Airthings View Plus and Wave Plus: Review for Canadian Homes (2026)
Most Airthings reviews you’ll find are written for US homes, in US dollars, against the US action level. That’s the wrong yardstick for a house in Ontario.
So here’s a Canada-first take. Real prices in Canadian dollars, measured against Canada’s 200 Bq/m³ guideline, from a team that leaves radon monitors on basement floors for a living.
We test homes across the Greater Toronto Area plus surrounding Southern Ontario. We’ve handled the Airthings lineup a lot. Here’s the straight story on the two most popular models: the View Plus and the Wave Plus.
The short version:
- Airthings makes smart air monitors that read radon plus other stuff like CO2, humidity, and dust.
- The Wave Plus ($250 to $320) is the value pick. Radon, CO2, VOC, humidity, and more, all in one small puck.
- The View Plus ($330 to $430) adds a screen, Wi-Fi, and a PM2.5 dust sensor. It’s the “see everything” model.
- The app is Airthings’ real edge. Clean charts, plain-language ratings, and years of history.
- No Airthings monitor counts for a home sale or a Tarion claim. Those still need a calibrated pro test.
What Airthings actually makes
Airthings is a Norwegian company that builds consumer air-quality monitors. Radon is the sensor most Canadians buy them for.
Their lineup splits into two camps. It helps to know which one you’re shopping.
The Corentium Home is the simple one. Battery-powered, no app, just a screen. We give it a full workup in our Corentium Home review.
The View and Wave families are the smart ones. They pair with an app, track radon alongside other air readings, and keep a running history. This post is about those.
All the models here are on the C-NRPP consumer device list for Canadian use.
Airthings Wave Plus review: the value pick
The Wave Plus is a round puck, about the size of a smoke alarm. It runs on two AA batteries that last around 16 months.
It reads six things: radon, CO2, VOCs (airborne chemicals), humidity, temperature, and air pressure. For the price, that’s a lot of sensors.
Wave your hand in front of it and a ring glows green, amber, or red. Green means your air looks fine. Red means open the app and look closer.
Here’s the honest limit. The Wave Plus talks to your phone over Bluetooth. To get readings pushed to the cloud all day, you need to leave a phone or a separate Airthings hub nearby.
For most homeowners, that’s fine. You walk past it, your phone syncs, the history fills in. If you want true set-and-forget Wi-Fi, that’s the View Plus.
Who the Wave Plus is for
You want more than just radon. You’re curious about stuffy rooms, humidity, and air quality in general. You don’t mind opening an app to sync.
At $250 to $320, it’s the most sensor you can get from Airthings for the money.
Airthings View Plus review: the see-everything model
The View Plus is the flagship. It’s a tall, flat panel with an e-ink screen, and it plugs in or runs on batteries.
It reads everything the Wave Plus does, plus PM2.5. That’s fine dust and smoke, the stuff that matters on wildfire days. Seven sensors in one device.
The big upgrade is Wi-Fi. The View Plus connects straight to your home network. No phone babysitting, no extra hub. Readings flow to the app all day on their own.
The screen shows a rotating readout of your key numbers. Handy if you want a glance without pulling out your phone.
Who the View Plus is for
You want one device that watches the whole picture and reports on its own. Radon, CO2, dust, and humidity, all on Wi-Fi, all in the app.
At $330 to $430, it costs more. You’re paying for Wi-Fi, the screen, and the dust sensor, not for better radon accuracy. The radon reading is the same quality as the cheaper Wave Plus.
Airthings models compared
Here’s the quick side-by-side of the three you’ll actually see in Canada.
| Model | Price (CAD) | Power | Connection | Extra sensors | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corentium Home | $200 to $260 | 3 AAA | None | Radon only | Simplest pick, no app |
| Wave Plus | $250 to $320 | 2 AA | Bluetooth | CO2, VOC, humidity | Best value smart monitor |
| View Plus | $330 to $430 | Plug-in or battery | Wi-Fi | CO2, VOC, humidity, PM2.5 | See everything, hands-free |
If radon is the only thing you care about, the Corentium Home does that job for less. The Wave Plus and View Plus earn their price only if you want the extra air data too.
The Airthings app: the real reason to buy
Here’s where Airthings pulls ahead of most rivals. The app is genuinely good.
