As we go about our daily duties, we expose ourselves to a variety of risks. Outdoors, we expose ourselves to air pollution, noise pollution, and other pollutants. Outdoor air pollution is a major global problem. As one of the world’s largest health problems, outdoor air pollution can trigger several respiratory issues.
Indoors is not safe either. Research shows that the average American spends 90% of his time indoors. Most people don’t know that indoors; pollutants are 2 to 5 times higher than outdoor concentrations.
Typical pollutants include mold, pet dander, carbon monoxide, particulate matter, radon, and ozone. You can avoid these risks. All you have to do is invest in the best air quality monitor.
In this post, we review the Awair Element Indoor Air Quality Monitor.
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Awair Element Specifications:
Number of sensors: 5
Sensors: Particulate Matter (PM2.5), Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), Carbon Dioxide (CO2), Temperature, and Humidity
Onboard Air Quality Display/Indicator: Colored indicator dot light and AQI score by dot matrix display
Platform: Native app for iOS and Android
Smart Home Integration: Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and IFTTT
Wi-Fi Band: 2.4 GHz only
Power: 5V power adapter with USB cable (included), USB Type-C port
Built-in Battery: N/A
Weight: 1 lbs
Dimensions: 6.06″ L x 1.8″ W x 3.33 H
- KNOW YOUR AIR - Track temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide (CO2), chemicals (VOCs), and particulate matter (PM2. 5) in your space
- GAIN ACTIONABLE INSIGHT - Receive real-time insight into your indoor air quality and track changes over time in the Awair app
- TRANSFORM YOUR ENVIRONMENT - Browse in-app feedback and tips to improve the health of your space
- SMART ASSISTANT INTEGRATIONS - Seamlessly integrate Element with Alexa or Google Assistant
- WI-FI CONNECTED DEVICE - Awair Element requires Bluetooth (for setup) and a 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi Connection.
In-depth Review of Awair Element Air Quality Monitor:
Awair is the brainchild of two long time friends, Ronald Ro and Kevin Cho. They founded the company in 2013 with a mission to make smart home solutions to create a safe living environment for families around the world.
One of their flagship air quality monitors is the Awair Element indoor air quality monitor.
Multiple Air Quality Sensors
If you are looking for a device able to track both odors and particulates, this is for you. The Awair Element air quality monitor can track temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide, VOCs, and PM2.5. Here is how these factors affect the quality of your life.
Temperature influences your sleep quality and performance. It also influences how your immune system works. If your immune system fails to function normally, your body will be unable to defend itself against pathogens.
Too little or too much moisture in the air is not suitable for your health. If it’s too much or too little, it can aggravate pre-existing conditions. They include eczema, asthma, and other breathing problems.
High levels of carbon dioxide in your home can trigger specific problems. It can cause headaches, fatigue, and impaired decision making. With an air quality monitor in your home, it will alert you of the rising carbon dioxide levels and offer tips to mitigate the problem.
Building materials, furniture, and cleaning products emit VOCs. Just like carbon dioxide, these gases are harmful. They can affect your health – short term and long term too. Like VOCs, microscopic particles are not your friends either.
They, too, can affect your health. Due to their size, they can travel deeper into your internal organs such as lungs, causing a variety of health problems. With an air quality monitor in your home, it will alert you of these factors and even provide steps to mitigate them.
For example, if the air quality monitor detects rising VOCs rising levels, it will alert you to run an air purifier able to trap or remove these gases.
Learn more about indoor air pollutants and their sources.
Sleek Design
A glance at the Awair Element air quality monitor may lead you to believe it’s a smart Bluetooth speaker. Well, the resemblance is uncanny, but it cannot play any music or store your playlist.
What it can do is send alerts when it detects the rising levels of a particular air quality factor. For example, if the device detects a drop in temperature, it will send an alert requesting you to adjust your thermostat settings.
Cold temperature aids in the spread of diseases. By increasing the room temperature, your immune system gets to function normally.
Back to the design of the air quality monitor. It has a box-like design with the following dimensions 6.06 by 1.8 by 3.33 inches. White/gray and portable, it weighs 16 ounces which means, you will not have trouble moving it around.
