BedJet 3 Climate Control System Review

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BedJet V3  Technical Specifications:

How does BedJet Work?

The basic principle behind BedJet is fairly straightforward. The a control unit delivers air into your bed via a purpose-designed hose system.

Simply place the unit under your bed, attach the hose to the the control unit, then place the air nozzle  on top of the mattress, underneath your topsheet or comforter.

Once activated, BedJet then generates a small layer of turbulent air which gently lifts the bedding creating a ‘tenting effect’. This allows air to flow throughout the entire area of your bed to provide precise heating or cooling in a temperature range of  72° and 104° Fahrenheit (22° to 40° Celsius).

The topsheet helps to ‘trap’ and distribute the airflow evenly thoughout your bed and ideally is recommended to have a 250 thread count or higher. Using lower quality sheets or loose knit bedding materials like flannel is discouraged as these will allow air to escape too easily.

With a BedJet Dual Zone System, couples are able to have independent temperature control for each side of the bed. This works by using two units,  with individual hoses attached to each side of the bed with a single Cloud Sheet with separate air compartments for each sleeper.

BedJet V2 vs BedJet V3

This is the third iteration of BedJet technology, and although the core cooling/heating technology remains the same, BedJet 3 offers some significant improvements over its predecessor. Here’s a brief summary of the differences and improvements between V2 and V3.

BedJet V2	BedJet V3
Rapid cooling, warming, and moisture-wicking technology	Same powerful performance as the V2
Fits under beds with 7" space	Fits under beds with 6" space
Compact, air-based cooling system	30% smaller and sleeker design than BedJet V2
Temperature regulation between 72°F and 104°F	Temperature regulation between 66°F and 104°F
Wireless remote control for basic functions	Advanced colour screen remote control
Bluetooth app required to access all features	No Bluetooth app required, leave your phone off at night
No Wifi functionality	SmartHome compatible, WiFi chip included

Can BedJet replace my air-conditioning unit?

It’s important to note that although BedJet offers advanced cooling and heating options for your bed, in cases of extreme high temperatures in the bedroom (80°) it’s not a replacement for an AC or HVAC system which actively cools the air.

That’s because to achieve a cooling effect, BedJet ventilates your bed using ambient room temperature air to wick out moisture and body heat. Hence, BedJet isn’t be able to cool down your whole bedroom, only your bed.

BedJet – the back story

The concept for Bedjet was seeded when CEO Mark Aramli’s mother had to spend a prolonged period in bed following a hospital visit. After trying every available solution to provide her with more comfort, including electric blankets and space heaters, nothing seemed to fit the bill.

So, after a long career in engineering and product management, including a spell with United Technologies, makers of the space suit for NASA, Aramli launched Bedjet in 2013 on Kickstarter as the world’s first ultra rapid heating & cooling system, offering precise temperature control to improve your sleep and comfort in bed.

Bedjet V1 did reasonably well, raising around $60,ooo in pledges. But in 2014, Bedjet V2 arrived on the same crowdfunding platform, and raised an incredible $1.3 million in pledges.

Despite a disastrous appearance on the the ABC reality business show Shark Tank,  BedJet went on to be a smash hit, taking $3million in sales in its first 18 months.

Then early in 2019, BedJet V3 launched with improvements in design and efficiency, and integrations for the smart home. This is where we take up the story…

Unboxing, packaging and design

The Bedjet V3 arrived in a blue and white branded box, and my first impression on opening the lid was slight bamboozlement at the number of non-descript gizmos and attachments that revealed themselves in the rather austere top layer of packaging.

It’s worth noting this fact, because it says something about the ethos of the company. Whilst some companies – (take Apple for instance) spend a great deal of time and money thinking about fancy packaging design, others are confident to dispel with these extra costs and efforts and let the product speak for itself.

BedJet definitely falls into the latter group, and the unboxing experience is akin to that of a flat pack Ikea wardrobe – ie initial head scratching wondering what all these strange looking pieces are for, until you start browsing the manual.

I worked out later that these bits included the nozzle pieces, various attachment and extension parts, the colour remote control and a few other accessories.  Point is, although the packaging is austere, it’s perfectly adequate and in a way refreshing to see the company doesn’t need to seduce the customer with flashy designer boxes.

Control Unit

Underneath the top layer, is the control unit itself. The engineers and designers have managed to squeeze a 30% size reduction over the previous generation BedJet V2. The form factor has also changed too, from curvy to a rectangular shape, which at less than 6 inches tall should fit under most beds. There are just two buttons, an on/off switch, and also a button for Low Power mode, more about that later.

However, despite its minimal appearance, one of the biggest improvements in the BedJet 3 is the brand new colour remote control, which allows full control of every function without ever having to touch the control unit once it’s set up. The remote uses radio frequencies rather than infra-red, which means you don’t need line of sight to operate the device ie it’s designed so you can use it whilst lying in bed.

Cloud Sheet

In a separate box came the Cloud Sheet. This is sold separately and although BedJet is designed to work in any bed, with virtually any sheets, the company recommends using its proprietary Cloud Sheet for optimal efficiency and airflow.

The Cloud Sheet is basically a cotton top sheet sewn with a series of sealed, interior air-flow compartments which allows air to circulate evenly across the whole area of your bed. The Cloud Sheet also prevents air from escaping from the bedding layers. If for instance you’re using regular sheets and lift the covers too high, air is going to escape into the outside world. Because the Cloud Sheet is sewn as a sealed double layer, it’s not affected in this way.

It’s called the Cloud Sheet because in use the sheet balloon ups, creating a soft cushion of air that you can lie underneath. You can use it underneath pretty much any existing quilt, blanket or comforter, as long as your uppermost bedding layer isn’t too heavy, ie it still allows the Cloud Sheet to maintain a cushion of air above you.

On first inspection the Cloud Sheet looks like just like any other regular cotton sheet but if you look closer you can see the elasticated opening which attaches to the BedJet nozzle to ensure optimal air flow efficiency. If you opt for a dual-configuration BedJet system for two sleepers, the Cloud Sheet has an extra dividing compartment down then centre of the bed to ensure that air is delivered discreetly and independently to both sides of the bed.

How to setup BedJet V3

Software & Firmware

Before you can start to enjoy the pleasures of climate-control in your bed, you need to do a few housekeeping tasks to make sure you’re using the latest firmware versions for both the remote control and the control unit.

Thankfully, although there were a few steps to complete, this was a breeze (no pun intended). First power on the unit, then download the BedJet app from Google Play or the Apple App Store.

Then once you’ve Bluetooth paired your phone and your BedJet, you’re prompted to update to the latest firmware version.

When you’ve done this, you also need to set up the remote. And because the remote is a sophisticated device in itself, you’ll also need to check for firmware updates for the remote control too.

Whilst this all sounds a little complicated, the process was really quite simple as I mentioned. The user interface of the remote control is extremely intuitive, and and it passed the RTFM test, ie I didn’t have to go searching for a user guide at any point. There’s so much stuff you can do with the new BedJet 3 remote, check below to find out more.

One point to note, at the time of writing, the app has only a single purpose, and that’s to do the initial Wifi setup. There are literally no other functions available. That’s because all the clever stuff to do with smart home integrations are due to be rolled out imminently ie late 2019. We’ll update the review as soon as we have more info!

Installation

Once you’ve done all the firmware stuff you’re ready to install your BedJet. As I mentioned earlier, there are a few components you have to put together to make the whole thing work. It’s extremely simple to do, but not really very intuitive without reading the set up guide.

In order to support the air hose against your mattress you need to connect the multiples pieces together that make up the mattress mount assembly. This includes the foam-lined mounting-base which goes underneath your mattress, the hose grip, and up to 4 extension links, depending on the height of your mattress (BedJet supports mattresses up to 20″ thick).

These bits all snap together effortlessly, but I did have to look in the manual to see what each bit is for. The only part I found slightly fiddly part was getting the right number of height extensions. Basically you want the lip of air nozzle to sit nice and flush to the top surface of your mattress. I had to experiment a little to get this right and ended up using two extension pieces to fit a 19cm depth mattress.

Once you’ve assembled the mattress mount, you then need to decide the best place to position the air nozzle.

Where should you place the BedJet air nozzle?

This depends on a few different factors. If you’re using the BedJet Cloud sheet, there are dedicated elasticated openings to insert the air nozzle into. On my single zone Cloud Sheet ( ie one zone that spans across the whole bed) there are three openings, one at the foot of the bed, and one each side, towards the bottom end of the mattress.

By placing the air nozzle at the far end of the mattress, air becomes trapped by the layers of bedding and can then evenly spread out to the rest of the bed. If you’re using your own sheets, the user guide states you can experiment by placing the air nozzle in different locations, except the top end of the mattress where air can escape easily.

When you’ve decided the best position for the air nozzle, simply slide the mounting base under the mattress, attach the hose at both ends, and you’re ready for action.

BedJet V3 -what’s it like in use?

So, enough about the practicalities, what’s the actual user experience like? All my accounts were based on using the Cloud Sheet, so I can’t vouch for what it’s like using BedJet with normal sheets, but I imagine it would be a very similar, if not identical experience.

The ‘thrill factor’

Well, first let’s talk about the ‘thrill factor’. What I mean is that there’s a kind of primal fascination in watching a bed sheet magically transform from a flat, inanimate object into a soft, puffy cloud. I guess it’s the same excitement that small kids get from watching balloons being blown up. Needless to say, switching BedJet on put a big smile on the fact of my 7-year old.

How does BedJet cooling mode work?

According to some reviews I’ve read online, BedJet’s cooling mode has been the source of a little confusion and a some misinformation. So let’s try to clear things up.

First, BedJet does not circulate ‘cooled’ air into your bed. There is no cooling mechanism inside the control unit. Unlike a traditional wall-mounted HVAC system, which deploy refrigerants and a heat exchange process to reduce the air temperature, BedJet doesn’t have any active cooling components, instead using a ‘forced-air’ process, which circulates air at ambient room temperature.

So, I hear you ask, how does BedJet cool you down if it’s not actually blowing cold air? It’s simple really. When you’re in bed, your body is generating heat which gets trapped in between the layers of your bedding. And if you’re a hot sleeper this heat can build up, making you sweaty, uncomfortable, and disturbing your sleep.

By providing a constantly circulating airflow, BedJet removes the warm, stale air in between your sheets, wicking away moisture, and stopping heat from building up in your bed.

Essentially it’s the same principle as using a fan, or opening your car windows on a hot day, but instead of the air randomly blowing around you, fresh air is directed to the place you need it, straight to your bed.

It’s for this reason, that BedJet is not a replacement for an air conditioner if it’s extremely hot in your bedroom.

One other point to mention is that if you’re concerned about dust in the air, BedJet’s air filter takes care of that, ensuring that no particles of dust or debris are going to be trapped in your bedding.

How cool does BedJet feel?

I’m happy to say that in cooling mode, BedJet does what it says it does. At 100% fan speed, the cooling effect is noticeable just after a few seconds.  It’s hard to describe, but the gentle motion of the air circulating above you, feels like the sensation you get when you climb into a bed with fresh linens, in a cooled room. Kind of like what you experience in a hotel bedroom.

In normal circumstances however, this ‘fresh’ feeling goes away once your sheets have matched your body temperature, but with BedJet, the air movement keeps the topsheet cool throughout the night.

Reducing the fan speed obviously diminishes the amount of cooling you’ll experience, but even at around 30% the cooling sensation is still very noticeable. I found that anything below this didn’t achieve the desired results for me.

However, the exact fan speed you choose to use will differ from person to person, depending on many factors, including the ambient room temperature, how hot you personally get at night, and what level of noise you can tolerate from the fan motor.

Heating with BedJet

Whilst BedJet doesn’t provide ‘active’ cooling, where it really excels is in the heating department. The base unit contains a ceramic heating element made of barium titanate stone. This material has two properties which make it especially useful.

First, unlike other heaters, BedJet doesn’t give off that unpleasant smell you often get when switching on an electric heater. Secondly, the ceramic element is extremely heat conductive, meaning that it’s able to respond very quickly and across a wide temperature range.

This ceramic element, as well as the forced-air system is one of the secrets behind BedJet’s claim to be the only ‘ultra-rapid’ temperature control systems for your bed.

Turbo Heating Mode

The best showcase of this is BeJet’s Turbo Heating mode. Turbo Mode, as the name suggests is a high-power mode that’s limited to only 10 minutes but is designed for winter time when you quickly need to heat up a cold bed.

In Turbo, BedJet can take your bed from 80 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit in an impressive 3 minutes, but you’ll feel the heating effects in seconds. It’s like putting your sheets into the tumble dryer for around 10 minutes on a high setting and then quickly making up the bed again.

Once your ten minutes of turbo heating are up, you can choose to either switch the unit off, or continue to use a standard lower heating setting.

How does BedJet’s heating feel?

Because I tested BedJet during the summer months, I’ve not yet had the opportunity to spend a whole night with BedJet in heating mode. But testing it out during the daytime, the sensation, again is pretty good.  I suppose the nearest thing to BedJet would be an electric blanket, but suffice it to say, there’s really no comparison.

With an electric blanket you’re very aware than there are heating elements within the fabric itself, but with BedJet you just get a general sense that the whole bed has warmed up.

Of course, some might say that the obvious way to deal with cold nights is to use a heavier blanket or duvet, but another advantage to using BedJet is that because the heat is caused by the trapped air layers, you’re not restricted by your choice of bedding. So even if it’s a very cold night, you can still opt to use a lighter blanket which may be preferable to your sleeping habits.

BedJet remote control

One of the biggest improvements with BedJet 3 is the completely revamped remote control. In the age of the smartphone, some might say that dedicated remote controls are a thing of the past, but in this case, the BedJet remote is a real boon.

First off, we all know the perils of looking at your phone before you go to sleep. Numerous studies have shown links between blue light exposure at night, plus, with a smartphone you’ve also got the never-ending temptation of infinitely scrolling through your social media feeds in bed, which stimulates your brain at the time when you should be winding down and relaxing. The BedJet remote allows you to keep your phone out of the bedroom, removing any of these sleep-disturbing factors.

Secondly, the remote has been redesigned so that all the important features are accessible with a single button press. So there are quick access buttons for each mode – heating, cooling, turbo – plus  two additional modes – Extended Heat for all night use, and Dry, for rapid sweat drying, and up/down buttons for temperature, fan speed and timer.

Also on the remote are three custom memory buttons for storing your favourite configurations, a 4-way rocker controls for menu access. A nice touch is the touch sensor which lights up the screen when you pick up the remote, stopping you from fumbling around in the dark.

The colour screen is a great addition. Whilst it’s not touch sensitive, the display is very sharp and gives you instant feedback on pretty much everything you need to know about including; temperature (of both the room and the BedJet air), fan speed, and a count-down timer showing how many minutes left you have.

Lastly, if you delve into the menu settings you’ll a whole other set of extra configuration options for both the remote and base unit.

What’s really encouraging to see is that not only can you update the firmware of the BedJet, you can also updated the firmware for the remote too. This doubtless means that there will be even more functionality, upgrades and/or improvements as time goes on.

BedJet App

At the time of writing the updated BedJet Android app was imminent, with the iOS version following soon afterwards. But as present, all the app is used for is the initial Wifi setup and firmware update.

Promised to come are a host of ‘smart-home’ features including Alexa and Google Home integration. No details yet but as soon as we have any news we’ll update the review.