How clean is the air you’re breathing? At one time or another, your home has probably been the unwilling host of microscopic pollutants. The best air quality monitors will constantly measure the types of irritants in your air, log the readings, and even kick on your air purifier to combat your home’s microbial pests.
Two common types of indoor air pollutants are fine particles and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Fine particles are invisible irritants no larger than 2.5 micrometers in diameter, but they can cause serious issues for those with respiratory conditions. VOCs are invisible vapors and gases that are often the byproduct of burning fuel products, like gasoline and wood-burning stoves. While the best air purifiers on the market will work wonders to combat these invisible irritants, one thing most purifiers lack is the ability to locate and analyze the pollutants flying around your home. That’s the job of an air quality monitor.
Check out our picks for the best air quality monitors for 2023.
The M10 uses a blend of laser-measuring technology and pollutant-balancing algorithms to scan the air nearby for fine particles, HCHO (formaldehyde), and VOCs produced by common household cleaners, paints, and various fuel-burning appliances. When the M10 detects a surplus of any harmful pollutant, an onboard alarm will sound, letting you know it’s time to crack a window or to change the filter in your HVAC system.
We’re big into portable and unobtrusive designs, which is one of our favorite things about the M10. Running off a rechargeable 2,200 mAh battery, the monitor is designed for easy grab-and-go analytics. Take a reading of your house’s indoor air, the inside of your car, or even the great outdoors. The meter boasts just one power button, and the Temptop M10 will last up to 6 hours on a single charge.
Radon is an odorless natural gas that can be found in most homes, albeit at manageable levels. However, long-term exposure to radon can lead to serious respiratory issues, including lung cancer. Radon is not to be taken lightly, and that’s where the Airthings Wave Plus comes in.
This smart monitor does a deep scan of your home’s air for not just radon, but temperature, humidity, C02, VOCs, as well as overall air pressure, a category that no other monitor on this list is capable of detecting. Once the Wave is powered, using it is as simple as literally waving your hand in front of the meter for color-coded air quality readings. Green is all-good, yellow is a warning, and red means there are dangerous levels of radon or other airborne toxins in proximity. It takes about a week for the monitor to get properly acclimated to your home’s environment.
Download the Wave app (iOS and Android) to receive the most up-to-date readings on your mobile device, but do be aware that the Airthings Wave Plus uses Bluetooth to sync data to your phone, not Wi-Fi. This means you’ll need to be inside your house (or very close to it) to collect the latest air quality readings.
If minimalism is what you seek, the Eve Home is your best bet. Sleek and portable, the Eve is also powered by one of the strongest rechargeable batteries on our list. Expect up to 6 weeks on a single charge. When the battery is low, just connect any standard USB cable to your Eve. Even your old iPhone wire will do.
The Eve Home monitors for overall air quality, temperature, and humidity and stores its collected data into detailed hour, day, week, month, and year graphs that you can access through the Eve app (iOS and Android). The actual monitor will rate the air on a 5-star scale. Keeping above 3 stars is what you want to shoot for. And, speaking of Home, the Eve is also compatible with Apple HomeKit.
Once you’ve added Eve to your Apple smart home, the monitor can automatically trigger purifiers and other web-connected air-filtering appliances when air-in-proximity is too contaminated.
This is one of our favorite monitors in our breakdown, just based on aesthetics alone. The Awair Element measures only 6 inches wide and 3 inches tall, making it an easy addition to any part of your home or workspace.
The Element tracks and reports on five key air categories: Fine particles, VOCs, temperature, humidity, and Co2. Readings for each category are displayed on the monitor and stored in the Awair app (iOS and Android), along with tips and advice on how to mitigate your stuffy air. Add even more control over your air with Alexa and Google Home. Awair senses a drop in air quality and immediately directs thermostats and purifiers to circulate air throughout your home via a web-based communication system.
Some consumers note that the Awair Element may not pair with your Wi-Fi on the first try. Unfortunately, technical hurdles are often unavoidable, and connection failures are a common issue. That said, only a small fraction of consumer reviews reported this problem, so the chances of it happening to you are relatively small. And there’s a simple solution: disconnect your monitor, reconnect it, and re-install your Wi-Fi to get it connected fully.
The Govee Smart Air Quality Monitor is a good-looking device that packs in a ton of features despite its $60 price tag. Featuring a large display and the ability to read the temperature, humidity, and airborne particulate counts, this no-frills device is a great option if you don't need anything other than the basics.
One of the coolest features of this Govee device is its color-coded readouts. Beyond giving you exact numbers for your pollutant levels, you'll find a colored bar running through the middle of the screen that changes based on your air quality. So if you notice a bar that's not green, you might want to open a few windows.
Toss in a useful smartphone app and a straightforward setup process, and you've got a compelling gadget that's perfect for entry-level shoppers.
Michael Bizzaco has been selling, installing, and talking about TVs, soundbars, streaming devices, and all things smart home for the better part of 15 years. He even knows a thing or two about how to fix this stuff when it starts misbehaving (because no tech is perfect!).
Mike has been writing for Digital Trends and several other publications since 2020. Fortunately, he’s still able to write after he got his index finger stuck in a vending machine at the Ramada Inn the summer before fourth grade! From hands-on reviews to best-of roundups, Mike does his best to share his expertise in a friendly and informative way with all readers, and loves staying on top of the latest AV and smart home trends.
When he’s not thanking his father for dislodging his finger from that vile vending machine in New Jersey, Mike enjoys playing guitar, reading, and indulging in horror films with his girlfriend.
This post is brought to you in paid partnership with Best Buy.
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