Best air quality monitors of 2022 - Popular Science

Best Overall, Temtop M2000 2nd Generation is the best air quality monitor overall. Temtop M2000 2nd ; Best Smart, Atmotube Pro Portable is the ... StanHoraczek Gear Home PublishedJul28,20221:00PM Bestairqualitymonitorsof2022 Whatcontaminantsarelurkinginyourair? BestOverall TemtopM20002nd CheckPrice Theabilitytotestmanythingsinonedevice,withconsistentresultsandaudiblealerts,makesthismonitorourtoppick. BestSmart AtmotubeProPortable CheckPrice Impressiveaccuracy,andhandyappalerts,helpthiskeychain-sizedmonitorworkwellacrossawidevarietyoftemperaturesandhumidity. BestIndoorOutdoor DavisInstrumentsAirLink CheckPrice Thismultienvironment-friendlyunitofferseasy-to-readgraphsandcharts,Weatherlink.comintegration,andcompatibilitywithDavisweatherstations. WrittenBy JohnAlexander PublishedJul28,20221:00PM Nothingbeatsabreathoffreshair.Unless,ofcourse,that“fresh”qualityairiscontaminatedbychemicals,sootandotherforestfirebyproducts,or“VolatileOrganicCompounds”(VOCs).Eventhosewiththebestnosescanhavedifficultytellinghowgoodtheirlocalairis,especiallywiththepresenceofodorlessgasses,sowhatareyoutodo?Youcouldcallinanairqualityprofessional…oryoucanbegintodoyourowntrackingwithoneofourpicksforbestairqualitymonitors. Bestoverall:TemtopM20002ndBestsmart:AtmotubeProPortableBestindooroutdoor:DavisInstrumentsAirLinkBestportable:SensirionSPS30Bestbudget:TemtopP20 Howweselectedthebestairqualitymonitors Largely,selectingthebestairqualitymonitorswasmoreamatterofhittingtheresearchshelvesthantheshoppingcartbutton.Withsuchaproduct,thecustomersentimentandmanufacturer-suppliedspecsreallymeanalotlessthanin-depthproductanalysisfromresearchersandexpertsthatwereabletocompareconsumer-facingproductswithlaboratory-gradeequipment.Thisresultsinathinproductselection,butIwasabletoidentifyfiveairqualitymonitorsthatIcanconfidentlyrecommend. Thingstoconsiderbeforebuyingairqualitymonitors Onethingtonotefromthecurrentresearchisthatairqualitymonitorsforpublicusagearestillanemergingmarket.Assuch,therearealotofclaimsaboutaccuracythatareeitherdemonstrablyfalseorhaven’tbeenthoroughlycheckedbyscientistsoranyactualregulatoryboard.Withallofthisinmind,herearethekeythingstorememberwhenbuyinganairqualitymonitor: Targetpollutant Inafantasyworld,anairqualitymonitorwouldbeabletosniffoutanypotentialharmintheairandletyouknow.Unfortunately,airqualitymonitorsintherealworldneedtobedesignedtotargetspecificcontaminants.Whileitisneveramysteryastowhatpollutantsanairqualitymonitortracks—astheyarenearlyalwaysprominentlydisplayedinthespecsandads—youmayfindyourselfoverwhelmedwithafewnewterms.Here’saquickmini-guidetogetyouuptospeedonairpollutionvocab: PM:PMstandsfor“particulatematter”andmeasurementsofitareabletotellyouhowmanyliquidorsolidparticlesofvaryingsizesareinyourair.Theparticlesaremeasuredinmicrons,givenafterthe“PM.”Forexample,PM2.5testsfortheamountofparticlesthatareapproximately2.5micronsinyourair.ThemakersoftheAtmotubereportthatPM1particlesaretypicallyemissionsfromfactoriesandvehicles,PM2.5particlesusuallycomefromfiresandcombustion,andPM10particlesarefrompollen,mold,andfinebitsofoldplantsandinsects.You’llfindthatPM2.5isacommonmeasurementtakenbyportableairpurifiers,suchastheconvenientlycompactWyndPluspersonalairpurifierwithairqualitysensor. AQI:ThisstandsforAirQualityIndexandisapopular,butsomewhatoutdated,methodformeasuringairquality.Essentially,theAQImeasurespollutantlevelsforawidevarietyofsubstances,givesthemeachascorefrom0-500,andreportsthehighestone.Itdoesn’tmatterifonlyonepollutantishighorifseveralare,onlythetoponeisgettingreported.Still,thedataishistoricallyknownandtheconversionsforeachpollutantcanstillbeuseful.Ifyouwanttoplayaroundwiththesystem,ahandyAQIcalculatorisavailableforyou. VOCs:Theseare“VolatileOrganicCompounds”andlargelycomefromhumansources.TheEPAwarnsthatsourcesofthesecontaminantsincludehouseholdcleaners,buildingmaterials,andstandardofficeequipment.Theyalsohavefoundthatthesepollutantsareconsistentlyfoundinmuchhigherconcentrationsinindoorsettings.VOCsareabigpartofthereasonwhyourrecommendedfloorcleanersfocusedsoheavilyoningredients.Certainhigh-endairpurifiers,suchastheDysonPurifierHumidify+CoolFormaldehyde,arespecificallyequippedwithsensorsattunedtothesebyproductswebringintoourhomesasweupgradefurnishingsandelectronics,etc. Scientificusage Beforemakinganypurchaseofsomethingasimportantasanairqualitymonitor,besuretocheckouthowtheproductisperceivedbyexperts.ThatcanbeassimpleasrunningaGooglesearchwith“site:.edu”or“site:.gov”followedbytheproductnameortrawlingthroughthedepthsofthe“AirQualitySensorPerformanceEvaluationCenter”(AQ-SPEC)website. AQ-SPECprovidescomprehensivedataonairsensorsafterreal-worldfieldtrials.WhileAQ-SPECreportsexplicitlystatethattheyarenotanendorsementofaparticularmonitor,theevaluationsarefreeforthemanufacturerifthesensorsare“low-cost”andmeetbasicselectioncriteria.Asaresult,simplybotheringtosubmitasensorforanAQ-SPECreportisasignofamanufacturer’sgoodfaithintheirproduct. AlloftheairqualitymonitorsonourlisthaveadetailedAQ-SPECreport.Unfortunately,thesereportscanbeabitdenseandreadmorelikeaPh.D.’sjournalsubmissionthanaconsumer-facingreport.I’veattemptedtocondensethesereportsdownintotherelevantbitsbut,ifyou’vegotanyinterest,you’rehighlyencouragedtoparsethroughthemyourselfaswell. Accuracy&consistency Accuracyandconsistencyfeelverysimilarataglancebutaffectourperceptionsofanairqualitymonitorinbigways.AsyoumightbeabletogatherfromarecentanalysisbytheBerkeleyLab,accuracyisgoingtobedifficulttomaintainbuthighconsistencywillmakethesemachinesstillquitevaluablesourcesofinformationforyourhome. Partofthereasonforthiscomesdowntocalibration,whichlaboratoryequipmentundergoesfrequently.TakethehumblepHmachine,forexample.Backinmylabdays,IremembercalibratingthismachinenearlyeverydayIwoulduseit,usingspecializedliquidsolutions.Nowimaginecalibratingsomethingthatmeasuresair…athome.Itappearsthatcheapcalibrationisontheway,butthatdoesn’tnecessarilymeanitwillbeeasyorreliablydonebytheaverageperson. Theresultisthatwehavetoexpectsomelossofaccuracywhenhigh-qualitycalibrationisn’tfeasible.Dependingonwhatisbeingmeasured,thismightnotnecessarilybetoomuchofaproblem.Forexample,yourhomethermometerislikelyabout1degreeoffbutitisstillenoughtotellyouthatyouhaveafever.Thekeyisgettingsomethingthatisaccurateenoughforyourpurposes. Perhapsmoreimportantisconsistency.Whileseveralconsumer-gradeairqualitymonitorshaveabias,especiallyafterbeingrunformultipledays,ifthatbiasisconsistentwecanstillgetextremelyusefulinformation.Forexample,ifyourreadingforCarbonDioxidesuddenlyskyrocketsabovewhatyouareusedtogetting,youknowyouhaveaproblem. Thebestairqualitymonitors:Reviews&Recommendations