WanderPool — Full Spec (2-tier family)
Product family: WanderPool, the WanderVerse floating-dock pool/spa water-quality monitor with electrochemical probes, solar-charged, LoRa + WiFi Device IDs: WV-POOL-STD · WV-POOL-PRO Chassis family: Floating Dock (100 mm Ø × 50 mm tall, matte cream-anodized top deck, saffron LED ring perimeter) Status: spec v1.0, post-validation, SOP v2.4 native, platform + modules, dual-mode, minimal-identity-aware Supersedes: local-LLM draft /tmp/draft-wanderpool-DECISIONS.md (validated 97/100), refined here into the full 19-file artifact set Ship target: Standard 2027-Q2 · Pro 2027-Q3 Date: 2026-04-25
Shared family docs: ../_WORKFLOW-SOP.md · ../_HARDWARE-TOOLCHAIN.md · ../_STANDALONE-AND-PLATFORM-INTEGRATION.md · companions: _VALIDATION-AND-SENSOR-EXPANSION.md · _COMPETITIVE-AUDIT-2026-04-25.md
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Brief
WanderPool is a privacy-first, repair-friendly, solar-charged floating pool monitor that:
- Continuously measures pH + ORP + temperature + electrical conductivity (Standard); adds free chlorine + total alkalinity + cyanuric acid (Pro)
- Floats on the pool surface via integrated dock-shape buoyant chassis with three slim probe tubes hanging below
- Charges itself via integrated 50 × 30 mm Maxeon C60 solar panel on top deck, typical pool-deck sun gives effectively indefinite runtime
- Operates locally by default: no cloud subscription required at any tier; LoRa to nearest base + Meshtastic-compatible
- Integrates with pool-pump controllers (Pentair / Hayward / Jandy) via direct-relay or Matter, in Mode 2 / Mode 3
- Is user-repairable (swappable battery + probes + dock-collar; captive T10 screws; published STLs + schematics) with a 7-year parts commitment
- Is Ambassador-assembled + Ambassador-signed under the 60/30/10 PrideFund flow
Two tiers serving two buyers:
| Tier | Price | Who | Killer feature |
|---|
| **Standard** | TBD | Pool owners who want continuous chemistry without strips, recalibration quarterly | pH + ORP + temp + EC + solar + LoRa/WiFi + Matter water sensor |
| **Pro** | TBD | Saltwater-pool owners, spa owners, public/HOA pools, integrators with chlorinator automation | Adds free chlorine + total alkalinity + cyanuric acid via amperometric probes; chlorinator-dose relay |
All tiers: IP68 dock cavity · -20/+60 °C · 7-year parts (probes 2-3 yr wear) · Ambassador Signature Mark · CC BY-SA STLs (dock + tether) · Meshtastic-compatible · dual-mode per Standard 0.
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Visual signature
The WanderPool floating dock is the most outwardly visible WanderVerse product. It sits in the pool, in plain view of every guest. Visual discipline matters.
- Form: round dock, 100 mm Ø × 50 mm tall, proportions of a hockey puck or coaster, scaled and ruggedized
- Top deck: matte cream-anodized aluminum, soft, premium, non-reflective in sun, doesn't show waterline staining
- Solar panel: 50 × 30 mm Maxeon C60 monocrystalline, integrated flush into top deck, sapphire-glass covered
- LED ring: saffron LED ring perimeter around the top deck circumference, gentle status pulse (heartbeat + dose-firing flash + alert pattern); 24 individually-addressable LEDs
- Saffron pinstripe along the upper bezel where deck meets dock side, signature WanderVerse aesthetic
- Probes: three slim probe tubes hanging below, white food-grade housing (FDA-compliant polypropylene + silicone collar), stainless-steel tips (316L) at the sensing surface; tube length 80 mm so probes sit ~3 cm below the waterline (cleanly above pool floor mess)
- No external wordmark. Only the inner-deck Ambassador Signature is visible if you pick up the dock and look underneath the cream top.
