GTrusted
The Apple HomeKit enabled Kaiterra Laser Egg 2 was meant to be set on a table at home or work to monitor the air quality. However, since it has a battery, it's also useful to monitor the quality of the air that you are breathing in different cities and modes of transportation while on the road.
Unfortunately the Kaiterra Laser Egg 2 App doesn't log the air quality data graphs (it just provides a real-time number on the spot for whatever measurement is being made), so here we took a picture of the different air quality observed in different places in the Asia Pacific region during July 2017.
We set the AQI (Air Quality Index) standard on the Kaiterra Laser Egg 2 to be US based rather than China. To compare the differences between the AQI US, AQI China, and PM2.5 scales, for the same measurement, we could see that a 55 (Moderate) reading on the AQI US scale showed up as 20 (Excellent) on the AQI China scale or 15 microgram cubic meter of PM2.5 (atmospheric particulate matter that have a diameter less than 2.5 micrometers). Obviously the AQI in China is a lot more forgiving compared to the AQI in US perhaps to create less worry in China about the already bad air quality situation.
This measurement was translated into 2160 particle count of particles between .3 to 10 microns in .1 liter of air volume.
Outside the Shanghai Hongqiao airport in the evening, readings were 142-152 AQ US range which was in the Unhealthy range. Similar readings were taken through the day closer to downtown. Even inside the airport, the AQI levels were not too much better.
The Kaiterra App also allows you to monitor reported AQI measurements in different cities around the world and we can see confirmation of the high AQI levels found in Shanghai.
Arriving in the downtown area of Shenzhen, China, we could see much better AQI levels given this area is closer to the water and Shenzhen is generally known for less pollution compared to Beijing and Shanghai.
However, as we drove more inland to where all the factories are in the Dongguan area, we could see that AQI US levels again were back to unhealthy 154 level.
Even a taxi taken in the Bao An area of Shenzhen could register similar unhealthy readings especially if the taxi smelled of tobacco smoke and other pollutants.
Going across the Shenzhen border to the Hong Kong airport, we expected the AQI US levels to be much better and readings came down to 57 (Moderate) in the airport.
However, as we started going outside we could see the AQI levels start to increase.
Once we went outside, the AQI level shot up to an unhealthy 197 given this was a smoking area.
Even if we moved to non-smoking areas, the AQI US level only fell to about 152.
Once we went back inside, AQI levels immediately started falling again.
Going to the island of Taiwan, we could see that air quality levels were much better, reaching about 53 AQI US even in downtown Taipei.
Once you leave the crowded urban centers of East Asia can you realize how low AQI levels can go.
In Perth, Western Australia the AQI levels were between 1 and 4 inside and outside the airport.
In Melbourne, Australia AQI US levels were 17-25 in and outside the airport.
In Sydney, Australia, AQI US levels were also very good, ranging between 4 and 13 at the airport and in downtown.
Looking at a real-time AQI map of around the world, we could confirm that Australia has some of the best air quality in the Asia Pacific region.
While we can't attest to how completely accurate the Kaiterra Laser Egg 2 measurements to be, we were able to at least confirm that directionally the Kaiterra Laser Egg 2 measurements were similar to what cities were reporting. Like a canary in a coal mine, the Kaiterra Laser Egg 2 is also useful to carry around to see how different environments like taxi's, hotels, and factories could really affect the air you are breathing in and is especially useful for those with asthma or sensitive to air pollutants.
