uHoo indoor air quality sensor is a smart and handy device that can monitor nine vital air quality metrics. It is super portable and USB-powered, and you can take it everywhere. It not only monitors your indoor air but also gives you tips to improve the specific air quality metric. Finally, you can pair it with your favorite smart home devices to make your monitoring easier.
In this uHoo air quality sensor review, we discuss its specs, top features, pros, and cons based on in-depth market research.
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- Specs
- In-depth Review
- uHoo Sensors Specifications
- Pros & Cons
- uHoo vs. AirVisual Pro vs. Awair Element
uHoo Air Quality Sensor Specifications:
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Number of Sensors | 9 |
| Sensors | Particulate Matter (PM2.5), Carbon Dioxide (CO2), Carbon Monoxide (CO), Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2), Volatile Organic Compounds (TVOC), Ozone (O3), Temperature, Humidity, and Air Pressure. |
| Onboard Air Quality Display | ❌ (RGB indicator light only) |
| Smart App Support | Both iOS and Android (Link: App Store, Google Play) |
| Smart Home Connectivity | Alexa, Google Home, Nest, Roomba, IFTTT, Philips Hue, Ecobee, Wemo, Netatmo, and more. |
| Supported Wi-Fi Network | 2.4GHz only |
| Power | 5V USB. Comes with a USB cable and a power adapter. |
| Battery | ❌ |
| Weight | 270 grams |
| Dimensions | 6.3"H x 3.3"D |
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In-depth Review of uHoo Air Quality Sensor:
uHoo is the brainchild of two innovators who met while undertaking their MBA program. While living together in the dorm rooms, they often had asthma and allergy attacks. It got even worse when attending classes in their school buildings.
To solve the problem, they came up with the idea of developing solutions that enable adults and children to breathe easier. After dropping out of school to pursue their newfound dream, they launched uHoo three years later.
Here are the top features of the uHoo indoor air quality monitor.
9 Smart Air Quality Sensors
A majority of homeowners don’t know that the air we breathe indoors is five times worse. Sources of pollutants in the house include cleaning products, your furniture, and carpet.
These items harbor contaminants such as dust, pet dander, pet hair, and pollen. Other sources of pollutants include an idling car and faulty kitchen appliances. When you leave your car idling in the garage, exhaust gases get in your home and affect your indoor air quality.
The good news is, the uHoo air quality monitor has nine air quality sensors. These smart sensors detect a variety of air quality metrics in real-time. They include VOCs, temperature, humidity, ozone, particulate matter (PM 2.5), and carbon dioxide.
Others are carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, and air pressure. Once the sensors collect data, the ARM-based processor performs a comprehensive analysis. The results are then shared with your uHoo app.
Each data can get a color code. There are three color codes – red (poor), amber (fair), and green (excellent). If the app color codes any data in red, it means that the particular metric is unhealthy.
The data synchronization among the uHoo sensor, smartphone, and cloud service is encrypted with the 128-bit AES protocol. As such, hackers cannot carry out any DDOS attacks between your smart devices.
What we liked about the uHoo air quality sensor is that it collects data round the clock.
The air quality monitor computes hourly, daily, and even monthly data. This is very useful as it allows you to take steps to reduce the exposure of your family to pollutants. Besides providing real-time analysis, the app offers personalized tips to help you protect your family.
It also provides alerts and allows you to share data with family and friends.
uHoo Sensors Technical Specifications:
| AQI Metric | Unit | Range | Resolution | Tolerance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carbon Dioxide (CO₂) | ppm | 400 to 10,000 ppm | 1 ppm | ±50 ppm or ±3% of reading* |
| Dust (PM2.5) | µg/m3 | 1 to 200 µg/m3 | 1 µg/m3 | ±15 µg/m3 or ±10% of reading* |
| Nitrogen Dioxide (NO₂) | ppb | 1 to 1,000 ppb | 1 ppb | ±10 ppb or ±5% of reading* |
| Relative Humidity | % | 0 to 100% | 0.1% | ±3% |
| Air Pressure | mBar | 300 to 1,100 mBar | 0.1 mBar | ±1 mBar |
| Carbon Monoxide (CO) | ppm | 0 to 1,000 ppm | 0.1 ppm | ±2 ppm or ±5% of reading* |
| Temperature | °C | -40 to 85 °C | 0.1 °C | ±0.5 °C |
| Airborne Chemicals (VOCs) | ppb | 0 to 1,200 ppb | 1 ppb | ±10 ppb or ±5% of reading* |
| Ozone (O₃) | ppb | 1 to 1,000 ppb | 1 ppb | ±10 ppb or ±5% of reading* |
*Choose higher of the two
IoT Device
uHoo air quality sensor is an IoT (Internet of Things) device. It is also IFTTT compatible, which allows you to make endless automation with the data.