Whatisthebestairqualitymonitor?Thebestairqualitymonitorscometestedfromofficialsourcesandcomeinavarietyofshapes,styles,andworkingmethods.WhiletheTemtopM20002ndGenerationisthetoppickforairqualitymonitor,duetoitseaseofuseandrobusttestingability,ourfourothermonitorsmightberightforyoudependingonyourcircumstances.Inanyevent,thesearethefiveairqualitymonitorsthathavebothpropertestingandcurrentavailabilityinthemarket. Bestoverall:TemtopM20002ndGeneration Temtop CheckPrice Whyitmadethecut:TheTemtopM20002ndGenerationtestsforawidevarietyofpollutants,hasbuilt-incalibration,andincludesanaudiblealarm. Specs Measures:CO2,HCHO(formaldehyde),PM2.5/PM10,Temp.,HumidityAQ-SPECreport:HighconsistencyType:Handheld  Pros TestsmanythingsallinonedeviceHighconsistencyacrossmanydevicesHasanaudiblealarmforwhenlevelsrisetoohighTriedandtestedbyseveralschoolsystems Cons Doesn’tworkintemperaturesbelowfreezing TheTemtopM20002ndGenerationisarelativelyeasilyoperatedhandheldairqualitymonitorthathasbeenwidelyused.IthasbeenusedbytheNewYorkStateEducationDepartmentandtheUnitedFederationofTeachershasusedittomeasureCarbonDioxidelevelsinschoolsineffortstofightCovid-19. The2ndGenerationproductimprovesupontheoriginalTemtopM2000byaddingadataexportfeature.Thisisreallyusefulbecause,asmentionedbytheAQ-SPECreport,wheretheTemtopM20002ndGenerationsufferslossesinaccuracyitmakesupforitwithhighlevelsofconsistency.EvenacrossmultipleTemtops,thereadinglevelsshouldbeconsistentlysimilarinthesamesituation.Thismeansthatyoucanpinpointexactlywhencontaminantlevelshavestartedrising,evenifyouhavetohaveareplacementdevice. I’malsoparticularlypleasedthatitmakesanattemptatacalibrationsystem.Whiletheaccuracy,consistency,anddifficultyforaverageusersfeelabitdaunting,thesystem’soverallcapabilitiesaremorethanenoughtobeginwith.Partofthecalibrationprocessbeingleavingthedeviceoutsideforlengthyperiodsoftimeisalsoannoying,butmanageable. Inreality,themainconcernisthelimitedcapabilitiesthedevicehasduringthecoldermonths.Withoutbeingabletofunctionbelow32degreesFahrenheit,thesupposed“indoor-outdoor”natureofthedeviceiscutoffformanymonthsoftheyearforthoseofustoofarNorthorSouthoftheequator.Luckily,in-homemonitoringwillstillworkyear-round. Finally,ifyoulikethelookoftheM20002ndGeneration,butarelookingforsomethingquiteabitcheaper,ourbudgetchoicealsocomesfromTemtop.TheTemtopP20hasreducedfeatures,butalsoareducedpricetag. Bestsmart:AtmotubeProPortable  Atmotube CheckPrice Whyitmadethecut:TheAtmotubeProattachesdirectlytoyourbackpackorbeltclipandalertsyourphonedirectlywhenthere’saproblem. Specs Measures:PM1/PM2.5/PM10,VOCs,Temp.,Humidity,BarometricPressureAQ-SPECreport:Highaccuracy,highprecisionType:Wearable Pros ImpressiveaccuracycountsHandyappalertsWorkswellacrossawidevarietyoftemperaturesandhumiditiesKeychainsize Cons Shorterbatterylifethanhopedfor TheAtmotubeProPortableisakeychain-sizeairqualitymonitorthatwon’ttakeupmuchspaceandcanbeputjustaboutanywhereorcomewithyou.AllofthedatacollectedwillbeatyourfingertipsviatheAtmoapp,availablefreeforAndroidandiOSdevices. Theappwillgiveyouyourpersonalstats,accesstopersonalandglobalmaps,andapersonalizedseriesofarticlestohelpyouunderstandairquality.Youcanalsoexportyourdevice’sdataasaCSVfileforfurtheranalysis. AccordingtotheAtmotube’sAQ-SPECresults,thedeviceisquiteaccurate,rangingfrom86%to98%acrossavarietyofconditions.TheAQ-SPECreportalsonotesthatthedeviceishighlyconsistentacrossavarietyofenvironmentalconditions,sayingthatheatandhumidityhad“minimaleffect”onthedevice’sprecision.Despiteitssmallsize,theAtmotubeProdeliversatahighlevel. OneofthebiggerdisappointmentswiththeAtmotubeProisthebatterylife.Asexpectedofsuchasmalldevice,thebatteryisalsoquitetiny.Whenthedeviceissettotakemeasurementsonlyonceevery30minutes,youcansqueezeaboutaweekoutofthelittlebattery.However,whenyoucrankthatupjustanotch,thebatterydiesmuchmorequickly.Thisisveryunfortunatewhenusingadevicethat,byitsverynature,youwanttosetupandforgetabout.Fortunately,ifthedeviceisn’tmeanttobemobile,youcankeepitpluggedintothechargerwhileitisrunning. Bestindooroutdoor:DavisInstrumentsAirLink