Consumer Electronics, Gadgets & Accessories

Vitesy Natede Smart in test: What can the stylish room air filter? [Advertisement]

Anyone who regularly has to fight colds in the cold seasons likes to blame it on the bad weather. But did you know that the low temperatures outside only play a secondary role in a runny nose and scratchy throat? You can prevent colds and coughs not only with a vitamin-rich diet and exercise, but also with a suitable indoor climate. After all, it’s often mucous membranes that are too dry that are a prime target for cold viruses and bacteria.

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Not least for this reason air filters for the own four walls became ever more popular in the last years. Today, we want to take a look at a very special one. The Vitesy Natede Smart is not only a guarantee for a good indoor climate. On top of that, the successful Kickstarter project is supposed to score with a great design and practical smartphone control. What the Natede Smart has to offer in practice, we illuminate in our detailed test.

Fighting against bad air indoors

If you take a look at how harmful indoor air can be, the trend of air filters is not really surprising. After all, many pollutants lurk within our own four walls. Benzene, xylene, ammonia, formaldehyde, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide…the list could go on forever. Doesn’t sound too healthy, does it? If you consider that on average you take between 17,000 and 23,000 breaths in your home every day, the importance of air purification quickly becomes clear.

The Natede Smart is pleasingly compact for an air purifier. (Image: Natede)

But how do toxins find their way into your home in the first place? Of course, factors such as cigarette smoke, cleaning sprays and detergents are not really conducive to the indoor climate at home. But viruses can also pose a risk if not cleaned properly. A suitable air purifier is the solution to the problem and ensures clean air in your own home even without regular airing.

€ 299.25
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Natede takes a different approach

To combat this air pollution, a good air purifier is the best solution. After all, it is excellent at removing pollutants and irritants. But how do indoor air filters manage to improve the indoor environment without ventilation?

A large part of the equipment relies on special filters. These filter out of the air what would otherwise end up in our lungs. What sounds very good in theory turns out to be an expensive and not really sustainable pleasure in practice.

Finally, these filters need to be replaced regularly to keep the air filter working effectively. So I was all the more excited to see the Vitesy Natede Smart. Because the Kickstarter project takes a different approach. Thus, the air filter in the look of a modern flower pot relies on the principle of so-called photocatalytic filtration, where you can reuse the filter.

We’ll get into how it works later. With this innovative idea, Natede also scored points on the crowdfunding platform Kickstarter. As a result, the young start-up was able to generate nearly $700,000 despite a goal of just $58,940.

Special sensor technology

The epithet “Smart” does not come by chance with the smart air filter. For example, the device has advanced sensors that can measure the composition of your room air. In particular, data on temperature, humidity, VOCs, PM2.5 (particles), CO and CO2 are measured. The collected data then becomes the basis for the work of the Natede Smart. This results in a decisive advantage. After all, it prevents the air filter from always running at full speed. This not only saves electricity, but also extends the product’s service life. Four different modes are available to the Natede Smart. First, there is the Auto mode. Here, the room air filter starts working automatically when its sensors detect poor air quality.

Furthermore there is the performance mode. You can use this one when you are cooking or cleaning the apartment with cleaners, for example. In order to filter the resulting vapors, the Vitesy Natede Smart works at full speed in this mode. Furthermore, the smart air filter offers a special night mode. Here, good conditions are created for a quiet night. Thus, the fan works more quietly and also dims the light. Last but not least, there is the custom mode, where you can define your preferred settings. During our test, we relied on the sensors of the Natede Smart and left it mainly in auto mode. During a test run in the kitchen, I found that the air filter actually increased its output on its own when I started cooking.

NASA study as a model

Natede is completely rethinking the process of home air purification. The company is drawing on technology developed by NASA back in the 1980s. The aim of the US space agency at the time was to find a way of purifying the air in the smallest of spaces without the need for ventilation. The researchers at that time took the natural power of plants as a model. Vitesy Natede is now using the results of the “Clean Air Study”. Building on this, the developers of the air purifier in biophilic design invested three more years of research. The end result was the Natede Smart.

It is precisely the ability of plants to be able to use pollutants as food that comes into play here. In nature, one can observe just these abilities very well. Thus even conventional green plants provide for the fact that impurities in the soil, the water in addition, evenly the air are diminished. So why not simply distribute a lot of green plants in your own four walls? In theory, this would also provide a certain air purification. However, thanks to its very special design, the Natede Smart ensures that the filtering properties of the plant are enhanced. Indeed, while quite normal flower pots do not even allow the roots of a plant to have sufficient contact with the air, the Natede Smart enhances aeration.

Natural air purification

Once you think about the Natede Smart’s airflow, you have to admit defeat pretty quickly. How the heck does the indoor air of your own four walls manage to get into the roots of the plant? Normally, green plants with enough soil around the root system find room in a flower pot. This is not really conducive to the air in the room. This is because it prevents the purified air from escaping from the roots. The Natede Smart completely rethinks this principle.

As an innovative room air filter, it uses its special fan to ensure that the room air is directed through the plant leaves to the roots. There, natural filtration takes place. Once the dirty room air has reached the roots, they do the rest. When the roots have completed their natural filtering process, the integrated fan ensures that the clean air is released again. Ingenious or?!

