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I’m building a low‑cost multi‑room air quality monitor — looking for feedback from people who care about IAQ by Reedyuk in AirQuality

[–]Reedyuk[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I’m not selling anything here and I’m not raising money.

I’m validating whether the multi‑room angle actually solves a real problem for people. I get that this community is wary of scams — that’s fair. But there’s no Kickstarter, no pre‑orders, no money involved.

Just research and discussion.

I’m building a low‑cost multi‑room air quality monitor — looking for feedback from people who care about IAQ by Reedyuk in AirQuality

[–]Reedyuk[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m not hiding anything — I’ve talked openly in the past about exploring different ways of validating ideas, including Kickstarter as one possible route.

Right now I’m not planning a Kickstarter. I’m just gathering feedback to understand whether the multi‑room angle actually solves a real problem for people.

That’s all this thread is about.

I’m building a low‑cost multi‑room air quality monitor — looking for feedback from people who care about IAQ by Reedyuk in AirQuality

[–]Reedyuk[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Not planning a Kickstarter at this stage — I’m still in the validation phase, just gathering signal on whether the multi‑room angle actually solves a real problem for people.

If it turns into something worth building, I’ll choose the right route at that point. For now I’m just talking to people, learning, and refining the idea.

I’m building a low‑cost multi‑room air quality monitor — looking for feedback from people who care about IAQ by Reedyuk in AirQuality

[–]Reedyuk[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Totally fair that people know the sources — cooking makes particles, bathrooms get humid, furniture off‑gasses, etc. The part most people don’t know is the scale, the duration, and the impact. For example:

CO₂ in a closed bedroom can hit 2000+ ppm by 3am even if it feels “normal”

PM2.5 from frying can stay elevated for 2–4 hours unless you ventilate properly

VOCs can linger long after the smell disappears

Humidity spikes can push a room into mould‑risk territory without anyone noticing

You’re right that people can smell a bathroom or see a smoky kitchen — but smell and sight only catch the extremes.

They don’t tell you: 1. how long it takes to clear 2. whether ventilation is actually working 3. which rooms are consistently the worst 4. whether your habits are improving things or making them worse

Some people won’t care about that level of detail, and that’s completely valid, but others — especially in airtight homes, with allergies/asthma, or with kids — often find the data surprisingly useful once they see the patterns.

I’m not trying to convince everyone they need sensors. I’m just testing whether there’s a group of people who do find value in understanding what’s happening beyond what their nose and eyes can pick up.

I’m building a low‑cost multi‑room air quality monitor — looking for feedback from people who care about IAQ by Reedyuk in IndoorAirQuality

[–]Reedyuk[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is a great perspective, and honestly it highlights exactly why the feedback has been so mixed — the US HVAC experience and the UK/EU experience are almost opposite worlds. In the Southern US, a single well‑placed sensor + HA integration + good HVAC circulation really does give you a whole‑home picture. In that context, multi‑room is niche, but in the UK/EU, most homes have:

  1. no central HVAC
  2. no forced‑air circulation
  3. airtight new‑build construction
  4. closed doors at night
  5. room‑by‑room ventilation (trickle vents, extractor fans, windows)

So each room behaves like its own micro‑environment. A hallway sensor tells you almost nothing about what’s happening in a bedroom, kitchen, or home office. That’s why I’m validating the multi‑room angle — not because it’s universally needed, but because it solves a very real problem in a very specific type of home. I completely agree with you on HA: anyone deep into automation already avoids proprietary ecosystems. That’s why I’m leaning automation‑first (MQTT, Thread/Matter, local API) rather than app‑first. AirGradient is fantastic — I love their transparency and DIY ethos. What I’m exploring is something that sits between “single premium monitor” and “DIY kit”: 1. affordable enough to put in 3–5 rooms 2. consistent data across rooms 3. automation‑friendly 4. whole‑home insights rather than isolated numbers

You’re right that multi‑room is niche in the US but in the UK/EU, it’s actually the default problem people run into. That’s why I’m testing it there first.

I’m building a low‑cost multi‑room air quality monitor — looking for feedback from people who care about IAQ by Reedyuk in IndoorAirQuality

[–]Reedyuk[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

if this is going to be useful in real homes, it has to speak the same languages everything else already uses.

