Airthings 2960 View Plus – Radon & Air Quality Monitor (PM, CO2, VOC, Humidity, Temp, Pressure)

10 reviews for Airthings 2960 View Plus – Radon & Air Quality Monitor (PM, CO2, VOC, Humidity, Temp, Pressure)

1. 

   5 out of 5

   mswlogo – January 23, 2020

   So we bought an old getaway cabin with a dirt cellar and I was worried about Radon. I also have our main home that I have neglected to test for radon. I have used the test kits but I found they can be wildly off (two tests, two wildly different results). So I needed to test two homes and I wanted to do multiple measurements. I looked around and sure enough they have electronic monitors now. I bought a different brand first. It worked good and said we have a problem with Radon. Turns out the cabin was fine. But our main home was not. I wasn’t sure I could trust it so I bought another monitor, the AirThings. The airthings confirmed exactly the same readings. That was good enough to convince me to have Radon mitigation installed. I was getting readings of 6 in the finished basement and over 4 on the main floor in our bedroom.The mitigation installer was great. He did a really nice job. $1000.00. However, after reading more about these systems I learned that most installers are lazy. They install the largest unit (GP501) no matter what level radon you have and how big your house is. One size fits all. The fan was not loud but very noticeable. After researching I learned most homes only need a 20 watt fan. They installed a 90W fan. Our house is small 960 sq/ft footprint and Radon was not that high. So I swapped the fan out (FanTech RN1 and FanTech Quiet Couplings). And confirmed with the Airthings the level is still below 1.0 in the basement. That alone saves me $150/yr in electricity and I cannot hear the fan at all.So the Airthings confirmed we had a problem. And confirmed reducing the system size still functions safety.One other thing I noticed is VOC’s are way down and CO2 is as well.Win win win.The App on iOS has also been flawless.Highly highly recommended.

2. 

   5 out of 5

   Chels3aF4n – February 22, 2020

   So, I bought this primarily to understand the Radon levels in my house. It does a good job of this, from what I can tell. The install and setup is super easy, by the way. What I discovered is that Co2 and VoCs are the main negative in my house. It is also a bit unnerving to go down, wave my hand in front and see a “red” indicator. Am I going to start dying a slow and painful death, now?!? Do I open my windows all day long? How do I stop this trend? Unfortunately, with hot temps in the summer and windows closed most of the time, it’s not uncommon to see the “red” indicator. So, what do you do then? What’s the best solution besides leaving the windows open? The challenge is understand: 1) does it matter; and 2) what do I do to fix it?

3. 

   5 out of 5

   1%striver – March 25, 2020

   Home was tested by a professional for radon and the levels were high enough to require abatement. Bought the Airthings prior to the system installation and radon levels were about what the professional test demonstrated. Just like the professional test graft, the reading from the Airthings fluctuated. It took about a week for the Airthings to establish an average result.I was skeptical of the device given some of the poor reviews. I now feel the reviewers complaining about the device’s accuracy don’t understand that radon levels can fluctuate radically. During my initial few weeks checking the device, it rained heavily. The reading almost doubled. The levels also fluctuated from room to room. It makes sense given that radon is a gas and floats around the house. I would bet that levels within a room can differ with in a few feet.The professional test average was 11.4. An accompanied graft showed wide fluctuations during the three day test. It did not rain during the test. After several weeks the Airthings average was 13.5. It rained several times during the two weeks before the mitigation system was installed. During the rainy period, the radon level reported by the Airthings shot up over 20.The day the mitigation system was installed the highest reading on the Airthings app was 19.9. The level started to fall. It is day four and the Airthings app is reading 1.2 and has not stabilized yet. Yea!I am so glad I bought this device. I would have had to pay someone almost $200 to come back out to check the levels after the mitigation system was installed to confirm it worked…and without the Airthings, how would I know if the system had a failure in the future?As a side note, we had a lot of barrier plastic rolls being transported through the house during this process. The VOC meter on the Airthings skyrocketed for a short time. I assume it was the plastic.All the other readings the device takes seem accurate, but less important for my use. I wish it also had a carbon monoxide sensor. That’s my only issue with thing. The app is very functional.

4. 

   5 out of 5

   Matt – May 17, 2020

   I bought this for a radon problem in my basement. The app and web interface provided tons of easy to use information. Apparently testing Radon is not a ‘spot-read’, but rather takes days (or longer) to get an understanding of the levels. I placed the device by a crack in my foundation near the sump pump that was know to be a problem (carbon based lab tested). Within a day it confirmed that area was a 7 level radon. I then reset the device and moved it to a much more ventilated area in the basement. The levels dropped to about a 4. I’ve only used the device for 12 days, but it’s serving me well.Things I like:1) radon testing works2) the newest device includes a display, USB-C charging, the hub for easy app / web connection3) app works perfectly, people rating it low may not understand the radon testing described briefly above (and in detail in the app setup)4) very high build-qaulity5) the web-interface has TONS of downloadable csv dataThe only compliant / recommendation for Airthings is to figure out how to reduce the cost. While $300 is a small price to pay to help prevent lung cancer, it’s likely preventing selling a lot more units.

5. 

   5 out of 5

   Michael D. Lee – June 18, 2020

   A lot of people complain about accuracy but they don’t read (or google) that Radon tests are taken over a period of time. You won’t get instant access to what is bad or good. Radon is also effected by weather so if it rains, the readings will spike. This is a set it and forget it monitor and after 2 days it’s shown my Radon readings spike to 8.5 (it was raining) to 3.8. The Internet interface is great, but the App interface is slightly lacking.I’ve used this with just my phone and it was a pain to sync. After buying and installing the hub, syncing and reading the info is instant. Definitely buy the hub if your getting this for a long term. I’ve placed 1 unit in the basement and 1 unit in the kid’s room (2nd floor) and already pinpointed potential radon issues in their room as well.It’s not perfect but definitely better then guessing. This thing is great.

6. 

   5 out of 5

   Dominique100 – July 16, 2020

   First of all radon is no joke. I learned about radon many years ago when I moved to a state/county that is classified as EPA’s Zone 1 for radon risk. I knew nothing about radon back then however the city/county did a fairly good job educating people about the dangers of this gas. One day I saw this big “Got Radon?” sign by the side of the road with a website to learn more about it. I was curious and followed through. What I learned was very concerning and questioned why I knew about the “dangers” of “mold” and not about a RADIOACTIVE gas that was lingering around my house. I think the answer is that we are obsessed with things that have short term impact but tend to bury our heads under the sand when we need to look ahead in the future 5, 10 or more years. We simply like to think the problem is not there because it is difficult for our brains to register the danger without immediate threat (like a scratchy throat).To cut the story short, I bought a radon test kit and the results came back at 10 PCi/L. We immediately took action and installed a radon mitigation system. Learning that radon levels can fluctuate I always dreamed of having a device that could constantly measure the levels of radon inside our house. Therefore I was thrilled when I found the Wave while browsing for IAQ monitors. We have own the device for a couple of months now, so sharing our thoughts:1) This is a CONSUMER GRADE device, therefore users expectations should be accordingly. The value of owning this device is not to have a measure comparable to professional grade equipment but to have a close idea if you have a radon issue (consistent measures above the recommended threshold taken over a long period of time) or if your home is ok (consistent measures below the recommended threshold taken over a long period of time). This device will show you just that. In terms of accuracy of radon measurements, although we have only been measuring for a few weeks, we now live in an EPA Zone 3 county and we have seen Wave levels consistently measuring below recommended threshold.2) This device measures CO2 (carbon “dioxide”) not CO (carbon monoxide). I read some reviews about people’s CO alarm not sounding when the Wave was registering high levels of CO2. Well, these are 2 different things.3) In terms of temperature and humidity, we own several monitors in our home. Wave’s measurements are comparable to these devices. I would say the wave is consistently 1 or 2 degrees above the cheaper “accurate” devices we have in the house. Same for humidity %4) VOCs measurements are very impressive. We can immediately see the changes in results even with subtle things like sweeping the floors or bringing a box inside our home with things that had been in storage. We just bought a few Wave Minis to place them in the bedrooms as well. This monitor has helped confirm that passive and active ventilation are key to keep VOCs levels below recommended thresholds!5) The app works well and is pretty user friendly. We had no issues downloading or using the app in our phones or iPad. Also, no issues registering the device. I think the level of information is what we need and it is great to have access to historic data.6) Finally, this device requires CALIBRATION. The instructions clearly state that you need to place the device in its intended environment for 7 days to allow for proper calibration. We did exactly that and it seems to be working just fine.Overall highly recommended if you want a comprehensive view of the quality of the air you are breathing inside your home. I am hoping 5 years from now Indoor Air Quality equipment will be required, as smoke detectors are today.

