Hands-on review: Airthings View Plus indoor air quality monitor

In an age where we're more conscious than ever about what we're breathing in, the Airthings View Plus indoor air quality monitor is an essential gadget to help with your overall health, sleep, and comfort at home.

The View Plus is the most advanced air quality monitor on the market. It boasts seven sensors, including radon, particulate matter (PM2.5) and CO2, Wi-Fi connectivity, plus a display to let you know more about the air you're breathing at a glance.

First impressions and setup

View Plus looks just like a thermostat, and its minimalist, oval design means its unobtrusive and provides key data via an ePaper display – similar to what you might see on an Amazon Kindle. You have the choice to power the device either with six AAA batteries or via USB if you want to link it to other Airthings products. You can also choose to mount it on the wall or place it on a surface.

Setting up the View Plus is easy, and it connects via Wi-Fi, so you can view all the essential data and compare it over time. The app breaks down these figures excellently, so they're easy to digest, and it's great to see if your air quality is increasing (or decreasing) as the days, months, and years go on.

The device calibrates itself over the first seven days, which is worth noting as you may see alarming results for VOC or CO2 within the first week of operation as the View Plus needs to adjust to the space it's sitting in.

Temperature and particulate matter (PM) readings should be accurate immediately.

Performance

I personally struggle with allergies, so it was great to use the View Plus to monitor what might trigger my hay fever – the PM sensors inform you of dust or pollen in the air. If you live over the ditch in an area prone to wildfires, it can also allow you to monitor your exposure to smoke.

In a Covid world, tracking humidity and ensuring CO2 levels remain low helps you to reduce the spread of the virus. Humidity and PM tracking also allow asthma sufferers to ensure the climate is at a desirable level.

You can even track radon levels long-term to understand how exposed you are to this cancer-causing gas (which is found in all buildings and homes). Air pressure, which the View Plus also monitors, affects radon levels and can cause headaches, joint pain, and fatigue.

You can integrate View Plus with your smart home using IFTTT, Google Assistant, or Amazon Alexa.

If you opt to power the View Plus via AAA batteries, the device will last up to two years while in Power Save Mode.

Simply wave your hand in front of the View Plus device, and it will give you a quick, colour-coded indicator to tell you whether your air quality is good, fair, or poor. The 2.9-inch display is customisable, allowing you to choose your two most important metrics to be displayed on the screen.

Verdict

Ever since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, we've been more cautious about the quality of our air, and at home, most of us want the cleanest air possible, particularly if we have a young family.

The Airthings View Plus is an excellent solution that allows you to view key metrics quickly, meaning you can make small changes in your house, such as opening or closing a window, to see better results in real-time.

There are more expensive devices on the market that allow you to actively filter the air, but the View Plus does what it sets out to do brilliantly.

The Airthings View Plus is available online for USD $299 (approx. NZD $487 and AUD$399) and includes a five-year warranty.