Greenhouse CO2 Monitoring with iNut: Optimize Photosynthesis & Automate Ventilation
Monitor greenhouse CO2 levels with the iNut platform: real-time NDIR sensors, wireless RS485/WiFi Mesh connectivity, automatic threshold-based ventilation and CO2 injection to optimize photosynthesis, Email/Telegram alerts, and remote monitoring via app. Healthier plants, consistent yields, less manual labor.
Inside a sealed greenhouse, CO2 concentration swings fast and in opposite directions hour by hour: as morning sun rises, strong photosynthesis can deplete CO2 to below 300 ppm, stalling growth; by midday with everything closed up, respiration and organic decomposition push CO2 past safe limits. Taking manual readings a few times a day with a handheld meter is both tedious and misses exactly the moments that matter most — leaving almost no chance to intervene in time.
The real challenge isn't "knowing the CO2 number" — it's measuring continuously, understanding the context, and acting automatically. iNut brings exactly that toolkit into the greenhouse: real-time sensors, wireless transmission to one platform, threshold comparison, and control of fans, vents and CO2 valves, with instant alerts whenever something is off.
Accurate CO2 measurement — real-time NDIR sensors
Every good decision starts with good data. iNut uses NDIR (Non-Dispersive Infrared) CO2 sensors for high accuracy, low drift, and a wide measuring range from a few hundred to a few thousand ppm. The CO2 reading is never taken in isolation — it's read together with temperature, humidity and light, since photosynthesis depends on all four factors at once. Everything is gathered in one place and updated in real time.
Wireless connectivity — covers the whole greenhouse, no cabling
A greenhouse needs multiple measuring points because CO2 is never evenly distributed. With iNut RS485 / WiFi Mesh, each sensor station automatically joins the network and relays data back to the gateway — no need to run tangled signal cables, and adding more measuring points is easy. Outdoors or in areas without convenient grid power, stations run on solar panels and keep operating reliably.
Automatic ventilation when CO2 exceeds the threshold
When CO2 builds up too high — typically when the greenhouse is sealed or at night — the system automatically opens roof vents and runs exhaust fans to bring the air back to a safe range, then switches off once it's enough. The threshold is set once on the platform; the rest is handled at the edge by iNut PC, which runs the logic and switches the relays controlling fans, vents and motorized doors. No one needs to stand watch hour after hour.
Optimizing photosynthesis — topping up CO2 when plants are "starving"
The opposite of excess also happens: as the sun rises and photosynthesis ramps up, CO2 in a sealed greenhouse can drop quickly below the optimal threshold, creating a yield "bottleneck". iNut detects this moment and opens the CO2 supplement valve right on time to keep concentration in the zone plants absorb best, then stops once the target is reached. Combined with iNut Muro for microclimate control, CO2, temperature, humidity and light are all coordinated into one stable, optimal environment.
Remote monitoring & instant alerts
The whole greenhouse fits right in your phone: view CO2 charts, change thresholds, turn devices on/off remotely via the iNut app; historical data is stored on iNut Datalogger and displayed on the SCADA dashboard of iNut Platform (self-hosted cloud). When CO2 crosses above or below the threshold, iNut PC instantly pushes alerts via Email/Telegram — even in areas with only 4G coverage, thanks to its built-in uplink.
Field deployment — rugged, solar-powered
In net houses far from a power station, or where an outdoor monitoring station is needed, iNut devices keep running thanks to solar panels and wireless data transmission. iNut OPC integration (OPC UA / Modbus / XML-DA) lets CO2 data plug straight into the farm's existing SCADA system. Install once, and the data flows in automatically — growers just check their phone.
// Quick specs
CO₂ NDIR · temperature · humidity · light
Ventilation · fans · CO₂ supplement valve
RS485 · WiFi Mesh · 4G
Email · Telegram · real-time
Datalogger · SCADA · OPC UA
Solar panel · outdoor-rated
What do you gain from greenhouse CO2 monitoring?
Keeps CO₂ in the zone plants absorb best — unlocking the yield "bottleneck".
A stable microclimate avoids both CO₂ excess and shortage — more even plant growth.
No hourly manual readings; the system ventilates, tops up CO₂ and alerts on its own.
Full CO₂ history stored for analysis, traceability and fine-tuning farming practices.
CO2 is invisible — but the yield impact is very real
We can't see CO2, so it's easy to forget that it rises and falls every hour, quietly deciding whether plants photosynthesize fast or slow. Once you can measure it, understand it, and let the system act at the right moment, keeping a greenhouse in its optimal state stops being guesswork and becomes something you can repeat every single day.
How much CO2 is your greenhouse breathing out and in every hour — that you've never actually listened to?