DavisInstruments CheckPrice Whyitmadethecut:TheAirLinkismadeforbothindoorandoutdoorusage,providesbeautifulcharts,andworkswellwithotherDavisInstrumentssystems. Specs Measures:AQI,Temp.,Humidity,DewPoint,HeatIndexAQ-SPECreport:HighlyaccurateforPM1.0/PM2.5,butnotforPM10,consistentType:Indoororoutdoor Pros Weatherlink.comintegrationEasytoreadgraphsandchartsInstallseasilybothindoorsandoutIntegratesintoyourDavisweatherstation Cons PoorPM10reading TheDavisInstrumentsAirLinkcomeswithaheavy-dutybodythatcanbeconvenientlyplacedinindoororoutdoorenvironments.Ifyouwantitinyourhouse,justplacethemachineonadeskortable.Ithasfoursafetyfeettoreducethechancesofitslidingoffsmoothsurfaces.Alternatively,mountitoutside(nearanoutlet)andattachtheprovidedweather-resistantcover. Ifyou’reintomorethanjustairqualitymonitoring,you’llreallyappreciatetheextrathingstheAirLinktracks,suchasdewpointandheatindex.You’llalsobehappytonotethatitwillconnectwithweatherlink.comandcanintegratewithyourotherDavisweatherstationproducts.TheseservicesarealsoavailableonyourphoneviatheWeatherLinkapp. Ireallyappreciatethattheoutputlooksprofessionalbutstillfeelsclosertowhatyoumightexpectfromacableweatherstationthanwhatyouraveragelabcoatwearerwouldbereading.TheonlythingIwasdisappointedwithisthat,aspertheAirLink’sAQ-SPECreport,thePM10readingsweren’ttooaccurate.Really,though,thisisjustasmalltrade-offforagoodhomesystemandtypicalconsumerswillbemorethanhappywiththismachine. Bestportable:SensirionSPS30 SENSIRION CheckPrice Whyitmadethecut:TheSensirionSPS30isano-frillsmachinededicatedtoparticulatemattertesting. Specs Measures:PM1.0/PM2.5/PM4.0/PM10AQ-SPECreport:HighprecisionType:Portable Pros Smallsize8-yearlifetimeLong-termstabilityandcontamination-resistanceModdable Cons DrabUImakesinterpretingdatadifficult Ifyou’rewantingtofeellikeyou’rereallyinthelab,theSensirionSPS30mightberightupyouralley.RightfromthemomentIopenedthecompany’sproductintroductionvideo,IfeltinstantlyreintroducedtothelabenvironmentIoncecamefrom. WherethisreallyshinesistheSensirionSPS30’sgreatmoddability.Forexample,someusersaresolderingthemonbikesforCanAirIO,acitizenscienceprojectdedicatedtobuildingacitizennetworkformonitoringairqualitythroughouttheworld.ThesimpleUSBportconnectionandloadsofdataquicklygeneratedbythedevicelendittolotsofprojects.Otherpossibilitiesincludepairingitwithairconditioners,smarthomedevices,HVACequipment,andmore. Wherethis“labenvironmentfeel”reallydoesn’tshineistheUI.Ifyou’veeverworkedwithin-companysoftwareoranynichedata-collectiondevicesyouprobablyalreadyknowwhatImean.Yousuregetalotofdata,butitisn’tgoingtolookbeautifulorcomeeasytoread.Checkoutthecompany’sdemonstrationvideoforanup-closelookatthegraphsprovidedbythemachinebeforedecidingonwhetherornottomakeapurchase. AsfortheSensirionSPS30’sAQ-SPECreport,thekeythingtoknowisthatthedeviceishighlypreciseacrosstemperaturesandhumiditylevels.WhilePM1.0andPM2.5levelswerehighlyaccuratelymeasuredinfieldandlaboratorytesting,PM10levelswereshowntobehighlyinaccurateinthefieldtrials. Bestbudget:TemtopP20 