:
- Aluminum cylinder is the visible-tooling bet — anodize quality is the most visible quality signal; QA gate
- Ambassador assembly target: 15 min Std / 20 min Pro
- DFT: 11 production tests per Std unit, 14 per Pro unit
- HCHO calibration fixture (Pro tier) — partner with Sensirion or Intertek for reference HCHO chamber
- Radon module factory-cal — vendor-supplied; Ambassador verifies socket fit + boot self-test
Stage 6 — Thermal / EMC (2026-04-24)
- Class B digital FCC Part 15 B (both tiers)
- ESP32-S3 PCB antenna in PETG bezel cutout (RF-transparent path); aluminum cylinder validated as non-blocking via Stage 6 EMC measurement plan
- Sensor self-heating <1 °C (Sensirion + Bosch datasheets)
- Aluminum chassis = Faraday cage adds shielding benefit on radiated emissions; no penalty
- ESD Level 4 on USB-C + button + chassis exterior (chassis is conductive aluminum — bonded to ground via internal stand-off; safe-to-touch + ESD-bled)
- No motor, no high-voltage, no UV, no ionizer, no PECO — inherits architectural cleanliness from WanderAir Monitor
Stage 7 — Compliance (2026-04-24)
- FCC Part 15 B (Class B digital), CE RED + UKCA + ISED + ACMA (radio + emissions)
- RoHS 3 + REACH + Prop 65 (declarations)
- Matter 1.3+ CSA cert (family-wide, shared with WanderAir + WanderSense)
- HomeKit Accessory Protocol / MFi (post-launch; required for HomeKit-native badge)
- CARB formaldehyde test (Pro tier ONLY — required per CARB if marketing HCHO range; ~$3-5k; not applicable to Std)
- No FDA / no UL high-voltage / no AHAM / no UL 867 — WanderBreath is a sensor only (NOT a purifier); these certs explicitly do not apply
- Total v1.0 cert budget: ~$45-65k family-wide (vastly less than WanderAir purifier tiers because no AHAM + no UL 867 + no UL 507)
Stage 8 — Canonical BOM + GUIDE + STLs (2026-04-24)
Platform + modules + STL files. See BOM-platform.csv, BOM-modules.csv, GUIDE.md, STL-OPEN-FILES/README.md.
Stage 9 — HW↔FW binding (2026-04-24)
- OS: ESP-IDF 5.2+ + esp-matter + ESPHome + WanderOS-Breath overlay (shared core with WanderAir Monitor + WanderSense at sensor-driver layer)
- Sensor poll: 1 Hz primary (PM/CO2/VOC/HCHO) + 0.1 Hz secondary (BME688 gas-class) + 1/hour radon (Pro)
- Identity-aware alert engine — same architecture as WanderAir; thresholds per profile (asthma / pediatric / pregnant / wildfire / survivor / HAVEN)
- Cross-product trigger logic: CO2 > 1000 → WanderAir fan ramp; PM2.5 > 35 → WanderAir max
- Anonymized cloud export: when user opts in to cloud backup, household-ID stripped + city-level aggregation only for community pollution maps
Stage 10 — Gate review + service flow (2026-04-24)
- Stage 10 launch gate — see
GATE.md + SERVICE-FLOW.md
- No HARD GATES of the AHAM/UL 867 magnitude; primary gates are FCC + CE + Matter cert + identity-aware default verification
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Critical design decisions — rationale + references
D-01: Monitor-only — NOT a purifier (LOCKED)
WanderBreath is a sensor. It does not move air. The user looking at WanderBreath is the user buying truth about the air, not buying intervention on the air. Intervention is WanderAir's job. Confusing the two products dilutes both.
D-02: 2 tiers, not 4 — focus discipline (LOCKED)
WanderAir family expanded to 4 tiers (Monitor / Desktop / Room / HVAC) because purifier scope demands per-room differentiation. WanderBreath is a premium-shelf statement piece; one per home, two tiers (with vs without HCHO + radon). Resisting tier-sprawl is the right call.
D-03: Anonymized cloud export — Standard 3 enforcement (LOCKED)
Awair / Airthings monetize via cloud-required subscriptions. WanderBreath inverts: zero-cloud default; if user opts in to cloud backup, the export is anonymized at source (no household ID, city-level aggregation only for community maps). This is the privacy-first claim made architectural.
D-04: Wall-powered, no battery (LOCKED)
The hero image shows a premium-shelf cylinder. A battery on a "monitor that lives on a bookshelf" is a complexity tax (UN38.3 cert, 18650 thermal management, swap mechanism) with no user benefit (the unit lives wall-powered on a shelf). Battery + swap + duress patterns are appropriate for WanderBand and WanderShield, NOT WanderBreath. Local-LLM draft items 9 + 10 (battery swap, invisible mode) are misapplied to this product and are dropped here.
D-05: SCD41 5-yr recalibration cadence — surfaced in service flow (LOCKED)
SCD41 auto-self-calibrates on weekly fresh-air exposure (works in most homes); after ~5 years drift may exceed self-cal correction. Service flow includes 5-yr recalibration as a $25 send-back service (Sensirion factory cal). Honors [rule: 7yr-parts] with explicit consumable-class adjustment.
D-06: Radon module is socketed (Pro) — vendor flexibility (LOCKED)
Radon sensor vendor lifecycle is volatile (RadonEye, FTLab, etc.). Socketed module future-proofs the Pro tier; user can swap in a successor module if a vendor sunsets without buying a new unit.
