E-Vents: controlling home air flow with a smartphone

A new entrant in the connected home market is E-Vents, a device from Circle Design Technology that lets users control the air flow in their home from the comfort of their smartphone. The device has been put on Kickstarter for funding, and promises to, among other things, lower one's electric bill.

E-Vents are self-contained air registers that can fit in current air vent locations throughout one's home, featuring a microprocessor, thermal sensor, and override mechanism that opens the vent if detected as necessary.

As indicated in the image above, the vents include LED indicators, with a green light being used to show that all is well, while a red light alerts the need for new batteries, and a blue light confirms successful programming. A 9-volt battery should last two or three years before needing replaced, according to the company.

Using a smartphone, one can control the current state of their vent, closing one in a room that isn't going to be used or opening one in the room where you're located, for example. Vents can also be programmed to open and close on a regular schedule without manual intervention.

A pledge of $38 is the minimum needed to get the device (two in this case). Estimated ship date is this coming November.

VIA: Digital Trends