REVIEW – I’ll be real honest here, air quality in my home wasn’t something I spent a lot of time considering before I got to review the Kaiterra Laser Egg+ CO2. Let’s delve into this device and see how it can make your day to day life a little better.
What is it?
This is a stationary device that reads CO2 level, AQI (Air Quality Index), PM2.5 (fine air particles), temperature and humidity – interfacing with an app on your smart phone or tablet.
What’s in the box?
- Sensor
- Power cord and adaptor
- Quick Start guide
I also want to point out some extras that Kaiterra threw into the package as well:
A copy of the book Chocked: Life and Breath in the Age of Air Pollution by Beth Gardiner, a reusable collapsible drinking straw and a tote bag.
Design and features
The egg has a sleek and modern design, so it fits in very well with the other various devices we have scattered through the house. There are a couple buttons on the top of the unit, one to navigate through the various screens of data, the other is an on/off button.
Each screen has a numerical readout of the statistic as well as a graphical circular reference that goes from green, to yellow to red to show the danger level of each metric from good to moderate to poor to very poor.
Setup
The fastest way to set up is to download the app on your phone or tablet and follow the step by step instructions to set up the device with the correct time zone and specific neighborhood or region. It is compatible with Apple HomeKit as well and will send alerts through that app as well when stats reach critical levels.
Performance
The egg is very responsive – I tested the CO2 level by breathing directly on it and watched the reading skyrocket, then plummet back down once placed back on the table. The biggest unexpected spike in the CO2 reading was any time that we used our natural gas oven. Natural gas is known to produce significantly less CO2 when burned than other fossil fuels so to get such a spike in the level was rather interesting. All of the other readings stayed steady and within “good” range throughout the testing period, so not really sure what to make of that other than to hope that means our overall air quality here in Colorado Springs is pretty good and that our HVAC air filter is working properly to remove the fine particles from the air. We have been able to drop the CO2 levels by opening a window or two to let fresh air into the house – although this has gotten tougher to do as it gets colder outside.
What I like
- Detailed data showing the various metrics
- Alerts sent directly to smartphone when moderate or poor conditions exist
- Easy to use interface with app and local sync to area weather data
What I would change
- It would be nice if there was some type of explanation of what to do with the data this device provides. Other than opening some windows, we aren’t sure what to do to keep the CO2 levels lower overall in the house – and if the particles or air quality index were to go into the moderate, poor or very poor levels, we’d be stuck trying to figure out what to do about it.
Final thoughts
Overall, we have found that we do appreciate the data that is provided by the Laser Egg. However, we have found ourselves a little lost on what to do with the data overall. But this is an opportunity to learn something new, so we will figure out how to go about using this data to make our lives better. I could definitely see this as an advantageous device for anyone with breathing issues such as asthma or allergies, where getting the notification of high levels of fine particles could greatly affect one’s day.
Price: $199.99
Where to buy: Kaiterra Store and Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Kaiterra.