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Who we serve (design pillars)
1. Pool owners who hate test strips, strip-free continuous-chemistry monitoring that just works after install 2. Saltwater-pool / spa owners: Pro tier with free chlorine + alkalinity + CYA solves the 4-7 dimension chemistry problem strips can't keep up with 3. HOA / public-pool / wellness-spa operators: Mode 3 chlorinator-dose automation + LoRa to community mesh + Ambassador-grade reliability 4. Pentair / Hayward / Jandy integrators, direct-relay or Matter-water-sensor integration with major pool-pump controllers 5. Off-grid / cabin-pool / ice-bath users, solar-charged + LoRa-only operation possible without WiFi reach 6. WanderEnergy ecosystem users, pool pump is one of the largest residential loads; WanderPool chemistry-stable windows feed pump-cycle scheduling
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Platform + module philosophy
WanderPool follows Standard 6b (platform + modules, not fixed BOM):
Platform (in every unit of every tier):
- Floating dock chassis + cream top deck + saffron LED ring + integrated solar panel + mainboard + ESP32-S3 + LoRa + WiFi + BLE + battery + USB-C + Ambassador Signature
Modules (order-time axes: see CONFIGURATOR.md):
- Probe-pack axis: Standard (pH + ORP + EC + RTD-temp) · Pro (Standard + free Cl + alkalinity + CYA)
- Tether axis: dock floats untethered (default) · saffron-paracord tether to pool ladder/skimmer (Lux)
- Solar axis: integrated panel (default) · external add-on solar panel for shaded-pool installs (Lux)
- Chlorinator-relay axis: none (Standard) · dry-contact relay (Pro Mode 3) · Pentair direct (Pro Pentair-bundle)
- Color axis: cream top deck only at v1.0 (one anodize finish; saffron LED ring + saffron pinstripe consistent)
Upgrade path: Standard cannot upgrade to Pro (different mainboard + probe-cage tooling); buy the right tier at order.
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Feature inventory (Stage 0 parity matrix)
| Feature | Standard | Pro | Competitive |
|---|
| pH continuous (Atlas INS or equiv) | ✅ | ✅ | WaterGuru/Sutro/pHin (mostly strip-based or 7-day sample) |
| ORP continuous | ✅ | ✅ | Sutro Pro |
| Temperature (RTD or fused) | ✅ | ✅ | All competitors |
| Conductivity (EC) | ✅ | ✅ | Pentair IntelliConnect |
| Free chlorine (amperometric) | — | ✅ | Sutro Pro (sample-based) |
| Total alkalinity | — | ✅ | unique-to-WanderPool at this price |
| Cyanuric acid (CYA) | — | ✅ | unique-to-WanderPool at this price |
| Solar-charged | ✅ | ✅ | unique (most are battery-only or wired) |
| LoRa 915/868 MHz | ✅ | ✅ | unique (most are WiFi-only) |
| WiFi 2.4 GHz | ✅ | ✅ | All |
| BLE 5.0 | ✅ | ✅ | All |
| Matter water sensor | ✅ | ✅ | Pentair, Hayward (separate accessory) |
| Home Assistant ESPHome native | ✅ | ✅ | unique |
| Pentair / Hayward / Jandy direct-relay | — | ✅ | Pentair IntelliConnect (Pentair-only) |
| Chlorinator-dose automation | — | ✅ | Pentair, Hayward (proprietary) |
| WanderNode Hub / WanderEnergy integration | ✅ | ✅ | unique |
| IP68 floating dock | ✅ | ✅ | WaterGuru is similar form |
| -20 to +60 °C operating | ✅ | ✅ | most rated only +0/+50 |
| User-swappable battery | ✅ | ✅ | unique (most glued) |
| User-replaceable probes | ✅ (Standard probes DIY) | ⭐ (Pro amperometric Ambassador send-back for re-bias) | unique |
| Quarterly recalibration | ✅ | ✅ | most are 12-mo sealed disposable |
| 7-year parts commitment | ✅ | ✅ | unique (most are 1-2 yr disposable) |
| Open STL files (CC BY-SA) | ✅ | ✅ | unique |
| Published schematics (CC BY-SA) | ✅ | ✅ | unique |
| Meshtastic-compatible firmware | ✅ | ✅ | unique |
| Standalone Mode 1 (no phone, LoRa to base) | ✅ | ✅ | none of the WiFi-only competitors |
| Companion app Mode 2 (iOS + Android + web) | ✅ | ✅ | All |
| WanderVerse Mode 3 (Hub + chlorinator + WanderEnergy) | ✅ | ✅ | unique |
| No-subscription baseline | ✅ | ✅ | only ICO Pool offers no-sub; rest charge ongoing |
| Ambassador-assembled + signed | ✅ | ✅ | unique |
Count: 28 features inventoried. 28 covered at Pro tier. 22 covered at Standard.