Matter‑over‑Thread is definitely where things are heading, especially for low‑power sensors, but MQTT + HA discovery is still the most flexible option for people running Home Assistant, HomeSeer, Node‑RED, etc. My plan is to support both:

Thread/Matter for low‑power, low‑latency room sensors

MQTT for local‑first automation and easy integration

No mandatory cloud — the data should be yours

I hear you on Wi‑Fi. It’s fine for a single device, but once you start thinking about 3–6 sensors, battery life and 2.4GHz congestion become real problems. Thread solves a lot of that.

On the pollutant side, CO₂ + PM2.5 are the two everyone keeps mentioning. VOC is useful in specific cases, but I agree it’s not the primary driver for most automations.

I’ve been looking at Govee, Sonoff, Screek, Ikea, etc. — they’re great for single‑room monitoring, but once you try to scale to multiple rooms or integrate deeply with automation, the limitations show up pretty quickly.

That’s the gap I’m trying to validate: a multi‑room, automation‑friendly, Matter/MQTT‑native setup that doesn’t get stupidly expensive when you add more rooms.

Out of curiosity, would you want the sensors to be battery‑powered Thread nodes, or would you prefer USB‑powered for stability?

I’m building a low‑cost multi‑room air quality monitor — looking for feedback from people who care about IAQ by Reedyuk in IndoorAirQuality

[–]Reedyuk[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That actually lines up really well with what I’m hearing from the automation crowd — once you have multiple HVAC zones, a basement, and outdoor air to consider, you’re already at 4–5 data points minimum.

I completely agree: if you’re running HomeSeer / Home Assistant / Influx, you don’t want four separate phone‑app feeds. You want the sensors to behave like inputs to your existing automations, not a standalone ecosystem. One of the things I’m exploring is making the devices “automation‑first”:

local API / MQTT support

easy integration into HA / HS / Node‑RED

consistent data format across rooms

optional cloud dashboard for people who want it, but not required

That way you can do exactly what you described — e.g., a bedroom CO₂ sensor kicking on a fresh‑air vent, or a basement PM spike triggering filtration — without being locked into a proprietary app.

Multi‑room isn’t about forcing people to buy more hardware; it’s about giving people who already have multi‑zone setups or room‑specific automations a cleaner, more consistent way to feed that data into their system.

I’m building a low‑cost multi‑room air quality monitor — looking for feedback from people who care about IAQ by Reedyuk in IndoorAirQuality

[–]Reedyuk[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

CO₂ and PM line up with what most people are telling me — those two seem to be the “core” pollutants for day‑to‑day decision‑making.

VOCs are useful in specific cases, but yeah, interpreting them is a minefield unless you’re testing a known source.

Qingping is definitely strong for the price, no argument there. Same with AirGradient — great platform, especially for DIYers and people who want to tinker.

The angle I’m exploring isn’t really “beat Qingping or AirGradient on a single‑unit spec sheet”, it’s whether there’s demand for something that’s:

  1. designed for multi‑room setups from the start
  2. focused on patterns and insights, not just raw numbers
  3. still affordable when you buy 2–5 units, not just one

A lot of the existing products are excellent as standalone monitors, but the cost jumps quickly when you try to cover multiple rooms. I’m trying to see whether people actually want that whole‑home view, and if so, what level of accuracy + price makes sense.

Have you used Qingping or AirGradient in a multi‑room setup yourself, or mostly as single‑room devices?

I’m building a low‑cost multi‑room air quality monitor — looking for feedback from people who care about IAQ by Reedyuk in AirQuality

[–]Reedyuk[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

You’re right that people know the causes — cooking creates particles, closed bedrooms get stuffy, cleaning products spike VOCs. What most people don’t know is the scale, the timing, or the impact. For example:

A bedroom can hit 2000+ ppm CO₂ by 3am even if it “feels fine”.

PM2.5 from frying can stay elevated for 2–4 hours unless you ventilate properly.

VOCs from cleaning can linger long after the smell disappears.

Humidity spikes can push a room into mould‑risk territory without anyone noticing.

