Device Manual

Overview

The Tocatech device is a compact, WiFi-connected security unit that monitors your premises for motion and smoke. When either sensor is triggered, the device sends an immediate email alert to your registered address. No mobile app or hub is required — everything runs over your existing home or office WiFi.

The device is managed entirely through a web-based setup portal and your email inbox. Alert preferences (active hours, notification frequency) can be updated at any time using the link included in every alert email.

In the Box

First-Time Setup

Initial setup takes approximately 3–5 minutes and is done entirely through a web page on your phone or laptop. You will need your home WiFi password.

LED Indicator Guide

The blue LED on the side of the device communicates the current device status at a glance.

Sensors

PIR Motion Sensor

The passive infrared (PIR) sensor detects movement by measuring changes in body heat. It has a detection range of approximately 7 metres and a 120° field of view.

Placement tip: Mount in a corner at approximately head height (1.8–2.2 m). Avoid pointing directly at windows or heat sources such as air conditioners.

Smoke Sensor

The smoke sensor detects airborne particles associated with combustion. It is designed for early warning and will trigger before smoke is visible to the eye.

Cooldown between triggers

After a sensor triggers, the device waits 10 seconds before it will trigger again. This prevents rapid-fire alerts from a single event. You can also set a longer email cooldown in your alert settings.

Email Alerts

When a sensor triggers and your account is ACTIVE, you will receive an email within a few seconds containing:

• The type of alert (Motion or Smoke)
• The date and time of detection
• Your device ID
• A button to manage your alert settings

Alerts will not be sent if:

• Your account status is PENDING (not yet activated)
• The alert falls outside your configured active hours
• The cooldown period between emails has not elapsed
• The device has no internet connection

Managing Alert Settings

You can control when you receive alerts and how frequently using the settings page. Every alert email includes a button labelled "Manage My Alert Settings" — click it to open your personal settings page.

Alert Start / Stop Time

Set the hours (in 24-hour format) during which you want to receive emails. For example, entering 22 as start and 6 as stop means alerts are only sent between 10 PM and 6 AM. Leave both blank to receive alerts at any time.

Cooldown (minimum time between emails)

Enter the minimum number of minutes that must pass before another email is sent for the same device. For example, entering 30 means you will not receive more than one email every 30 minutes. Leave blank for no limit.

📱 Nightly WiFi Device Report

Your Tocatech device scans your WiFi network every hour and counts how many devices are connected. Between 10pm and 6am, if the count exceeds your configured minimum, it sends you a report email. This is useful for Airbnb hosts who want to know how many phones are on the network overnight.

How it works

The device sends one notification per night at most. The system compares tonight's count to the previous night's count to decide whether to send a standard info email or a more urgent alert email.

Example — Airbnb use case

You have 3 guests booked. You set your threshold to 2. On the first night, 3 phones are detected — you receive an info email. On the second night, 5 phones are detected — you receive an alert email because the count increased since last night.

Configuring the threshold

Open your settings page using the link in any alert email. Under Nightly WiFi Device Report, set the number of devices above which you want to receive a report. The default is 2. Set it to 0 to receive a report every night regardless of how many devices are found.

Cigarette Smoke Detection (PMS5003)

The Tocatech device includes a PMS5003 laser particle sensor that measures fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in the air. Unlike a simple gas sensor, the PMS5003 uses a laser to count individual airborne particles, giving highly accurate readings of smoke concentration — including cigarette smoke.

How it works

Air is drawn into the sensor by a small internal fan. A laser beam illuminates the particles, and a photodetector counts them and estimates their size. The sensor reports a PM2.5 concentration value in micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m³).

What PM2.5 means for Airbnb hosts

PM2.5 refers to particles smaller than 2.5 micrometres — fine enough to penetrate deep into the lungs. Cigarette smoke produces a sharp spike in PM2.5, making it an effective indicator of indoor smoking even when windows are open.

Alert threshold

The device triggers a "Cigarette Smoke Detected" alert when PM2.5 exceeds 150 µg/m³ and remains above that level for at least 2 minutes. The sustained reading requirement prevents false alerts from brief spikes such as burnt toast or a dusty blanket being shaken out.

