With its perforated front face and small footprint, the Awair looks the part of a retro wireless audio device of some sort (the “speaker” is actually a 19 x 5 pixel 1-RGB matrix display). In spite of its audio gear appearance, the Awair was developed by Bitfinder’s Ronald Ro and Kevin Cho to diligently use its nose, “sniffing” the air inside for CO2, VOCs, and dust pollution, while also keeping tabs on the interior temperature and humidity for comfort. That in itself is pretty standard stuff, even for an app-connected monitoring device, so the developers found a way to move beyond passive monitoring and engage an active solution(s) to improve the comfort and quality of any room by calling for a little help wirelessly.
Where Awair distinguishes itself from other air quality monitors is taking the real-time data it gathers and use it to orchestrate air-quality with other wi-fi enabled appliances like humidifiers, fans, air purifiers, and the thermostat to match an occupant’s desired preferences, whether it be for wellness, sleep, productivity, beauty, allergies or even for pregnancy. Its closest competition is the nearly same-named Blueair Aware, but with expanded capabilities and cross-manufacturer compatibility.
Inside the 6.30″x 3.54″ x 1.97″ cabinet is a sensor capable of reading for temperatures ranging from the extremes of -40 to +257°F, humidity rates from 0 to 95%, CO2 levels from 0 to 4000 ppm, Fine Particle Pollution readings from 0 to 500 μg/m3, and also for VOCs, covering about 1,000 square feet. Just in case you’re wondering the Awair is designed to “speak” with other Internet of Things devices via their open API, utilizing a combination of user defined parameters and its own algorithms to help alter air accordingly (it also plays nice with both iOS and Android devices).
Awair is currently available for pre-order, shipping later this fall.
