Conclusion:

So is the Airthings Wave worth $150? If it had Wi-Fi I would say absolutely, but without that, some of the usefulness with IFTTT integration has been diminished. There are workarounds but this starts to become more complicated, more expensive, and more likely to have something in the set up fail. So I think you really need to take a close look at your location and see what the expected levels of radon are. I think you also have to take into account other factors as well. As I was using this device I was trying to make heads or tails out of the data I received and it had me thinking about my homes construction and how that affects my readings. For instance, I have a home that was built 30 years ago. So it isn’t as tightly sealed as a new home, but far better than a 100 year old home. It is also winter time here and I have a forced hot air gas fired furnace. While I am no expert in radon, I suspect that my furnace is affecting my levels in two ways. First, combustion requires a lot of air which is drawn from my living space. Since my home is somewhat leaky it is pulling air through all those cracks and that fresh air acts to lower my readings. Second, I suspect that the circulation of air helps equalize the readings throughout the home. We also run a humidifier, since radon is likely to be in the well water this is increasing the readings somewhat. Now if you had a brand new home next door to me that was sealed up with your furnace drawing in outside air for combustion and you have baseboard heat; I would expect your radon levels to be much higher and not as uniform.



So based on these assumptions, I am very concerned about my radon levels come summer. In that case there is no more combustion air being drawn in, so the radon could continue to increase. For this reason alone I think a device like this is a great idea. Chances are even if you had a radon test done when you purchased your home it won’t be indicative of your year round exposure. This device could help you determine if you and your family are at risk and possibly pin point the worst locations, so if you try abatement on your own you know the best places to start. It will also give you feedback to see if your changes were effective.

One improvement I would like to see in the future is the ability to have the software in the cloud determine the best times to vent your home. The current IFTTT implementation only allows you to choose a threshold value to turn on and off your smart plug. I think it would be ideal if they determined the best time to do this based on radon readings, outdoor air temp and humidity vs. interior readings and outdoor air quality assessment. This would really balance cost savings and health advantages of lowering radon levels.

Overall I am pretty impressed with the Airthings Wave Smart Radon Detector. Neither the device nor the app are flashy but they are fully functional. At the start of the review I asked the question if this is worth $125 more than a standard radon test. For some this might be a tough sell, but for me I would recommend this to anyone living in an expected high radon area. While those cans may be accurate, they are only providing info from a small time window and only in one spot. This device can give you continuous readings, providing you an idea if there are seasonal changes or variations in different locations in your home. Over the long run this could save you lots of money and give you the reassurance you and your family are as safe as you can be. And for those that have an abatement system; do you really know if it is effective? Do you know if something in the system failed? With this device you would. Airthings also offers a Wave Plus unit for $270 which does everything the Airthings Wave does, plus adds a VOC, CO2, and air pressure sensors. This may be a useful addition for those that have asthma or are sensitive to VOCs. They are also about to release the Airthings Mini which doesn’t measure radon but does measure VOC’s, temperature, and humidity for $79. If you already have the wave this might be a nice addition to your system.



Pros:

» Lab proven accuracy
» Easy to set up and use
» Ability to output data collected to CSV file
» Seems well constructed
» Batteries last 1.5 years
» Visual and audible alarms

Cons:

» No Wi-Fi
» Smart venting algorithm would be nice

Please drop by the Bigbruin.com Forum and feel free to post any comments or questions.