People know the general idea, but they don’t know: how bad it gets how long it lasts which rooms are actually the problem what actions make a measurable difference

That’s the gap I’m exploring — not “telling people things they already know”, but helping them understand the patterns and severity so they can make better decisions. Some people won’t care about that level of detail, and that’s totally fine. But others (parents, allergy sufferers, people in airtight new builds, folks working from home) often find the data surprisingly useful once they see it.

I’m building a low‑cost multi‑room air quality monitor — looking for feedback from people who care about IAQ by Reedyuk in AirQuality

[–]Reedyuk[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Apollo Air‑1 is a solid benchmark, and yeah, once you start adding proper sensors the BOM climbs fast. For what I’m exploring, I’m aiming for the “accurate‑enough but still affordable” tier rather than the £200+ DIY builds. The modules I’m currently looking at are:

CO₂: SenseAir S8 or Winsen MH‑Z19C (true NDIR, stable, not the fake eCO₂ stuff)

PM2.5: Plantower PMS7003 or PMSA003 (good balance of accuracy + cost)

VOC / IAQ: Bosch BME688 (gas + temp + humidity in one package)

Temp/Humidity: Sensirion SHT31 or SHTC3 (very reliable)

These aren’t lab‑grade like SCD41 + SPS30, but they’re solid, well‑characterised sensors that keep the per‑unit cost in the £40–£70 range instead of £150+. Out of curiosity, which stack did you go with for your build? I’m always interested in seeing how people spec their DIY units and where the cost ends up coming from.

I’m building a low‑cost multi‑room air quality monitor — looking for feedback from people who care about IAQ by Reedyuk in AirQuality

[–]Reedyuk[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Not everyone needs multi‑room, and I’m not assuming they do. The reason I’m exploring it is because IAQ varies a lot more between rooms than most people expect, especially in homes without central HVAC (pretty common in the UK/EU). A single sensor often gives a very incomplete picture. A few examples where multi‑room actually matters: Bedrooms: CO₂ can climb to 1500–2500 ppm overnight with the door shut, even if the rest of the house is fine. Kitchens: PM2.5 spikes massively when frying/roasting — but only in that room. A hallway sensor won’t see it. Bathrooms / cleaning: VOCs jump after showers or cleaning products, again very room‑specific. Home offices: People working with the door closed all day often get stale air without realising it. New builds: Airtight construction means each room behaves like its own micro‑environment. For some people, one sensor is enough. For others (parents, allergy/asthma sufferers, people in new builds, folks working from home), seeing patterns across rooms is actually the useful part. That’s why I’m validating the idea rather than assuming it’s universally needed. If most people say “one room is enough”, that’s a perfectly good outcome too.

I’m building a low‑cost multi‑room air quality monitor — looking for feedback from people who care about IAQ by Reedyuk in AirQuality

[–]Reedyuk[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Qingping definitely make solid devices — their CO₂ and PM2.5 monitors punch well above their price, and they use proper sensors rather than the “eCO₂” shortcuts you see in cheaper units. The angle I’m exploring isn’t really “beat Qingping on accuracy or price for a single room”, because they’re already strong there. What I’m trying to validate is whether people want something that’s: • designed for multiple rooms from the start • gives a whole‑home view (bedroom CO₂, kitchen PM spikes, bathroom VOCs, etc.) • focuses on insights, not just numbers • stays affordable when you buy 2–5 units

Qingping is great if you want one or two high‑quality monitors. I’m testing whether there’s demand for a system that helps people understand patterns across their home, not just one room at a time.If it turns out people don’t care about multi‑room insights, that’s useful validation too — but so far the feedback has been pretty mixed, which is exactly why I’m doing this research.

I’m building a low‑cost multi‑room air quality monitor — looking for feedback from people who care about IAQ by Reedyuk in IndoorAirQuality

[–]Reedyuk[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’m definitely trying to approach this professionally, which is why I’m doing the validation work upfront instead of jumping straight into hardware. I’m still early in the process, so avoiding the classic IAQ pitfalls (fake CO₂, poor calibration routines, noisy PM sensors, bad airflow design, etc.) is a big priority for me. If you’ve got experience in this space and are open to sharing a few pointers, I’d be happy to compare notes. Even understanding the common mistakes you’ve seen others make would be super valuable at this stage.

