Category: devices

Beyond the Gamification: Why 2026 Demands Empathetic AI for Air Quality

Sotirios PapathanasiouLeave a comment

In previous articles, I advocated for a “Tamagotchi-like” approach to air quality awareness, a gamified solution designed to capture the public’s attention. At the time, the goal was simple: engagement. If we could make checking air quality as addictive as feeding a digital pet, we could encourage better habits.

But the world of 2026 is different. Attention is no longer enough; we need connection. While gamification served its purpose, it is time to evolve. We must transition from simple reward systems to AI systems embedded with empathy-based sensor technology.

We need devices that don’t just beep when the air is bad, but devices that feel the environment with us.

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Spectroscopy: The Next Step for Low-Cost Particulate Matter Sensors

Sotirios PapathanasiouLeave a comment

The landscape of ambient air quality monitoring is evolving, driven by the increasing availability of low-cost sensors. While current low-cost particulate matter (PM) sensors, which rely on light scattering, provide valuable data on particle size and number, they lack the ability to determine a particle’s composition. This limitation is a significant hurdle in understanding the true nature and origin of air pollution. The future of affordable PM sensors lies in spectroscopy, a technique that will allow for a more detailed analysis of airborne particles.

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Review: TSI OmniTrak™ Solution a Tool for Professionals

Sotirios Papathanasiou1 Comment

The TSI OmniTrak™ Solution is a versatile and user-friendly air quality monitor/tracker that offers a comprehensive solution for tracking various pollutants. Equipped with a smart station and a modular design, this device provides data on air quality, making it an invaluable tool for both individuals and professionals. Disclaimer: This review was sponsored by TSI. However, my commitment to providing an unbiased and honest assessment of the product remains unchanged. The opinions expressed in this review are solely my own and are based on my personal experience with the TSI OmniTrak™ Solution.

Key Features and Benefits:

  • Modular Design: The TSI OmniTrak™ Solution supports a wide range of modules, allowing users to customize their monitoring needs. I was fortunate to receive the Ammonia, Ozone, and PM module for fine particles, which also functions as a particle counter. The modularity ensures flexibility and adaptability to different environmental conditions.
  • Wireless Connectivity: One of the standout features is the wireless communication between the modules and the Smart Station via Bluetooth®. This eliminates the need for physical connections, making it convenient to deploy and monitor air quality in various locations.
  • Portable Option: The Smart Station can be used with or without attached modules. This means you can carry the station with you and track air quality on the go by simply attaching the desired module.
  • Intuitive Interface: The large screen on the smart station resembles a smartphone, and it appears to run on an Android operating system. This familiar interface makes navigation and data interpretation straightforward.
  • Real-time Monitoring and Data Recording: The OmniTrak provides real-time measurements of various pollutants. Additionally, the “Study” function allows users to record data for further analysis and comparison.
  • Cloud Connectivity and Data Access: The device connects to the TSI Link™ cloud platform via Wi-Fi, enabling users to access and analyze data from anywhere. Furthermore, connecting the device to a computer via USB-C cable provides another option for data transfer.
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Dyson Zone an Unnecessary Product or Innovation?

Sotirios Papathanasiou2 Comments

I wanted some time to pass before I write my thoughts on Dyson’s new product called “Zone”.


For those who don’t know who Dyson is, Dyson is a company known for its innovative and unique products (mainly vacuum cleaners) and it has recently released a new product that combines two seemingly unrelated items: headphones and air purifiers. The Dyson Zone headphones are a pair of noise-canceling Bluetooth headphones with air purification technology built in. I don’t want to focus on the headphone but on the purification capabilities for individuals.

Points

1st Point: We live in a society where individualism becomes stronger and stronger over time and instead of fixing the air pollution for all we are thinking about how to protect only ourselves, not even our kids or family. The device is not capable of stopping pollutants from getting into the wearer’s body and a n95 mask is more effective because it seals better.

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Review: Canāree by Piera Systems

Sotirios Papathanasiou6 Comments

This is a quick review of the Canāree. An indoor air quality monitor that you can carry around thanks to its compact size.

