Dyson’s first Internet of Things fan, the Pure Cool Link, is also an air purifier that claims to be able to turn your pollution- or pollen-filled rooms into clean, hay-fever-free zones within minutes.



It’s the first in the new range of Link devices, which have Wi-Fi and connect to Dyson’s Link app on Android or iOS, allowing remote control, monitoring and information.

What does it do?

The glass HEPA filter sits around the outside of the fan’s central column for easy removal. A strip of activated carbon on the inside takes care of chemicals and smells. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian

The theory behind the filtration is really quite simple. The Pure Cool Link pulls air through a fine mesh filter and fires it out through one of the company’s air multiplier fan designs.

The 360-degree glass HEPA filter can capture up to 99.95% of pollutants - anything over 0.1microns. In the air trapped in the filter there is pollen, spokes, smoke, dust and other irritants. The filter also has activated carbon, similar to that used in cooker hoods, to trap any chemicals in the air, thus removing smells and pollutants.

The cleaned air is then piped through to the paperclip-like loop, directing the air forward with force and sucking air through the back of the loop as it does so, amplifying the airflow.

Controls + App

The small remote is easy to use and convenient, but all of its functions are also replicated by the Dyson Link app. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian

There are two ways to control the Pure Link Cool. As with every other Dyson fan, there’s a small infrared remote for turning on the fan, increasing or decreasing its power, setting it to oscillate or operate on a timer. There’s also a button for putting it into night mode, which limits the fan strength to four or less and dims the LED display on the front.

Pressing the “auto” button allows the fan to control itself in response to the quality of the air in the room at the time, turning on and cleaning the air when required.

If you choose to the connect the fan to Wi-Fi – you do not have to – you can also control it using the Dyson Link app for Android or iOS. The app provides information on filter life, telling you when you need to change it – which is roughly once a year depending the quality of air in your house – and set schedules for it to run on a daily or weekly basis.

The Dyson Link app provides all the information you might need about your purifier and allows remote operation from anywhere with an internet connection. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian

Users can also get an instant reading of the air quality around the fan and the air quality outdoors, and a chart showing air quality throughout the day or week and how often the purifier was active. There are also air quality targets that you can change, grouped into “good quality”, “sensitive to particles and pollutants” and “very sensitive to particles and pollutants”, which the machine responds to when automatically cleaning the air.

Operation

Setting up the Pure Cool Link is pretty straightforward using the Dyson Link app with a step-by-step guide. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian

Using it is incredibly simple. Put it in your desired spot, plug it in, connect it to Wi-Fi using the app, which runs through a quick step-by-step guide then either hit the button the remote to set the fan in motion or switch it into automatic.

As a purifier it works very well. It’s quite robust, so moving it from place to place –say in the living room in the during the day and bedroom at night – isn’t a problem. Appreciatively clearing a small living room of pollen for a hay fever suffer took only around 20 minutes or so and with the purifier set to automatic, it maintained a pollen-free haven even at the heights of suffering.

It also removed smells quite effectively and while kept under level four out of 10 fan speed, was quiet enough to not disrupt TV watching or similar. There were occasions where the fan would kick up to level six or so, if not put into night mode, which made hearing dialogue difficult without high volumes.

The small screen on the base shows the fan speed, timer duration, whether the Pure Cool Link is in automatic or connected to Wi-Fi. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian

As a fan the Pure Cool Link isn’t as effective as the Dyson’s other models. At the same fan speed it seems to push a smaller volume of air, meaning that to cool you from across the room requires it to be turned up pretty high. On level 10, the airflow is relatively strong, but it makes a lot of noise doing it, making it hard to do anything else in the room at the same time. It cannot compete with the airflow of an old Panasonic 60cm, high-quality bladed fan for air flow.

Observations

Two small buttons, one either side of the fan, depress to unclip the top loop from the base for cleaning and changing the filter. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian

Changing the filter is a two-second job. Just unclip the loop using the side buttons, lift the metal sheath and slot another filter over it

It’s a statement piece of furniture in a room as much as a purifier

The remote magnetically attaches to the top of the fan when not in use

The remote is very much line of sight, more so than other Dyson fans

Like most other Dyson products the fan’s noise is as pleasant as a fan can get, but still blocks out other wanted sound

The base doesn’t tilt

The airflow is more targeted and directional than a traditional fan

There’s only so much cooling a fan without air conditioning is capable of

The air quality information is detailed enough to spot that the pollution levels in the front room increase when cars are driving past in the morning and evening commutes

Price

When not in use the remote attaches to the top of the fan via magnets for safe keeping. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian

The Dyson Pure Cool Link purifier fan costs £350 for a circular desk model and £450 for the larger oval tower as tested here, which places it at the high end of the market, in-line with the company’s other fans, heaters and humidifiers. Air purifiers are available from around £50 and up (buy here).

The £50 filter will need to be changed once a year when the fan is run for 12 hours a day, of which the machine will notify users through the app and display.

Verdict

The Dyson Pure Cool Link is a premium air purifier and fan that delivers. The merits of air purification and the need for it in British homes can be debated, but there’s no doubt the purifier works. It rapidly cleans the air in any room you put it in, keeps it clean and provides much needed respite for allergy suffers, particularly in the summer months.

It isn’t the best fan in the world, though, making a significant amount of noise when pushed to the limit, but is pretty quiet at low levels and easily quiet enough to not disrupt my sleep.

The connected app is really interesting, and gives you a visual readout of what it’s been doing all day when left in automatic, while the small hand remote makes controlling it from bed or the sofa easy.

It’s certainly a standout statement in any room, but whether that ease of use and design is worth the price depends on how much you value air quality or whether you suffer from allergies. Other purifiers will probably do as good a job for significantly less money, but its likely none do it while looking as good.

Pros: easy to use, easy to clean and change the filter, excellent data read-out, simple remote, automatic monitoring and operation, scheduling, rapid cleaning, doubles as a fan Cons: expensive, can be quite loud when pushed, may not complement your decor

The turbine-like fan that sucks air in through the filter and fires it up through the loop. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian

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