Putting clear dirt bins on their vacuums helped companies like Dyson convince consumers they needed to spend hundreds of dollars on an effective floor cleaner. With its new Vindstyrka indoor air quality monitor, which provides detailed metrics on airborne pollutants in your home, IKEA is hoping to convince people they need the company’s air purifiers, too.
If a Swedish air quality monitor sounds familiar to you, it’s because this isn’t IKEA’s first device that keeps tabs on what you’re breathing at home. Back in 2021, it released the $US12 ($17) Vindriktning, which used a simple colour-changing LED bar to indicate detected PM2.5 levels (dangerous pollutant particles that can be easily inhaled): green for low, orange for acceptable, and red meaning that a home’s air quality was unhealthy.
For those demanding quantifiable metrics for every aspect of their existence, the Vindstyrka has a large screen showing actual numerical measurements, while also carrying over the easy to understand green/yellow/red warning system. The Vindstyrka displays PM2.5 levels, TVOC measurements (total volatile organic compound), as well as the temperature and humidity levels in the room.
The Vindstyrka also connects to IKEA’s Matter-compatible Dirigera smart home hub to make your home’s air quality metrics accessible through the IKEA Home app, as well as other smart home systems and apps from Google, Apple, and Amazon. The sensor can even be used to trigger other smart home devices, such as — surprise, surprise — IKEA’s cleverly camouflaged Starkvind smart air purifier, which will automatically increase its fan speed and air filtration when elevated PM2.5 levels are detected.
IKEA hasn’t revealed the pricing for the new Vindstyrka air quality sensor, but it should launch sometime in April through the company’s online store and warehouses.