Specifications

  • 7-Bin Optical Particle Counter Sensor (PM1.0/PM2.5/PM10)
  • Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC)
  • Temperature Sensor
  • Humidity Sensor
  • Air Pressure Sensor
  • USB-A
  • WiFi Module
  • RGB LED AQ Indicator
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Review: Aranet4 HOME – CO2 Monitor [EN/ES/GR]

Sotirios Papathanasiou12 Comments

Impact-Site-Verification: 8822d984-d7e0-4efd-9190-e8b1d8a8a633

(Scroll down for the Spanish or Greek version of the review/Desplácese hacia abajo para la versión en español o Griega/ Μετακινηθείτε προς τα κάτω για την ισπανική ή την ελληνική έκδοση της αξιολόγησης)

English
Español
Ελληνικά

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It is not a coincidence that everywhere you look nowadays you see a small, square, and white monitor with a screen in the middle that displays some numbers! Well, this is Aranet4 which was developed by a Latvian company.

Aranet4 is a small and mighty CO2 monitor that surprise people for two reasons. First of all, it is very comprehensive, and secondly, most people are intrigued by the technology of the display as it uses an e-ink display and, to the untrained eye, looks like a simple sticker.

The commonly found AA batteries can operate the monitor for up to 2 years so you don’t have to worry about them. It uses a single channel non-dispersive infrared (NDIR) sensor technology for accurate CO₂ measurements, read more here.

Specifications

  • Carbon Dioxide (CO2) NDIR
  • Temperature (ºC/ºF)
  • Relative Humidity
  • Atmospheric Pressure
  • e-ink Display
  • Bluetooth
  • Buzzer (Alarm)
  • AA Battery Operated (up to 2 years)
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Shopping Guide: Air Quality Monitors

Sotirios Papathanasiou15 Comments

As you already know, I receive messages from readers of my blog almost every day. Their most common question is which air quality monitor should they choose. Most of the time in their message, they tell me that they go through Amazon to find a product, but they are confused from their reviews.

Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Monitors are a big hit nowadays due to the pandemic and because they are great tools at helping us understand indoor ventilation in order to mitigate the spread of the virus. Many new CO2 monitors pop up every day like mushrooms. Are they good, well …. you have to be careful!

No offense to Amazon or AliExpress or Facebook but most of their products are garbage for two reasons. Firstly, they are cheap products that come from China but without any quality control. Apple products come from China too, but Apple controls the quality of the shipping products. I have reviewed some cheap air quality monitors here on the blog just to justify their low price tag. Secondly, companies that sell these products don’t offer any kind of support nor updates. If the product has a small bug, you will stick with it forever. Many times the language they come with is badly translated or they come in Chinese if you are not careful enough during the purchase process.

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How to Use CO2 Monitors

Sotirios Papathanasiou2 Comments

I see a lot of pictures on social media platforms where people measure Carbon Dioxide (CO2) concentrations in indoor environments incorrectly.

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AQ Monitors meet Apple HomeKit

Sotirios Papathanasiou4 Comments

I really like to have all AQ Monitors and other devices connected to one place in order to make my life easier when I try to figure out what is going on in my house. I am an iOS user which means this post doesn’t concern Android users, however, I will advise you to stick around and read the benefits of having Apple HomeKit.

Not all AQ Monitor manufacturers support HomeKit and here comes HomeBridge which is a platform to bring non-supported devices to Apple’s ecosystem. There are only a few AQM manufacturers that officially support HomeKit, like Kaiterra, Eve and QingPing.

The community of the HomeBridge has allowed others to take advantage of the platform and make the user experience even better by porting many more AQMs into HomeKit.

Which AQMs support HomeBridge?

  • Airthings
  • PurpleAir
  • Awair
  • Sensor Community (aka Luftdaten)

How to set up HomeBridge?

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Review: Kaiterra Sensedge Mini for Business and Green Buildings

Sotirios Papathanasiou7 Comments

There is a demand for Green Buildings lately, which focus on the comfort and health of the building’s occupants. Energy efficiency was the original target for most of the green buildings certifications programs, but they have evolved, and they now focus on many more aspects of the indoor environments. Indoor Air Quality has become the number one priority for many green building certifications, and in order to be certified, there are strict rules for ventilation and AQ monitoring.

Here comes Kaiterra Sensedge Mini, which is a RESET certified indoor air quality monitor. The Sensedge Mini is a calibrated real-time monitor that has to be placed in buildings that wish to obtain a Green Buildings certification.

The Sensedge Mini uses two removable sensor modules to replace the traditional, costly calibration processes for long-term accuracy with minimal maintenance.

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