Top positive review
4.0 out of 5 starsA Marvellous but Limited Device: An In-Depth Review of the Amazon Smart Air Quality Monitor
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 11 February 2023
The Amazon Smart Air Quality Monitor is a rather marvellous device that I recently purchased to integrate with my home ventilation system. I was looking for a way to keep an eye on the air quality in my home and this device seemed like the perfect solution.
While I do believe that the monitor itself is a great piece of kit, it is unfortunately rather limited by the Alexa ecosystem. There are many options to set up Alexa routines using various measured parameters, but these routines frequently do not run when they're meant to, even though the air quality has changed below or above a defined threshold. The built-in routines to alert an associated Alexa speaker when the air quality has changed to poor do seem to be working reliably, but custom routines can be a bit hit and miss.
Furthermore, there is no official way to integrate this device with other home automation systems such as Home Assistant, which would make it much more versatile and popular. Additionally, the device takes a bit of time to boot up when first plugged in and some of the readings, such as VOCs, can be a bit confusing to interpret. Finally, it's a shame that the Alexa app requires quite a bit of navigation to see the air quality and that there is no option to use an Echo with a display to show the air quality as one of the slides.
Despite these niggles, I do think that the Amazon Smart Air Quality Monitor is a decent option, especially if you are simply looking for something to check the air quality in your home and be alerted when it changes to poor. It is perhaps a bit pricey, especially if you need a few of these devices, but considering the alternatives on the market, it does seem like a good choice.
Fun fact: this device is quite an eye-opener when it comes to the air quality in your kitchen when cooking, even on an electric stove! All in all, I would say that this device is a rather clever and useful piece of kit, even if it does have a few limitations.
