Odor sensors for HE

Wondering if any smart odor sensors exist that are also compatible with HE.
I have several Winix air filters and they have built-in odor sensors which work surprisingly well (too well) that ramp up fan speeds when they encounter particles. Just wondering if anyone else has come across something more portable that I can adapt to HE.

An odor sensor? Like it can identify specific odors?

Particulate matter sensors that can measure how much “stuff” is in the air do exist. Sounds like that’s what your HVAC uses?

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OMG.. I should put that in my teenager’s room.. It would be like a wind tunnel

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Brain not functioning. Yes, it’s more of a particulate sensor. I jokingly called it a “fart detector” because it triggers at the faintest whiff from across a room. Incredible really. Told my dad who was visiting once and as he walked by the fan ramped up high and it made a believer out of my parents. I’m also constantly blaming my wife of the dog whenever I hear the fan go loud now.

The other thing is that I had smoke/Carbon Monoxide detectors that work similarly yet they wouldn’t go off if someone dropped a fart on it, so I wonder what’s the major difference aside from particle size (possibly.)

I released my own fragrance today.

The people in my car didn’t like it.

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LAN not WAN...

That is impressive! I wonder what kind of sensor it's actually using. I'm by no means an expert in this area, but indoor air quality sensors can measure a variety of aerosolized compounds as a marker for air quality (e.g. PM2.5, VOCs, CO2, etc.). To get one that would pass muster as a fart detector without being falsely triggered most of the time seems like no small feat.

Smoke and CO detector sensors I know a bit more about from prior research. Smoke detectors use either ionization or photoelectric sensors, and these days some have both (preferable for detecting the widest variety of fire types). Here's a nice summary of how sensors each works.

CO sensors can use a few underlying mechanisms as well, also summarized nicely here.

I'd bet on it having VOC sensors. The compounds that make flatus smell are all VOCs. Things like indole, skatole (3-methylindole), and organic mercaptans.

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That's what I was thinking as well.

I'm just surprised if this sensor can really do this well for an average home HVAC system, I would've expected more news coverage, a Nobel prize or two, etc. :wink:

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The market is flooded with devices with sensitive VOC sensors thanks to the Bosch BME680. Cigarette smoke used to be picked up by PM2.5 sensors; today it's much more sensitive to do it with a VOC sensor.

I am looking forward to @iharyadi selling versions of his sensor with the BME680, because I'll buy them for use in my lab, and use my spare Hubitat C-5 there as well.

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I would imagine this is where it can get tricky. Turn on when an inhabitant, um, "aerosolizes some indole" but not too frequently/constantly in response to other sources of VOCs in the home.

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It’s actually just a regular/older Winix HEPA unit model. Not part of the HVAC:

Saw a few on eBay in case someone wanted to test/tinker with it.

Wondering if there’s a way for a smart plug like an Iris to detect a change in current when it automatically detects a smell and ramps up in order to trigger something else.

Cheaper to just get rid of the teenager

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WTH, are a Mensa? You know EVERYTHING

Edit: by any chance are you knowledgeable in air purifiers? Is this one good for a small bedroom? https://www.amazon.com/Purifier-Washable-Pre-Filters-Particle-Allergens/dp/B073WJDQMN/ref=sr_1_4?crid=FO33C0DJKI1Y&dchild=1&keywords=blue+air+purifiers&qid=1624054033&sprefix=Blue+air%2Caps%2C190&sr=8-4

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Can’t speak for him, but BlueAir makes a pretty good air purifier. My main issue is the cost of replacement filters although the 411+ models have generic replacement filters. The 411s are also fairly large and don’t have an air sensor.

How much are generic filters? How long do they last?

Do t know for the model that was linked but at the time the 411+ were about $90 and generics were less than half that.

$50, yikes! How long they last?

This model seems to be $21 https://www.amazon.com/Replacement-Particle-Activated-Purifier-Blueair/dp/B073SLDNJW?ref_=ast_sto_dp :sweat_smile: