Outdoor AQI Is High in Malaysia How Do You Know If Your Indoor Air Quality Is Good? Introduction When haze affects Malaysia, many people check the outdoor air quality reading on their phone. They may see an elevated AQI or API and immediately: Close the windows Close the doors Turn on the air conditioner Switch on an air purifier Stay indoors But one important question remains: How do you know whether the air inside the building is actually better? The answer is simple: Measure it. Outdoor air quality data tells you about general ambient conditions in an area. An indoor air quality monitor tells you what is happening inside your actual room. Outdoor AQI and Indoor Air Quality Are Different Outdoor AQI or API represents outdoor air pollution conditions. Indoor air quality depends on many additional factors, including: Outdoor air infiltration Ventilation HVAC operation Filtration Open doors Open windows Building leakage Indoor activities Occupancy Therefore, two buildings located next to each other can have different indoor air quality. Your Phone Cannot Measure the Air in Your Room This is an important distinction. An air quality app may show: Puchong: Elevated Outdoor Air Pollution But the app does not physically measure the PM2.5 concentration: Beside your desk Inside your bedroom Inside your classroom Inside your meeting room Inside your factory office For that, you need an indoor measurement. Why PM2.5 Monitoring Matters During Haze PM2.5 is one of the key particulate parameters people monitor during haze conditions. Indoor PM2.5 may be influenced by outdoor pollution entering through: Doors Windows Ventilation Building gaps HVAC outdoor air intake An indoor PM2.5 monitor helps show whether particulate conditions inside the building are improving or worsening. “But I Already Closed All the Windows.” Closing windows can help reduce some outdoor air infiltration. However, it does not automatically guarantee low indoor PM2.5. Outdoor particles may still enter through: Doors Building leakage Mechanical ventilation Air intake systems Frequent movement in and out The only practical way to know the actual indoor condition is to measure it. What Happens After You Close the Windows? This is where an air quality monitor becomes useful. You can observe: Before Closing Windows ↓ Close Windows ↓ Wait and Continue Monitoring ↓ Observe PM2.5 Trend If the reading decreases, indoor conditions are changing. If it remains elevated, further investigation may be needed. What About Air Conditioning? Air conditioning does not automatically mean the air is free from PM2.5. Different HVAC systems have different: Filtration Outdoor air intake Recirculation Maintenance conditions Therefore: Air Conditioner ON ≠ Automatically Good Indoor Air Quality Measurement is still useful. Does My Air Purifier Actually Work? This is one of the most practical uses of a PM2.5 monitor. Instead of assuming the purifier is working: Measure PM2.5 ↓ Switch On Air Purifier ↓ Continue Monitoring ↓ Observe the Trend This allows you to see whether particulate levels decrease. Test Different Air Purifier Settings You can also compare: Low fan speed Medium fan speed High fan speed and observe how quickly PM2.5 changes. This provides useful information about how the purifier performs in the actual room. Room Size Matters An air purifier that performs well in a small bedroom may behave differently in: Large living room Classroom Meeting room Office Public hall Monitoring helps evaluate performance under real conditions. One Monitor Can Help Compare Different Rooms A portable monitor can be moved between rooms. For example: Living Room ↓ Bedroom ↓ Kitchen ↓ Study Room You may discover that particulate conditions are not the same throughout the building. Offices During Haze Office managers may want to compare: Reception Open office Meeting rooms Management rooms Areas near entrances Different floors A portable monitor can support an initial survey. If continuous monitoring is required, fixed sensors can later be considered. Schools During Haze Schools face a similar question. Outdoor air quality may be poor, but what are the conditions inside: Classroom A? Classroom B? Library? Laboratory? Staff room? Indoor activity area? Indoor monitoring provides building-specific information. CO Creates Another Challenge During haze, people often close windows and doors. This may reduce some outdoor particulate infiltration. However, in occupied rooms, insufficient ventilation can allow CO to increase. This creates a balancing problem. PM2.5 vs CO During Haze Think of it this way: PM2.5 Helps you understand particulate pollution. CO Can provide useful information related to occupancy and ventilation in suitable indoor applications. During haze, both can matter. The Closed-Room Problem Imagine a meeting room with ten people. Outside: Haze So the windows remain closed. Inside: PM2.5 may improve. But as the meeting continues: CO may increase if ventilation is inadequate. Therefore, focusing only on PM2.5 may not provide the full indoor environmental picture. This Is Why Multi-Parameter Monitoring Is Useful A more complete indoor monitoring approach may include: PM2.5 PM10 CO VOC Temperature Relative humidity The parameters selected should depend on the monitoring objective. Temtop M100 For users who want a straightforward instrument for haze and indoor air quality monitoring, the Temtop