Are you worried about the quality of air that you breathe? Wishing that there is an air monitoring device that you can simply bring anywhere and that you can use anytime? That simply fits in your pocket? then KINGMAX got you covered with their AirQ Check GS-01. The name of the device says it all, it is an air monitoring MicroUSB device designed for Android smartphones and tablets.

Let’s check it out if it really does what it say it does and if it is worth having. But before anything else, we would like to give a big thanks to KINGMAX for providing us the AirQ Check GS-01.

KINGMAX Semiconductor Inc. is a global memory technology leader that has long been committed to the innovation of the best memory module solutions. Since its establishment in 1989, KINGMAX has set its sights on becoming the leader in professional computer memory manufacturing. More about KINGMAX.

KINGMAX AirQ Check GS-01

Overview

The KINGMAX AirQ Check GS-01 is simply an air monitoring device designed for Android devices (Smartphones and Tablets) running on Android OS 4.0 and up. It features an easy plug and play function and an OTG MicroUSB Type-B Interface allowing you to use it anywhere and anytime. It can detect TVOC, eCO2, humidity, and environment temperature.

Features

• With powerful firmware design, the integrated product architecture includes the gas sensor, humidity and temperature sensor, and microprocessor, you can use the mobile handheld device to connect to your smartphone and tablets.
• Customizing the intuitive user interface design, you can monitor indoor air quality via app in real time.
• Optimizing the user experience, the intelligent AirQ Sensor app can detect indoor air quality including TVOC and CO2 automatically with real-time tracking and audible alerts.
• The app can record current air quality and offer the air quality data within one month.
• It provides valued-added functions with humidity and temperature sensor, the design makes users more convenient to set comfort and suitable indoor temperature and humidity.

Specification

and some Science!

TVOC (Total Volatile Organic Compounds), a grouping of a wide range of organic chemical compounds to simplify reporting when these are present in ambient air or emissions. How does this affect me as a human?

Carbon dioxide (CO2), a colorless and odorless gas vital to life on Earth. Is it harmful to humans?

Unboxing

Looking at the front of the box, you might mistakenly think of it as an OTG USB Flash Drive because of its design until you look closely. The box clearly indicates that it is a mobile health device. It also shows the manufacturers name, the model name of the product, and a small phrase stating “Always Get Good Quality of Fresh Air”. After reading that, you might think that this device cleans the air you breathe or the air around you but as cool as that may sound, unfortunately, it doesn’t and will not do that.

We are also not quite sure if this will be the final packaging as it seems to me that this is not the final retail version in my opinion because the design of the box is quite simple and very straightforward as it simply highlights the main product feature like the TVOC, CO2, Humidity, and Temperature.

Although if we were to decide, we would suggest that instead of having 3 images showcasing that the product being used on smartphones, we would instead highlight the product features or important parts of the product itself on the box. Like the LED emitting part, the sensor parts, or how adjustable the AirQ Check is.

Now looking at the back of the box, it highlights a 1 year warranty which is nice, a few specification of the device in 3 languages, the first one is English and not quite sure if the other two languages are Simplified and Traditional Chinese, a QR code of the downloadable app named after the product, a series of certification, and some other important information.

The back also highlights an image of how the product works. So it looks like the AirQ Check gets to monitor the quality of the air by sucking the air from each side and exhausting them at the top.

Apparently, the box does not contain anything else other than the product itself. We think KINGMAX will include some papers inside the box once it goes out on the market like a manual, warranty sheet, and product brochure.

The AirQ Check is tightly held in a shiny clear hard plastic. I think KINGMAX went with a Low-density polyethylene plastic to hold the AirQ in place. We wished KINGMAX went with something far more economical, something that biodegrades like bamboo instead of a hard plastic because that will surely be a major plus and will make a product look more expensive and premium.

So that’s it for the unboxing. Once again, I think that this is a sample grade and not a retail version because it does not come with any sort of papers like the usual and only the product itself.

Closer Look

A closer look at the AirQ Check will make you wonder how a small device can do such awesome things. A quick google of “Air Quality Checker” will give you a list of products that does the same thing but far bigger that the AirQ Check. The AirQ Check stands in 4.75 cm x 2.08 cm x 7.4 cm in dimension. Pretty small and convenient if you ask me.

One of the down side of the AirQ Check is the compatibility support because it is only compatible with Android devices that uses MicroUSB Type-B interface and are running on either Android 4.0, 5.0, or 6.0. With that being said, one of the first questions that will definitely come up is if it will support the upcoming Android 7.0 Nougat. We believe it will because it is a new product as of this writing and Android 7.0  is coming this November 2016.

Unfortunately, it seems like there will be no support and love for iOS devices anytime soon but KINGMAX has not made any official statement yet in regards to this matter. Consequently, one of my concerns is, if there will ever be a Type C version? as I currently own an Android Smartphone that uses USB 3.1 Type-C instead of Type-B.

One of the main important part of the AirQ Check is the intake. The holes you see on the image are the intake of the device, this is where the Air gets in so that the AirQ Check can do its job. The AirQ Check have intake holes on each side then it gets exhausted at the top of the device which is the opposite side of where you can find the MicroUSB Connector. As shown in the image below.

The AirQ Check also comes with one LED indicator. It works by emitting certain colors that signify the quality of the air surrounding it. According to KINGMAX, the LED flashes the following colors along with their meaning:

TVOC Testing

• Green – when the air is fresh (0~100PPB or Parts Per Billion)
• Orange – when the air is moderately polluted (101~400PPB)
• Red –  do you have a medical mask or something? It will be great to have one (>400PPB)

CO2 Testing

• Green – quality of air is acceptable (ranges from 400 to 600 PPM)
• Orange – the quality of the air is bad (ranges from 600 to 800 PPM)
• Red – the quality of the air is worst and can start to cause health issues (ranges 801 – 5000PPM)

When you do run a test using the AirQ Check, the device will trigger an alarm sound when the result yields bad air quality or hits the Red mark. Otherwise, the alarm will trigger if the AirQ Check detects that the air is fresh or within the acceptable range of quality.

AirQ Check App

How to check Air Quality with an App like the AirQ Check App.

Download: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.airq&hl=en

The AirQ Check comes with an Android application that you can download on Google Play. This app works like a driver and control software app that allows the AirQ Check to work once you plug it in on your Android smartphone. Otherwise, without the app, the AirQ Check will not work.

Start Up and Manual UI

In this section of the App, you are presented with details and explanation of what you can do with the app. As well as the manual of the App.

Indoor and Outdoor UI

In this section, you can choose from two different modes. The Outdoor mode and the Indoor mode. The Outdoor mode is pretty straight forward as it only monitors environment temperature and humidity. The Indoor mode on the other hand also does the same thing but with additional functions such as TVOC and CO2 detection test.

With Indoor mode TVOC and CO2 Testing, you are given 3 kinds of testing in terms of duration and those are 1s, 10s, and 60s. These means that the device will keep on measuring the quality of air either every after 1 second, 10 seconds, or 1 minute.

Settings UI

The settings UI has only one option to change and that is the Language settings. You can change the language to English, Japanese, Traditional, or Simplified Chinese.

FAQ UI

The FAQ UI as the name suggest is a UI in the app that answers commonly asked questions. The UI actually provides a detailed explanation of the warranty, about KINGMAX and who are they, what is TVOC and the dangers of it, and so as well with CO2.

How to use the AirQ Check

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, the AirQ Check by KINGMAX is a pretty straight forward device. It does what it does, nothing more nothing less but we find it handy to have one. What we like the best about it is the Humidity and Temperature monitoring system as we can check the room temperature and humidity level indoors or outdoors easily. That way you can easily know if you will have problems with the air quality.

Furthermore, bugs and dust mites will be a problem too since bugs thrive in humid conditions. Dust mites, on the other hand, loves warm temperatures (23-27 degrees Celcius / 75-80 degrees Fahrenheit) and high humidity levels of 70-80%. Mold loves humid conditions as well. When the relative humidity is higher than 80%, mold is likely to develop more than 50% of the time. Their spores are known to contribute to the development of asthma and cause allergies.

The AirQ Check will definitely be a big help in this matter, giving you a head start to prevent any unwanted health issues that you can get from having poor air quality indoors such as air pollutants or having high levels of humidity, TVOC, or CO2.

In addition to that, what’s more appealing to this is the price, the AirQ Check has an MSRP of US$59. On Amazon, you’ll probably spend around US$100 ~ US$300 for just an air monitoring device but with KINGMAX AirQ Check, you’ll save more than US$50.

Finally, the AirQ Check by KINGMAX proves that technology evolve fast and gets a B2G Recommended Reward.