Cooldown

After a cigarette smoke alert is sent, the device enters a 30-minute cooldown before it will send another smoke-related alert. This prevents repeated notifications from the same smoking session.

Data reporting

The current PM2.5 reading is included in the 10-minute environment data reports sent to your Google Sheet, allowing you to track air quality trends over time. The reading is also shown live on the bottom row of the OLED display on the device.

Warm-up period

After power-on, the PMS5003 requires approximately 30 seconds to stabilise its internal fan and laser. Readings during this warm-up period may be inaccurate and are not used for alerting.

Air Quality Monitoring

The Tocatech device continuously monitors indoor air quality by combining PM2.5 particulate data from the PMS5003 sensor with temperature and humidity readings from the onboard DHT sensor. Together, these give you a complete picture of the indoor environment at your property.

Environment data reports

Every 10 minutes, the device sends an environment data snapshot (envdata) to your Google Sheet. Each report includes the current temperature, humidity and PM2.5 concentration. Over time, this builds a detailed log that lets you spot trends — for example, a humidity spike that could indicate a water leak, or a PM2.5 increase suggesting someone is smoking indoors.

Normal ranges

Viewing trends

All environment data is logged in your Google Sheet. You can view the history in the sheet directly, or create simple charts in Google Sheets to visualise temperature, humidity and air quality trends across days or weeks.

ESP32-CAM Supply Cabinet Monitor (Optional Add-on)

The Supply Cabinet Monitor is a separate standalone device that can be added to your Tocatech setup. It is not included with the main Tocatech security device and must be purchased and configured independently.

What it does

This add-on uses an ESP32-CAM AI Thinker module with an OV2640 camera and a microSD card slot. A PIR motion sensor on GPIO13 detects movement near your supply cabinet, cupboard or storage area. When triggered, the camera records a 30-second video clip and saves it as an MJPEG AVI file to the microSD card.

Live streaming

The ESP32-CAM can also stream live video over WiFi. Once connected to your network, you can view the camera feed from any phone or laptop browser on the same network by navigating to the device's local IP address.

Recommended firmware

We recommend the open-source ESP32-CAM_MJPEG2SD firmware, which provides motion-triggered recording, SD card management and a built-in web interface for live streaming and playback.

Shopping list

Factory Reset

A factory reset clears all saved WiFi credentials and forces the device back into setup mode. Your registration data in the system is not deleted.

Hardware reset (physical button)

Remote reset (admin only)

The device can also be reset remotely by placing the command WIPE or RESTART in column S of the Clients sheet. The device will action the command on its next sensor ping.

Firmware Updates (OTA)

Your Tocatech device checks for firmware updates automatically every 6 hours. When an update is available, it downloads and installs the new firmware silently over WiFi and reboots.

During an update the LED will blink rapidly and continuously. The process takes approximately 30–60 seconds. Do not unplug the device during this time.

After rebooting, the LED will return to solid and the device will resume normal operation with the new firmware.

Pinout Reference

For developers and hardware integrators.

Troubleshooting

LED is blinking slowly and won't stop

The device cannot connect to WiFi. Check that your WiFi password was entered correctly. Hold the reset button for 5 seconds to re-enter setup and reconfigure.

I'm not receiving alert emails

• Check your spam / junk folder
• Confirm your account status is ACTIVE (not PENDING)
• Check your alert settings — active hours or cooldown may be blocking emails
• Confirm the device LED is solid (connected to WiFi)

The setup portal page doesn't open automatically

Connect to Tocatech-Setup-Portal in your WiFi settings, then open a browser and navigate to 192.168.4.1.

The device keeps triggering false motion alerts

Reposition the device away from heat sources, air vents, or windows where sunlight or passing vehicles may trigger the sensor. You can also increase the email cooldown in your settings to reduce notification frequency.

The device restarted unexpectedly

This is likely a firmware update completing. The LED will come back solid within 60 seconds. If it continues to restart, contact support.

Contact & Support

If you need help that is not covered in this manual, please reach out: