Do you feel suffocated or is it hard to breathe inside your home? Maybe it’s high time you consider buying an air quality monitor.
Americans emitted seventy million tons of pollution into our environment in 2019 (source). Air quality monitors measure your home’s indoor air quality and alert you whenever the air quality worsens. Air quality monitors usually come with 3-4 inbuilt meters that monitor different gases, generally including oxygen, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and other harmful volatile gases.
The monitors don’t help filter the air, but it’s still great to have a device alerting you about the air quality.
If you are looking for our top recommendation, you should try Airthings – 2930 Wave Plus. It measures radon levels, CO2 levels, and other toxins. It has Bluetooth connectivity along with a color-coded visual indication.
🏆 Best All-Rounder Air Quality Monitor
Airthings 2930 Wave Plus
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🎖️ Editor’s Choice Air Quality Monitor
Temtop M10i
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💰 Budget Air Quality Monitor
BIAOLING
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- List of The 6 Best Air Quality Monitors
- Buyer’s Guide: Best Air Quality Monitor
- Frequently Asked Questions: Best Air Quality Monitor
- Conclusion
List of The 6 Best Air Quality Monitors
1. Airthings – 2930 Wave Plus – Best All Rounder
The dimensions of the 2930 Wave Plus are 4.75 x 4.75 x 1.4 inches, and it weighs 7.83 ounces. You can operate it with 2 AA batteries included in the package. It features a total of six sensors monitoring many conditions and also comes with Bluetooth connectivity.
Features and Benefits
- Accurate & Reliable: The radon levels inside the house fluctuate daily, so continuous and long-term checking is crucial. The Wave Plus by Airthings measures the radon accurately and reliably.
- Six Air Sensors: It measures multiple factors, including radon, carbon dioxide, chemicals and toxins, temperature, humidity, and air pressure. The sensors allow you to get the complete data of six indoor air-related factors.
- Bluetooth Connectivity: You can connect the Wave Plus to the Airthings App via Bluetooth, or you can also log in to Airthings Dashboard online to get detailed insights of the air.
- Color-Coded Indicator: You will receive a color-coded indicator of your house’s air quality by waving in front of the device. The indicators are Green, Yellow, and Red depicting good, fair, and poor air quality.
- Works Well With Smart Devices: The Wave Plus is compatible with most smart devices working seamlessly with Google Assistant, Alexa, and IFTTT.
- Award-Winning: The Wave Plus intelligent air quality monitor has won Time Magazine’s Best Inventions 2019 award along with the CES Innovation Award – Honouree 2019.
- Extra Benefits: The Wave Plus comes with 2 AA batteries and a quick start guide. Airthings also provide a 12-month warranty with the Wave Plus.
Why Should You Buy It?
It’s extremely easy to use and features six air sensors monitoring all air-related factors. You can connect it to smart devices through Bluetooth as well.
2. Temtop M10i WiFi – Editor’s Choice
This air quality monitor is a four-in-one monitor. It has dimensions of 3.23 x 1.22 x 3.23 inches, and it weighs 7 ounces. It connects to your mobile phone very easily through wifi.
Features and Benefits
- Wireless: This four-in-one air quality monitor is wireless and monitors five essential air quality factors that include HCHO, PM2.5, AQI, and TVOC.
- Multiple Functions: You can connect this device to the Temtop app and get complete real-time AQI monitoring. It also has a turn-on and turn-off function through a remote. And it displays the local weather forecast.
- Wifi Connection: It is one of the very few air quality monitors that come with wifi to connect it to your mobile phones. It is compatible with almost all operating software, including both Android and iOS.
- Precise & Reliable: This air quality monitor features a 3rd-generation laser particle sensor with a maximum of 20,000 hours of lifetime. It has a particle swarm optimization algorithm. The particle measurements are more accurate due to this algorithm.
- High-Quality Sensors: It features an electrochemical sensor that is pre-calibrated and provides more precise formaldehyde measurements. The TVOC detecting function can cover a broad range of organic pollutants of VOCs.
Why Should You Buy It?
It comes with a wifi connection, making it compatible with all mobile phones. It gives reliable data, and it’s also more durable than most air quality monitors.
3. BIAOLING – Budget Air Quality Monitor
It is an easy-to-use air quality monitor with an LCD screen to show you all the essential air-related data. It monitors CO2, TVOC, and HCHO. Its dimensions are 5.83 x 2.76 x 1.18 inches and it has a 3000 mAh battery.
Features and Benefits
- Multiple Meters: This air quality monitor features built-in DART electrochemical sensors. It accurately detects Formaldehyde, Volatile Organic Compound (VOC), Carbon Dioxide, and PM2.5/PM10. It also detects harmful substances, toluene, and pollutants in the air, like carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, dust, smoke, ink, and fog.
- Explicit Design: The new design and mold of the BIAOLING AQ monitor have a color LCD digital display. It offers a mean value for each harmful gas over a long duration, as real-time data is more prone to inaccuracy.
- Portable: It is quite easy to carry this air quality monitor; you can take this to your car, a hotel room, school, or camping, especially if you have pregnant women or children traveling with you.
- Long Battery Life: This air quality monitor comes with a 3000 mAh rechargeable battery and also has one USB cable in the package. This monitor’s standby time is 8-12 hours, depending on your house’s quality.
- Easy To Operate: This air quality monitor has an alarm system that alerts you whenever the pollution level goes beyond a safe level. Along with this, you can also set a personalized value of formaldehyde. When the density is higher than that personalized value, the monitor will alarm you.
- Warranty & Working Time: You should close all the doors and windows while monitoring with this air quality device. It takes nearly 60 minutes to test formaldehyde TVOC CO2. For small spaces like a drawer or cabinet, it will take only 3-15 minutes. It comes with a 30-day replacement or refund policy.
Why Should You Buy It?
It is an efficient air quality monitor that can monitor multiple air factors at once. It also lets you set the personalized value of HCHO at which the alarm goes off.
4. EG Air Quality Monitor – Runner Up
EG’s air quality monitor has dimensions of 5.9 x 2.8 x 1.7 inches, and it weighs 14.39 ounces. A lithium polymer battery operates it. It gives a real-time reading of TVOC Volatile Compound Gas and PM 2.5 Micron Matter Dust.
Features and Benefits
- Multifunctional: This air quality monitor assesses multiple air factors, including formaldehyde concentrations (HCHO), natural and synthetic volatile compounds causing odors (TVOC). It also measures delicate particulate dust matter that measures less than 2.5 microns (PM2.5).
- Portable: You can monitor air quality with this device continuously for two days in a row or even check real-time data. It’s portable and can help monitor air quality at home, in your car, or in hotel rooms. The device shows all the information on a clear 2.8-inch color LCD.
- Advanced Device: This air quality monitor comes with a built-in fan that quickly draws in ambient air allowing continuous measurements. It combines a laser sensor that measures dust particle levels. It features another electrochemical semiconductor type sensor measuring formaldehyde and organic compound levels.
- Safe: This air quality monitor successfully detects the harmful gases emitted by household appliances such as formaldehyde, which reaches your lungs and can worsen a condition like asthma. It alerts you whenever these kinds of gases grow beyond a safe level.
- Great Design: This air quality monitor by EG has an optimized design to show you all the essential details properly. The manufacturers have included a 20+ page e-book in the package explaining the hazards related to air quality.
Why Should You Buy It?
It is easy to take this air quality monitor anywhere you go because of the portable design. It effectively detects common household gases that are harmful like HCHO and TVOC.
5. Huma-i (HI-150) – Runner Up
This is a very easy-to-use, pocket-sized air quality monitor. It is durable and also has a stylish design. Its dimensions are 1.6 x 3.6 x 1.5 inches, and it weighs 2.12 ounces.
Features and Benefits
- Real-Time Measurement: It measures CO2 levels, particle matter (PM2.5 & PM10), and Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) at just one click of a button. It’s also helpful in measuring the humidity and temperature of your indoor surroundings.
- Portable: You can take the Huma-i everywhere you go to measure the air quality as it very easily fits into your pocket without causing any inconvenience.
- Advanced Sensors: The Huma-i features a built-in fan that draws in ambient air quickly and provides real-time measurements.
- Easy Operation: It shows the air quality data in both icon mode and graph mode through an OLED display with a one-touch button. The LED lights provided in the device let you know of the VOC, CO2, and particle matter levels.
- Stylish & Long Lasting: The sturdy yet classy-looking outer casing provides a great appearance while also protecting the air quality monitor. Don’t worry about your device breaking any time soon.
