Thanks to the higher use of IoT sensing, new companies and startups have been developing air quality sensors and using them in IoT devices. Let’s explore what these sensors are, and how they are being used in the market.
What are air quality sensors?
Air quality sensors are devices that are used to measure various aspects of the air such as: temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide levels (air pollution), and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). This technology is used to monitor the quality of the air and detect any issues that may arise. They usually are integrated with IoT devices (What is IoT), since they have all necessary components to collect and transmit data wirelessly.
However, there are some challenges to sensor air quality, first, sometimes the conditions of the environment, a bad firmware programming (firmware vs software), or a bad calibration or installation may affect the reliability of the gathered data. And second, there are risks associated with cybersecurity of the IoT devices that are used for analyzing air pollution, since these products usually are installed in outdoor spaces, and they are more prone to hacking attacks.
According to Globe Newswire, the monitoring air quality market was valued at USD 5.02 Billion in 2021, and it is expected to grow to USD 8.33 billion by 2028.
As you can see, this market has a lot of potential thanks to the rapid growth of air quality sensors usage. They are also expected to play a key role in the development of smart cities, Industry 4.0, and other IoT-based systems.
Applications of air quality sensors
Sensor air quality technology is being used with the help of IoT in home automation, industrial process control, and environmental monitoring.
Home automation: Air quality sensors can be used to monitor the air inside a home and alert the occupants if there are any issues, such as high levels of carbon dioxide or VOCs. Thus, people can act quickly to avoid getting sick or worse.
Industrial process control: These sensors can be used to monitor the air in factories and other industrial facilities, and guarantee that it meets the necessary standards for avoiding risky situations, like explosions or gas poisoning.
Environmental monitoring: The sensors for air quality are in charge of monitoring the air in cities and other populated areas, and this way, detect any issues that may affect the health of the population. Several cities are using these sensors in IoT machines to check on areas where the pollution levels are high and emit alerts to advise people to wear a mask or to stay at home during certain periods of time.
How do IoT devices with air quality sensors work in companies?
Thanks to IoT devices that have air quality sensors, they can provide real-time data about the air conditions in specific areas of the company. Let’s see how these sensors work with IoT devices to improve the different processes of the companies:
Through a good configuration of IoT protocols, there can be a reliable connection between humidity, temperature, and air quality sensors, which will provide accurate information on toxic particles, volatile compounds, or carbon dioxide that may be present in a lab or any other room of the facility.
The data collected from the environment will be sent to a system, which can trigger alerts when the sensors detect there is an affectation in air quality conditions.
Not only this data can be collected inside the company, there can be other areas that do a remote monitoring of the air through a mobile app or server application, this can work as another security measure to prevent any mistakes in data processing and decision making.
Finally, the different reports that people in charge of air monitoring are receiving, can be useful to identify areas where improvements are needed, and this way, start working on reinforcing machinery, or alarm systems that can eliminate potential threats to the employees.
If you need help with electronic product design and development to build your next IoT project with air quality sensors, get in contact with us, and we will gladly help you out. We have experience in the market offering hardware development services, and we have achieved great success in Internet of Things design and development.