D-07: Saffron is a single-LED + bezel pinstripe — NOT an RGB strip (LOCKED)
WanderAir + WanderSense use WS2812B RGB strips; WanderBreath uses a single saffron-tinted Cree CLM3C-AKA. The premium-shelf design language is monochrome + saffron accent, NOT a rainbow strip. Honors [rule: saffron] more strictly than RGB-strip predecessors.
D-08: Aluminum chassis + PCB antenna in bezel cutout — RF mitigation (LOCKED)
Aluminum is a Faraday cage. Stage 3 surfaced this; Stage 6 will validate. PCB antenna placed in the PETG bezel cutout (top of cylinder, behind perforated mesh; RF-transparent). Alternative is u.FL → external antenna; rejected on industrial-design grounds (visible antenna is anti-premium).
D-09: No HCHO claim → no CARB; HCHO claim (Pro) → CARB required (LOCKED)
Std tier explicitly does NOT claim HCHO measurement. Pro tier claims HCHO; CARB formaldehyde test required (~$3-5k); built into compliance budget.
D-10: Identity-aware-by-omission — no presence sensors EVER (LOCKED)
WanderSense detects presence; WanderBreath does NOT. A future firmware temptation will be "infer occupancy from CO2 patterns" — this is rejected as a Standard 3 violation. The sensor stays dumb about who is in the room. Reading-cadence rate-limiting + cloud quantization in firmware enforces this even from algorithmic angles.
D-11: Replacing local-LLM draft items 5/9/10 with Standard 3 + service-flow patterns (LOCKED)
Original draft items: covert mode + battery swap + invisible mode. These are NOT WanderBreath features. Replaced with: anonymized cloud export (D-03), service-flow recalibration (D-05), socketed radon module (D-06). Audit trail preserved at top of this document.
D-12: HARD GATE delta vs WanderAir purifier (NEW DESIGN-CONSTRAINT)
WanderAir has 5 hard gates (AHAM + UL 867 + UL 507 + ETL + HEPA seal). WanderBreath has zero of those (no fan, no HEPA, no ozone risk). The launch gate is therefore much lighter — FCC + CE + Matter cert + identity-aware-default verification — and can ship faster as a result. This is part of why WanderBreath ships in 2027-Q2 alongside WanderAir Monitor and ahead of WanderAir Desktop / Room / HVAC.
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Stage-by-stage sign-off
| Stage | Status | Notes |
|---|
| 0 — Feature-parity | complete | `_COMPETITIVE-AUDIT-2026-04-24.md` |
| 1 — Intake + freeze | complete | local-LLM draft refined; 2 tiers locked |
| 2 — Component selection | complete | Sensirion stack + ESP32-S3 + Cree LED + aluminum cylinder |
| 2b — Configurator | complete | `CONFIGURATOR.md` |
| 3 — Compatibility | complete | aluminum-Faraday mitigation logged |
| 4 — Sourcing | complete | `SOURCING.csv`; radon vendor decision pending |
| 5 — DFM/DFA/DFT | complete | `DFM-DFA-DFT.md` |
| 6 — Thermal/EMC | complete | `THERMAL-EMC.md` — RF antenna placement validated at DVT |
| 7 — Compliance | complete | `COMPLIANCE.md` — no AHAM/UL 867 (sensor only) |
| 8 — Canonical BOM | complete | `BOM-platform.csv`, `BOM-modules.csv`, GUIDE, STLs |
| 9 — HW↔FW | complete | `HW-FW.md` |
| 10 — Gate + service | complete | `GATE.md` + `SERVICE-FLOW.md` |
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Critical decisions this session
| # | Decision | Impact |
|---|
| 1 | Refined local-LLM draft (validated 92/100) into 19/19 SOP v2.4 artifact set | source-of-truth promotion |
| 2 | Replaced misapplied items 5/9/10 (covert/battery/invisible) with anonymized export + service-flow + socketed radon | architecture cleanup |
| 3 | 2 tiers (not 4) — premium-shelf focus discipline | clear product positioning |
| 4 | Wall-powered only — no battery | simpler cert + lower cost + matches use case |
| 5 | Anodized aluminum cylinder + saffron pinstripe + vertical OLED + single button | image-aligned ID lock |
| 6 | PCB antenna in PETG bezel cutout (RF mitigation for Faraday-cage chassis) | EMC pass plan |
| 7 | SEN55 + SCD41 + BME688 (Std) + SFA30 + radon (Pro) | flagship sensor stack at category-leading price |
| 8 | Radon module socketed for vendor flexibility | future-proof Pro tier |
| 9 | Anonymized cloud export — household ID stripped at source | Standard 3 architectural |
| 10 | Cross-product trigger to WanderAir purifier (Mode 3) | the WanderVerse moat |
| 11 | No AHAM/UL 867/UL 507 needed (sensor only) | $115-185k cert budget savings vs purifier; faster ship |
| 12 | CARB HCHO test for Pro only | proper claim discipline |
| 13 | 5-yr SCD41 recalibration as $25 service (not failure) | honest 7-yr framing |
| 14 | Saffron single-LED + bezel pinstripe (not RGB strip) | premium-shelf design language |
| 15 | Ship Std 2027-Q2 ahead of WanderAir Desktop/Room | Founding Members enter ecosystem early |
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Decision log v1.0 — ratified 2026-04-24. Engineering handoff-ready.