Best Airthings Radon Monitor: Which One to Buy

Which Airthings Monitors Measure Radon?

Five current Airthings consumer monitors measure radon: the View Plus, View Radon, Wave Plus, Corentium Home 2, and Corentium Home. Prices below are Airthings’ list prices.

All five radon models use a passive diffusion chamber with alpha spectrometry. Airthings says the Corentium Home and View devices use the same radon detection chamber, and it rates them at about 10% accuracy after 7 days and about 5% after 2 months at 5.4 pCi/L. Paying more buys extra sensors and connectivity, not a better radon reading.

US models read in pCi/L. International models read in Bq/m³.

Does the Airthings Wave Enhance Measure Radon?

No. The Wave Enhance measures CO2, VOCs, humidity, temperature, pressure, noise, and light. It has no radon sensor, and Airthings doesn’t list radon for it.

I keep mine in my bedroom, and it’s been useful for what it does measure. It showed CO2 climbing to 1,500 to 2,500 ppm overnight with my door closed, so I now sleep with the door open. I’ve also connected it to Home Assistant, where VOC readings switch on my air purifier. My full Airthings Wave Enhance review covers that.

If radon is your question, though, it’s the wrong Airthings. The Wave Plus is the closest match with radon added: it has the same CO2, VOC, humidity, temperature, and pressure sensors, minus noise and light.

What Is Radon, and What Level Is Too High?

Radon is a radioactive gas that comes from the natural breakdown of uranium in soil. It moves up through the ground and gets into homes through cracks and gaps in the foundation, then builds up inside. You can’t see or smell it. The EPA says any home can have a radon problem, new or old, drafty or well sealed, with or without a basement.

The numbers that matter:

• 4 pCi/L or more: the EPA’s action level. It recommends fixing your home at this level.
• 2 to 4 pCi/L: the EPA recommends considering a fix, because there’s no known safe level.
• 1.3 pCi/L: the average indoor level in US homes.
• 0.4 pCi/L: the average outdoor level.

The EPA estimates radon causes about 21,000 lung cancer deaths a year in the US, and calls it the leading cause of lung cancer in non-smokers. See its radon health risk page for the details.

The research behind that is strong for observational evidence. A pooled analysis of 13 European case-control studies with 7,148 lung cancer cases found risk rose 8.4% for every 100 Bq/m³ (about 2.7 pCi/L) of measured radon, or 16% after correcting for measurement error, with no safe threshold. A 2021 systematic review and meta-analysis of four pooled studies found the risk applied to never-smokers too, with an adjusted excess risk of 15% per 100 Bq/m³ (95% CI 6% to 25%). These are case-control studies rather than trials, but the dose-response pattern is consistent across them. Smokers face the largest absolute risk.

Why Long-Term Radon Monitoring Matters

Radon levels change from day to day and season to season. EPA’s Citizen’s Guide to Radon splits tests into two kinds:

• Short-term tests stay in your home for 2 to 90 days.
• Long-term tests stay for more than 90 days, and are more likely to show your home’s year-round average.

A continuous monitor covers both. It gives you a first reading within days and then keeps running, so you see the long-term average and the swings. The Corentium Home 2, for example, shows its first 24-hour average after one full day, then 7-day, 30-day, and up to one-year averages on its screen.

That ongoing view also catches change. EPA suggests retesting if you start using a lower floor, such as a basement, and home buyers often ask for a new test after renovations. A monitor that stays in place answers that without a new kit.

If a monitor shows 4 pCi/L or more, don’t panic over one day’s reading. Let it run long enough to establish an average, then contact a qualified radon mitigation contractor. The EPA says some radon reduction systems cut levels by up to 99%, and most homes can be fixed for about the cost of other common home repairs.

Which Airthings Should You Buy?

