Thread by @safe_breathe

🧵The Best CO2 Monitors for every price range🧵

After reviewing many of the carbon dioxide monitors on the market, these are my top choices, depending on your budget and needs.

Let's get started!

The best overall carbon dioxide monitor.

Probably to the surprise of no one, the @AranetIoT
Aranet4 Home remains the best carbon dioxide monitor I've tried. Besides its price (which has dropped significantly recently), the Aranet4 Home has no significant downsides. It's accurate, has manual calibration, and has a great app, which I've never had any issues with.

The INKBIRD IAM-T1 is also a good choice as it's a well-rounded monitor. That said, I recommend it over the Aranet4 Home only if the price is significantly lower. If the price is similar between the two monitors when you want to buy, the Aranet is worth it. However, if you can find the IAM-T1 cheaper, it's worth considering as it has almost all of the features of the Aranet4 (minus the on-demand readings) and is only a bit larger.

Both of these monitors do well in all settings. They can be left at home or in an office, or you can take them out daily. They both have apps which I've never had any issues with, and, of course, they're both accurate.

Best affordable carbon dioxide monitor.

If you want to save money, you'll want to be wary. Cheaper carbon dioxide monitors often use electrochemical sensors that are less accurate than NDIR sensors and should be avoided whenever possible. Luckily, there are two good, affordable options. The first of these is the Vitalight Mini CO2 Detector.

This monitor comes in at less than $50 and is very accurate - provided it is calibrated correctly. The automatic calibration 'feature' is a flaw that needs to be managed, but it is an accurate device if you do this.

However, past this, the Vitalight Mini CO2 Detector has no features other than being small and ultra-portable. There is no connectivity, no ability to view historical data or any other features you might expect to find on a CO2 monitor. To find those, you must spend around $70 to get the SmartAir CO2 Monitor.

This fantastic device has 95% of the features of the vastly more expensive Aranet4 Home and INKBIRD IAM-T1. The @SmartAirFilters @SmartairUk CO2 Monitor has up to one month of battery life, and it can be recharged via the USB Type-C port located on the bottom. It also has both WiFi and Bluetooth to allow you to export data and view trends over time.

I recommend spending the extra $20-$30 to get this monitor over the Vitalight Mini CO2 Detector, as it's a far more well-rounded device.

Best connected carbon dioxide monitor.

If you need multiple carbon dioxide monitors and want them to report back to a central dashboard, the CO2 Click Model C from @IndianaTux is perfect. If you wish to use Aranets, you'll need to purchase Aranet4 Pros and the base station, which cost hundreds of dollars. On the other hand, the Model C has this same connectivity built in my default (and it's cheaper than an Aranet at full price!).

This makes the Model C a potent tool for offices, businesses, schools and even homes with multiple monitors. You can easily view your data on the online dashboard, which is aggregated from all monitors in your network. This is very powerful, and this connectivity comes at no extra cost over the monitors themselves.

Even if you don't want multiple monitors, the CO2 Click Model C is still a good choice. It's a well-rounded monitor and is even the only one on this list with a dual-beam NDIR sensor.

Another CO2 monitor (well, actually, an indoor air quality monitor) that excels at connectivity is the AirGradient ONE. This monitor is cheaper than the CO2 Click Model C and offers fantastic WiFi connectivity and access via an online dashboard.

While the @airgradienthq ONE does need to be powered, it is fantastic in a bedroom or office. It uses an accurate CO2 sensor and has both an OLED screen and LEDs to report the CO2 concentration at any given time.

Best desk-based carbon dioxide monitor.

If you want a carbon dioxide monitor to sit on your desk, I recommend the Qingping Air Quality Monitor or Air Quality Monitor Lite, which are sold by @SmartAirFilters. These devices are handy because, alongside monitoring carbon dioxide, they also monitor PM2.5, PM10, and tVOCs (depending on which monitor you pick). Since they have high-quality displays and rather short battery life, they are ideally suited to be used around the home.

While the AQM is more expensive than the AQM Lite, both are fantastic products with different appeals. The AQM has a larger touchscreen display, giving you tons of information at a glance. On the other hand, the AQM Lite provides less information and is more minimalistic. However, both send their data to the accompanying (and solid) application.

Did I miss anything? Let me know if there are any monitors I missed, and I will see if I can add a review of them to my website!

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