The uHoo air quality monitor is compatible with other smart home devices. They include Nest, Google Home, Amazon Echo, Ecobee, and Philips Hue. By syncing the uHoo air quality monitor with other smart devices, you can schedule cleaning and control the environment in your home.
You can even save data to Google Spreadsheet for analysis.
Elegant Design
Besides the 9-air quality sensors, another feature we loved is the sleek design. The air quality sensor is not bigger than a mug. As such, you can place it on your nightstand or office desk.
Since it’s white, it blends well with your home or office décor. Besides the compact design, it’s lightweight too. At 270 grams or 0.6 pounds, you can carry the smart device from room to room with ease.
In fact, it’s a perfect travel companion that comes in handy while living at a hotel or an Airbnb.
Made of ABS material, the device is sturdy and durable. ABS is a rigid form of plastic commonly found on vehicles and even shower pans. Despite its rigid form, it’s prone to breaking or cracking.
So, to ensure your air quality sensor lasts long, make sure it does not fall off your nightstand or office desk. It comes with a USB cable and a power adapter. Although it doesn’t have any battery, you can power it with a portable power bank via the 5V USB port.
When it comes to cleaning, all you need is a microfiber cloth or soft brush. Use either item to remove dirt and dust from the surface of the air quality sensor.
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Pros & Cons:
Check out our top picks:
uHoo vs. IQAir AirVisual Pro vs. Awair Element:
The uHoo, the IQAir AirVisual Pro, and the Awair Element are modern decorative air quality monitors. Although they all have elegant designs, there are some differences.
Last update on 2023-09-25 at 12:07 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Questions and Answers:
Q. How to pair the uHoo with a smartphone.
A. You can set up the uHoo sensor in 3 easy steps. At first, plug in the unit. Now download the uHoo app on your smartphone and create an account. Finally, tap on the “Add new device” on the uHoo app and follow the guide. Here is the complete official uHoo setup guide.
Q. Do you have to reset the air quality monitor every time you move it from room to room?
A. No, you don’t have to reset the device. It will continue to sync with your smartphone as long as it’s connected to the same Wi-Fi network. But if you change your Wi-Fi network, you have to reset it.
Q. What is the sampling mechanism?
A. uHoo indoor air quality sensor samples the air using a fan.
Final Thoughts
If you want to keep track of your indoor air quality, we recommend the uHoo air quality monitor. Thanks to its nine sensors, it can collect data from the air. That includes temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide, and carbon monoxide. Once it receives the data, it relays a comprehensive analysis to your smartphone.
This device is based on seriously-flawed science.
1 – You cannot measure PM2.5 real-time in units of mass per unit of volume unless you know the density of the particulates being measured. Basic physics, period.
2 – You have no idea of the TVOCs (total volatile organic compounds) components without a detailed lab analysis. For example, TOVCs may measure high due to a recent wipe-down of a surface with IPA (isopropyl alcohol) or it may be something dangerous – you have no idea.
3 – Regarding CO, CO2, and NO – And sensors drift over time – I know b/c we calibrate our instruments regularly and see that drift.
The only thing worse than not knowing is thinking you “know” but it’s bad information.
Thanks, Bruce!
So do any of those devices on Amazon worth buying or mostly correct?
Bruce, could you please elaborate on what type of devices actually do work for home air quality sensing?
Uhoo and awair are ok meters, regardless of what Tony says. They do measure tvoc’s.
I think Tony meant who knows what he meant, maybe individual voc identification, which is costly. The home meter will give you good inductors if you have a problem. Tony is just not right.