7. 

   5 out of 5

   MisterMysterio – July 16, 2020

   I purchased an AirThings View Plus in Jan 2022. I purchased a Wave Mini in Feb 2022. I also have Chinese-branded PM and PM+VOC sensors, one of which agrees with AirThings and the other has a constant higher reading due to the sensor being dirty out of the box. AirThings has promptly responded to my questions satisfactorily except for whether, should the sensor become dirty, would it be possible to disassemble and clean the View Plus laser sensor, which I have needed to do with the Chinese competitor out-of-the-box. The power of AirThings is their UI— with three competing sensors, AirThings is the only one I regularly reference and use. The ability to easily log and graph the data justifies the price. The sensitivity is good, and the VOC sensor is even able to show when I briefly open and close the garage entry door 60 feet away when I come into the house. Radon readings match other detectors. PM2.5 and PM10 match one of my Chinese units that uses a preferred laser sensor, and respond to cooking smoke and hepa air purifier use. The View Plus has exceeded my expectations in monitoring my indoor air quality.

8. 

   5 out of 5

   AmericanConsumerX – August 6, 2020

   I started getting interested in air quality recently and wanted to get some air quality monitors. I bought a bunch in order to cross reference data:-AIrthings Plus-Foobot-Dedicated Carbon Dioxide meter-Dedicated radon detectorI was mainly interested in radon levels, temp, RH, carbon dioxide and humidity levels.I was suspicious of one combined unit being able to do all of these things and do them well.As I compared the Foobot vs. Airthings plus against dedicated meters, the airthings has a more accurate relative humidity gauge,a more accurate carbon dioxide levels AND its radon detector was pretty on par with the dedicated one.I didn’t love that the foobot didn’t have a dedicated carbon dioxide meter and just based its CO2 reading off of VOC levels because, if you’re interested in actual numbers, why would you want a proxy estimation?The airthings measures ALL of the things you care about in air quality and does it well. I also think it looks better than the foobot and actually like that it can be mounted on the wall. I hate clutter and don’t want cords everywhere.Yes, the airthings doesn’t support WiFI, yes, the setup was buggy at first, I had to reinstall once but, once it got going it’s been perfect. I found that the wifi responsiveness of foobot was lacking anyway and I don’t have the need to monitor air quality when I’m not at home via wifi because…uhh…I’m not at home.It’s expensive but if you want a sleek, accurate, all in once air monitoring device I think this is literally the only thing on the market that exists…

9. 

