New Aqara TVOC Monitor and Aqara High Precision Motion Sensor Released in China

Aqara has officially announced (and released) two new products, one of which we’d already mentioned having surfaced online the previous week, which in this case was the High Precision Motion Sensor. The other device, which doesn’t at this time appear to be HomeKit compatible, is their TVOC Air Quality Sensor. We previously discovered these and more devices via an update to the Aqara app that revealed a ton of products that Aqara seem to be working on. However, now the two aforementioned products are both available to the general public in China (and, we hope, other regions eventually), we’re able to glean more concrete details on them.

As we reported previously, the new motion sensor is labelled as ‘high precision’ due to its ability to measure the most minute of movement, such as when you’re sitting still, reading a book, or in the bath having a soak. The sensor comes with three levels of sensitivity, which also makes use of a precise amplifying circuit and a high-density Fresnel lens.

the sensor has an IPX5 rating, meaning it can withstand water projected by a nozzle (6.3 mm (0.25 in)) against the device’s enclosure from any direction without any harmful effects to the device or its internal parts. In terms of the reach of the sensor, its capable of detecting motion up to 5 metres away, with a radius of 6 metres, depending on placement.

As with nearly all Aqara products, this uses Zigbee 3.0 and is powered by two CR2450 coin batteries, with the claim that you should get around six years of life out of them. The item is currently listed on jd.com for RMB299.00 as a special price, although the full price of RMB399.00 is also listed.

The second device to be officially announced is the company’s own air quality sensor, the Aqara TVOC Air Quality Monitor, which is designed to measure VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds), as opposed to PM2.5 levels, which is what the forthcoming QingPing Air Monitor Lite is designed for. VOCs are gasses that tend to come from chemicals used in many products that you might find in the house, including paint, household cleaning products, or even the varnish used on wooden floors or furniture, all of which can be harmful to your health if you’re consistently exposed to them, without proper ventilation. The monitor also measures temperature and humidity levels, so it basically functions as the Eve Room does, which coincidentally also uses an E-Ink display.

As with the motion sensor, this device uses two CR2450 batteries and uses Zigbee 3.0. However, unlike the motion sensor, there’s currently no indication that this air quality monitor is HomeKit compatible, even though it’s more than capable of working with HomeKit, so it could be that at the time of releasing this product, HomeKit certification is pending.

The Air Quality Monitor is also listed on jd.com as being on offer for RMB249.00 with the full price listed as RMB299.00.