Best Air Quality Sensor? I pull apart the Apollo AIR-1… and find four great company traits....

Summary

In this video, the presenter explores the Apollo AIR-1 Multisensor, highlighting its features and the company's transparent, passionate approach. The AIR-1 integrates seamlessly with Home Assistant, is open-source, and offers a compact design with high-quality sensors. The script delves into the importance of transparency and passion in smart home device companies, while also discussing the practical applications of the multisensor in monitoring air quality, temperature, and humidity, making it a versatile tool for home automation enthusiasts.

Takeaways

• 🤖 The presenter introduces the Apollo AIR-1 Multisensor, a product by Apollo Automation, which they will evaluate in-depth.
• 🔍 The video aims to assess not just the product, but also the company's ethos, providing insight into what makes a good device firm for smart home investments.
• 📐 The presenter values transparency in companies, highlighting Apollo Automation's openness with their code, hardware, CAD files, and components.
• 🏠 The Apollo AIR-1 Multisensor integrates easily with Home Assistant, showcasing its user-friendly setup and lack of cloud dependency.
• 🆓 The product is 'free' in the sense of freedom, allowing users full control over their device without proprietary restrictions or data collection.
• 🔥 The presenter admires Apollo Automation's passion for their products, which is evident in their engagement with customers and the quality of their work.
• 🛠️ The script suggests that building a similar device from individual components can be more challenging and costly than expected, emphasizing the value of Apollo's product.
• 🧩 The AIR-1 Multisensor consolidates multiple sensors into a compact form factor, simplifying the process of monitoring various environmental factors.
• 💡 The device includes addressable RGB lights, offering flexibility in indicating different states or levels through color changes.
• 🛑 The script humorously contrasts the high-quality components of the Apollo AIR-1 with the cost-cutting measures a profit-driven corporation might take.
• 🌡️ The Multisensor provides a range of environmental data, including temperature, humidity, CO2 levels, dust, and pollen, which can be used for various home automation purposes.
• 🏗️ The presenter plans to use the sensor in their workshop and PC case for automated dust cleaning and in their bedroom to monitor CO2 levels, inviting viewers to share their own ideas.

Q & A

What is the name of the multisensor being discussed in the video?

The multisensor being discussed is the Apollo AIR-1 Multisensor.

What did Apollo Automation offer to the video creator?

Apollo Automation offered the video creator the opportunity to give their products a road test.

What are the key traits the video creator looks for in a device firm?

The key traits are transparency, ease of integration, freedom from cloud dependencies, and the company's passion for their products.

How long did it take to integrate the Apollo AIR-1 Multisensor with Home Assistant?

It took 43 seconds from plugging it in to having it running in Home Assistant.

What does the video creator suggest about the transparency of Apollo Automation?

The video creator suggests that Apollo Automation is very transparent, sharing their code, hardware, CAD files, and components for review.

Why does the video creator recommend visiting Apollo Automation's site?

The creator recommends visiting their site to get a feel for what a transparent, passionate, and open company is like, which can help in evaluating other companies.

What is the purpose of the Apollo AIR-1 Multisensor in the video creator's bedroom?

In the bedroom, the purpose is to measure temperature for heating, humidity, carbon dioxide levels, and dust levels.

What does the video suggest about the value of the Apollo AIR-1 Multisensor compared to building a similar device?

The video suggests that while it's possible to build a similar device with ESP chips and sensors, the Apollo AIR-1 Multisensor offers good value by dealing with complexity and providing a compact solution.

What is the significance of the addressable RGBs in the Apollo AIR-1 Multisensor?

The addressable RGBs provide color control, allowing for different colors to represent various meanings about air quality or temperature.

How does the video creator plan to use the Apollo AIR-1 Multisensor in their workshop?

The creator plans to use it to trigger automatic dust cleaning in the room.

What is the potential life-saving capability mentioned in the video regarding VOCs?

The potential life-saving capability is the sensor's ability to flash red when VOC levels are high, prompting the user to take action such as putting on a mask or opening a window.

Outlines

00:00

🤖 Introducing Apollo AIR-1 Multisensor

The script introduces the Apollo AIR-1 Multisensor, a product from Apollo Automation, a company that reached out to the speaker for a review. The speaker emphasizes the importance of transparency, integration, freedom from cloud dependencies, and the passion of the company behind the product. Apollo Automation's openness is highlighted by their willingness to share code, hardware designs, and component details, allowing customers full control and understanding of their devices. The product's ease of integration with Home Assistant and its lack of reliance on proprietary ecosystems or data collection are praised. The speaker also hints at a detailed examination of the AIR-1 Multisensor's components and its application in a smart home setting.

05:05

🛠️ The Value of Apollo Automation's Multisensor

This paragraph discusses the practicality and value of the Apollo AIR-1 Multisensor in comparison to building a similar device from individual components. The speaker acknowledges the educational benefits of building one's own sensor array but points out the complexity and potential higher cost. The compact design of the AIR-1, which integrates multiple sensors into a small form factor, is commended. The speaker also humorously personifies the internal debate about dissecting the device to reveal its components, highlighting the quality and thoughtfulness in the choice of sensors, such as ARGB lights for versatile signaling and a SEN55 environmental sensor node for long-term reliability.

10:07

🏠 Utilizing the AIR-1 Multisensor in Smart Home Applications

The final paragraph of the script explores various use cases for the AIR-1 Multisensor in a home environment. The speaker details how the sensor can be used to monitor and manage temperature and humidity for heating control, carbon dioxide levels to address issues like morning grogginess, and dust and pollen levels for timely cleaning. The inclusion of particulate matter sensors (PM1, PM2.5, PM4, and PM10) and VOC sensors is highlighted as potentially life-saving for those working with hazardous materials. The speaker positions the AIR-1 as a versatile 'Swiss Army Knife' of air sensors, capable of providing valuable data for current and future applications, and invites viewers to share their own ideas and experiences with similar devices.

Keywords

💡Apollo AIR-1 Multisensor

The Apollo AIR-1 Multisensor is a device designed to monitor various environmental factors within a home. It is a central theme of the video, as the script discusses its features, integration, and the company's philosophy. The script mentions the device's compact size, the variety of sensors it contains, and its ease of use with Home Assistant, highlighting its value in smart home setups.

💡Apollo Automation

Apollo Automation is the company that developed the AIR-1 Multisensor. The video emphasizes the company's transparency, passion, and commitment to open-source principles, which are key traits the script suggests to look for in a device firm. The company's approach to product development and customer interaction is presented as a benchmark for excellence in the smart home industry.

💡Transparency

Transparency, in the context of the video, refers to a company's willingness to openly share information about its products, including code, hardware designs, and components. The script praises Apollo Automation for its transparency, allowing customers to understand and trust what they are purchasing, as exemplified by the availability of 3D-printable enclosure files on their website.

💡Home Assistant

Home Assistant is an open-source home automation platform that is compatible with the AIR-1 Multisensor. The script describes the ease of integrating the sensor with Home Assistant, noting the quick setup time and the visibility of all sensors, which underscores the product's user-friendliness and compatibility with existing smart home ecosystems.

💡Open Source

The term 'open source' refers to the practice of making software or hardware designs freely available for anyone to use, modify, and distribute. The video script highlights the open-source nature of Apollo Automation's products, emphasizing the freedom it provides to users in terms of customization and lack of reliance on proprietary software or cloud services.

💡Smart Home

A smart home is a residence that integrates technology to automate and manage household systems efficiently. The script discusses the AIR-1 Multisensor as a component of a smart home, illustrating how it can be used to monitor and control various environmental factors, enhancing comfort, efficiency, and awareness within the home.

💡Sensors

Sensors in the video refer to the various detection devices within the AIR-1 Multisensor that measure environmental parameters such as temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide levels, and particulate matter. The script emphasizes the comprehensive nature of these sensors and their importance in providing valuable data for smart home applications.

💡ARGB

ARGB stands for 'A'lpha (opacity), 'R'ed, 'G'reen, 'B'lue, which are the components of a color system that allows for the creation of a wide range of colors. In the script, ARGB is used to describe the multicolored LED lights in the sensor, which can be programmed to indicate different statuses or meanings.

💡SEN55

The SEN55 is an environmental sensor node mentioned in the script, which is part of the AIR-1 Multisensor package. It is highlighted for its high quality and long lifespan, contrasting with the hypothetical cheaper alternatives that a less customer-oriented company might choose.

💡Carbon Dioxide

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a gas that is a byproduct of human respiration and can accumulate in poorly ventilated spaces. The script discusses the importance of monitoring CO2 levels in homes to prevent drowsiness and tiredness, illustrating the practical application of the CO2 sensor in the AIR-1 Multisensor.

💡Particulate Matter

Particulate matter refers to tiny particles suspended in the air that can be harmful to health. The script mentions different sizes of particulate matter (PM1, PM2.5, PM4, and PM10) that the sensor can detect, emphasizing the health benefits of being aware of these levels, especially in environments like workshops and garages.

💡VOCs

VOCs, or volatile organic compounds, are chemicals that easily evaporate at room temperature and can be harmful when inhaled. The script describes the AIR-1 Multisensor's ability to detect VOC levels and trigger alerts, which can be crucial for safety in environments where such compounds are common, such as with certain paints, glues, or woodwork.

Highlights

Introduction to the Apollo AIR-1 Multisensor and the company Apollo Automation.

The video aims to test the company's reason for existence, not just their products.

Apollo Automation's transparency in sharing their code, hardware, CAD files, and components.

The ease of integrating the Apollo AIR-1 Multisensor with Home Assistant.

The freedom from cloud dependencies and data privacy concerns with Apollo Automation's products.

The company's passion and engagement with their products, setting them apart from larger corporations.

The recommendation to visit Apollo Automation's site to understand a transparent and passionate company.

The value proposition of Apollo Automation's products in terms of cost and complexity.

The compact design and impressive sensor integration in the Apollo AIR-1 Multisensor.

The inclusion of ARGB lights for color control and representation of different meanings.

The unexpected usefulness of the CO2 sensor for monitoring indoor air quality.

The high-quality components used in the Apollo AIR-1 Multisensor, including the SEN55 environmental sensor node.

A humorous critique of how a corporation might reduce quality for profit maximization.

The practical applications of temperature and humidity sensors in understanding heat cycles and controlling heating.

The importance of carbon dioxide sensors in preventing drowsiness and improving sleep quality.

The utility of dust and pollen sensors in managing indoor cleanliness and allergen levels.

The critical role of particulate matter and VOC sensors in health and safety, especially in workshops and garages.

The Apollo AIR-1 Multisensor as a versatile toolkit for various air quality monitoring needs.

The personal use cases of the sensor in the presenter's workshop, PC case, and bedroom.

Transcripts

It's okay little guy, I'm not going to hurt you...

....yet. Hello, now there are a couple of sensors  that I've been using in recent videos that  

a few of you have asked about so I thought  I'd give you a little tour of one of them - the  

Apollo AIR-1 Multisensor. Now Apollo Automation  reached out to me a few weeks ago and asked if  

I wanted to give their stuff a bit of a road  test. But I'm not going to test their products! I'm  

going to test their whole reason for existence  as a company. So let's examine what you're up to.   

This video should not only tell you a bit about  this product and about Apollo Automation but more  

importantly it'll reveal the kind of traits that  you should look out for in a device firm and the  

ones to avoid when investing in your smart home.  I'll also show you the AIR-1 Multisensor in detail  

and tear the guts out of this poor little fellow.  And finally I'll talk about how I'm using this  

in my house and why you might want to have  one of these things yourself. So let's dive in!

Right, you're wanting a smart device for your  home and there's a myriad different companies out  

there, most of which you haven't heard of before.  How do you know what kind of company traits to  

look for, and implicit in this the ones to avoid?  With this in mind, Apollo Automation are as close  

to my benchmark of a great company as I could hope.  So let me talk you through precisely why that is.  

The first thing is that they're transparent. They  expose everything for review - their code, their  

hardware, their CAD files, their components - and this  lets you know exactly what you're getting, and it  

gives you complete control over your device. Just  as an example, I wanted to 3D-print an enclosure  

for the sensor, and because all the STL files are  available on their site I was able to model one  

easily. This super transparent nature is a breath  of fresh air and is something I specifically look  

for. The next thing is that they integrate, so  this integrates like a dream to Home Assistant.  

I actually timed it and it took 43 seconds  from plugging it in to having it running in  

Home Assistant, with all the sensors visible.  It's just easy and a breeze to use. They're  

free as well. Now I don't mean they're a charity!  I mean it's free as in speech, not beer. This is  

an important distinction when you set it up -  it's yours. No cloud dependencies, no hoovering  

up of your data, no flaky app or no popups or ads.  You're free to use it as you see fit. And then the  

last thing is that they're just passionate. As a  company they're engaged and passionate about their  

products. It's theirs, so you can see this in every  interaction, forum post and email. And this again is  

something that dies in larger corporates - people  are just doing a job - but this is their baby and  

it shows. So I'm not even saying to buy anything  from Apollo Automation - that's for you to decide -  

what I'm saying is just visit their site for  a completely different reason (there's a link  

in the description). Just have a nose around, get a  feel for what a transparent, passionate and open  

company is like, and what I want to do is create  this helpful jar in your mind, so when you're  

next about to purchase from a company that isn't  like this you'll get a spidey sense, a suspicion...  

Why aren't they telling you the components  they're using? Why wouldn't they share their  

API? Why is their documentation hidden behind  a portal? Developing this sense will save you  

hundreds of pounds of wasted purchases, and as for  you Apollo Automation, just keep doing what you're

doing. Let's look now at the product itself.   How does it stack up, and can't I just do it  

all myself? Isn't it just a bunch of ESP chips  and sensors bunged together? Well yes, it is. Indeed  

their open-source documentation reveals in  explicit detail what they've used, and if you're  

of that mindset, I'd strongly advise you do it. Go  for it! It'll be a great opportunity to learn and  

dive into the world of electronics and smart home  automation. But I suspect you'll also learn it's  

also a lot harder and more expensive than you  think, once you start stacking sensors. And this  

is where the Apollo Automation stuff is actually  really good value, I think. If all you want is a  

temperature sensor, well grab an ESP32 a DHT22  and some wires and you're away. That's probably  

£10 all in. However you often have these situations  where you just want a total battery of sensors: 5,  

10, 15 and more. So in my bedroom, I want to measure  temperature for the heating and I obviously want  

to measure humidity and carbon dioxide levels and  dust levels, and so on. This is where specialist  

products like this come into their own, as they've  dealt with the complexity for you and packed it  

into a tiny form factor. It's really quite clever  how much they've squeezed in. Really clever in  

fact....[Dark side Katie: Wouldn't you like to see how clever?] [Innocent Katie: Don't break their poor product apart, Katie! [Dark side Katie: but think  

of all the lovely little sensors in there]. [Innocent Katie: Justin  will be mad at you if you gut his lovely sensor]  

[Dark side Katie: you know you want it. You want to feel those  sensors, short circuit those chips.] It's time

to open you up! So let's have a look at what  they're hiding in here. Ah they've just kept  

it extremely compact. You know, this box is  something like 61 mm by 61 and then 30 mm  

tall, I think. And so it's really impressive  given the amount of sensors that are in

here. So I've got these ARGBs here, and that's just great because you can have some colour control.  