   5 out of 5

   Amazon CustomerAmazon Customer – September 6, 2020

   Tl:drI recommend this product. I believe that it is currently the best on the market and provides a good array of sensors for the price. I have not received any financial or other consideration for this review. I have no connection to the company. Details, positive and negative, are found in the review.Intro: In operation (after 7-day calibration) for three weeks beginning October 2021. Unit is located indoors in the bedroom of a small single-story home in northern California. I purchased View Plus after an online evaluation of competitive units. The purchase decision was based on the array of sensors, acceptable display of sensor parameters, appearance of a good user interface, ability to easily download the data in Excel .csv file format, designed in Norway, and assembled in Tunisia (visible in product photos). I expect that this is the first product that I’ve ever owned that was assembled in Tunisia. There were no Amazon reviews as I purchased the unit as soon as it became available.My primary motivation for purchase was to measure indoor particulate pollution during the wildfires. I wanted a more quantitative measure than the colored indicators on our air purifiers. However, I have since become more interested in the carbon dioxide (CO2) and VOC levels. The inclusion of Radon, temperature, humidity, and atmospheric pressure sensors is a plus.Particulates: I have had an extended conversation with Airthings via the app. They are responsive, although it may take a few days or even a week, if you ask technical questions as these need to go to the engineering team. As this is a consumer and not scientific device, there are cost limits on the nature of the particle sensor. Airthings does calibrate the particulate sensor to a scientific instrument. However, the Airthings sensor is most likely not able to distinguish between different particle size and scattering distributions that give the same overall signal. I had plans to do a cross correlation study with a scientific instrument, but circumstances conspired against me.At this time, I am satisfied that Airthings has done enough work that the threshold limits (green <10, yellow <25, and red >25 µg/m3) for the PM 2.5 sensor are reasonably close to the equivalent limits used by the US EPA and European PM 2.5 AQI. For the data that I’ve collected, there is very little difference between PM 2.5 and PM 1 signals. I have not investigated why. One caveat is that the data collected so far has an average PM 2.5 and PM 1 values of only 2 µg/m3 and only a single peak greater than 25. Since the rains have (finally) come, I don’t expect to have the opportunity to check against more polluted air conditions in the near term.Carbon dioxide: This provided the most surprise about the conditions in our home. I found that ventilation in our bedroom is insufficient to keep levels in the green without the window(s) being open at night. I am looking into ways to ameliorate this problem when keeping the windows open is not an option. When I first received the unit, I placed it outdoors to see if it would read the expected value of about 400+ ppm for average CO2. The unit read about 550, but it was before the 7-day calibration was completed. Over the course of the past month, when the room was well ventilated, I observed readings as low as 469 ppm. The unit will show the increase in CO2 when either 1 or 2 people are in the unventilated room for any significant period of time.VOC (volatile organic compounds): The measurement is in parts per billion, ppb. This is my first experience with VOC data recording. The unit is certainly responsive and exhibits significant signal when we are cooking, especially frying. As there are many different types of VOC, I cannot comment on whether one should take significant actions based on the results in the home. Do fry-cooks have career related health issues? At a work environment, such as an organic chemistry lab, there may be many types of VOCs that are clearly harmful to health.Radon: All the values that I have recorded are below the green threshold limit of 2.7 pCi/L (picocuries per liter). The average value over 2000 measurements is 0.7 and has a standard deviation of ±0.4.Temperature: Comparing the value to household sensors indicates that the temperature displayed by the Airthings sensor maybe between 1- or 2-degrees F high. However, I consider that within measurement error for accuracy given the nature of the other sensors. Precision appears to be excellent.Relative Humidity: Comparison only with household sensors. Appears to be within a few percent.Atmospheric Pressure: Excellent agreement (within 0.5 mBar) with external values (local weather data). Range of data recorded between 1001 mBar and 1022.5 mBar.User Interface (Unit): There is an E-Ink type display that is not illuminated. This is a very low power display and conserves battery. No power used to maintain the current display reading. It has high contrast and easy readability. You can choose 2 sensors to display via the app (Phone or PC). When you wave your hand in front of the unit, it indicates its assessment of the overall air quality (good, fair, or poor) and shows any of the readings that cause a fair or poor result. It then returns to the standard readout. I have not found the lack of illumination to be detrimental.User Interface (Phone): I’m using a Samsung Galaxy A51 with Android 11. The software allows you to choose among several devices that you might have. As I have only one, it displays a summary that is in the attached photo. You can then tap “VIEW IN WEB DASHBOARD” to get graphic displays for different periods of time. You can choose to get notifications via the app, if values exceed the Airthings recommended thresholds. You can choose the sensors for which to have notifications sent. These thresholds cannot be changed. I think it would be good to be able to change the thresholds with the understanding that one is responsible for the values used.User Interface (PC/Web): I’m using an Intel-based PC running Windows 10 Pro and MS Edge for this unit. See attached photo. The graphing is generally quite good. I’d prefer to be able to choose the order in which the different sensors are displayed. It might be possible to do this by deleting sensor graphs (called tiles) and then adding them back. I’ve not tried that. The vertical scaling is automated and determined by the range of values of the data being displayed. The scale cannot be changed, but you can zoom using touch, if your computer/phone has that capability. Adding the historical data (not shown in the photo) will expand the vertical size of each graph and give the minimum and maximum value for the data range.Bug: You can add a tile for the outdoor weather, but only for Oslo, Norway! They have given me instructions for changing the location, but the software for the View Plus is not the same as for the software shown in the instructions. I have made them aware of this. It is unclear to me whether they can and will offer software updates.Downloading Data: The .csv file contains the time and sensor data for the entire time the system has been recording for that location. If I don’t do something to re-start history, the data file will eventually grow to unmanageable size. They should allow you to specify the range or use the range chosen for the graphing display. The file name is also fixed as the serial number of the unit. These are serious limitations given the extra work caused for the user, I consider them bugs.The data are separated by semi-colons, so converting from text to columns in MS Excel is easy.The data are recorded with a UTC time stamp. Since I’m in California, it is easy enough to subtract 7 hours and put the local time in the next column.The headers have a few character-conversion bugs: “μ” instead of “µ.” The character “” is inserted in the Temperature column header. These are minor.The date/time format is 2021-09-30T20:04:28. The “T” separator is a nuisance and prevents Excel from recognizing the form of the data. If they would replace the “T” with a space, then Excel would have no trouble. I use the replace function to do this. Again, it is no big deal, but should be a simple fix. I have made Airthings aware of these bugs.I will append this review, if I find additional information that may be pertinent to other users. I hope this has been helpful.Appendix 1: I’ve added a comparison of the PM2.5 data from the Airthings View Plus (indoors near an open window) to Purple Air data from an outdoor sensor (not mine) about 100 meters from my home. The Purple Air data are shown in the US and European scales. The data are for the 24 hours of October 29, 2021. Correlation is excellent for the main peak.

