# Home Assistant / API key access to private sensor

**URL:** <https://community.purpleair.com/t/home-assistant-api-key-access-to-private-sensor/11508>\
**Category:** API\
**Created:** [February 2, 2025, 3:50pm UTC](https://community.purpleair.com/t/home-assistant-api-key-access-to-private-sensor/11508 "2025-02-02T15:50:32Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![ptr727](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/community.purpleair.com/ptr727/32/6291_2.png) [@ptr727](https://community.purpleair.com/u/ptr727)\
**Post date:** [February 2, 2025, 3:50pm UTC](https://community.purpleair.com/t/home-assistant-api-key-access-to-private-sensor/11508/1 "2025-02-02T15:50:32Z")

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Hi, long time user of HA and PurpleAir (custom integration and now native).

I have an indoor and outdoor sensor, during the LA fires my neighbors found my sensors through the map, and expressed confusion why my (indoor) sensor was green.

I agree the map is confusing as it mixes indoor and outdoor quality in the default view.

Anyway, I made my indoor sensor private to alleviate the confusion, but now HA only sees my public outdoor sensor.

How can I configure my API read key to have access to my private sensor, or how can I configure HA to see my private indoor sensor?

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**Author:** ![Rich\_Weinkauf](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/community.purpleair.com/rich_weinkauf/32/3181_2.png) [@Rich\_Weinkauf](https://community.purpleair.com/u/Rich_Weinkauf)\
**Post date:** [February 22, 2025, 9:58pm UTC](https://community.purpleair.com/t/home-assistant-api-key-access-to-private-sensor/11508/2 "2025-02-22T21:58:07Z")

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I’m interested in this too. I have a Purpleair Zen (outdoor, public), and a Purpleair Touch (indoor, private). I have the Zen showing up on my HA dashboard, but I’m not sure how to get the Touch to show up.

I have the Sensor Index and Read Key for the private device, but am stumped about how to have HA access the Touch’s data.

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**Author:** ![ptr727](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/community.purpleair.com/ptr727/32/6291_2.png) [@ptr727](https://community.purpleair.com/u/ptr727)\
**Post date:** [February 23, 2025, 11:11pm UTC](https://community.purpleair.com/t/home-assistant-api-key-access-to-private-sensor/11508/3 "2025-02-23T23:11:48Z")

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I did some testing using the aiopurpleair python lib, and I think the lib and / or HA will need to be updated to support private sensors.

I mistakenly thought / wanted that my API read key should allow access to my private sensors, but it does not. The PA REST API still requires that callers pass in read\_keys else the sensors API does not return private sensors.

I tested this using postman and modifying the aiopurpleair to pass in read\_keys, and it works.

See [aiopurpleair github](https://github.com/bachya/aiopurpleair/issues/567) for options.

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**Author:** ![ptr727](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/community.purpleair.com/ptr727/32/6291_2.png) [@ptr727](https://community.purpleair.com/u/ptr727)\
**Post date:** [July 17, 2026, 7:19pm UTC](https://community.purpleair.com/t/home-assistant-api-key-access-to-private-sensor/11508/4 "2026-07-17T19:19:51Z")

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Just FYI: I ended up creating a custom HA PuepleAir integration that supports private sensors and sensor read keys for 0-cost API usage, see: [GitHub - ptr727/homeassistant-purpleair: A Home Assistant custom integration for PurpleAir air-quality sensors. · GitHub](https://github.com/ptr727/homeassistant-purpleair)