The plan: from dev kits to 100 beta units in 13 weeks

This is a plan, not a record of progress. We will post an update at each milestone and say plainly when something slips.

Weeks 1–4: prove it works on real ACs

• Week 1: freeze the v0 spec and order dev kits: ESP32 boards, 24 GHz presence radar, temperature and humidity sensors, IR LEDs and receivers.
• Weeks 2–4: a breadboard prototype that controls five real AC brands, while logging radar data in real rooms.
• Week 3: test Matter and over-the-air updates on two candidate chip modules and choose one.

Weeks 3–8: the presence model and firmware

• Collect presence data from 10+ real rooms: sleeping, reading, working at a desk, empty rooms with fans and curtains moving.
• Train and test the on-device presence classifier.
• Firmware MVP: Matter and Home Assistant support, schedules, over-the-air updates, no default passwords, and the heat-safety rule that never switches off when unsure.
• Week 6: freeze the hardware spec and design the first circuit board.

Weeks 8–13: real units in real homes

• Week 8: first boards and 3D-printed enclosures arrive.
• Weeks 9–10: a 20-unit alpha in team homes.
• Weeks 10–12: second board revision, an early radio-emissions check and a certification lab chosen.
• Weeks 12–13: 100 beta units shipped to founding-list members who sign up to test.
• Week 13: certification starts.

How you can help now

• Tell us your AC. Brand, model and room type help us choose the five brands we test first. Add it in the AirMate IR feedback section.
• Rate the idea and the specs. If the price, features or design are wrong for you, say so.
• Join the founding list to get the beta call and the early-bird price.