Last updated: January 9, 2022
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Review: Airthings Wave Mini Smart Indoor Air Quality Monitor
Last updated: January 9, 2022
Table of Contents
We’ve been using the all-singing all-dancing Wave Plus for around six months now. But Airthings also have another smart indoor air quality monitor, the entry-level ‘Wave Mini’.
What Is It?
The Mini is a little 10 cm disk that drops the Radon, CO2 and air pressure detecting capabilities of its big brother, reducing the price considerably whilst retaining sensors for VOC’s, Temperature and Humidity…
The TVOC sensor monitors toxins and chemicals that are present in the air that can cause negative health effects, such as headaches and rashes, as well as measuring temperature and humidity.
Airthings
Set Up
Setup is fast and simple via the smartphone app and our unit performed a firmware update after it was completed.
The Mini can sit on any flat surface, or use the included tabletop stand for an upright position if you prefer. Cleverly the magnetic battery cover doubles as a wall mount for a third option.
The included 3 x AA batteries should run the monitor for around 2 years according to Airthings.
In Use
Once the mini is sited and settled a simple wave of your hand near its front panel triggers the LEDs to give you a traffic light view of the air quality in your room…
- Green: Good. Air quality is good, breathe easy
- Yellow: Warning. Air quality is degrading
- Red: Danger. Air quality is not good, take action
AirThings say the mini allows you to “visualise the health and comfort levels” in your rooms and it does this using the free Android and iOS app.
For now you need to be within Bluetooth range (ie at home and close by) to transfer readings from the device to your smartphone. But Airthings have a consumer hub in the works, a Wi-Fi gateway that will allow access outside your home. There’s no release date for RRP for this yet however.
Related: Airthings Wave Plus Smart Indoor Air Quality Monitor
Related: Eve Room 2nd Gen Indoor Air Quality Monitor
Related: Foobot Smart Home Air Quality Monitor
As we pointed out with the Wave Plus previously, we prefer to use the web dashboard as the mobile app still does not show the date and time that peaks occur. This is vital for identifying the causes of your poor air quality. Right now, for us, this would be the single best improvement Airthings could make to their system. Hopefully the app will be updated to included this feature soon.
Data is beautifully presented on the web dashboard. You can view a graph of your data for the last 12 hours, 48 hours, week, month or year. Custom data ranges can be set too.
Integration
The mini can be integrated with other smart home systems via IFTTT for things like push notifications and the Google Assistant too.
In addition you can access your own raw data, exporting it to a CSV file, allowing you to manipulate and analyse it any way you please.
Verdict
If you want to measure CO2 you’ll still need to choose the Wave Plus. But if you just need to monitor VOCs, Temperature and Humidity then the Wave Mini is a great little device that should be ideal for your needs (especially if the app is updated with date and time stamps).
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SPECIFICATIONS
- Sensor sampling interval: 5 minutes
- Sensor Resolution / Accuracy:
- Temperature: 0.1 / ±1 °C/F
- Humidity: 1 / ±3 %
- Settling time: TVOC ~7 days
- Operational Environment: 4°C to 40°C, 39°F to 104°F
- Power: 3 x AA alkaline batteries
- Wireless: Bluetooth & SmartLink
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