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IoT Smart Air Filters Powered by a Smart App & Alexa Skill

Is there anything more important in your home than the air you breathe? ArcTouch teamed up with 3M to design and develop the Filtrete™ Smart app and Amazon Alexa skill that powers the Filtrete™ Smart Air Filter. Using Bluetooth® technology, the app communicates with the filter’s built-in sensor.

Available for iOS and Android, the app monitors the air flow and filter usage — and alerts you when it’s time to replace your filter. And the Amazon Echo skill provides answers to common questions about your home's air quality and your Filtrete Smart filter. Buy it now from Amazon.

  • Bluetooth Connection

    With the built-in Bluetooth® sensor, the Filtrete Smart air filter can continuously capture and send air quality data to the app on your phone.

  • Smart Notifications

    The app can let you know when it’s time to change your filter based on actual usage -- not some arbitrary time limit.

  • Easy Replacement

    When it’s time to replace your Smart air filter, the app makes it easy to order a new one - even set up auto-replenishment through Amazon Dash.

“We placed a lot of trust in ArcTouch to help us bring Filtrete air filters to the IoT — that trust paid off with a truly smart product.”
— Patrick Hiner, 3M Filtrete marketing manager

Challenge

Air filters for home HVAC systems typically need to be replaced once every three months. But each home's environment is different and the exact filter lifespan may vary depending on the amount of particles in air and how often the HVAC system is used. When a filter is dirty, the air quality of the home will suffer. And filters can look clean when they are actually dirty.

With all these variables, people don’t know how often they need to change their filters. And often they forget to change their filters, resulting in poor air quality.

Solution

Working in lock-step with the 3M Filtrete™ team, ArcTouch designed and developed an iOS and Android app — and helped establish the channel for how the filter sensor communicates with the phone over BLE. This technical achievement is an enabler for an elegant IoT solution that solves a real consumer problem - improving air quality in the home.

The app’s UX design surfaces the most important information at the right time -- letting you know when you need to replace your filter. It also helps people understand the air quality, offers tips to improve air quality, and makes it easy to order replacement filters in a matter of moments.

ArcTouch's Alexa developers also created a Filtrete skill for Amazon Echo, which provides a conversational interface to frequent questions about your home's air quality and your Filtrete Smart filter.

To learn more about the project, visit our blog post,
“Breathe easy: The 3M Filtrete IoT app and Alexa skill helps home air quality.”