Please open a dispute and demand a refund. Use this video as proof that they lied to you, selling you a fake device, and get your money back. If enough people did that, these psychopaths will not make any money and will stop.
Thanks for this video. I was naïve in thinking that these sensors were cheap, and the devices would basically work as advertised. I'm glad I found your video first, before buying one.
Nice to hear your voice again Roger! Thanks for the information. “If its too good to be true……….” I too have been tempted by the very low prices, but am extremely leery of instruments that work on anything greater than 12v
Thanks for sharing. There's another review of a different air quality monitor, they identify the sensor as TP-401T (Shenzhen Dovelet) for which you can find the documentation in English if you search. The other reviewer dismissed the documentation and concluded this cheap sensor most likely only detects VOC at best
I have one that looks almost identical to the first one, except the plastic is beige and there's a large metal can that fills the bottom portion and is connected via one of the 6-pin connectors. The NTC temperature-sensor pads aren't populated, and the CO2 measurements it gives are still much higher than I think they should be (996 ppm in a room with an open window, where another sensor says 544ppm)
Most of these devices have a alcahol sensor and not a PM2.5 sensor. The sensor came out of those cheap alcahol driving testers. Other RU-vidrs found this out.
@@KainkaLabs But there are alot of fake PM2.5 sensors as their putting the basic air sensor in which triggers with solvents, and others just have a random number generator electronics
Are they measuring anything at all? Because I saw one being used in a garage with volatiles and the volatile compounds meter did respond. And the CO² meter responding to your breath. I mean, the accuracy notwithstanding, are they detecting gases at all or is it just 100% pure bunk, like a kids toy?
The sensor probably reacts to a lot of gases from harmless to deadly poisenous. But because it isn´t specific to (0nly) one spefici gas you can´t discrimnate if you better runa away or ignore the displayed values :-)
Very informative, thanks. I have similar fakes with the same sensor. Only thing for sure is that it reacts when someone i smoking nearby, then the pm2.5 and pm10 goes way up, or if I do a breathwork and hold my breath to build up co2 and then blow into it then the co2 reading goes way up and the alarm sounds. So what does it really measure? And how do it distribute to the different values on the display?
I took apart mine- it does have a real sensor for the pm2.5 and pm10, but the same junk as Roger's for the gasses. Search for GP2Y1014AU. I'm not sure how it discriminates between pm2.5 and pm10.
@@johncoops6897 Yeah, I noticed one night the VT-6IN1 was a flatulence detector. I had no idea there were a few videos online detailing the things. I want to see if I can somehow reverse engineer the firmware to adjust values and also replace the sensors with better sensors. Probably not going to be that easy.
What do you recommend? I’m looking for an accurate one that can detect the off gasses and particles that 3D printing creates like the voc and 2.5pm and such?
For PM2.5 there are reliable devices. You can recognize them by their integrated fan which constantly blows air through the sensor unit. I recently got a cheap one from IKEA (!). It´s called VINDRIKTNING and has a green/yellow/red led and is powered over USB-C. It´s astonishing how quickly the LED goes to yellow at my soldering table without my professional air-cleaner for lab-use switched on. And it also verifies that the air-cleaner really cleans the air from the solder-fumes (at least the PM2.5 particles which on the other hand are also a measure of the volatiles from soldering in this case). For CO2 (and probably also for CO) you need a specialized sensor which works with an infrared absorbtion chamber sensitive to one of the CO2 molecule absorbtion bands. These are available and there are some recommendable, reliable and accurate sensor-types which you can google. Good devices for CO2 or CO cost from 50 €/$ upwards I think. For volatile organic componentes and similar I don´t know.
Consider the IQ Air air quality monitor. It's pricey but their technology is tried and tested. They even partner with air quality regulatory authorities in some parts of the world.
I thought about just answering you individually, but another comment I left, seems just as good to answer your question as well - hope it helps... Actually - that question is quite subjective... In other words, you can buy a Fluke Particulate monitor that costs nearly 7,000.00, but does that mean it is the best on the market or the most accurate? No, as there are others that cost more than 10,000.00, and still yet, you can buy a Hotkrem Particle meter that registers from PM2.5 all the way down to PM0.03 micron, and it is very accurate from my testing, and that one costs about 45.00. I guess you could say that one's persons guess is just as good as another's... There are some very good and accurate monitors that are very expensive, and there are still yet others that are very accurate that cost less than 100.00. Monitors used by labs have much higher sensor technology, and why the stark difference in cost. For the more home friendly devices, even though quite accurate, use lower quality sensors, and why the lower cost. As far as the best monitor on the market or the most accurate?, I would have to say.... God is the only one who has the answer to that one.
Great video. I fell prey to these gimmicks. Question: Now knowing that these are crap units, to what degree of crap shall they be considered? Completely unreliable, or possibly usable ballpark information? Thanks.
The display reacts to CO2 and other gases, but you never know what kind of gas it is, that caused the increased value. So I would say "Completely useless".