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Hardware architecture
Mainboard
- MCU: Espressif ESP32-S3-WROOM-1 (8 MB flash, 8 MB PSRAM), pre-cert FCC/CE/IC module passthrough · primary radio for WiFi + BLE 5.0
- LoRa radio: Semtech SX1262 (external to ESP32-S3 via SPI) · 915 MHz US / 868 MHz EU rubber-duck whip via internal helical
- Probe AFE (Standard): Atlas Scientific INS pH + ORP + EC modules (each module is a self-contained probe + signal-conditioning ASIC; UART/I²C interface to ESP32-S3)
- Probe AFE (Pro adds): Atlas EZO-HUM-CL free-chlorine module + Atlas EZO-ALK alkalinity module + Atlas EZO-CYA cyanuric-acid module (all amperometric; UART daisy-chain on a second bus)
- RTD temperature: Honeywell PT1000 thin-film in stainless tip · MAX31865 RTD-to-digital ADC · ±0.2 °C across envelope
- Power: TI BQ25180 USB-C linear charger + solar input · TI TPS63020 buck-boost · per-subsystem load switches (probe modules can sleep individually)
- Battery: 1 × 3.7 V 2000 mAh prismatic Li-ion (LIR18650-2000 form factor in custom holder) · 7-year parts via Samsung / Sony / Panasonic 2nd-source matrix
- Storage: Macronix 16 MB NOR flash (firmware + 90-day chemistry log + queued LoRa messages)
- LED ring: WS2812B-2020 × 24 individually-addressable LEDs around upper bezel (saffron-warm-white default; amber alert; cyan calibration-mode; magenta chlorinator-firing)
- Sensors (chassis): ICM-42688-P IMU (detects dock flip / shore-removal / wave activity) · BMP390 baro (atmospheric reference) · ambient light sensor (solar tracking + day/night UI)
Antennas
- LoRa: internal helical antenna integrated into top-deck side wall (not external for floating-dock aesthetics, internal helical adequately tuned for 0.5-2 km mesh range to typical residential WanderNode)
- WiFi 2.4 GHz + BLE 5.0: ESP32-S3 internal PCB chip antenna (Espressif reference)
Probes (Standard)
- pH: Atlas Scientific Industrial INS-pH-K (PEEK shell, BNC-equivalent waterproof connector) · range pH 0-14 · ±0.05 factory cal · 2-3 yr field life · quarterly recalibration with 4.0/7.0/10.0 buffer
- ORP: Atlas Scientific Industrial INS-ORP-K · range ±2000 mV · ±10 mV · 2-3 yr · quarterly recal with Zobell solution
- EC (conductivity): Atlas Scientific Industrial INS-EC-K (K=1.0 cell) · range 5-200,000 µS/cm · ±2 % · quarterly recal with 1413 µS standard
- Temperature: Honeywell PT1000 thin-film embedded in EC probe stainless tip (shared housing, saves a probe slot) · Temp+EC fused per metric-fusion library
Probes (Pro adds)
- Free chlorine: Atlas Scientific EZO-HUM-CL amperometric probe · range 0-10 ppm · ±0.2 ppm · 2 yr field life · monthly recal with chlorine standard
- Total alkalinity: Atlas EZO-ALK · range 0-300 ppm CaCO₃ · ±10 ppm · 2 yr · quarterly recal
- Cyanuric acid (CYA): Atlas EZO-CYA · range 0-100 ppm · ±5 ppm · 2 yr · quarterly recal · NOTE: higher field drift than pH/ORP, UI prompts re-cal more aggressively
Chassis
- Top deck: matte cream-anodized 6061-T6 aluminum disc, 100 mm Ø × 8 mm thick, sapphire-glass solar window flush-set, saffron-pinstripe machined groove around upper edge
- Dock body: injection-molded EPDM-foam-lined ABS-PC float (positive buoyancy with ~30 g of sensor+probe weight) · UL 94-V0 · marine-grade UV stable
- Probe cage (below dock): white food-grade polypropylene tubular housings (3 tubes, 12 mm Ø × 80 mm long) · stainless 316L tips at sensing end · silicone strain-relief collars at dock-body entry · 2-part epoxy potting at probe-tube-to-dock interface
- Seal architecture: single O-ring face seal between top deck and dock body (Shore 70A silicone, UL-approved) · Gore-Tex pressure-equalization vent (in side wall, above expected waterline) · 2-part epoxy potting at probe-tube entry
- Fasteners: 4 × captive T10 Torx (top deck to dock body) · M3 brass heat-set inserts · 316SS screws
- Tether: optional saffron-paracord tether to pool ladder / skimmer / dock cleat (default: untethered floating)
- Weight: ~280 g loaded (Standard) / ~310 g (Pro)
- Buoyancy: 50 g positive (sits 35 mm above waterline; probes hang 80 mm below)
Power budget (target operating)
| Mode | Standard | Pro |
|---|
| Deep sleep (1-min wake interval) | <80 µA | <100 µA |
| Active sample (probe read every 1 min, 3-second window) | ~22 mA avg during window | ~35 mA avg during window |
| LoRa TX @ +20 dBm (burst) | 120 mA | 120 mA |
| WiFi connect + sync (bursty) | ~180 mA × ~3 s every hour | same |
| Chlorinator-relay drive (Pro only) | — | 25 mA continuous when relay closed |
| LED ring (status pulse, dim) | ~1 mA avg | ~1 mA avg |
Runtime on 2000 mAh cell @ 25 °C without solar:
- Standby (sample 1/min, LoRa hourly, no WiFi): ~14 days
- Active (sample 1/min, LoRa hourly, WiFi every 6 hr, LED ring on): ~7 days
With solar (typical pool deck ≥6 h direct sun / day): runtime is effectively indefinite in all profiles. Solar input ~250 mW @ midday matches average draw of ~12 mW × 24 h.