M100 can be considered. It supports monitoring involving: PM2.5 PM10 CO AQI This makes it particularly relevant for: Homes Offices Schools Public buildings Haze investigations Why M100 Makes Sense During Haze Instead of looking only at PM2.5, users can also observe CO. This is useful because haze management may involve keeping a building more closed than usual. The M100 therefore helps users look at both: Particulate conditions and Indoor CO rather than focusing on only one environmental parameter. Temtop M10 For users who want broader connected monitoring, the Temtop M10 can be considered. It supports monitoring involving: CO PM2.5 VOC Temerature Relative humidity with supported app connectivity. This is useful when users want to observe environmental trends over time. M100 or M10? A simple way to think about the two models is: Temtop M100 Consider it when PM2.5, PM10, CO and haze monitoring are important. Temtop M10 Consider it when you want PM2.5, CO, VOC, temperature, humidity and connected monitoring. The correct model depends on the parameters required. When Do You Need a Professional IAQ Survey? A portable monitor is excellent for screening and general investigation. However, larger or more complex problems may require a professional assessment. Examples include: Repeated occupant complaints Large office buildings Schools Factories Persistent particulate problems Renovation-related concerns HVAC investigations The monitoring strategy should match the problem. Portable Monitoring Is the First Step A practical approach may be: Step 1 Check outdoor AQI / API. Step 2 Measure indoor PM2.5. Step 3 Compare different rooms. Step 4 Observe CO in occupied spaces. Step 5 Test ventilation / filtration changes. Step 6 Continue monitoring. This creates useful evidence before making larger decisions. When One Monitor Is Not Enough A school or office may eventually ask: “Do we need to move the monitor between rooms every day?” If continuous information from multiple rooms is required, the answer may be no. This is where multi-point monitoring becomes relevant. Multi-Point Indoor Air Quality Monitoring A larger system may include: Sensor Reception Sensor Office Sensor Meeting Room Sensor Classroom ↓ Communication Network ↓ Central Dashboard ↓ Historical Data ↓ Facility Management This allows multiple areas to be monitored simultaneously. 24/7 Monitoring Continuous monitoring can help organisations understand: Morning conditions Occupied periods Lunch periods Evening conditions Overnight conditions Haze events HVAC changes A single spot reading cannot show these patterns. Historical Data Changes the Conversation Instead of saying: “The room feels stuffy.” the facility team can review: CO trend PM2.5 trend Time of day Occupancy HVAC operation This turns a subjective complaint into a measurable investigation. Indoor vs Outdoor Comparison During haze, one useful analysis is: Outdoor AQI / PM Information vs Indoor PM2.5 Measurement This helps users understand how effectively the building is separating indoor conditions from outdoor pollution. A Simple Haze Experiment at Home or in the Office Try this: 1. Record Indoor PM2.5 ↓ 2. Record CO ↓ 3. Close Windows and Doors ↓ 4. Switch On Air Purifier if Available ↓ 5. Observe for 3060 Minutes ↓ 6. Compare the Trend The purpose is not to chase one perfect number. The purpose is to understand how your building responds. Don't Guess Measure This is the central idea. During haze: Outdoor AQI tells you there is a problem outside. Indoor monitoring tells you what is happening where you actually are. That difference matters. From Temtop Monitor to Complete IAQ Monitoring A customer's requirement may develop from: One Temtop Air Quality Monitor ↓ Home / Office Haze Monitoring ↓ Multiple Room Comparison ↓ Long-Term Data ↓ Fixed Sensors ↓ Multi-Point Monitoring ↓ Central Dashboard ↓ 24/7 Indoor Air Quality Monitoring System This allows monitoring to grow according to the application. Information Needed for a Larger IAQ Project For offices, schools, factories or public buildings, customers can provide: Building type Location Number of floors Number of rooms Number of occupants Required parameters PM2.5 / PM10 requirement CO requirement VOC requirement Portable or fixed monitoring Historical data requirement 24/7 monitoring requirement Dashboard requirement Alarm requirement Floor plan if available This helps determine whether portable instruments or a larger monitoring system is more appropriate. Why Choose MTM Precision? MTM Precision Sdn. Bhd. supplies Temtop air quality monitoring instruments and professional environmental monitoring solutions throughout Malaysia. We support applications involving: Indoor PM2.5 monitoring PM10 monitoring CO monitoring Haze monitoring General IAQ assessment Office air quality monitoring School air quality monitoring Multi-point environmental monitoring Historical data Continuous monitoring Central dashboards Whether you need one Temtop monitor to understand your room or a larger monitoring system for multiple buildings, the objective remains the same: Understand the environment through measurement rather than assumption. Contact MTM Precision MTM Precision Sdn. Bhd. Showroom & Service Centre No. 29-1 & 29-2, Jalan Bandar 18, Pusat Bandar Puchong, 47160 Puchong, Selangor, Malaysia 🌐 Website: www.mtmpre.com.my 📧 Email: mtmpre@yahoo.com 📱 WhatsApp: +6016-660 7346 Copy Link