Topic
8 guides.
A home monitor is a bundle of small sensors, each good at one thing. Knowing which sensor sits behind each number tells you which readings to trust and which to treat as a trend.
A smart purifier earns its Wi-Fi chip with a good sensor and an auto mode you can trust. These certified picks do; we also say which sensor each uses and what it misses.
Some home monitors track a reference instrument closely; others barely at all. Here are South Coast AQMD's independent PM2.5 results by model, and what makers' accuracy claims really cover.
Cleaning a purifier is mostly about the pre-filter and the sensor, and about not washing the parts that cannot be washed. Here is the routine, with the intervals makers give.
EPA's AQI is built for outdoor air and 24-hour averages. The AQI or score on a home monitor is a maker's translation of a live reading. Here is how to read both.
Smart features can make a purifier work harder when it matters and quieter when it does not. Others just add an app. Here is how to tell the difference before you pay extra.
A monitor is only as good as its sensors. We picked the ones with laser particle sensors, true NDIR CO2 and, where it exists, independent accuracy testing from South Coast AQMD.
Indoor CO2 is a ventilation gauge, not a toxin at normal home levels. A good NDIR monitor tells you when a bedroom or office needs fresh air. Here is how to read it.