Instead of just a boring red light, you've got  a lot more flexibility here for the colours to  

represent different meanings. So you could have  green, amber, red, purple, blue meaning all sorts  

of different things about the air quality or the  temperature. Like it! In fact this CO2 sensor here  

- I just thought what's the point in that?!  I don't need that! But when I looked into it  

I realised that I could use that for something  that's been bothering me for years, so I'll tell  

you about it later. But there's also another  example here: the SEN55 - this is a great little  

guy. He's an environmental sensor node. All  of these sensors have a lifespan, with their  

mechanical parts and little fans and more, but  these are really high quality components. Indeed  

they don't needed to have included that! In fact,  I know exactly what a corporation would have

done... welcome to this week's profit  maximisation planning meeting. Firstly,  

Apollo Automation, you're on mute. What  the heck is this? And who designed it?  

What is it? Well we're going to be taking out  the addressable RGBs straight away. And what  

are you doing putting three in there?! We are going  to be putting in LEDs. Single color ones. Cheap. Red,  

that's the cheapest of all. Yeah whatever, there  will be a bunch of customers who this limits, but  

who cares! It's worth it for the extra money. And  I see a SEN55 in there. What?! I want to see the plank  

who came up with that in my office straight after  this meeting. They last about 10 years! What were  

you thinking? How are we going to make money in the  meantime? What we need to do is chuck in a cheaper  

particulate sensor. There's load of way cheaper  versions. Then temperature and humidity - well we  

can just use the sensor from the SCD40. Yeah it's  half as accurate, but the stupid consumer won't  

have a clue...until the particulate sensor breaks  in a couple of years, just in time for our brand-  

new product to be released...which will look a lot  like the last one. And how much are we paying for  

this ominous music to constantly play? Oh sorry,  I don't know what came over me there. Anyway I'll  

stop poking this poor little device, but it's a  lovely piece of engineering and if you want to get  

an air quality sensor, this is the sort of thing  you should look for. I'll attach a link to the

description. Now finally, let's go through some  examples of why you might want one of these in  

your home. Well temperature and humidity sensor, now  that's simple: use it to understand more about heat  

cycles in your home, control the heating, graph the  annual trends. Does it feel colder than last year  

in this room? Carbon dioxide sensors. Now this is  the one I'm actually personally most excited about.   

I didn't expect it to be useful at all, but when I  looked into it I discovered that, well, I often wake  

up groggy and tired, and on looking into this I  found that modern homes may be insulated well but  

they're often prone to buildups of carbon dioxide  as a result, and too-high carbon dioxide levels  

leads to drowsiness and tiredness. Now if you wake  up tired or if you feel zonked after working at  

your PC all day, you'll be amazed at how handy  it is to know the CO2 levels and just open the  

windows. Then we've got the dust levels. Is it time  to vacuum? Pollen levels - all of these can become  

sensors that you can understand precisely or  trigger actions off. We've got particulate matter  

levels - this alone should be mandated in workshops  and garages. What is the level of PM1, PM2.5, PM4 and  

PM10 particles in the air that you're breathing?  What about the VOCs? Set this little dude to  

flash red when the levels are high and this will  be a valuable kick up the cynffon to put on a

mask or open a window or just step out of the  room for a bit. As anyone knows who works  

with wood or high VOC paints, glues and so on,  this is actually life-saving capability. It goes  

on and on. It's just a really universal toolkit of  data that you can use for all sorts of things, now  

and in the future. It really is a Swiss Army  Knife of air sensors. That's it! But now that I've  

shared what I think, what do you look for in a  company when you're buying smart products? And  

how do you think you could use this? As you know  from my other videos, I'm going to be using this  

in my workshop, without a doubt. I'm using it in  my PC case to trigger automatic dust cleaning  

in the room, and I'm also using it in my bedroom  to monitor the carbon dioxide levels. So now I'm  

excited to know if you have any other ideas  or thoughts on this, so please do share those  

so that we can all continue to inspire each  other. Thank you and see you next time! [Music]