Haven't you been sleeping well lately? Poor air quality in your home can negatively affect your sleep, energy levels, and cause cold symptoms like watery or runny eyes. Not to mention other dire possibilities like lung disease or cancer.
The air quality inside our homes can be up to eight times worse than outside and on specific occasions, for example while a wall is being repainted, much more than that. Our need for a safer and more limited environment has contributed in some way to this disparity in indoor and outdoor air quality.
Indoor air quality can deteriorate due to activities such as cooking, which introduce smoke and other particles. Cleaning and DIY hobbies can introduce volatile organic chemicals (VOCs). Home building materials and furniture can also release these VOCs. In the process of trying to secure our homes by locking doors and keeping windows closed, we can also inadvertently seal in the carbon dioxide we exhale. Furnaces and other wood-fired heaters also produce the deadly gas carbon monoxide. Mold from high humidity and damp spaces..
Here are six different smart indoor air quality monitors to consider. Each monitor may track some or most of the air pollutants in the home, while others may also have additional features added.
The regular smoke detector you already know is growing. A number of options, including the Nest Protect smoke and carbon monoxide alarm, are bringing smart home technology to the critically important device for saving lives. The Protect detects smoke and carbon monoxide in a house. Before the actual alarm sounds, a voice will issue an early warning. And when that happens, the information is also sent to the companion iOS or Android app. Using the app, you can also quickly and easily silence Nest Protect in the event of a false alarm, such as burnt toast.
You no longer have to worry about being woken up in the middle of the night by that annoying low battery chirp. Every time you turn off the lights at night, a quick green flash lets you know the detector has been testing itself and the batteries are good. So there won't be any rude wake-up calls. If you have more than one Protect, they will work together over your home wireless network. So when one alarm goes off, the other goes off too.
And instead of having to worry about running a monthly test to make sure your speaker and speaker are working properly, Protect will run automatically without your intervention.
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It also works with other Nest products including the Nest Cam and Nest thermostat 13 Things You Didn't Know You Could Do With a Nest Thermostat 13 Things You Didn't Know You Could Do With a Nest Thermostat You might be surprised at how many small tricks you can pull off with your new Nest Thermostat! Read more . In the event of a fire, Nest Cam will automatically start recording the event, while the smart thermostat will turn off to stop the spread of smoke and fire.
You can select a battery powered or wired version of the detector. In the event of a power outage, the corded version also contains a backup battery.
Tracking five major air quality factors – dust, chemicals, carbon dioxide, relative humidity and temperature – Awair is made from natural materials, including 100 percent North American hickory.
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The company has also partnered with the Mayo Clinic to provide helpful tips. An Awair score, from 0 to 100, will help you quickly see the quality of the air in your home. Color-coded scoring can be viewed on Awair itself and via the companion app for iOS or Android. Anyone can track and monitor environmental readings over time to see patterns and more. It also connects to other smart home devices like the Amazon Echo lineup 7 Creative Uses for Amazon Echo and Alexa 7 Creative Uses for Amazon Echo and Alexa. You've seen the ads starring Alec Baldwin, but you're still not sure what the Amazon Echo does. or if you need one at home. We're about to find out. Read More, Nest, IFTTT, and more.
Covering both indoor and outdoor environmental conditions, the Netatmo Weather Station, the Netatmo Weather Station and the draw. The Netatmo Weather Station, and the Netatmo Giveaway. Read More The smaller outdoor station records relative humidity, temperature, atmospheric pressure, and outdoor air quality.
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The IAQ monitor is built into the largest home base station. It tracks indoor temperature, relative humidity, and carbon dioxide levels, while the Netatmo Weather Station also tracks indoor noise levels. All data is available on the iOS or Android companion app, including full historical charts. With compatibility with Amazon Alexa, a simple voice query lets you know indoor or outdoor conditions.
While radon can be found at some level in every building, it definitely has the potential to be dangerous. Completely invisible and odorless, at higher levels it can cause a number of health problems, including lung cancer. Along with tracking that gas, AirThings Wave will monitor the temperature and humidity in your home. With the companion app for iOS or Android, you can view information about all data points.
No need to worry about constantly charging this device as it uses Bluetooth to communicate with your phone. The two AA batteries will provide up to a year and a half of power with normal use. The detector can be installed on a wall or ceiling with a single screw mounting plate.
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Instead of having to check your phone, the color-coded LEDs on the Wave will show you indoor air quality at a glance.
Withings Home is an indoor air quality monitor with a big twist:an HD video camera. In addition to providing a view of what's happening at home with a 135-degree field of view, the camera can intelligently track movements and people. Supporting two-way audio, it can also double as a baby monitor that plays lullabies. All video is available in the cloud as a video diary accessible through an iOS or Android companion app. The magnetic base plate allows the device to remain on almost any surface.
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When it comes to air quality monitoring, the unit will track humidity, temperature and VOC levels. When unhealthy air conditions are detected, a red light will appear on the unit.
An easy-to-use indoor air quality monitor that takes just a few minutes to install and start receiving data from Foobot. The monitor tracks VOCs, particulates, relative humidity, and temperature. Using the iOS or Android app [no longer available], you can view an indoor air quality score that combines all metrics into one simple, comprehensive score. The app also provides real-time details for each data point. You can even tag a specific event to remind yourself what's causing pollutants and get tips on how to breathe easier.
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Even if you don't have a smartphone nearby, the LED lights on the Foobot will tell you about the environmental conditions inside a house. By using services like IFTTT or Stringify, you can connect Foobot to other smart home devices.
These are just a few of the exciting smart indoor air quality monitors currently available on the market. Any one of them should be a great addition to your home.
In which direction do you think smart air quality monitoring devices should be heading? Why not a smartphone that incorporates IAQ sensors? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
Do you have an air conditioner? Then you should read our article on AC Mistakes to Avoid 11 Air Conditioning Mistakes to Avoid on Hot Summer Days 11 Air Conditioning Mistakes to Avoid on Hot Summer Days Are you using your air conditioner as efficiently as possible? Check out these great tips and tricks to stay cool and save energy and money this summer. Read more.
Post originally written by Phoon on September 30, 2014.