10. 

    5 out of 5

    Bill BroadleyBill Broadley – September 25, 2020

    Saw the mix of reviews, and Amazon sometimes weirdly groups reviews across products. This is for a Wave plus (gen 2) received in Feb 2021.Works great overall. Unbox, pull battery tab, create account at airthings.com, install app on my Pixel 4XL, and it worked. They mention in the docs, apps, and website that the baseline can take up to 7 days for accuracy. Note that this device will upload data to your phone through bluetooth (BLE actually) and your phone can upload to the cloud. But if you are not close to the device you can’t read it. They have a github (github.com/airthings) if you want to pull data with a Raspberry Pi or similar, or buy the airthings hub (they have a package) which will upload for you via wifi. Do not buy this without A) just wanting to check occasionally from your phone physically close by B) buying the hub or C) planning on tinkering with a Raspberry Pi.My family had been sleeping more than usual, sometimes couldn’t find the right word, etc.Part of the reason I bought the sensor is that I had also noticed the plastic on top of my water heater had been melting. Further investigation let to me noticing the water heater exhaust got quite hot when the furnace was on. Turns out hail damage had blocked my furnace exhaust and the exhaust was pumping into my basement (via the water heater exhaust) and the pressure was forcing the basement air (full of burned natural gas and radon) into my living space.Turns out I was getting CO2 readings in the 1500-2000 range which can cause drowsiness, and I only recorded for one night, I suspect over the last months there might well have been higher readings, sometimes the family would sleep for 15 hours without being particularly behind on sleep.After I fixed the exhaust the numbers dropped quickly from the red, through the yellow, and into the green (see the attached picture). Similarly the radon dropped quickly as well.I just bought a new house and paid for a professional radon testing. It tested at 9.8, I bought two airthings and put one in the room with a sump pump and one just outside. They tested at 11 and 9 respectively, so that checks out. Keep in mind the radon sensors are slow to respond. I paid for mitigation of the sump room and was very pleased at the result, see graph.Recommended.Be careful out there and make sure your furnace (and anything else that burns natural gas) exhausts well. I also liked the notifications to open windows (CO2 or radon), hang laundry to dry instead of using a dryer (humidity under 25%), etc.