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IKEA Vindstyrka - Keep an eye on the air quality

Translate from : IKEA Vindstyrka - Hold øje med luftkvaliteten

Small but practical

IKEA Vindstyrka is a small discreet box, made of white plastic. On the front there is an illuminated LED display where you can see the current figures for PM2.5 together with a colored indicator for which level it corresponds to. Below that you get temperature, humidity and finally a tVOC indicator. The latter is only indicated with an arrow and not a number. There is an arrow to the right for a stable level and then an up or down arrow for rising or falling respectively.

On the top of the device we find two buttons. The large one is used to, with a short press, turn on or off the light in the screen, and with a long press to access the menu with settings.

The last small button is used to connect to IKEA air purifiers, such as their Starkvind, which we will look at in a moment.

On the back, at the bottom, we find a USB plug, which is used as a power source for Vindstyrka. A USB A to USB C cable is included in the package, but there is no power adapter. So you either have to find one in the drawer, or buy one such as IKEA's own Småhagel.

In addition to that, it is also on the back that Vindstyrka takes in the air it measures. This also means that you must ensure that it stands at least 10 cm from walls or other objects that can block the air.

Connect to your Smart Home

By itself, Vindstyrka works as a fixed small device that measures the air quality in your home. This means that with a quick look at the small display, you can get a status and possibly see if you should ventilate.

However, you can also connect your Vindstyrka to an air purifier, such as IKEA's Starkvind. The Starkvind unit is an air purifier that uses a filter to capture dust and other particles in your home. However, it is also possible to insert a filter that absorbs gases and odors from your home.

The connection between Vindstyrka and Starkvind is easy, via a press of the small "Connect" button on both devices. When they are connected, you can see it via a small icon on the Wind strength screen.

From here, the speed of Starkvind can be automatically adjusted via the measurements from Vindstyrka. So if a lot of particles are measured in the air, Starkvind is turned up, which then cleans the air in that way.

If you have IKEA's Dirigera Smart Hub, it is also possible to connect Vindstyrka to your IKEA Smart Home app. Then you have the opportunity to check the air quality wherever you are.

If you use more advanced Smart Home solutions, such as the Homey Pro that we looked at not so long ago, then Wind strength can also be added here.

Then the measurements from the Vindstyrka unit, such as temperature PM2.5 or the VOC index can be used as a trigger in your Flows, and in that way used to control other devices in the home than just those from IKEA.

Simple but with lots of possibilities

The small, simple meter from IKEA can easily help improve the air quality in your home. Either manually, past you with a visible reminder to air out, but perhaps also automatically in conjunction with, for example, a Starkvind air purifier.

In my case, I tested it by having Vindstyrka and Starkvind standing by my hobby area, where I paint with an airbrush, among other things. In this way, I could measure the air quality with Vindstyrka.

Despite the fact that I use extraction when I paint, there are still quite a few particles that escape and get into the room. Vindstyrka could then measure up to them and automatically send a signal to Starkvind to further increase extraction and filtration of the air.

On the more advanced side, via the Homey Pro device, I could set up flows that gave me notifications if the temperature changed too much in the room, or if increases in the tVOC index were registered.

All of that is gathered in a small practical unit which, at the time of writing, has a price of 400$ at IKEA.