Why Should You Buy It?
It is one of the best-looking air quality monitors you will find in this category. It has a solid outer case that keeps it safe, while the ergonomic design provides better portability.
6. Kaiterra Laser Egg+ Chemical – Runner Up
The Kaiteraa air quality monitor provides you accurate and precise measurements. One lithium-ion battery is required to operate this monitor. Along with PM2.5 and VOCs, it also effectively measures temperature and humidity. And it connects to your mobile phone.
Features and Benefits
- Accurate Meters: This device can monitor multiple pollutants and air-related factors that can affect the quality of air in your home. It monitors VOCs (chemicals), PM2.5 (fine dust), humidity, and temperature.
- Mobile Connectivity: You can control this monitor through the Kaiterra app. You will receive historical trends and data along with alerts when the indoor air gets above the predetermined threshold of quality.
- Compatible: It works perfectly with smart home appliances such as IFTTT and Apple HomeKit. Connecting it to your smart indoor ecosystem helps you keep track of the house’s allergens and pollutants.
- Wifi: This device is wifi enabled with a 2.4 GHz connection. It supports all mobile operating systems that include both Android and iOS.
- Portable & Battery Life: It easily fits in your palm for enhanced portability and can work up to eight hours at just one charge.
Why Should You Buy It?
It has one of the most well-designed apps compares to other monitors of this category. It features wifi and has an excellent ergonomic design.
Buyer’s Guide: Best Air Quality Monitor
Multiple Sensors
Any decent air quality monitor should have at least 3-4 filters and measure the common air-related factors, which usually include formaldehyde concentration, VOCs, and PM2.5/PM10. Having multiple sensors makes sure that no harmful element in the air gets left behind while monitoring the house’s pollution level. Many high-end air quality monitors have 5-6 sensors measuring the temperature and humidity level as well.
Make sure to choose the right monitor according to your needs.
Alert Indicator
As air quality monitors don’t help much in filtering the air, their only purpose is to alert you whenever any air factors go beyond a safe threshold. All air quality monitors have a different approach in alerting their users. Some air quality monitors have color-coded indicators to alert you at varying levels of danger. In contrast, some have a single alarm to alert you when the cumulative air quality level goes beyond safe limits.
Wifi/Bluetooth
Wifi or Bluetooth connections are not very common in air quality monitors. Still, you will likely find it in the high-end monitors with their apps to give you more detailed data of all the air quality parameters. If you need easy accessibility or more comprehensive data, you should consider spending some extra bucks on an air quality monitor with Bluetooth or wifi.
Battery Life
As air quality monitors work continuously to measure all the air parameters, they need to have adequate battery life. An air quality monitor should at least have a battery with a 2000 mAh capacity.
Related article: Best CO2 Sensors
Frequently Asked Questions: Best Air Quality Monitor
Are Air Quality Monitors Reliable?
Consumer air quality monitors won’t be as precise or reliable as laboratory air quality monitors. Generally, they are good enough to detect all the harmful gases emitted by household appliances. They are effective in identifying various gases and particles, including formaldehyde concentrations and PM2.5 dust matter.
Do Air Quality Monitors Detect Cigarette Smoke?
Not all air quality monitors can detect the smoke emitted by cigarettes as consumers do not usually demand it. Still, certain air quality monitors detect cigarette smoke. They won’t be too difficult for you to find because the air quality monitors that do detect cigarette smoke usually make it their primary selling point and tagline.
Does Bad Air Quality in Your Home Make You Sick?
Homeowners with poor indoor air quality tend to complain about eye irritation, headaches, dry throat, fatigue, sinus congestion, and dizziness. Terrible indoor air quality affects asthma patients the most. If you have an asthma patient in your home, you should buy an air quality monitor and an air purifier.
Conclusion
In this article, we have selected the best air quality monitors based on the features mentioned in our buyer’s guide.
In our opinion, the Airthings – 2930 Wave Plus – Radon & Air Quality Monitor is the best air quality monitor among the various options that we have considered. The Temtop M10i wifi Air Quality Monitor Meter is another great choice. It offers wifi connection.
Suppose you are looking for a value for money option. In that case, your best choice is the BIAOLING Air Quality Monitor, which offers great value and features at a very reasonable price point.
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