Laird Helps to Bring Wireless Innovation to Smart Radon Monitor

Airthings is a Norwegian-based tech company that develops and manufactures accurate, user-friendly radon detectors, giving the most precise results to protect health and promote safety. Their newest product, Wave, is a smart radon detector that provides consumers with critical, potentially life-saving data on indoor air quality, accessible by using the latest Bluetooth technology available through Laird.

Radon gas is the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers and results in nearly ten times as many deaths each year as either home fires or carbon monoxide. Airthings' mission is to ensure people around the world take control of their air quality through simple, affordable, and accurate technology solutions by making smart radon monitors as common in homes as smoke detectors. Constant, consistent monitoring of radon levels is critical to keeping homes safe as levels fluctuate daily and measurements are influenced by temperature and humidity. Airthings' Wave smart radon detector is a significant advancement for consumers, making at-home radon detection simple, easy, and innovative by taking advantage of the latest in connected home technology. Wave gives homeowners' instant visibility to radon levels measured by using digital sensors and smart-home technology via their smartphone or tablet. This real-time data is a significant differentiator, as radon levels are dynamic and require continuous monitoring to determine potential impact or need for mitigation.

Getting Wave to market in record time was crucial to its success. Partnering with Laird assured both a wireless solution and an aggressive time-to-market. Airthings selected the popular SaBLE-x Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) Certified Module, which was the first commercially available module in the U.S. based on the Texas Instrument CC2640 chipset. "In our case, time to market was essential, so we needed something that was pre-certified and worked out of the box. Laird provided excellent support to our engineers so that we could develop the product in record time," says Oyvind Birkenes, CEO of Airthings."

The SaBLE-x delivers over twice the signal range of previous generation Bluetooth modules with significantly greater battery efficiency. "We were able to develop a product with excellent Bluetooth communication range, certifications, and software drivers all completed in just a few short weeks. We would not have been able to launch this product at the 2017 Consumer Electronics Show without the certified module solutions and close support from Laird's team of wireless experts," says Oyvind.

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