Thermal envelope
- Operating: -20 °C to +60 °C (ambient) · Storage: -30 to +70 °C
- Li-ion charging gate: 0 to +45 °C (firmware-enforced via NTC on cell)
- Probe-bias accuracy gate: pH/ORP probes drift outside 5-50 °C water temp; firmware logs water-temp out-of-cal-range warnings
- Chassis-skin temperature: matte cream anodize is low-emissivity; deck reaches ~50 °C in summer direct sun; below cell + IC limits
See THERMAL-EMC.md for full budget + derating analysis.
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Firmware architecture
OS: ESP-IDF 5.2+ (FreeRTOS) · OTA dual-partition · device-tree-driven board config
Stacks:
- WiFi + BLE: ESP-IDF native · Matter water-sensor profile + Home Assistant ESPHome native YAML
- LoRa: Meshtastic v2.4+ as baseline · WanderVerse-native extensions (chemistry-event broadcast, chlorinator-state messages)
- Probes: Atlas Scientific OEM driver (UART + I²C protocols for INS + EZO families) · per-probe sample scheduler · drift-detection + recalibration prompts
- Power management: ESP32-S3 deep-sleep with timer-wake every 60 s · solar MPPT-less linear charge; firmware-monitored input voltage gates charge/load-shed
- Chlorinator-relay (Pro): dry-contact relay driver via dedicated GPIO + safety interlock (relay defaults OPEN on any fault: probe disconnect, battery <3.4 V, firmware watchdog, IMU "dock-removed-from-pool")
Apps (on-device, minimal, no display):
- LED-ring UI: saffron-warm-white heartbeat (normal) · amber pulsing (alert: chemistry out-of-band) · cyan (calibration mode) · magenta (chlorinator firing) · red (probe fault / battery critical)
- BLE pairing flow (button on dock-side wakes pairing)
- Calibration flow: hold button + dip into reference fluid; companion app guides
Companion app:
- iOS (Swift + SwiftUI) + Android (Kotlin + Compose) + web/PWA
- Live chemistry dashboard (pH, ORP, EC, temp, free Cl/alk/CYA on Pro)
- 90-day history; trend lines
- Recalibration walkthrough (with photo guide + buffer-solution ordering deep-link)
- Mode 3 chlorinator-dose schedule + safety bounds
- Pump-cycle scheduling (WanderEnergy) integration
OTA:
- WiFi BLE-pair fallback (BLE → companion app drives WiFi credentials → device pulls OTA)
- LoRa-fragment OTA (slow fallback for off-grid pools without WiFi reach)
Security:
- Firmware signed (Ed25519) · secure-boot enforced
- Pre-shared LoRa channel keys per pool deployment (prevents neighbor-pool cross-talk)
- No phone-home telemetry; all status surfaces via companion app only
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Dual-mode spec (per Standard 0)
Mode 1: Standalone (LoRa to nearest base, no WiFi)
Every tier works fully without WiFi. LoRa to a WanderNode Hub or any Meshtastic gateway in mesh range.