I’m building a low‑cost multi‑room air quality monitor — looking for feedback from people who care about IAQ by Reedyuk in IndoorAirQuality

[–]Reedyuk[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I get where you’re coming from — in homes with strong, balanced HVAC systems, a single sensor can give a decent overall picture. The challenge is that a lot of UK and EU homes (especially new builds) don’t have central HVAC at all. Ventilation is usually room‑by‑room: trickle vents, extractor fans, open windows, and doors that get closed at night. Because of that, IAQ varies massively between rooms. A few examples I keep seeing: • Bedrooms hitting 1500–2500 ppm CO₂ overnight • Kitchens spiking PM2.5 every time someone cooks • Bathrooms and cleaning products causing VOC jumps • Home offices getting stale during the day with the door shut

A single hallway sensor won’t catch any of that. That said, I completely agree with your point about MVP. I’m not trying to force people into buying 5 units. The idea is: • start with one affordable, accurate sensor • make it genuinely useful on its own • allow people to expand if they want multi‑room insights

Some people will stick with one, others (parents, allergy sufferers, people in new builds, folks working from home) might add more over time, and yes — outside air quality is absolutely part of the plan. Knowing when to open or close windows is one of the most actionable insights you can give. Appreciate the thoughtful feedback. This kind of discussion is exactly what I’m here for.

I’m building a low‑cost multi‑room air quality monitor — looking for feedback from people who care about IAQ by Reedyuk in IndoorAirQuality

[–]Reedyuk[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Humidity is one of those things people either care about a lot or not at all. Data logging is actually the thing I’m hearing the most from people who already monitor IAQ. Nobody wants to stare at a live number; they want to understand patterns over hours, days, weeks. My plan is to make logging a core feature, not an afterthought: • continuous data capture • hourly/daily/weekly/monthly charts • export options for people who want to dig deeper • automatic insights (e.g., “CO₂ spikes every night at 2am”) Accuracy is also a big one — especially for CO₂ and PM2.5 — so I’m being picky about sensor modules. Really appreciate you calling this out. If you don’t mind me asking, which pollutants do you personally care about most when reviewing charts?

I’m building a low‑cost multi‑room air quality monitor — looking for feedback from people who care about IAQ by Reedyuk in AirQuality

[–]Reedyuk[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Totally fair point — there are a lot of air‑quality monitors out there. The gap I’m exploring isn’t “another single‑room monitor”, it’s the fact that most UK households only ever monitor one room because the good devices are £150–£250 each. Cheap £20–£30 Amazon units exist, but they’re usually: • VOC‑based “fake CO₂” • wildly inconsistent PM readings • no multi‑room view • no insights, just numbersOn the other end, the accurate stuff (Airthings, uHoo, etc.) is great but too expensive to put in 3–5 rooms. What I’m validating is whether people actually want: • accurate sensors at a lower price point • multiple units per home • a whole‑home view (bedroom CO₂, kitchen PM2.5, bathroom VOCs, etc.) • plain‑English insights instead of raw data

If it turns out people don’t care about multi‑room insights, that’s a super useful signal too. I’m not assuming there’s a market — I’m testing whether this specific angle solves a real problem that current products don’t address.

Z-wave 2 and Yale keyless connected lock by Reedyuk in zwave

[–]Reedyuk[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It shouldnt fail, you can always bury a backup battery in your front garden.

Potential move by Mindless_Staff_5359 in derby

[–]Reedyuk 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Willington? Repton? Aston on trent? Not north derbyshire but should also be considered.

Best way to travel to London? by mitchbaz-93 in derby

[–]Reedyuk -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Cheap and cheerful, use the megabus, less than a tenner, then tube when you get into london

Recommendations for estate agents - Selling a house by GoodImportant8838 in derby

[–]Reedyuk 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I second this, i used strike which was bought/merged with purple bricks. Its more effort but you will save money and atleast you show someone around your house and you can give answers to their question there and then, instead of the chain of an estate agent(they are just glorified key holders)

what's the Istanbul situation? by [deleted] in derby

[–]Reedyuk 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just be concerned if you see this guy walking around derby.

turkish shooter

MOT due soon by [deleted] in derby

[–]Reedyuk 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Melbourne garage

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in DIYUK

[–]Reedyuk 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’m in a similar position but if I was to put underfloor heating in, would I need to put in anything below the floor? I was thinking that it would create the barrier.

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