MeacoClean CA-HEPA 76x5 WiFi air purifier review: especially good for airborne allergies
Two-minute review
The MeacoClean CA-HEPA 76x5 WiFi air purifier is the brand's first air purifier unit to come with a dedicated WiFi app that allows you to control it from your phone. As with all smart air purifiers, the ability to control it remotely will mean that you can turn it on and off from wherever you are so that you have cleaner air to breathe when you re-enter the room.
Established in 1991 Meaco is one of the leading air purification specialists with products including award-winning dehumidifiers, portable air conditions, and humidifiers along with some of the best fans and best air purifiers around.
A particularly pertinent benefit of an air purifier is to help fight high pollen counts and manage symptoms of hay fever, allergies, and asthma. The MeacoClean CA-HEPA 76x5 certainly helped with this and made a noticeable difference after I had the windows open during a (very) hot spell.
I used the air purifier while working from home and suffering from hay fever. It was really quiet - measuring just 35dB on my noise meter reading app - so it wasn't a distraction. It provided relief from my allergies, even during the night in the bedroom after I had the windows open all day.
I also tried it out after spraying some dry shampoo. It didn't perform quite as well as I was expecting; the odor created from spraying a can of the shampoo around lingered in the room for up to 10 minutes, and I didn't see a big spike up as a reaction to the now toxic air quality as I was expecting.
I used a combination of the digital display and the app to control this Meaco air purifier. Both worked well, but I could do more using the app such as scheduling a time for the air purifier to be activated. From the app, you can also sync it up to voice assistants such as Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant so that you don't even have to lift up your phone to control the device.
It's only available in the UK and is available to buy either direct from the Meaco website for £229.99 or Amazon UK for £199.49. Read on to find out if it'll be worth your investment.
MeacoClean CA-HEPA 76x5 WiFi air purifier review: Price and availability
List price: £229.99
Available only in the UK
The MeacoClean CA-HEPA 76x5 WiFi Air Purifier is available to buy either direct from the Meaco website for £229.99 or Amazon UK for £199.49. As with other Meaco devices it's only available to buy in the UK.
As part of the ongoing maintenance costs of running the MeacoClean CA-HEPA 76x5, you must be prepared to replace the filter every 2200 hours (approx. 6 months). The Meaco HEPA H13 Filter can be bought directly from Meaco.com for £34.99.
Value: 4/5
MeacoClean CA-HEPA 76x5 WiFi air purifier review: Specs
MeacoClean CA-HEPA 76x5 WiFi air purifier review: Design
Neat and compact
Easy-to-use digital display
Looks a bit like a dehumidifier
The MeacoClean CA-HEPA 76x5 WiFi Air Purifier is trim and tidy, and will suit most rooms. It's designed to draw in air from all sides of the device through a wrap-around panel with what are best described as 'large pinpricks'. This will give you close to 360° of air cleaning when this Meaco air purifier operates.
It measures 497 x 303 x 270 mm (h x w x d) so it's not the largest air purifier around, but it's not the smallest either. Still; it doesn't take up masses of space, and at 4.6kg in weight it is light enough to easily transport from room to room.
Moving it around was made so much either with the addition of a handle that folds down around the display panel.
The display panel is where you can switch between the four modes; Night mode, Auto, Medium and High. From this panel, you can also set a timer, turn on / off the display backlighting, and power the device. It was quick to respond with a gentle push on the display screen, and it's also clear to read.
When the time comes to replace the filter (which is approximated to be around the 6 month / 2200 hours mark), simply unclip the back of the MeacoClean CA-HEPA 76x5 WiFi air purifier and pull out the filter. A replacement filter can be bought from Meaco.com for £34.99.
For me, though it may well be trim, compact, and super functional, it looks a bit too much like a dehumidifier. This may be superficial, but perhaps more colour choices, or a customisable sleeve to cover the device would make it more appealing to have around on a more permeant basis.
Design: 4.5/5
MeacoClean CA-HEPA 76x5 WiFi air purifier review: Performance
Whisper-quiet when in operation
Low energy consumption
Effective at removing allergens, not so effective at removing odours
The MeacoClean CA-HEPA 76x5 WiFi air purifier arrives set up and ready to use out of the box. All I had to do was to remove the plastic packaging around the filter and reseat it, then spend some time familiarising myself with the app and controls.
When I first switched on the air purifier, a blue light was displayed on the digital display with a reading of 001. This was 'good' in the app. To test the air purifier I sprayed some dry shampoo around the vicinity of the device and set it to 'Auto'.
I watched the air quality reading gradually climb up on the device and on the app. It reached 11, which I was surprised to see was still 'good'. After it peaked at 11, it slowly descended back down to 1, even though there was still a distinctive smell in the air, and therefore likely particulate matter. It took 10 or so minutes to totally clear the room.
I used the MeacoClean CA-HEPA 76x5 WiFi Air Purifier day-to-day to help relieve my household from hay fever, which was especially prominent during a spell of hot weather. It's tricky to test the effectiveness of an air purifier, but with the air purifier set on 'Medium' it made a noticeable difference after I had the window open; I no longer had swollen runny eyes nor constant sneezing after 5 minutes of using this air purifier.
During the night I used the air purifier in the bedroom. I set it on 'night' mode so it was constantly running in the background. This, too, avoided any wake-ups during the night as a result of sneezing.
The scheduled tasks were handy for activating the air purifier whilst we were away on holiday, so we returned home to a fresher-smelling home - rather than a stale one which had no air movement during hot weather.
Meaco has calculated that the running cost of the MeacoClean CA-HEPA 76x5 is 2p / hour based on 34p / kWh. Scheduling the air purifier to run a couple of hours a day means that it'll cost just a few pence per day to run making this a really good, cost-effective device to help relieve some pressure of the rising energy bills - and household allergies.
During use, I measured noise level readings of 35dB on Auto, 65dB on Medium, 90dB on High, and 35dB on night mode. This is equivalent to a quiet whisper on the lowest setting and a nearby motorcycle on the highest setting.
Performance: 4.5/5
MeacoClean CA-HEPA 76x5 WiFi air purifier review: App
Easy to set up
Responsive
Compatible with Alexa, Google Assistant and SmartThings
The MeacoClean CA-HEPA 76x5 WiFi air purifier is a smart air purifier; one that can be controlled via. the Smart Life app and voice assistants such as Amazon Alexa.
It is the brand's first air purifier unit to come with a dedicated Wi-Fi app that allows you to control it from your phone, and it's one of the easiest smart devices I have set up in a long time. You'll need to set up an account in the Smart Life app, and in my case the app automatically detected the device after I selected 'Add Device'.
In the app you can remotely turn / off the air purifier, choose a mode, set a Countdown for automatic shut-off, and set up a Schedule. A child lock found in the app will help to prevent settings from being accidentally changed and also helps to keep the unit operating safely.
I found that the app was really responsive to use with no time delay, whether I was inside or outside of the home. I received notifications when a scheduled air purifying time was activated, and when it had finished.
What I would like to see, however, is the history of air quality over a 24 or 48-hour period. I'd find this information really useful to know because it gives more insight into the times of day when the air is particularly poor, or good.
You also have the option to hook up the air purifier to voice assistants. To do this, navigate to the 'Me' section of the app to connect to a third-party service of your choice. These services include Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. By connecting to either of these services you'll have the ability to control the MeacoClean CA-HEPA 76x5 by voice. You will need to have a device such as the Amazon Echo Dot (5th Gen) in order to connect it to Alexa to benefit from the voice control abilities though.
App: 4/5
Should you buy the MeacoClean CA-HEPA 76x5 WiFi air purifier?
Buy it if...
Don't buy it if...
MeacoClean CA-HEPA 76x5 WiFi air purifier review: Also consider
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Vornado VFAN Sr. Vintage
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How I tested the MeacoClean CA-HEPA 76x5 WiFi Air Purifier
I've been using it in my home for a few weeks
It's been controlled via the display screen and app
There has been a noticeable difference in the air quality during hayfever season
I've had the MeacoClean CA-HEPA 76x5 WiFi Air Purifier set up in my home for a few weeks. It's been in our reception room, dining room, and bedroom; mainly to purify the air from irritating pollens that trigger hay fever.
It has been controlled remotely using the app and by turning it on / off and selecting mode on the display screen. I have also scheduled for it to turn on / off automatically at set times during each day of the week.
There has been a noticeable difference in the air quality during hay fever season, but it took some time for the air to be cleared after I sprayed some dry shampoo around.
Read more about how we test
First reviewed June 2023
