Sound monitoring for commercial buildings

Sound directly shapes how comfortable a space feels and how well employees perform, yet most buildings never measure it. Kaiterra continuously tracks how loud a space is, how much it varies, and what's driving it, so you can deliver acoustic comfort to support your team's focus and well-being.

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Sound monitoring for commercial buildings

Trusted by companies measuring air quality at scale

What is sound monitoring?

Sound monitoring is the continuous measurement of a space's acoustic environment - not just how loud it is, but how much the level varies and what frequencies make it up. It shows facility and workplace teams whether a space actually delivers the acoustic comfort it was designed for, in real time.

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why sound matters

Noise is the #1 office complaint, and yet the least measured

of office occupants are dissatisfied with acoustics.

Parkinson et al., Buildings & Cities, 2023. 62,360 occupants, 617 office buildings.

better memory-test scores when the same people worked in a quieter zone.

Jahncke & Hallman, J. Environmental Psychology, 2020. 113 employees.

difference in how many staff are disturbed by noise among 21 open-plan offices studied.

Haapakangas et al., J. Acoustical Society of America, 2017. 883 occupants, 21 offices.

measuring sound

There's no right or wrong number, only the right sound for the job

Sound isn't like an air quality pollutant with a universal "good" level, or a precise HVAC set point. The right acoustic profile depends on what the space is for, so there's no fixed threshold - only a purpose to measure against.

Quiet & steady

Made for focus

Lively & steady

Made for collaboration

~35–45 dBA · Phone rooms, quiet zones ~58–68 dBA · Cafés, team spaces

what we measure

Three key factors that define acoustic comfort, measured continuously

A single decibel number can't tell you whether a space is actually working for the people in it. To understand acoustic performance, and know how to improve it, you need a multi-layered view.

Level The A-weighted equivalent continuous sound level, which approximates how the human ear perceives loudness, along with the louder and quieter points within that range (LA10, LA90). Together, these define how loud a space is overall.

Variability The spread between the louder moments and the quiet baseline (LA10 - LA90), known as the noise climate. It's our measure of how much the sound in a space varies, from a steady hum to sudden spikes of noise.

Frequency Sound energy measured across 31 one-third-octave bands, aggregated every 5 minutes. It's what lets you tell HVAC apart from conversation or traffic, or catch a high-pitched equipment hum that only some people can hear.

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See it live

Four acoustic zones, one sound gradient map

Every space falls into one of four acoustic profiles based on how loud it is and how much sound varies. The right profile depends on the space: a cafeteria should be lively, while a focus room should be quiet, and both should keep a steady level.

Kaiterra maps this across your floor plan, so you can see which areas match their purpose and which don't.

Distracting Unpleasant Focus Lively Louder → ← Quieter ↑ More variable ↓ Steadier

Phone booth 35 dBA · ±4 dB Matches its purpose ✓

Focus room 38 dBA · ±5 dB Matches its purpose ✓

Open workspace A 46 dBA · ±6 dB Matches its purpose ✓

Meeting room A 58 dBA · ±9 dB Matches its purpose ✓

Lobby 61 dBA · ±9 dB Matches its purpose ✓

Cafe 66 dBA · ±8 dB Matches its purpose ✓

Open workspace B 44 dBA · ±19 dB Off-target - investigate

Pantry 63 dBA · ±21 dB Off-target - investigate

Privacy by design

Engineered for privacy at every level

Security is the cornerstone of every Kaiterra sensor, and sound is no exception. We build privacy in from the ground up so you get the insight without the exposure.

layer 1

A sampling window fixed in hardware

The sensor only listens for a tiny fraction of each second, and that timing is set by physical components - not software. It can't be reprogrammed to listen longer.

Layer 2

No audio leaves the sensor

Sampled fragments are converted to aggregated numbers on the sound sensor module. No audio ever leaves it - only levels and frequency bands.

layer 3

Sensor isolation and lock-down

The sensor's firmware can't be changed after it's made. There's no back door from the rest of the device into what it captures.

Layer 4

Encrypted device and cloud

The same encryption, device certificates, and security practices already documented for every Kaiterra product and on our security page.

Privacy by design

Engineered for privacy at every level

Security is the cornerstone of every Kaiterra sensor, and sound is no exception. We build privacy in from the ground up so you get the insight without the exposure.

