Ensure the Air You’re Breathing Is Safe With a Top-rated Air Quality Monitor
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It’s 2022 — we know exactly how many calories are in our food and drinks, things like fitness trackers can tell us exactly how much exercise, sleep and recovery we need — we have a ton of information about what goes into our bodies and what it needs. But one thing we probably don’t give enough attention to is the air we breathe. Really though, do you know what you are breathing in right now? The best air quality monitors let you keep a close eye on indoor air quality, which can often be worse than the “fresh air” outdoors.
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Sure, you can get air-quality reports from your local weather channel or from the app on your phone about the outside air quality, but what about your home or office? That’s where air quality monitors come in. The best home air quality monitors detect harmful chemicals, gases and fine particles that can negatively affect your respiratory system.
Air Quality Monitors: What To Look For
When you’re searching for an air quality monitor, here is what you should be considering:
Measurements – These are the types of particles (which we’ll explain a bit more in a moment) that your air quality monitor can detect. You’ll want to make sure your air quality monitor can detect VOCs and TVOCs mostly. Those that can measure humidity or carbon dioxide levels are a bonus.
Smart Capabilities – Some air quality monitors can connect to your smart thermostat and turn on an air purifier when elevated levels of pollutants are detected. Others can connect to your home AI (like Alexa, Google Assistant, or Apple HomeKit) so you can control the air quality monitor with your voice or smartphone.
Size – Some air quality monitors almost look like a smoke detector that you can put on your walls, while others are more like an alarm clock that you place on a tabletop. Depending on where you plan on putting this, you should be considering the size of the design.
When you are looking for an indoor air quality monitor, you’ll want to make sure the monitor can measure a variety of organic compounds and gasses that may be in your air.
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) – Gases emitted from certain solids or liquids that may have short to long-term negative effects on respiratory health
Fine particles (also known as particulate matter) – Particles that are 10 micrometers or smaller that can be inhaled that may cause negative effects to the lungs and heart
Total volatile organic compounds (TVOC) – This is the total combination of all VOCs in the air.
Carbon Dioxide – a greenhouse gas that is harmless in small quantities (we breathe out carbon dioxide), but high levels of carbon dioxide can negatively affect cognitive function and sleep. Left unchecked, carbon dioxide leaks are deadly.
That all seems scary, but thankfully, home air quality monitor helps detect and inform you when any of the above get to levels that are harmful to your health. Keep in mind, air quality monitors only detect these particles and gases, they don’t eliminate them. You’ll want to pair an air quality monitor with an air purifier or find a smart air quality device that can connect to your smart home system to automatically take action when air quality reaches harmful levels. You can also check out the EPA’s guidelines on how to reduce exposure to harmful air particles at home.
You know virtually everything that goes into your body, now it’s time to take control over what you breathe. Below you’ll find our recommendations for the best air quality monitors to put your mind at ease about the air you are breathing.
1. Awair Element Air Quality Monitor
BEST OVERALL
When you don’t want an obtrusive, flashy air monitor attached to your wall, elect to go with the stylish Awair Element Air Quality Monitor, which blends nicely into your home decor. Although it blends in with your other smart home products, it still keeps a watchful eye over carbon dioxide levels, humidity, temperature, VOCs and fine particles. These readings will be sent to your phone, tracking your air quality over time and offering advice on how to improve the air around you. It’s also compatible with Alexa and Google Home for complete smart home integration.
2. Kaiterra Laser Egg+
RUNNER UP
This home air quality monitor is not only easy to use, but it’s also extremely smart. When connected to your WiFi, it scans the air in your home for unwanted particles, humidity, temperature and other poor air quality factors. It can also automatically tell your smart thermostat to kick on your AC or smart purifier to get levels back to normal through connection to Apple HomeKit. And the monitor is conveniently controlled entirely through a smartphone app. Pretty smart for an Egg, eh?
Buy: Kaiterra Laser Egg+ $199.00
3. Temtop M10 Air Quality Monitor
BEST UNIVERSAL DESIGN
This air quality monitor from Temtop has a simple, straightforward design that’s going to be applicable to the most users. It doesn’t have unnecessary functionality nor does it have a complicated design that keeps you from getting the most pertinent information. It’s got clear indicator lights so you know the air quality as soon as you look at it, and it’s got four-in-one functionality for measuring PM, AQI, TVOC and HCHO as well. It’s got a home button from which you can control all operations and a 2200mAh battery that provides portable power when an outlet isn’t available.
