It was impossible not writing a review about AirVisual Node as it has some unique features that I constantly complaint about the other AQI Monitors. In the past I have written an article about the app AirVisual which doesn’t require the Node device to function and it shows you the outdoor air quality in your area. As a result it’s time to analyze the Node device.

At first, before even consider purchasing it I thought that its size will be big but I was wrong, its size is just fine. It seems bigger on pictures than in real life thanks to the clever futuristic design.

Features:

• 5-inch Colour LED display
• CO2 Sensor 400 to 10,000 ppm
• PM2.5 Sensor 0.3 to 2.5µm
• Temperature -10 to +40°C or 14 to +104°F
• Humidity 0 ~ 100%
• WiFi 802.11 b/g/n 2.4GHz
• Rechargeable Li-Ion battery
• Micro USB power input

• What I love the most about this device is the ability to function without internet connection (off-the-grid). This ability gives an enormous advantage to the user. It incorporates 3GB of internal memory and a battery of 1,850mAh that can hold up to 5 hours. Hypothetical situations: You live in an inaccessible place without internet or electricity or you just want to turn off all the WiFi connections at home during night and continue measuring the air quality, with AirVisual Node this is possible because the device doesn’t depend on any external server to do its job, it even has a SMB server inside which allows you to access the data from any MacOS or Windows or Linux machine.

• The huge 5-inch wide 800 x 480 display is an other great advantage for the productive users because it gives you independency from your phone in case you want to check the air quality instantly while you are working or studying at home/work. The brightness is adjustable with 5 levels but I wish I could turn the brightness down even more. You can turn off the display but you can also set a schedule when the display should be on or off based on your needs.

• The device can be used as an indoor monitor or as an outdoor monitor and if you give it permission, it will share the measurements on a collaboration world air pollution map. The Micro-USB allows the usage of an external power pack or solar panel in case you want the device to operate for a long time outside.

• There are 4 buttons on the top of the device that very easily guide you inside the menu so you can adjust the device on your needs. There are 3 ways to changes the setting of the device, obviously from the device itself, then from the phone app and finally from the website on http://airvisual.com .

• The measurements are displayed very clearly on the app′s layout as well on the device′s display. You can choose to see the history between hours or days or months. If you click one of the graphic bars, then you see the exact value and time of the measurement. Recommendations on the display and on the app will guide less experienced users.

• It turns out that the device can also measure PM10 and on the log file it registers everything. Exact time and date of Indoor and Outdoor (if your area is supported) AQI(US), AQI(China), PM2.5, PM10, Temp/Humidity and CO2.

Sensors:

• They use the SenseAir S8 Sensor for the CO2 measurements. This is a miniature, non-dispersive infrared (NDIR) and individually calibrated ABC sensor with an accuracy of ±0.02% volume CO2 ±3% of reading. It has a life expectancy of 15 years. High quality and expensive sensor made in Sweden.

• The PM2.5 sensor is AirVisual own co-developed sensor called AVPM25b. It can detect particles from 0.3μm to 2.5μm. The accuracy range is ±8% of reading. It uses a small fan to draw air inside the laser and through light scattering phenomenon the sensor can calculate the quantity concentration of particles. The light refraction is analyzed by the photo-sensor algorithm to output PM2.5 and PM10 values. It has a life expectancy of a minimum of 3 years. AirVisual uses a combination of dust reduction and power saving techniques to preserve the life of the sensor. (The company has put a lot of effort and money into this sensor).

• Unfortunately the Temperature and Humidity sensors are unknown to me for the moment.

Conclusion:

All in all it is a well thought out product with many advantages and some high quality materials which are going to last for a long time. Friendly user interface and with some advance features for the power users.

P.S. Stay tuned because I will write a second article about AirVisual Node with measurements and impressions while I am using it at home, car and gym.