Indoor air is sometimes more polluted than outdoor air. Why is that? Well, one primary reason could be that many of us don’t even consider that it’s possible. As a result, we don’t pay enough attention to the quality of our indoor environment.

The problem is that we are incapable of directly sensing many of the common issues in air quality, like dust, humidity, fumes, and emissions. It is precisely why an air quality monitor should be a staple in all modern homes. An air quality monitor will help you ensure that your indoor environment remains healthy.

But, due to their vast availability, it can be challenging to choose the right one. So in today’s guide, we have listed and reviewed the top 5 best air quality, monitors.

 

Let’s kick off!

UHOO Air Quality Monitor – Our Pick

Claiming to be the most advanced air quality sensor in the world, the UHOO air quality sensor is a practical and robust piece of technology. It uses eight dedicated sensors to ensure a healthy indoor environment. Not only that, but it will also communicate with your smartphone and other devices to minimize hassle.

Features

• Tracks VOCs, particulate matter, CO2, CO, Humidity, Temperature, NO2, Ozone, and air pressure
• Gauges air quality on nine different levels using dedicated sensors
• Data sharing via a mobile app that tracks progress
• Shares insights and tips on improving air quality
• Integrates with other smart devices like Roomba, Alexa or Google Home Assistant

Nine Different Sensors

The UHOO is perhaps the most technologically superior and detail oriented air quality monitor on the list. It does not limit itself to usual suspects like dust, toxins, and humidity, etc., going into much more detail instead. We all know the downsides, high levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), Particulate Matter (PM2.5) and humidity. But UHOO takes it a step further. It assesses the environment across nine different parameters. It looks at things Ozone, Nitrogen Dioxide, and even temperature and air pressure so that when it tells you everything is excellent, you know it’s true.

A Monitor That Talks

The UHOO is also big on connectivity and integration so that your comfort is never compromised. Why go to the monitor and see what it has to tell when all the data can be conveniently relayed to your smartphone screen. Thanks to the UHOO’s mobile app, you can access data anytime, anywhere. Not only that, but the app also helps you track your progress, and even gives you tips on how you can improve the quality of air even more. The best part is that connectivity is not just limited to smartphones. You can also integrate your UHOO air quality monitor with home assisting programs.

Pros

• Dedicated sensors ensure data collected is accurate
• The level of detail in the data helps in giving you a very realistic assessment of air quality
• Easy operation through a mobile app helps you remotely communicate with the device
• The monitor itself communicates with other devices like Roomba or Alexa so that necessary actions can be taken without delay
• Sleek and compact design comfortably fits in wherever you want it to

Cons

• Does not work without an internet and Wi-Fi connection

AirVisual Pro – Runner-up

The AirVisual Pro makes in the list thanks to its simplicity and straightforward approach to monitoring air quality. It tracks air-quality in real time and works both indoors and outdoors. Moreover, it comes with an inbuilt interface in addition to mobile and PC connectivity to reduce reliance on an internet connection.

Features

• Professional grade monitoring of PM2.5, CO2, temperature, and humidity
• Works both indoor and outdoor and even forecast weather
• Displays real-time air quality and readings
• IFTTTT capabilities for better integration with other devices
• High-precision laser technology for PM2.5 sensor and industrial grade CO2 sensor
• Recommends actions based on data analysis
• Wi-Fi connectivity to smartphones through a mobile app
• Connectivity to personal computers

Works Indoors and Outdoors

The AirVisual Pro is robust and straightforward. But it doesn’t mean that it is any less valid than its counterparts. It is designed to work both indoors and outdoors, so you can imagine how sturdy and durable it would have to be. But that is not it. Its sturdiness does not just come from the build quality. It also uses heavy duty equipment, such as the laser technology for its PM2.5 sensor and an industrial grade sensor for CO2. It even provides you with a weather forecast of up to 3 days in advance.

Built-in Display

It is the only air quality monitor on our list that comes with an inbuilt display. The AirVisual Pro not only tracks all air quality in real-time but also displays it’s finding on the display screen. It is so good at multitasking that it can simultaneously monitor and present its reading for both indoor and outdoor air. The best part is that the inbuilt display means you don’t need to continually use the internet to connect it to your mobile app. Combine all that with its ability to integrate with other devices, and you have an automated air management system for your home, while you don’t even have to lift a finger.

Pros

• Versatile, Robust and durable
• Simultaneously tracks indoor and outdoor air quality
• The real-time display shows reading in real time
• Communicates with other devices so action can be taken automatically
• Provides recommendations through a mobile app PC connectivity

Cons

• Considers only a few conventional parameters

Foobot Indoor Air Quality Monitor

The Foobot air quality monitor prides itself on not providing streams of cold laboratory-grade data. Instead, it is calibrated to collect data with the typical indoor environment in mind. It allows the Foobot to give you a more practical idea of how you can improve air quality.

Features

• Equipped with sensors for PM2.5, VOCs, Temperature, and Humidity
• Designed to work as a home device
• Designed to study trends and identify causes
• Six days of “warm-up” period
• Calibrated with a tolerance of 20% for more practical readings
• CO2 reading derived from VOC readings
• Communicates via mobile app
• Wi-Fi connectivity

Designed for Homes

The Foobot is intended to work an air quality monitor for home. It means it is not just meant to give absolute values and percentages of substances in the air.

