Check the Air Quality at Your Office with a Simple Slack Command Using Electric Imp

With the wildfires in California still raging — and more that will inevitably occur in the future — local air quality is a serious concern…

Cameron Coward
5 years ago

With the wildfires in California still raging — and more that will inevitably occur in the future — local air quality is a serious concern. Smoke can drift hundreds of miles and poses a health risk, particularly for people who already have respiratory issues. Staying indoors dramatically reduces exposure to airborne particulates, so it’s a good idea to work from home if at all possible when there is a lot of smoke in the air. This Electric Imp IoT air quality sensor allows employees to check the current conditions easily using Slack.

Electric Imp is a company specializing in IoT hardware, along with a dedicated IoT software platform. They also happen to be located in Los Altos, CA where the air quality is currently poor. They setup this air quality sensor for their own employees to take advantage of, but are also selling the hardware necessary for you to build your own. To get started, you’ll need a DFrobot PM2.5 laser air quality sensor ($49.90) and their custom Imp air quality kit ($21.00).

The Imp air quality kit is essentially an IoT development board that comes in two pieces: the April breakout board and the imp001 card. That card looks like an SD card, but actually contains a processor, WiFi chip, and antenna. Setting up the hardware is as simple as plugging in four wires — no soldering required. Then you can use the provided code to integrate the Electric Imp IoT platform with Slack. All employees need to do is type “air” into the company’s Slack channel, and they’ll be provided with data about the current air quality conditions.

Cameron Coward
Writer for Hackster News. Proud husband and dog dad. Maker and serial hobbyist.
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