Buy: Temtop M10 Air Quality Monitor $89.99
4. uHoo Smart Indoor Air Quality Sensor
BEST SPLURGE
uHoo’s air quality monitor comes with all those bells and whistles we were referencing before, so if you love multi-functionality in a device, and prefer your home devices to be “smart,” it’s a great pick. It measures nine different air quality parameters including temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide, dust (down to PM2.5), VOCs, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, air pressure and ozone. It integrates easily with other smart devices including the Amazon Alexa and Google Home, and it gives you real-time and historical data so you can see fluctuations in your air quality over time.
Buy: uHoo Smart Indoor Air Quality Sensor $329.00
5. Airthings Wave
EASY TO USE
Radon is a poisonous gas that can cause serious respiratory illness, and that’s what the Wave protects you and your family from. Wave is straightforward: wave your hand in front of the meter to get a reading. If the meter is green, you’re good. If it’s yellow, or more importantly, red, there is an unhealthy amount of radon in your home. You can also download the app to get the readings on your phone, but since it connects to your phone via Bluetooth, you’ll need to be in your home to get readings.
Buy: Airthings Wave $169.81 (orig. $199.99) 15% OFF
6. Eve Room Smart Indoor Air Quality Monitor
SYNCS WITH APPLE HOMEKIT
This air quality monitor from EVE syncs up with Apple HomeKit, so you can monitor the air quality of your house or apartment from your iPhone easily. It’s built to detect harmful Volatile Organic Compounds in the air that furniture, animals, paint, electronics or toys can give off, and makes it easy to learn how everyday activities like cooking and cleaning potentially pollute your air. It’s got a high-contrast, e-ink display that shows air quality, temperature and humidity clearly and lasts for up to 6 weeks on a single charge.
Buy: Eve Room Smart Indoor Air Quality Monitor $68.52 (orig. $99.95) 31% OFF
7. Davis Instruments Airlink Professional
FINITE READINGS
This is a highly accurate air quality monitor that is also easy to use, offering up accurate readings of particulates as small as 0.3 micrometers. With your phone or computer, you can get accurate real-time updates of the air quality every minute. Plus, it works both indoors and outdoors. Stats include air quality index, dew point, heat index as well as temperature and humidity. Given all of its features, it’s worth noting that this is not a carbon monoxide detector.
Buy: Davis Instruments Airlink Professional $179.01 (orig. $195.00) 8% OFF
8. EG Air Pollution Meter
BEST FOR TRAVEL
For the person who’s always on the go, but would still like to monitor the air quality in hotels and AirBnBs, the EG Air Pollution meter can help detect volatile organic compounds that cause odor and can be harmful to your respiratory system. It can spot-check specific areas, or continuously run for two days to monitor the air you’re breathing. It’s small enough to slip into your travel bag or keep in your car. It’s a smart way to stay on top of your health while you’re on the go.
Buy: EG Air Pollution Meter $110.37
9. IQAir Smart Indoor & Outdoor Air Quality Monitor
ALSO CONSIDER
Boasting smart IFTTT capabilities (if this, then that), you can set your home air quality monitor to take specific actions if particle or gas levels start to get unhealthy. For instance, if particle levels become unhealthy, you can have the monitor sound an alarm, or you can integrate it with your smart home and have it turn on your smart air purifier. The readings can easily be read on the display and even sent to your phone, which includes real-time updates as well as a historical log. While budget air quality devices can let you know if VOCs or radon levels are rising, only the best air quality monitors are capable of taking direct action to respond to changes in air quality.
Buy: IQAir Smart Indoor & Outdoor Air Quality Monitor $269.00
10. Airthings 292 Wave Mini
BEST MINI
If you don’t have much space or want an air quality monitor you can take with you on the go, Airthings makes a miniature version of their top-notch monitor. It’s got all the same functionality as the Airthings Wave in a smaller package. It detects VOCs, humidity and temperature levels in the air, and can help you maintain the EPA-recommended humidity levels between 30-59%. Simply wave in front of the monitor for a direct reading of your surrounding environment. It also syncs with an app so you can get readings from afar. It even detects pollen levels, so those who suffer from seasonal allergies can know exactly how much medication to take on a daily basis.
Buy: Airthings 292 Wave Mini $49.99 (orig. $79.99) 38% OFF
Why Trust Us
Your home is your domain and it’s our goal to make it the smartest and safest home possible. We’ve been at this a long time. Many of our SPY tech editors have been researching, testing and writing about tech for over a decade. We’ve seen fads like curved TVs come and go, and we are always on the lookout for the latest and greatest tech to make your life better. We want you to score the tech you love at the best possible price — that’s what makes it worth it for the SPY team.
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