- Setup via BLE pairing one-time
- Chemistry data flows over LoRa to Hub
- No internet path; data stays local
- Chlorinator-relay (Pro) operates from on-device firmware, no cloud needed
Mode 2: Matter water sensor + Home Assistant ESPHome + companion app
- Matter water sensor: dock advertises as a standard Matter water-sensor accessory; Apple Home + Google Home + Amazon Alexa + Samsung SmartThings see it natively
- Home Assistant ESPHome: native YAML config; published reference
wanderpool.yaml in CC BY-SA repo
- Pentair / Hayward / Jandy direct-relay (Pro): dry-contact wired to chlorinator + pump controller; activates per chemistry-band rules
- iOS + Android companion apps: chemistry dashboard, recalibration, alert configuration
Mode 3: WanderVerse ecosystem
- WanderNode Hub aggregates pool data + triggers chlorinator dose when chemistry drifts outside band
- WanderEnergy reads chemistry-stability windows and schedules pool-pump cycles in cheap-electricity windows
- WanderRouter Ultra (if installed) provides off-site pool monitoring during travel
- All cross-product flows are local, no cloud
Industry integrations (required per Standard 0)
| Integration | Standard | Pro |
|---|
| Apple Home (Matter water sensor) | ✅ | ✅ |
| Google Home (Matter) | ✅ | ✅ |
| Amazon Alexa (Matter) | ✅ | ✅ |
| Samsung SmartThings (Matter) | ✅ | ✅ |
| Home Assistant ESPHome | ✅ | ✅ |
| Pentair IntelliConnect direct | — | ✅ |
| Hayward Omni / OmniLogic direct-relay | — | ✅ |
| Jandy iAquaLink direct-relay | — | ✅ |
| Meshtastic open protocol | ✅ | ✅ |
| WanderNode Hub | ✅ | ✅ |
| WanderEnergy | ✅ | ✅ |
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Manufacturing + service philosophy
- Ambassador-assembled under 60/30/10 split · per-order assembly from component stock
- Ambassador Tier-1 with electrochemical-probe handling adder: Standard probe-handling adds 2 hours of ESD discipline + probe-storage + calibration-fluid handling training beyond the base Tier-1 curriculum (probes are sensitive to dry-out, contamination, and ESD)
- Ambassador Signature Mark engraved inside upper deck (visible only when top deck is removed for service); permanent and retained across service/upgrades
- Per-unit assembly time: Standard ~25 min · Pro ~35 min (Pro adds amperometric probe wet-bring-up + relay safety verification)
- End-of-line test: pressure pot to IP68 + probe wet-test in calibrated reference solution + LoRa + WiFi + BLE handshake + Matter commissioning
- 7-year spare parts commitment; probes are flagged 2-3 yr wear items (standard recalibration quarterly; replace at 2-3 yr or when drift exceeds spec)
- DIY paths: battery swap (5 min, IP68 preserved), Standard probes user-replaceable (10 min, requires recalibration), tether/dock-collar swap (DIY trivial)
- Ambassador send-back: Pro amperometric probe re-bias (probes have internal calibration constants written by Atlas firmware that drift; send-back is 5-day turnaround), main IP68 re-cert
See DFM-DFA-DFT.md + SERVICE-FLOW.md for full detail.
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Pricing + margins
| Tier | BOM FOB | PCBA + assembly | Total FOB | Retail | Target margin (planning estimate) |
|---|
| Standard | $84 | $14 | **$98** | TBD | 45 % |
| Pro | $158 | $20 | **$178** | TBD | 40 % |
Probe replacement revenue (consumables/wear class):
- Standard probe pack (pH + ORP + EC + temp): retail price TBD / $32 BOM, every 2-3 yr per unit
- Pro probe pack (free Cl + alk + CYA): retail price TBD / $48 BOM, every 2 yr per unit
- Buffer solution kit (4.0 / 7.0 / 10.0 + Zobell + 1413 µS + chlorine std): retail price TBD / $12 BOM, quarterly
Service revenue feeds 60/30/10 split.
Community Pool flow (per WANDERVERSE-COMMUNITY-POOL-SPEC.md):
- 60 % → Ambassador wages
- 10 % → PrideFund (HYSA)
- 30 % → Community Pool
See CONFIGURATOR.md for per-option price deltas.
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Hard gates (all tiers)
1. IP68: dock cavity submersion ≥1.5 m / 30 min 2. -20 to +60 °C operating 3. LoRa service-plan-free baseline: Meshtastic-compatible open protocol 4. Probe accuracy per spec at factory cal across operating envelope 5. Chlorinator-relay fail-safe (Pro), defaults OPEN on any fault state
See COMPLIANCE.md + GATE.md for full gate checklist.
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Open items carried forward
See _MANIFEST.md §"Open items": Atlas OEM commit · Mettler Toledo reference · amperometric probe sourcing · NSF/ANSI 61 v1.1 deferral · probe wear-cycle validation · Pentair/Hayward/Jandy relay protocols · Ambassador probe-care training · WanderEnergy pump-cycle integration · chlorinator-relay safety review · CYA field-drift handling.