Airthings View Radon: Best Radon-Only Monitor With Wi-Fi

The View Radon costs $40 more than the Corentium Home 2 and measures the same three things. The extra money gets you Wi-Fi, so you get alerts on your phone wherever you are, plus a 2.9-inch e-paper screen and the option of USB power. Like the View Plus, it works as a hub for other Airthings monitors when it’s plugged in and on Wi-Fi.

Buy it if you want to hear about rising radon in a basement you rarely visit, or if you plan to add a Wave Enhance or Wave Plus in other rooms later.

Best Radon-Only monitor with Wi-Fi

Airthings View Radon

Radon, temperature, and humidity with an e-paper screen, Wi-Fi alerts, and hub support. Runs on 6 AA or USB.

Buy on Airthings↗

Airthings Wave Plus: Radon and CO2 Without a Screen

The Wave Plus measures radon, CO2, VOCs, humidity, temperature, and pressure. It’s a good fit for a bedroom or home office in a radon-prone area, where both radon and stuffy air matter. Two AA batteries last about 16 months on Bluetooth.

There’s no screen, only a glow ring, and on its own it syncs over Bluetooth within about 30 feet. It’s $80 less than the View Plus, which adds PM2.5, a screen, and Wi-Fi. For most people, the View Plus is worth the extra $80. The Wave Plus makes sense if you want a smaller battery monitor and already have a View as a hub, or don’t need remote readings.

Radon and CO2 without a screen

Airthings Wave Plus

Radon, CO2, VOCs, humidity, temperature, and pressure in a battery-powered monitor with a glow ring.

Buy on Airthings↗

Airthings Wave Enhance: For CO2, Not Radon

The Wave Enhance is the Airthings I’d pick for a bedroom when radon isn’t a concern. It has a real NDIR CO2 sensor and runs on two AA batteries. Mine sits on my bedside table, and I’d buy it again. Just don’t buy it for radon.

Best airthings for bedroom CO2

Airthings Wave Enhance

A small battery-powered monitor for CO2, VOCs, temperature, humidity, pressure, noise, and light. No radon sensor.

Buy on Amazon↗

Do Airthings Monitors Need a Hub or a Subscription?

There’s no subscription. The Airthings app is free.

Whether you need a hub depends on the model:

• View Plus and View Radon connect to Wi-Fi on their own, and each can be the hub for your other Airthings monitors when plugged in.
• Wave Plus, Wave Enhance, Wave Mini, and Corentium Home 2 sync over Bluetooth when your phone is nearby. For remote readings, they connect to a View monitor through SmartLink.
• Corentium Home has no connectivity at all.

That’s why a multi-room setup usually starts with one View. In my case, the Wave Enhance only syncs when my phone is within about 30 feet with the app open, since I don’t have a View hub.

Do Airthings Monitors Work With Home Assistant?

Some do, over Bluetooth. Home Assistant’s Airthings BLE integration supports the Wave Plus, Wave Radon, Wave Mini, Wave Enhance, and Corentium Home 2. It also reads the Corentium Home 2’s 7-day, 30-day, and one-year radon averages. The View series isn’t on its list.

I use this integration with my Wave Enhance, and it runs without an Airthings hub. Two catches: the monitor has to be within Bluetooth range of your Home Assistant host or a Bluetooth proxy, and it has to be set to Bluetooth rather than SmartLink. A monitor in SmartLink mode can’t be read by Home Assistant.

Where to Put an Airthings Radon Monitor

EPA’s guide says to test in the lowest lived-in level of your home. That’s the basement if you use it often, otherwise the first floor. Choose a room you use regularly, such as a bedroom or living room, not a kitchen or bathroom. Keep the monitor at least 20 inches off the floor and away from drafts, high heat, high humidity, and exterior walls.

If you have more than one lived-in level, a common setup is a radon monitor downstairs and a CO2 monitor in the bedroom. A View Radon in the basement can also act as the Wi-Fi hub for a Wave Enhance upstairs.

Airthings Radon Monitor FAQ