Thread by @safe_breathe

The best carbon dioxide monitors that AREN’T the Aranet4.🧵

The Aranet4 is the most popular CO2 monitor by a long shot, and it’s deserving of this popularity. However, there are also many other CO2 monitors out there that are worth your consideration.

Whether you’re looking for a cheaper alternative or the Aranet4 just doesn’t quite fit your needs, these are some other carbon dioxide monitors that you should check out.

Let’s get started with… 1/

Some cheaper alternatives.

If you’re on a strict budget, you have one main option: the Vitalight Mini CO2 Detector. This device comes in at < $50, and, in my own testing, I’ve found it to be very accurate even compared to the vastly more expensive Aranet4 Home (check the attached image). Unfortunately, it also comes with a few significant downsides:

- It has a relatively short battery life (around 8 hours of usage, but it can be turned off to conserve battery).

- It has durability issues. Mine has lasted almost 18 months, but many have mentioned that theirs broke after a few months of usage.

- It auto-calibrates, which can make it inaccurate if not managed correctly. Check my full review in the final Tweet to learn how to manage this.

- It has no connectivity and functionality outside of showing the CO2 concentration at any given time and alerting the user when certain thresholds are reached.

This might make it sound like a relatively useless device. However, if you want to monitor CO2 on a budget, it’s a fantastic device, and it’s made CO2 monitoring far more accessible. An alternative is the INKBIRD Portable CO2 Detector, but I haven’t tried it myself, so I can't recommend it.

The Vitalight Mini CO2 Detector can be purchased from Amazon or @DonateMask if you're in Canada.

If you can spare a little more money, I highly recommend saving up for the following monitor… 2/

The SmartAir CO2 Monitor (also sold on Amazon as the Qingping CO2 Monitor) comes in at around $70, and it’s at this point that you start to get a far more well-rounded device that provides functionality similar to the Aranet4.

I compared this monitor to two Aranets, and it had similar accuracy. On top of this, it provides far superior battery life to the Vitalight CO2 Monitor, has WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity, and monitors temperature and humidity. While I don’t view an app as essential, this device is much more convenient to use than the Vitalight Mini CO2 Detector. It does have a few caveats, though:

- Despite having Bluetooth, the monitor can’t communicate with the app via Bluetooth - only WiFi. This means you can’t see the data on your phone while out and about (unless you connect to your phone’s WiFi hotspot).

- The monitor isn’t quite as portable as the Vitalight Mini CO2 Detector.

- You need to have an account on the Qingping app to view data. While you don’t need to provide anything besides an email, I prefer not needing an account.

To be honest, though, at this price point, I feel like I’m nitpicking other than the first point. This monitor is of incredible value and provides most of the functionality of more expensive monitors at a far lower price.

You can purchase this monitor from @SmartAirFilters @SmartairUk or on Amazon.

There is one more option in this price range, so let’s discuss the final budget option before moving on. 3/

For a similar price to the SmartAir/Qingping CO2 Monitor, you can also get the Qingping Air Monitor Lite. This monitor is very different in that it also monitors PM2.5 and PM10, and it’s intended to be more of a desk-based monitor. With that said, it’s still portable and has a battery life of around 8 hours (of usage, you can turn the monitor off between readings to conserve battery and make it last a few days).

The SmartAir monitor is better if you prioritise portability, but the Qingping Air Monitor Lite is a better choice if you want a CO2 monitor that can double as an indoor air quality monitor. Let’s discuss a few of the reasons you might want to opt for one of the other monitors instead:

- There is a short startup time before you can take a CO2 reading.

- The device is still small but less pocketable than the SmartAir CO2 Monitor due to its shape.

- Only connects via WiFi (no on-the-go data transmission without a hotspot).

The choice between this and the SmartAir CO2 monitor might be tough, but I love having two great options at this affordable price. You can’t go wrong with either monitor, and both have strengths.