The front of the device has a simple design too. On the front panel, you have a set of LEDs matrix. These lights shine through the panel holes to form numbers and bar graphs. The numbers and bar graphs indicate a variety of air quality levels.
You need to know that the device tracks all five air quality factors and compares them on a scale of 1 to 5. If the device displays a single dot, that factor is at healthy levels, and 5 dots means the factor is at unhealthy levels.
It also computes all scores to display an overall score between 1 and 100. There are three tiers:
- 0 to 59 – poor
- 60 to 79 – fair
- 80 to 100 – good
For example, if the device displays a score of 83 and above, all the air quality factors are at the desired level. The device also has a single LED indicator in the upper right corner of the front panel.
If the indicator displays a green light, everything is good, but if it shows red, the air quality is not good.
Awair Smartphone App
You can monitor the air quality in your living space on the go using the Awairs smartphone app. The app provides readings from all five sensors. Besides that, it can monitor sensor readings from multiple air quality monitors. For example, you can place an air quality monitor in your kitchen, bedroom, and living room.
On your app, you should receive the overall score and readings from all these devices. This makes it easy for you to identify pollution sources and take steps to mitigate the problem. For example, if you are cooking in the kitchen, the air quality monitor will alert you of increased temperatures in the kitchen via the app.
It will also offer tips to lower the temperature, such as running your AC. To track changes in your air quality, navigate to the Trend tab on your app. A color-coded line graph will display the trend. The graph allows you to see how your actions impact the health and air quality in your home.
Smart Integrations
This air quality monitor is compatible with smart assistant devices such as Google Assistant and Amazon’s Alexa. These devices allow you to control the air quality monitor using voice commands. As such, you can ensure your home is a healthy living environment.
To connect your air quality device to Google Assistant, follow these steps:
- First, open Google Assistant on your smartphone.
- Second, issue a simple voice command like “Ok Google, Ask Awair.” The smart assistant will redirect you to a page where you must enter your Awair email and password
- Third, if your details are correct, Google Assistant should link to your Awair air quality monitor. You should also receive a notification.
Now, to find out the score of the air quality factors, speak the following phrase: “Ok Google, ask Awair the humidity.” Besides connecting the Awair air quality monitor to Google Assistant via your smartphone, you can do so via a Google Home device.
Pros & Cons:
Check out our top picks >>> The 7 Best Air Quality Monitor.
Awair Element vs. Awair 2nd Edition
The Awair Element and Awair 2nd Edition are great devices. They measure humidity, temperature, VOCs, carbon dioxide, and PM2.5. Besides measuring the air quality factors, they offer recommendations to your Awair app.
For example, if the temperature in a room is high, the device will send an alert for you to turn on your air conditioner.
Besides their similarities, the devices have a couple of differences.
Design
The Awair Element has a sleek design, but the enclosure is plastic. For the Awair 2nd Edition, the enclosure is made of North American walnut timber. Due to this, the 2nd Edition allows for the knocking feature. Also, the use of timber gives the device a stylish look.
Sound Alert
The Awair Element can send alerts and notifications to your app, notifying you of changes in the air quality. But the device itself does not generate any sound alerts, unlike the Awair 2nd Edition that does so.
Knock activated Display Change
The Awair 2nd Edition has a knock-activated display change feature, which allows you to check the time or AQI score (from default display settings) for 10 seconds. But the Awair Element lacks the feature.
Questions and Answers
Q. Can the Awair Element detect leaking gas from a heating unit or stove?
A. No, you need a carbon monoxide detector, a safety device with carbon monoxide sensors. The air quality monitor offers carbon dioxide readings only.
Q. Will this detect cigarette smoke?
A. The device can detect cigarette smoke as long as the source is close to the device. For second-hand cigarette smoke, the device may not detect the smoke.
Q. Does the device break down the VOCs specifically, or does it display one reading for all VOCs?
A. The air quality monitor displays readings from all VOCs.
Final Thoughts
If you want to create a healthy living environment for your family and discover pollution sources in your home, you need the Awair Element. The device has five sensors that can monitor humidity, temperature, VOCs, carbon dioxide, and PM2.5. You can check the Awair score on the device or view the readings on your app.
With its accurate readings and integration with smart assistants, this is an excellent choice for people who want to transform their living environment.
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