At YogaSol, an AIMNET-designed system links wireless sensing, relay control and cloud scheduling to manage demanding indoor conditions without constant staff intervention.
A small facility with a building-scale control problem
Running a hot yoga and Hot HIIT Pilates studio in Connecticut creates an unusual environmental challenge. YogaSol in Norwalk operates 16 hours a day, seven days a week, with classes that require temperatures from 90 to 110 degrees and relative humidity around 50 percent. Between classes, the space must be cleaned, heat and humidity knocked down, and conditions restored for the next session.
The operational burden extended beyond maintaining a thermostat set point. Instructors needed a simple way to activate fresh air and exhaust for a fixed period. Management needed climate records for compliance, visibility into HVAC performance, and early warning of humidifier leaks or equipment malfunctions. The owners also wanted to monitor and override the system remotely as schedules changed, rather than keep another employee on site before, during, and after operating hours.
For founder Dan Markowitz and managing partner Jeanne Tang, the question was how to obtain the behavior of a building management system at a scale and cost appropriate for an independent studio. AIMNET Smart Building Systems, a Monnit partner in Orange (News - Alert), Connecticut, designed the answer around Monnit’s Indoor Environmental Monitoring and Control technology.
From wireless measurements to physical action
The installation uses Monnit ALTA wireless temperature, humidity, water detection disc and button-press sensors. Gateways aggregate sensor data and connect the environment to the iMonnit cloud platform. Two ALTA 10 Amp Wireless Control units act as relay switches for fresh air dampers and exhaust fans, converting monitored conditions and user commands into control actions.
This is what makes the deployment more than remote monitoring. AIMNET configured temperature and humidity readings to trigger relay controls automatically when conditions move beyond preferred ranges. Portable button-press sensors give instructors one-touch ventilation for a predefined interval. Water detection discs positioned at the steam humidifier provide another layer of equipment protection, while alerts can reach staff by email, text message, or voice call.
The scheduling layer is equally important. AIMNET integrated iMonnit with Google (News - Alert) Calendar, so the class timetable can issue commands without employee intervention. Heat, humidity and ventilation follow scheduled occupancy, return toward normal between sessions, and adjust for closed hours. An AIMNET-built web portal gives authorized users access from a PC or smart device, including remote monitoring and overrides when the schedule changes.
In effect, the architecture closes the loop among sensing, context and control. Sensors describe the room and equipment state; the calendar supplies operational intent; and cloud software and relay units coordinate the response.
Automation that gives time back to the operator
The system eliminates the need for a non-instructor employee to remain on site, saving more than 60 hours of labor cost each week. AIMNET project engineer David Dickson said the Monnit-based approach cost about 75 percent less to install than other options the integrator reviewed. He also reported that the system has been operating for more than four years.
The observable operating changes are substantial: owners can run the studio while away, instructors do not have to manually orchestrate the full climate sequence, conditions are logged, and equipment problems can produce an immediate alert. Automation also helps restore the room between tightly spaced classes without relying on memory or constant supervision.
Tang put the personal dimension plainly: automation lets the owners manage the studio when they are not physically present and makes it possible to run the business while retaining some “semblance of family life.”
Why this deployment deserves Business Impact recognition
YogaSol offers a clear model for practical IoT adoption. It uses a wireless retrofit, familiar calendar software and cloud access to solve a specialized building control problem without requiring a conventional enterprise building management system. The design is understandable, repeatable, and tightly connected to day-to-day work.
Monnit’s Business Impact Award recognition is merited because the deployment connects technical architecture to an outcome executives can recognize: more operating capacity without proportional staffing overhead. It also shows why control matters. Monitoring alone would tell YogaSol that a room was too hot, too cool, or too humid. Closed-loop automation lets the business respond, recover, and prepare for the next class. That progression from visibility to action is where indoor IoT produces measurable operational value.