Vindstyrka has a tongue-twisting name, but might improve your health.
IKEA already has a side table that doubles as an air purifier, but now it has a way to gauge just how clean that air really is. The home store has introduced a smart indoor air quality sensor, the Vindstyrka, that gauges particulate matter levels (those smaller than 2.5 micrometers), humidity, temperature and the load of gaseous pollutants. Ideally, you’ll know if your cleaning or cooking habits are making you sick.
Vindstyrka works by itself, but it unsurprisingly becomes more useful when connected to IKEA’s Dirigera smart home hub. You can check air quality through the company’s app, and have the monitor control other devices. It can tell a Starkvind purifier to ramp up the fan speed based on particulate levels, for instance.
IKEA plans to release Vindstyrka in all its markets starting in April. The company hasn’t revealed pricing as we write this, but the feature set suggests it will be more affordable than high-end air quality monitors (such as Airthings’ $299 View Plus) that also track CO2, radon and air pressure. It may be a viable option if the temperature and humidity sensors built into your smart speaker aren’t enough.
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