We live in a world where we care more and more about our environment. But what about your personal environment? Like the wearables we already use as part of everyday life, the Atmotube Pro aims to quantify valuable health metrics. Instead of heart rates and overall fitness, it focuses on air quality.
Considering Australia is prone to bushfires, it makes sense to pay attention to air quality. Dyson attempted its own air-purifying wearable with the Dyson Zone headphones, while a Google Maps update added real-time data from government agencies. Sure, you can install an air quality monitor at home, like the Sensibo Air Pro, but what about when you’re out and about?
That’s where the Atmotube Pro portable air quality meter comes in.
Atmotube Pro review
What are the Atmotube Pro features?
The Atmotube Pro is a rechargeable portable or personal air quality monitor that links with your smartphone. It also functions as a weather station.
The Atmotube can detect pollutants and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Pollutants include smoke, pollen, dust and soot. VOCs are volatile chemicals that evaporate easily, such as paint solvents, aerosol sprays, cleaners, fuel, etc. All these substances can be dangerous to our health.
The Atmotube will alert you when the air is not safe and thus allow you to take action. This alert is delivered via an app on your smartphone. Air quality can be viewed at any time and is displayed via a zero-to-100 score, with zero being the worst conditions.
The weather station functionality tracks temperature, humidity and barometric pressure, which are all nice to know. Still, in our connected world, we almost always have access to this data already. The output of this information is a graphical representation indicating if you are in the comfort zone. Beyond our own stupidity, our bodies naturally give us a pretty good idea if we are comfortable. However, logging these details is useful for medical purposes and weather fanatics.
To simplify things, Atmotube ensures that its sensors are super accurate. They calibrate each sensor during production to ensure it gives you the right information.
The box weighs 105 grams and measures 9.5 x 5 x 2.25cm, including a key ring loop. It is designed to work in a temperature range from minus 5 to 50 degrees and is not weatherproof, so you should keep it dry.
It ships with a USB-C cable and a small carabiner. The USB cable enables the unit to be powered continuously. Still, a rechargeable internal battery keeps it running for up to 10 days.
Although the Atmotube is designed to work with a smartphone, it can also be used as a data logger with content downloaded to a PC. The internal storage matches the battery life at 10 days.
How does it work?
An Atmotube is like a watchdog for your air quality. It keeps an eye on the air around you all the time. How does it do that? It uses special sensors that can detect different kinds of gases in the air.
Imagine a tiny, heated film made of special metal particles inside Atmotube. When it comes into contact with certain gases in the air, like the ones that can harm you, it reacts and sends a warning. It’s like a signal that says, “Hey, there’s something in the air we need to check!”
Atmotube’s sensors are great because they can detect many gases that might not be good for air quality. They’re especially good at telling you about “TVOC,” which stands for Total Volatile Organic Compounds. It’s a fancy way of discussing all the harmful gases mixed in the air.
You might wonder, “What’s a safe level for TVOC in the air?” Generally, it’s considered safe when TVOC levels are between 0.6 to 1 milligram per cubic meter. That’s the air quality you want in your home, and Atmotube helps you monitor it. So, if Atmotube ever tells you that the air isn’t safe, you know it’s time to take action and breathe easy again!
Why would you want a portable air quality meter? We know air pollution can impact your quality of life from both a short and long-term perspective.
In the short term, poor air quality plays havoc with people’s allergies, and staying indoors is often the best remedy. Chemicals or air contamination exposure in the longer term can affect life expectancy and health.
To date, we rely on our own common sense or some warning from the authorities. A portable air quality meter can detect threats caused by dust or chemicals to keep a worker safe in a polluted environment. Think of it as your own canary in a coal mine.
Atmotube Pro specifications
| Sensors: | PM1, PM2.5, PM10, Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), temperature, humidity, altitude and barometric pressure. |
| Storage | 10 days of data |
| Dimensions | 9.5cm x 5cm x 2.25cm |
| Price (RRP) | US$169 (roughly AU$260) |
| Website | Atmo |
| Warranty | 1 year |
In use
The Atmotube Pro is small enough to fit in a pocket or clip onto a bag, belt or perhaps a pram. I placed it on a flat surface or in my pocket during my testing. Out of interest, having it in your pocket, I found it tended to artificially raise the temperature reading by 1-2 degrees.
The setup was super simple: charging the Atmotube Pro, opening the app, and selecting the only Atmo product it could see. In addition to the air score mentioned above, you can see individual readings based on each sensor and a log of information by hour, day, week, month or year.
An air quality map is also available to compare air quality scores across the city or the world.
True story: I am allergic to Sydney. I have lived here all my life and spent a fortune finding out why I would break out in hives on certain days. It turns out that if the pollution levels and pollen count are high and the wind blows from the northwest, that is the culprit. I had no way of warning myself I needed to take medication until it was almost too late. The Atmotube actually has a distinct advantage for my Sydney allergy.
Also, during my testing, a wake-up call was the effect of household chemicals on air quality. I tested opening a bottle of methylated spirits, and the air quality instantly went from 90 to zero. I then cleaned my kitchen bench with a supermarket surface spray, scoring 52.
When the air quality deteriorates or atmospheric conditions are unfavourable, various advice or “coaching” is available on the app as part of the alert.
Who is the Atmotube Pro for?
With increasing work and safety regulations and duty of care in the workplace, the Atmotube Pro would be relevant for outdoor workers or people who regularly work with chemicals. Think builders, factory workers, cleaners, and the like.
![Atmotube Pro Portable Air Quality Monitor [PM1, PM2.5, PM10, VOCs, Temperature, Humidity and Barometric Pressure Sensor]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/31FvC1vXHpL._SL160_.jpg)
- REAL-TIME AIR QUALITY TRACKER – constantly monitors the environment around you, accurately measuring a wide range of PM, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) like acetone, methanol, formaldehyde, and harmful gases.
- PM SENSORS detects PM1, PM2.5, and PM10 pollutants, such as dust, pollen, soot, and mold spores.
- PORTABLE & WEARABLE: most compact air quality tracker which securely hooks on a bag or belt, with up to 7 days battery life so you can take it anywhere and test air pollution in or outside your home.
It’s also suited to everyday users concerned about allergies and medical issues impacted by air quality. This device helps you identify and take action. Travellers can also be informed when visiting cities known for air pollution.
Although the Atmotube Pro is not an industrial air quality monitor, the everyday person can set it up in less than a minute, track air quality, and be informed. I especially like that if you are working around hazardous chemicals, it warns you, acting as a reminder to wear a protective mask.
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