On the contrary, it understands that what you need are practically applicable readings, instead of absolute data. So it has preset tolerance for about 20 percent. It allows the monitor to send alerts only when there is an unusually high percentage of a substance in the air. Better yet, it does not throw random figures at you to cause unnecessary stress. On top of all that, the Foobot helps you identify long-term factor affecting your air quality by identifying patterns over time.

Thinks Long Term

For the Foobot expressing the data that it collects more efficiently is not enough. It also studies the data over long periods of time. The Foobot is designed such that it is good at identifying trends. Simply put, this air quality monitor, not only shows how the air quality is but how it has been over time. This long-term assessment is excellent when it comes to identifying long-term underlying factors that affect air quality. For example, you may be able to tell that a specific cleaner you use is damaging air quality if you know that a particular trend emerged around the same time you started using it.

Pros

• Fits into your home perfectly
• Saves you unnecessary stress by relaying relevant and practical information
• Identification of trends helps you narrow down factors affecting air quality
• 6-day warm-up period allows the device to acclimate itself to your home
• Saves the trouble of having a separate sensor for CO2

Cons

• May not work correctly, when placed next to a wall or around something hot
• The absence of a CO2 sensor may compromise on the accuracy of CO2 values

Wynd Wearable Air Quality Tracker

What use is an air quality monitor for you? Do you spend the better part of your day outdoors or at the office? If you are among those who ask this question, the air quality monitor is your answer. As the name suggests, the Wynd wearable air quality tracker comes in the form of a compact portable device that you can wear.

Features

• Tracks PM2.5 and PM10 concentration in the air
• Portable and wearable; smallest PM sensor in the world
• Supported by a comprehensive mobile app
• Monitor air quality anywhere
• Pairs with the Wynd air purifier
• Clips on to any piece of attire
• Provides access to records of air quality in different areas
• Wi-Fi connectivity

Portable

The Wynd wearable air quality monitor brings enhanced usability to the table. As one of the smallest air quality monitors in the world, it is about the size of an adult’s thumb. So it is not surprising that it is incredibly compact, lightweight and easy to carry. However, there is a more profound logic to it. The intention behind portability is to allow customers to assess the quality of the air around them, no matter where they are. Think about it. The point of monitoring air quality is to be aware of health risks in your surroundings. But no one said that those surroundings will always be the inside of your living room.

The Mobile App

The Wynd mobile app is more than just remote control for the air quality monitor. It furthers the usability of the portable tracker by providing you with real-time readings of PM2.5 and PM10 percentages in your surroundings. It also helps you pair the Wynd air quality monitor with the Wynd air purifier. In addition to that, you also get to control both devices individually or in tandem, through this app. It tells you when you tracker needs a new filter or batteries. It even contains a real-time record of air quality across the globe.

Pros

• You can monitor the quality of air on the move
• Compact, lightweight and wearable so that it can move around with you without getting in the way
• When at home, you can pair it with the Wynd purifier to automate air quality management
• The mobile app serves as both a control center and a bank of information

Cons

• Tracks air quality using only two parameters

Awair Glow

The Awair Glow is undoubtedly the unique air quality monitor you will come across on this list. It combines a simple and compact design with thoughtful application and features. It has an unusual take on the idea of smart devices as well.

Features

• Tracks toxins and chemical, CO2, humidity, and temperature
• Connects with non-smart devices to operate them smartly
• Versatile; Additional nightlight feature
• Wi-Fi connectivity with a supporting mobile app
• Provide actionable recommendation after studying trends over time

Makes “Non-Smart” Devices Smart

The Awair Glow connects to the other “non-smart” devices such as humidifiers and fans. By directly plugging these devices into the monitor’s inbuilt electrical port, you can hand over their control to the Glow. After that, the monitor will switch the supporting device on or off, based on its reading of the air quality. With the simple yet ingenious strategy, your non-mart devices effectively start to work as smart devices. To take it a step further, Glow also connects to home assistants like Alexa to give you voice control over whichever device is connected to your Awair Glow.

A Versatile Addition to Your Home

The Glow does not limit itself to just being an air quality monitor. Thanks to the mobile app, it works as your personal data analyst. The timeline feature in the app will allow you to study the trends in any period and have access to tips and insights into what you can do. As if that was not enough, the Glow also has an elegant night light, which can be activated through motion, touch or the mobile app. This feature is yet another reason you should have it in your bedroom or right next to your toddler at night.

Pros

• Makes your home more efficient by operating non-smart devices in a smart way
• The nightlight feature gives it utility beyond just being a sensor
• The mobile app provides more in-depth insight into data collected
• Integration with intelligent home assistant allows you to automate

Cons

• The accuracy of readings tends to be lower than that of its competitor

Conclusion

In the end, the whole point of monitoring indoor air quality is to live in a safe and healthy environment. As such it is essential that, above all, the air quality monitor paints a reliable picture of your air quality. It should also be durable and as self-reliant as possible. Being able to connect with various devices and programs on top of that is an added advantage.

With that in mind, if we had to pick one product out of all of these, it would have to be the UHOO air quality monitor. It contains the best balance of technology, reliability, and connectivity. It also helps that the design alone makes you want to grab one and place next to your couch. And hey, even if you don’t agree with us, you still have all these other options to pick your personal favorite out of.

Read more: The Best Baby Breathing Monitor