I wonder whether IKEA’s newly available in Australia USB PM2.5 monitor might be worth testing?
At just $USD10 it may be similar to that included in some air purifiers.
Colour coded:
85
My nearest EPA station does occasionally measure above 36 for PM2.5 – but belatedly and being some miles distant taking this monitor (connected to a power bank) outside has proved unsuccessful in registering other than clean air (<36).
If reasonably accurate might a reading below maximum (“36 – 85”, ‘<36’) be good enough to indicate that an air purifier was clearing high pollution?
How come that the Airvisual dropped in ranking? I bought it in the beginning of 2020 after having read it’s pretty accurate, but now I understand it’s not that accurate anymore.
Also, any idea why almost all the air monitors tested by AQMD were terrible at measuring PM-10? Out of the 60+ sensors tested, only three were capable of measuring PM-10 with 50% or better accuracy: Igienair’s Zaack AQI (69-72%, $3000), Kunak’s Air A10 (60-68%, $3000), Met One’s ES-405 (78-92%, $5200), and—by far the most affordable option—PurpleAir’s PA-II (66-70%, $200). I would expect that measuring PM-10 would be easier than measuring PM-1.0 or PM-2.5, but apparently it’s much more difficult?
I was looking at a PDF summarizing the AQMD results—https://www.aqmd.gov/aq-spec/evaluations/summary-pm—and noticed that a sensor called “Sensirion (SPS30),” which can be bought for $48 online (though AQMD lists the price as $100), performed very well on PM 1.0 (91%) and PM 2.5 (81-83%). In fact, it performed better than the $1700 model from the same company. Is there any reason you did not include this product on your list? Unless I’m missing something, it looks like this one could be by far the best bargain of the bunch.
Here’s a link to the product description. Lots of technical stuff I don’t understand there, so if anyone could be of help, I’d appreciate it.
Thank you for this analysis. Do you have any idea how accurate the other readings are for the Elitech Temtop LKC-1000S+? Looking at some of the Amazon reviews, some people who appear to know of what they speak are claiming that the PM 10 readings are way, way off. It’s also supposed to measure formaldehyde, TVOC, AQI, temperature, humidity, and more. Have you or anyone else tested how accurate the Elitech Temtop LKC-1000S+ is at these other measures? Thanks.
PM10 readings seem to be quite inaccurate according to AQMD, but as you noted it seems most of the monitors had quite low PM10 measurements. Unclear why this is, would guess the instruments are optimized for PM2.5 and thus PM10 measurements use the same PM2.5 optimized tech? I reached out to a manufacturer of PM10 sensors and got this response: “The problem lies in a tradeoff between sensor response time and ability to detect these particles, plus the fact that these sensors only sample a very small quantity of air.”
You show a photo of the PurpleAir PA-I-Indoor. However, the device who actually had the accuracy that you reported is the PurpleAir PA-I, a device intended for outdoor use (and which is no longer sold by PurpleAIr, having been replaced by the PA-II).
I quite enjoy Acurite’s indoor sensor. I have used it outdoors and am quite pleased with its response.
I wonder whether IKEA’s newly available in Australia USB PM2.5 monitor might be worth testing?
At just $USD10 it may be similar to that included in some air purifiers.
Colour coded:
85
My nearest EPA station does occasionally measure above 36 for PM2.5 – but belatedly and being some miles distant taking this monitor (connected to a power bank) outside has proved unsuccessful in registering other than clean air (<36).
If reasonably accurate might a reading below maximum (“36 – 85”, ‘<36’) be good enough to indicate that an air purifier was clearing high pollution?
Airvisual Pro only in the 10th place? Yet they according to their paper, the 2nd gen seemed pretty accurate?? I don’t understand this..
It is best to check independent tests, rather than those directly coming from a company. Here is more on the independent tests showing suboptimal accuracy for the Airvisual Pro: https://www.aqmd.gov/docs/default-source/aq-spec/summary/iqair-airvisual-pro—summary-report.pdf?sfvrsn=18
How come that the Airvisual dropped in ranking? I bought it in the beginning of 2020 after having read it’s pretty accurate, but now I understand it’s not that accurate anymore.
I’m wondering that myself as well. Really contradicting!
Which tests did you see that showed the Airvisual was rather accurate?
Right here on the website, I did a lot of research before deciding to buy it, in the beginning of 2020. That article seems to be gone now.
Sorry, I just found it. This is the article I based my decision on:
https://smartairfilters.com/en/blog/how-accurate-are-common-particle-counters-comparison-test/
Has any org done similar testing for CO2 monitors? I looked at the AQMD gaseous test results table at https://www.aqmd.gov/aq-spec/evaluations/summary-gas, but CO2 was not one of the target gases.
There was a study done in Europe on the accuracies of many CO2 monitors on the market. Check out our article: https://smartairfilters.com/en/blog/best-co2-monitors-for-covid-19-prevention/
Also, any idea why almost all the air monitors tested by AQMD were terrible at measuring PM-10? Out of the 60+ sensors tested, only three were capable of measuring PM-10 with 50% or better accuracy: Igienair’s Zaack AQI (69-72%, $3000), Kunak’s Air A10 (60-68%, $3000), Met One’s ES-405 (78-92%, $5200), and—by far the most affordable option—PurpleAir’s PA-II (66-70%, $200). I would expect that measuring PM-10 would be easier than measuring PM-1.0 or PM-2.5, but apparently it’s much more difficult?
I was looking at a PDF summarizing the AQMD results—https://www.aqmd.gov/aq-spec/evaluations/summary-pm—and noticed that a sensor called “Sensirion (SPS30),” which can be bought for $48 online (though AQMD lists the price as $100), performed very well on PM 1.0 (91%) and PM 2.5 (81-83%). In fact, it performed better than the $1700 model from the same company. Is there any reason you did not include this product on your list? Unless I’m missing something, it looks like this one could be by far the best bargain of the bunch.
Here’s a link to the product description. Lots of technical stuff I don’t understand there, so if anyone could be of help, I’d appreciate it.
Hi Ryan, the Sensirion is just a sensor, not an air quality monitor. Other companies use this sensor in their monitors.
Thank you for this analysis. Do you have any idea how accurate the other readings are for the Elitech Temtop LKC-1000S+? Looking at some of the Amazon reviews, some people who appear to know of what they speak are claiming that the PM 10 readings are way, way off. It’s also supposed to measure formaldehyde, TVOC, AQI, temperature, humidity, and more. Have you or anyone else tested how accurate the Elitech Temtop LKC-1000S+ is at these other measures? Thanks.
PM10 readings seem to be quite inaccurate according to AQMD, but as you noted it seems most of the monitors had quite low PM10 measurements. Unclear why this is, would guess the instruments are optimized for PM2.5 and thus PM10 measurements use the same PM2.5 optimized tech? I reached out to a manufacturer of PM10 sensors and got this response: “The problem lies in a tradeoff between sensor response time and ability to detect these particles, plus the fact that these sensors only sample a very small quantity of air.”
Very valuable analysis. Thank you for sharing.
> 2. PurpleAir PA-I
> Tested Accuracy: 91%
You show a photo of the PurpleAir PA-I-Indoor. However, the device who actually had the accuracy that you reported is the PurpleAir PA-I, a device intended for outdoor use (and which is no longer sold by PurpleAIr, having been replaced by the PA-II).