Additional light purification

In addition to air purification by plant power, the Natede Smart also relies on special purification by light. The process of so-called photocatalysis is to use light specifically to clean the air. In contrast to air purification by plants, a special photocatalytic filter is used. This looks like a round sponge. In a sense, this is the unit of the Vitesy Natede Smart, where “fine tuning” is carried out. The filter design absorbs the remaining pollutants left after filtering through the roots.

The photocatalytic filter provides additional air purification. (Image: Natede)

Unlike many other indoor air filters, however, the photocatalytic filter never needs to be replaced. You can simply remove it and rinse it under the tap. Then you can put it back in and it works like new. With the two filter technologies working together, Natede promises that 99 percent of viruses and bacteria should be filtered out. What I can confirm is that the air felt far fresher after just a few hours. Odors that otherwise spread throughout my apartment after cooking were also significantly reduced.

Not suitable for large apartments

However, we also have to grumble a bit. For example, the fancy air filter can not match the effectiveness of conventional air purifiers with filters. However, this should only bother residents of a very large apartment. It takes just under three hours for the Natede Smart to completely clean the air in a room of 120 m². At just under 390 m², it even takes just under nine hours. In my apartment of just under 86 m² this hardly tangentially me.

I placed the Natede Smart centrally in the hallway and felt that quite a bit had happened after just under two hours. If that takes too long for you, you should not rely on the natural filtration process of the air filter in the biophilic design. However, I personally find that the Natede Smart fits much better into the living feeling in contrast to conventional air filters. The floral filter also has a clear advantage for me at night. After all, I have yet to see or hear an air filter that operates so quietly.

Practical app control

The epithet “Smart” comes not only because of the sophisticated filter technology. On top of that, you can get access to the air filter with the help of Natede’s handy app. The smartphone application, which is available for iOS and Android, allows you to monitor the air quality in your home. Here again, the extensive sensor technology of the Vitesy Natede Smart comes into play. The connection between the room air filter and your WLAN can be established quickly and easily. First, you connect your smartphone to the smart flowerpot via Bluetooth. After that, the device automatically establishes a connection to the WLAN.

The design of the app is very well done. When you open it, you will find yourself on a clearly arranged dashboard. This is where you should run an Interal Air Quality (IAQ) the first time you launch it. In a sense, this is an assessment of the air health of your home. After that, you’ll get a numerical rating of your indoor climate. Aside from that, you can literally watch the air quality in your home improve in the app. You also get a detailed breakdown of the pollutants in your indoor air.

But of course, the air purifier can also be operated by means of an app. In particular, the speed of the fan can be adjusted to suit your mood. Of course, it is more convenient if you choose one of the modes already mentioned. Switching back and forth is also possible without any problems. The app’s monitoring function pays off here. After all, you can use it as a basis for the suitable mode.

Image: Apple App Store

In my opinion, the most exciting feature of the Natede Smart is the push notification. If the pollutant levels in your home are very high, you’ll get an alert from the app. Here you can view detailed information about the air quality and take quick action if necessary. I wanted to see how this would help in practice. So I placed the air filter in my kitchen and put a steak in the hot pan. After just a few seconds, the app sent me a warning on my iPhone and pointed out the pollution.

Conclusion on the Natede Smart

I’ve never really been a big fan of air filters. This is due to two major drawbacks that I think many devices suffer from. First, there is the design. I have yet to see a room air filter that can blend into a cozy living environment. The second Achilles heel of many devices is the volume. In both points, the Natede Smart could completely convince me. Thus, it is almost too bad to hide the pretty air filter in some corner. The combination of plant and smart fan unit simply looks chic and modern. What’s more, the Natede Smart runs amazingly quietly. You can’t hear it at night in Night mode. I also think the smartphone integration is excellent.

Not only do you get a comprehensive look at your home’s indoor climate here. On top of that, you can easily control the Natede Smart. However, the somewhat different room air filter cannot be recommended to everyone. If you prefer to use a filter selectively to quickly ensure clean air, you should choose a different device. Finally, the Natede Smart with its natural filter technology takes a little longer than conventional air filters. For those who don’t mind, this is a stylish yet effective way to keep the air clean in your own four walls. There’s hardly a better way to gear up for cold season.

Vitesy Natede Smart

Workmanship
Performance
App features
Value for money

91/100

Vitesy makes it clear with its Natede Smart that room fans don't have to be ugly and clunky. Instead, the manufacturer creates a pretty design work that is an asset to any home.

€ 299.25
N/A
Buy now* Raumklimashop

Simon Lüthje

I am co-founder of this blog and am very interested in everything that has to do with technology, but I also like to play games. I was born in Hamburg, but now I live in Bad Segeberg.

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Anyone who regularly has to fight colds in the cold seasons likes to blame it on the bad weather. But did you know that the low temperatures outside only play a secondary role in a runny nose and scratchy throat? You can prevent colds and coughs not only with a vitamin-rich diet and exercise, but … (Weiterlesen...)

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