Neat sense and Neat sensors
Last updated on August 27, 2021
Neat Sense is an advanced set of smart room sensor technology built into Neat devices. Neat sensors enable you to continuously manage and monitor air quality, humidity, estimated CO2 and Volatile Organic Compounds (organic chemicals, odors, scents, etc.) and the number of people in the room.
From Zoom Room 5.5.0 onwards, all the data and statistics are available on the Zoom dashboard.
This article describes the various sensors built into Neat that enable this feature to work in conjunction with Zoom. For instructions on how to configure Neat Sense, please see the article How to setup Neat Sense.
What sensors are built into Neat devices?
You can find details about each of the Neat sensors below.
Temperature sensor
Available in all devices (physically present in all devices – not yet used in Zoom Room Controller software on Neat Pad). Temperature accuracy is ± 1°C in the +15 to +40 °C range. The sensor measures temperature in steps of 0.1°C/F. It is possible to choose your preferred measurement unit (Celsius or Fahrenheit) by going into the Zoom Room Admin Portal.
Humidity sensor
Available in all devices (physically present in all devices – not yet used in Zoom Room Controller software on Neat Pad). Humidity sensor accuracy is ± 3.5% rH in the 20% to 80% rH range, in steps of 1% rH.
CO2eq and TVOC sensor
Available in all devices (physically present in all devices – not yet used in Zoom Room Controller software on Neat Pad). To measure indoor air quality, Neat uses TVOC (Total Volatile Organic Compounds) and CO2eq sensor (based on hydrogen gas concentrations) to provide an estimate for CO2 concentrations. The reading generated is called the ‘estimated CO2 or CO2 equivalent (CO2eq)’ and while it can provide good readings for standard office environments, it is not suitable for applications where actual CO2 detection is required. The sensor is specified to cover the range of expected gas concentrations in regular indoor office environments and must not be exposed to condensing conditions (>90% rH). For reliable readings, you need to have your Neat device powered on for at least 24 hours in the environment.
The TVOC sensor can measure values from 0-60000 parts per billion (ppb) with an accuracy of 15%. The CO2eq sensor can measure from 400ppm to 60000ppm with an accuracy of 15%.
Zoom derives the temperature, humidity and air quality sensor data from Neat Bar or Neat Board. Neat Pad currently does not report air quality etc. data to Zoom cloud yet.
IMPORTANT: Neat CO2eq sensor is not suitable for applications where actual CO2 detection is required.
NOTE: Neat sensors may be influenced from heat sources in the room, such as monitors and lights, and may provide inaccurate data if the free flow of air is not allowed around the unit.
People count
Neat uses computer vision and machine learning to detect the number of people present in the room. People count is done within the Neat device itself, using the same algorithm that enables us to perform functions such as auto-framing. Please note that Neat does not analyse/store/process any biometric data and only sends the people count value to the Zoom cloud.
You can enabled/disable people count in the Zoom Room Admin portal (in Zoom Rooms Account Settings).
What happens once Neat sensors have collected the data?
From Zoom Room 5.5.0 version onwards, you have the opportunity to view the information live through Zoom Dashboard as well as your Neat device. Neat sensors regularly send data to the Zoom cloud. Once the data is received, Zoom processes this information to provide user-friendly graphics through the Dashboard.
Once you find your room under Zoom Rooms (in Dashboard), select and open the room and you will find a short summary about the various sensor data collected from the room.
If you now click on the ‘View Details’ option, you will be able to view the graphs and refresh the data in real-time:
