AirVisual claims to be the world’s smartest air quality monitor. Find out how AirVisual works today in our review.
What is AirVisual?
AirVisual is a monitoring system that tracks air quality around the world. The company’s air quality tracking device, the Node, looks like a thermostat: you place the device on the wall of your home, then check it daily to monitor air quality in your area.
The AirVisual system relies on the AirVisual Node, which is the air monitor that’s placed in your home. That node launched on Indiegogo in 2016, where it raised over 500% of its funding target (raising a total of $64,756 in funds).
The air quality monitor tracks real-time air pollution and CO2 levels, letting you “take the first step to breathing clean, healthy air”.
AirVisual was made by a Hong Kong-based company. It’s available to order online today for around $200 USD. However, you can access the AirVisual website and mobile app for free, which lets you track air quality from 8,000 monitoring stations around the world.
How Does the AirVisual Node Work?
AirVisual’s Node displays immediate, accurate air quality data both indoors and outside. You can see the air quality in your home on the left of the display, and monitor the outdoor air quality on the right side of the display.
By monitoring our air quality in real time, you can create a healthier, more productive environment.
AirVisual claims its Node is the most precise consumer air quality monitor on the market, and that it displays real-time PM2.5 and CO2 levels “by combining laser technology and artificial intelligence”.
AirVisual also claims to track contaminants to medical-grade standards, something that’s crucial for those who suffer from asthma, COPD, lung cancer, or high blood pressure, among other conditions.
AirVisual Node Features
AirVisual Node’s features promise to help you “see the invisible and take control of your air”. Here are some of the features you get with the AirVisual Node:
- Indoor Air Pollution Tracking: PM2.5 (fine particulate matter) is the most dangerous threat in the air because it’s so tiny that it can easily enter your bloodstream. AirVisual tracks indoor air pollution down to a size as small as PM2.5.
- Outdoor Air Pollution: AirVisual has official monitoring stations worldwide to compare your indoor and outdoor environments. There are more than 8,000 air quality monitoring stations around the world. You can actually access this information for free through the AirVisual app or website.
- Temperature & Humidity: Make sure you’re healthy and comfortable inside.
- Confinement (CO2): High CO2 levels in the home mean you need fresh air. Stagnant air has less oxygen, more bacteria, more mold, and higher levels of other harmful fumes.
Using all of these features, AirVisual’s Node provides actionable insights into improving your air quality. The app will recommend different tips or strategies you can use to improve the air you breathe.
For example, if you have high indoor and outdoor readings, then it indicates your windows could be leaking. If you have higher readings indoors, then you may need better ventilation because you’ve been running a stove, heater, or candles too long without opening a window).
If your indoor readings are consistently high, you may need to change your air filters. If your indoor CO2 levels are high, then you should open your windows and let fresh air in.
AirVisual Node also alerts you when your air becomes severely unhealthy: your phone will start buzzing to let you know to take immediate action.
AirVisual App and Website
AirVisual consists of two core products: the Node and the company’s outdoor tracking system. The outdoor tracking system consists of a network of 8,000 official monitoring stations around the world. You can view this outdoor tracking information for free through the AirVisual app (available for iOS or Android) and the official website.
Using these platforms, you can view a map of air quality in cities around the world, including a forecast for future air quality metrics over the next three days.
That air quality map tracks 6 key pollutants. The 8,000 tracking locations are spread across 35 countries. North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia are particularly well-represented.
AirVisual Node Tech Specs
- Particle Sensor: PM2.5 (0.3 micrometers to 2.5 micrometers), PM10 (dust), air flow control, and dust protection mechanism
- CO2 Sensor: 400ppm to 10,000ppm
- Temperature Range: -10 to +40 degrees Celsius
- Relative Humidity Range: 0 to 100%
- Display: 5-inch LED wide screen with 800×480 resolution
- Battery: Rechargeable lithium ion (5 hours of standard use); charge using standard micro-USB cable
- Wireless Connectivity: Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n 2.4Ghz)
- Certification: FCC, CE, RoHS
AirVisual Pricing
AirVisual is priced at $199 USD, which includes shipping to the United States and Canada.
The device is also available to order in China, Hong Kong/Macau/Taiwan, India, and “Rest of the World”, in which case the price and shipping costs adjust based on your country.
Should You Buy an AirVisual Node?
AirVisual is an air quality monitoring system that you can access for free by downloading the mobile app or visiting the official website. If you want to take air quality monitoring a step further, then you can install an AirVisual Node in your home. The Node is priced at around $200 USD and monitors air quality in your home to a medical-grade level of precision.
By monitoring the air quality in your home, AirVisual provides actionable insights into pollution and what you can do about it. The app will connect to your AirVisual Node to alert you when air quality is suffering, for example. The device uses laser technology to measure particulates in the air down to PM2.5, which is the particulate matter size small enough to enter your bloodstream.
If you live in a part of the world with bad air quality, then AirVisual’s Node may be the right choice for you. At the very least, you can download the AirVisual app or visit the AirVisual website to get free air quality information provided by 8,000 outdoor tracking stations around the world.