Temtop CheckPrice Whyitmadethecut:Thisbudgetsolutionwilltakecareofallofyourbasicairqualitymonitoringneeds. Specs Measures:PM2.5,Temp.,HumidityAQ-SPECreport:HigherprecisionatlowtemperaturesType:Desktopormountable Pros HighlyaccessibleinterfaceEverythingneededforwallmountingincludedCandoubleasanicedeskorwallclockExportabledata Cons Limitedpollutantsmeasured,butstillgreatforpriceLowbatterylife Consideringthatalaboratory-gradeairqualitytestercancostthousandsofdollars,itwouldseemimpossibletomakeacompetitiveoneinthetwo-digitrange.However,withTemtop’sP20,thatisn’ttrue. TheTemtopP20isabletomeasurePM2.5pollutants.Whileit’dbenicetomeasureotherpollutantsorevenothersizesofparticulatematter,doingonethingwellisquiteimpressiveforthebudgettier.TheP20’sAQ-SPECreporttellsusthatthemachine’sprecisionismostaccuratewhenthelocaltemperatureislower.Thatbeingsaid,themeasurementsindicateanaccuracyofover90%formostconditionsat68degreesFahrenheit. You’llprobablyenjoyhavingtheTemtopP20around,asitisalsoaratherniceLCDscreenclock.Totakeabitofthemysteryoutofthereadingcounts,acutesmileyfaceinterpretsthePM2.5levelsasgood,fair,orpoor.Anothersmileyfaceinterpretsyourlocalhumiditylevelsinasimilarmanner. Whilethedevicecanbemountedonthewall,andincludesthescrewsneededtodoso,Irecommendusingthebackstandandusingitasadeskmonitor.Onthewall,thenumbers,time,andsmileyfaceswillprobablyprovesomewhattrickytoseeclearly.Thiswillalsohelpyoukeepitpluggedintoachargerbecausethebatteryonlylastsforabout6-8hoursonasinglecharge. Finally,thoseofyouinterestedindatawillrejoice.MuchliketheTemtopM20002ndGeneration,ourtopchoiceofairqualitymonitor,theTemtopP20hasUSBconnectivitytoexportthecollecteddatainCSVformat.  FAQs Q:Howmuchdoairqualitymonitorscost? Airqualitymonitorscancostanywherefromaround$80toafewhundreddollars.Laboratory-gradeairqualitymonitorscancostover$2,000andquicklygetintotheseveral-thousand-dollarrangedependingontheirspecifications.Forthesehigh-levelmachines,routinemaintenanceandcalibrationcanalsobecomeregularexpenses.Fortunately,ourselectionofthebestairqualitymonitorshasbeentestedagainsttheseprofessionalmachinesandfaresrelativelywell. Q:Cananairqualitymonitordetectmold? Anairqualitymonitorcanbeamolddetectorbutwon’tbeabletotellyouthatyouhavemold.MoldsaretypicallydetectedbyPM10sensors,butsoareotherparticulatematters,likepollen.So,anairqualitymonitorthatcantestforPM10particleswillbeabletodetectmoldparticlesinyourairbutnottellyouthatthoseparticlesaremold. Q:Whatisthebestwaytomonitorairqualityinindustrialdustyrooms? Thebestwaytomonitorairqualityinindustrialdustyroomsistogetyourdustproblemundercontrolquickly.Atthepointthatyoucanactuallyseeyouhaveaproblemwithairquality,youarelessinneedofanairqualitymonitorandmoreinneedofanairpurifier.We’vereviewedthebestairpurifiersforhomeandoffice,butIsuspectmostofthemwillworkforsmallerindustrialroomsjustaswell. Finalthoughtsonthebestairqualitymonitors Gettingahigh-qualityairqualitymonitordoesn’thavetobeforlaboratoryprofessionalsalone.Whiletheworldofpersonalairqualitymonitoringisstillanemergingone,therearestillsomegreatproductsoutthere.Combiningthemoststringenttestingcircumstanceswithreadycommercialavailabilityproducedalistofexactlythesefiveairqualitymonitors,sowe’resurecustomerswillfindsatisfactionfromsomethingonthislist. Home Commerce evergreen nota reviews roundup Likescience,tech,andDIYprojects? SignuptoreceivePopularScience'semailsandgetthehighlights. LET'SGO