Monitor sound with the Sensedge Go

Add sound to the Sensedge Go so you can continuously track acoustic performance right alongside air quality, thermal comfort, and light. Installs in under a minute, runs up to 8 years on battery.

See Sensedge Go

why measure sound with Kaiterra

Get a continuous acoustic picture

Kaiterra's sound sensor captures level, variability, and frequency, giving you the full picture of whether a space is acoustically comfortable, not one number you can't act on.

Air Quality Pillar-Accurate and calibrated-1

A one-time acoustic survey before moving in is precise but unrepresentative. Continuous data of weeks, months, or even years show how a space actually sounds all day, every day.

Air Quality Pillar-why measure with Kaiterra-Accurate and calibrated- 3-1500x1500

The only sound sensor on the market that's taken the necessary measures to keep it from becoming a security risk. Multiple layers of hardening rules, from hardware, to firmware, to software, to make sure your privacy is protected.

Air Quality Pillar-why measure with Kaiterra-Accurate and calibrated- 2-A

Sound sits alongside air, thermal, and light on the same data platform, giving you one unified system to monitor the entire indoor environment.

why measure air quality with Kaiterra

A monitoring platform, not a gadget on the wall

Getting an air quality monitor on the wall is just the first step. Getting data you can trust for years, integrate with your building, and defend in a certification audit — that's the difference between an off-the-shelf sensor and the Kaiterra platform.

Accurate and calibrated Featuring Kaiterra’s unique modular design, sensor modules of Kaiterra monitor can be swapped in seconds. This is a much more cost-effective way to keep your device accurate in the long run, without conducting the traditional calibration process.

Flexible and future-proof The modular design allows you to add or remove parameters easily, to stay compliant with evolving building needs and future legislative requirements.

Certification ready RESET Grade B certified and part of the Works with WELL catalog - Kaiterra monitors align with all of the major certification requirements in market today.

Works locally and over the cloud You don't have to choose between the cloud and your BMS. Kaiterra provides the only air quality monitors that are BTL-certified - so BMS integration over BACnet/IP, Modbus RTU, Open API, and MQTT actually holds up.

Frequently asked questions

Is a sound sensor a microphone? Does Kaiterra record audio?

Anything that measures sound has to use a microphone, and any vendor claiming otherwise isn't being transparent. Kaiterra is upfront about it: yes, it has a microphone. But each sample lasts a fraction of a second, is converted into aggregated numbers on the device, and is discarded immediately after. Nothing raw is ever stored or leaves the sensor, only sound levels and frequency data.

Why isn't a single decibel reading enough?

Because loudness and distraction aren't the same thing. A steady, fairly loud space (like a café) is easy to tune out, while a mostly quiet space with sudden noises is very distracting. A single dB number can't tell them apart. You need the level, variability, and frequency readings together for an accurate picture.

What does Kaiterra measure for sound?

Three parameters, continuously: how loud the space is (the energy-average level plus peaks), how much the level varies (the spread between the louder moments and the quiet baseline), and the frequency mix (to identify what's driving the noise - HVAC, conversation, traffic, equipment).

How accurate is the sensor if it only samples part of the time?

Over a short window it can miss brief events, but sampling a fraction of every second, continuously, over days and weeks builds an accurate, representative picture of how a space actually sounds. Every unit is also calibrated in production to keep those long-run readings accurate.

Which Kaiterra monitor measures sound?

The Sensedge Go, via its add-on sound sensor. The same wireless, battery-powered device that measures air quality, thermal comfort, and light.

Find out if your building is delivering on acoustic comfort

Book a Demo

Sound monitoring for commercial buildings

Trusted by companies measuring air quality at scale

What is sound monitoring?

Noise is the #1 office complaint, and yet the least measured

There's no right or wrong number, only the right sound for the job

Made for focus

Made for collaboration

Three key factors that define acoustic comfort, measured continuously

Four acoustic zones, one sound gradient map

Engineered for privacy at every level

Engineered for privacy at every level

A sampling window fixed in hardware

No audio leaves the sensor

Sensor isolation and lock-down

Encrypted device and cloud

Monitor sound with the Sensedge Go

Get a continuous acoustic picture

A monitoring platform, not a gadget on the wall

Frequently asked questions

More on sound monitoring and acoustic comfort

Find out if your building is delivering on acoustic comfort