Now that we’ve covered the cheaper monitors, let’s discuss a different category. What if you’re looking for a CO2 monitor to use only in your home? In that case, portability doesn’t matter. 4/

For a desk-based monitor, I would have previously recommended the Qingping Air Monitor (not the Qingping Air Monitor Lite, which we just discussed). However, I now believe the @airgradienthq AirGradient ONE is the best device in this category.

This device has no internal battery and needs a constant USB connection. However, it monitors PM1, PM2.5, PM10, VOCs, NOx, CO2, temperature, and humidity, making it a well-rounded indoor air quality monitor.

On top of this, it has excellent connectivity and is priced much lower than much of the competition (especially if you opt for the easy-to-assemble DIY kit). The CO2 sensor is an accurate Senseair S8 and is ready to inform you when better ventilation is necessary. Really, there’s only one big downside to this device:

- It’s not portable at all (no internal battery and large size).

Of course, that’s not the intention of this product, and it’s clearly meant to be mounted on a wall or sat on a desk or table. At this job, it excels.

The CO2 Click Model C is another great home/office-based CO2 monitor, but I’ve included that later in this thread as the new version of the Model C feels closer to an Aranet competitor than an indoor CO2 monitor.

With that said, let’s get into the final category on this list… 5/

Direct competitors to the Aranet4 Home. As you may have already guessed, the first of these is the INKBIRD IAM-T1.

When I first reviewed the IAM-T1, it was going for around $100, and it was a great offer due to it offering the same feature set as the Aranet (minus on-demand readings), and it was significantly cheaper than the $180 price tag of the Aranet at the time.

However, since then, the Aranet has dropped to $160, and the launch promotion of the IAM-T1 has seen it fall back to its $160 price tag. This means the two devices are the same price, and at this time, I can’t recommend the IAM-T1 for a few reasons:

- The IAM-T1 is larger (not quite as portable).

- Lacks a few of the features of the Aranet4, such as on-demand readings.

- Has an app which some people have privacy concerns about.

So, why is it on this list if I don’t currently recommend this monitor? Well, I still think it’s a great CO2 monitor; I don’t think it is as good as the Aranet4 when they’re the same price.

With that said, sales can drop the price of the IAM-T1, and in these situations, the IAM-T1 is an excellent offer. If it’s on sale for < $120, this monitor is worth considering.

What if you want something that offers more features than the Aranet4? Look no further than… 6/

The CO2 Click Model C by @IndianaTux. I initially reviewed the first version of the Model C, which offered some portability, but the battery life was limited. Since then, a new version has been released with improved battery life of almost 40 hours. Of course, the device can be turned off to conserve the battery when not in use. The best part? If you purchased a Model C Gen 1, you can send it back to be upgraded for a fee.

The Model C has a few advantages over the Aranet4 Home as it uses a dual-beam NDIR sensor and a robust online dashboard which stores up to 4 years of data. This monitor is also perfect for businesses or schools that need to aggregate data from multiple monitors (for this, you would need the Aranet4 PRO and Base Station).

While the Model C has a few distinct advantages over the Aranet4, there are a few drawbacks, too.

- No accompanying app. While there is a cloud dashboard (accessed through your browser), there is no Bluetooth connectivity or app.

- The control wheel can be a bit frustrating to use sometimes, as it doesn’t always respond.

- Only supports 2.4 GHz WiFi. This won’t be an issue for most people, but it’s something to remember.

Overall, the Model C is a great option for anyone wanting the best accuracy. This feels like the ‘enthusiast’ CO2 monitor, and while it’s portable and can be used individually, I believe this monitor would excel in settings that require multiple monitors.

That wraps up this list, but if you’re interested in any monitor on this list, read on to learn more… 7/

While there are other carbon dioxide monitors on the market, these are the best I’ve tried.

One monitor I’m looking forward to reviewing is the CO2Click Model F, which promises to be a cheaper, simpler (compared to the Model C) CO2 monitor with great accuracy.

If you want to learn more about any monitor on this list, you can find a detailed comparison of the monitors and individual reviews at the link below.

These dive into all the details of each monitor and, in some cases, will even allow you to save a bit if you purchase any of the monitors on this list.

breathesafeair.com/carbon-dioxide…

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