Homeownership carries many responsibilities, not the least of which is ensuring that your home is a safe, healthy place for you and your family.
Indoor air quality is one of the most important things to maintain and also one of the trickiest. While adding an air purifier or purification system helps remove allergens and particulate matter, such as dust, pet dander, smoke, and more, from the air you breathe daily, some air quality factors aren't easily identified and tracked.
Thankfully, air quality monitors designed for bedrooms and living spaces, like the Airthings Wave Enhance, make it easier to track commonly overlooked indoor air quality issues, such as carbon dioxide levels and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). To give readers an inside look at how the Wave Enhance works, Sylvane's product experts tested it in our homes for a few weeks—the results speak for themselves.
The Big Picture
No more guessing games when it comes to the breakdown of your indoor air quality, thanks to the Airthings Wave Enhance. This deceptively simple device monitors your home's air quality with five air quality sensors that track carbon dioxide, airborne chemicals (VOCs), temperature, humidity, and air pressure. It also detects temperature, light, and ambient noise, which is especially helpful if you're having trouble sleeping, as tracking these factors can help pinpoint interruptions in your sleep cycle.
Stand-Out Features
Accurate Detection
Just how accurate is an Airthings air quality monitor? Well, when Sylvane's Content Manager, Alex Popp, took the Airthings Wave Enhance home with him to test, there was a surprising result.
After setting up the Wave Enhance in the bedroom, Popp quickly learned something new and unexpected.
“It immediately started showing that the C02 levels on our second floor were consistently way too high,” he said. “My wife and I had never had our home's air quality tested because we haven't had any issues, so this was very surprising and, honestly, a little scary. After monitoring for a few weeks, the trend continued, showing us that our indoor air wasn't properly ventilated and replaced with fresh air. We've since started upgrading our ventilation system, so everything turned out okay, but I'm still just amazed the problem was as bad as it was without us knowing.”
Thanks to the carbon dioxide sensor in the Airthings Wave Enhance, Popp and his family are now safe and breathing healthy air again.
Easy Setup
The Airthings app is quick to download and set up with the Airthings sensor and Bluetooth connectivity. The sensor includes two command strips if you want to hang it on the wall. Alternatively, you can open the battery cover to access the kickstand and set it on a table or other surface.
Since it is battery-powered, there is no cord to worry about or a constant search for an available outlet
Organized Data at Your Fingertips
When you open the app, a list of all sensors and devices greets you for easy management. Select one to delve deeper, and you'll see the current ratings for VOCs and carbon dioxide. It also displays the current humidity, temperature, pressure, ambient noise, and light. You can access historical data for each category to view a chart of the past 24 hours, 7 days, 30 days, and a year.
With color-coordinated results, air quality checks are fast, easy, and accessible to monitor activity spikes at any time.
Smarthome Incorporation
For smart home integration, this indoor air quality monitor connects to an Airthings View series monitor for instant access to your data. Then, you can use Google Assistant, Homey, Amazon Alexa, or IFTTT to establish personalized routines.
Full Data Access
If you don't have a smartphone or want a more detailed view of everything in one place, you can use a web browser-based dashboard to view all of the historical data from your Airthings devices. Select the device you want to examine, and the detailed and customizable dashboard will appear first. You can customize which sensor graphs are displayed at a glance and even resize and order the tiles to fit your preferences.
Lightweight
The command strips included with the Enhance make it easy to mount this feather-light monitor to the wall. For the best results, it should be placed at breathing height to get the most accurate data.
“Just Okay” Features
Dedicate Time for Setup
Once you've unpacked the Airthings Wave Enhance, you must keep your smartphone close for the connecting sync. This process can take a little time, so prepare to leave your phone beside the Enhance and find something else to do during the process.
Notifications Aren't The Best
While the app and web dashboard are always accessible, you do have to go looking for any information - the push notifications are pretty much nonexistent.
Popp confirmed his experience was similar.
“I expected to constantly get real-time updates and information about air quality after setting up the Wave Enhance,” he said. “But even with all the notification settings turned on, I don't think I've gotten one update without opening the app and looking for myself. This might be due to the limits of Bluetooth, the range of my phone, or how the Wave Enhance syncs with the app, but it speaks to a larger downside for forgetful folks who might not regularly stop to update and use the sensor.”
FAQs About the Airthings Wave Enhance
Does Airthings really work?
Yes, we have tested the Airthings Wave Enhance monitor and found accurate results, to the point that we needed a professional's assistance to address a high CO2 level. Other higher-level readings have lined up with abnormal factors, like smoke from stove-top cooking increasing the VOCs in the air or having a group of people over, resulting in a high level of CO2.
Where should Airthings sensors be placed?
Because the Airthings Wave Enhance tracks airborne factors that affect sleep quality and focus, bedrooms and home offices are ideal locations to place the monitor. The matte-white, minimalistic design does not have blinking lights, making it silent and discreet.
How long do Airthings last?
The battery life for the Airthings Wave Enhance varies depending on connectivity. When used with an Airthings SmartLink with a hub connection, the batteries last up to 17 months. If you connect using Bluetooth, they can last up to 14 months.
Where should I put my Airthings radon detector?
Place your Airthings Wave Radon detector in the room where you want to measure the air quality, such as a bedroom, nursery, or living room. For the most accurate results, place it at “breathing height” and on a stable surface that won't be moved or knocked to the ground. It also needs to be at least three feet away from any doors, windows, and vents that may otherwise affect the readings with the airflow.
Is the Airthings Wave Enhance Air Quality Monitor Right for My Home?
For the average homeowner who may know next to nothing about their indoor air quality, the Airthings Wave Enhance is a great tool for learning what is in their air and tracking air quality over time. With all the data it offers at a moment's notice, whether through the smartphone app or web browser, homeowners are sure to spot indoor air quality issues before they become a problem and have greater peace of mind in their homes.
If you have other questions about air quality monitoring, contact our product experts at 1-800-934-9194. Want to know more about testing your indoor air quality? Check out Sylvane's FAQs About Indoor Air Quality and Testing, and read more about Sylvane's 25 years of air quality and comfort experience.
