Not long after the large announcement from Aqara, where they formally unveiled their new HomeKit hub – the M2 – in addition to a slew of updated switches and devices with ZigBee 3.o compatibility, our inside source has found two more ZigBee 3.0 compliant sensors, the Aqara Smoke Detector and the Aqara VOC Sensor.

Mijia, one of the other businesses under the umbrella of Xiaomi, has already published HomeKit compliant smoke and gas detector / alarms, which are cooperative attempts with the well-known safety business, Honeywell, but this is a brand new tool and, of course, Aqara branded. Apart from the image, at this stage we don't have much details. The other unit, a VOC sensor, has some text, but no picture at the moment, sadly. According to the text (originally in Chinese) associated with the device

The VOC sensor is a product of low power used to identify the concentration of VOCs in the space.

This device will detect VOC levels in the room if you haven't deciphered the broken English translation and can work with other devices, such as air purifiers, to engage and clean the air if detected above normal VOC levels. We don't know what a' window pusher' is, but we would like to see one of those too.

If you don't know what VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) are, in the most fundamental sense, they are gasses or compounds that are produced by household objects, particularly new products, so cleaning chemicals used in the fabric from a new sofa, or fresh painting on your walls, and particularly some electronics, such as photocopiers, etc. Not all VOCs are hazardous, but many of these VOCs can generate what is sometimes referred to as' sick building syndrome' in elevated levels, which can make you feel ill with itchy eyes or just more lethargic in general.

Some HomeKit-compatible VOC sensing systems are already available on the market, such as the Eve Room (2nd gene), which measures VOCs in relation to humidity and temperature, and the Kaiterra Laser Egg 2 +, which also measures PM2,5.

There is no strong proof that this device will definitely be compatible with HomeKit, although our source has discovered HomeKit references with both of these products in the settings documents. As we learn more, we will update this article, of course.