It shows each reading with a plain green, amber, or red rating. No decoding numbers if you don’t want to. Tap in and you get clean charts by day, week, month, and year.
That long history is the quiet win. Radon swings with the seasons, and the app lets you watch a full winter next to a full summer.
The app also nudges you with tips, like “open a window” when CO2 climbs. Some people love that. Some find it chatty. You can ignore it either way.
One caution: a rating dashboard can lull you. A green ring today doesn’t mean your yearly average is safe. Trust the long-term radon chart, not the mood of the moment.
Is the multi-pollutant thing worth it?
This is the honest question with any Airthings smart monitor. You’re paying extra for CO2, VOC, and dust sensors. Do you need them?
For radon alone, no. A plain Corentium Home reads radon just as well for less money.
But the extra sensors aren’t just gimmicks. CO2 tells you when a room is stuffy and needs fresh air. Humidity flags mould risk. PM2.5 spikes on wildfire-smoke days, which Ontario now gets most summers.
So the math is simple. If you want a whole-home air picture, the Wave Plus or View Plus is worth it. If you only want to know your radon level, save the money and buy the simple monitor or book a pro test.
Accuracy, calibration, and drift
Airthings monitors are accurate enough to act on. They’re not accurate enough for paperwork. That gap trips up a lot of buyers.
Left in one good spot for a week or more, a Wave Plus or View Plus gets close to your home’s true radon average.
But consumer monitors don’t ship with a calibration certificate. And they drift a little as they age.
That’s fine for tracking your own home. It’s not fine for a real estate deal, a Tarion claim, or proof that a mitigation system worked. Those need a calibrated professional device.
A consumer monitor answers “should I worry?” A pro test answers “can I prove it?” Both jobs matter. They’re just different jobs. Don’t expect a $300 Airthings to hold up in a home sale.
One more accuracy note. Give any Airthings at least 24 hours for a first radon number, and a full 7 days before you trust the average. The first-day reading is noisy. Radon jumps around day to day.
Airthings vs Corentium vs RadonEye
The three names most Canadian shoppers compare. Here’s the honest split.
| Airthings Wave / View | Airthings Corentium Home | Ecosense RadonEye RD200 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price (CAD) | $250 to $430 | $200 to $260 | $200 to $260 |
| Extra air sensors | Yes | No | No |
| App and history | Excellent | None | Good, radon only |
| Radon update speed | ~1 hour | Screen only | Fast, ~10 min |
| Best for | Whole-home air data | Simple radon, no phone | Radon data nerds |
None is a bad pick. It comes down to what you want to see. Buy Airthings Wave or View for the full air picture, Corentium for simple radon, RadonEye if you mostly want fast radon logging.
For a fuller model-by-model breakdown, see our best radon detector guide. If you’re still not sure you even need a monitor, our guide on when a continuous monitor is worth it walks through that first.
DIY monitor vs hiring a pro: when each makes sense
Most Ontario homeowners can start with an Airthings they buy themselves. Some can’t. Here’s the split, told straight.
When an Airthings you buy is plenty
You own your home. You’re curious. You want to know your radon level and watch it over time. You have no deadline and no paperwork.
Buy a Wave Plus or View Plus. Put it in the lowest level you actually use. Read the long-term average after a few weeks.
If it stays under 100 Bq/m³, relax. If it climbs past 200, plan a fix. Our radon levels guide breaks down what each number means.
When to skip the gadget and book a pro
A few situations need a certified test from the start. An Airthings won’t count in these.
- Buying a home. Your closing is weeks out. You need a signed report in days, not a slow self-test.
- Selling a home. Buyers and inspectors want documentation, not a phone screenshot.
- Filing a Tarion claim. Tarion needs a certified measurement to trigger builder-paid mitigation.
A consumer monitor won’t do it. - Confirming mitigation worked. The sign-off test should come from someone independent of the installer.
We help Ontario homeowners with all of these. A residential pro test is $99 flat, and a faster real estate test is $399. Tarion claim help is free for test customers. See our full pricing and services.
The smart move for a lot of people is both. Get one pro test for a solid baseline, then keep an Airthings running to watch the trend.
Where to buy Airthings in Canada
Stock changes with the season. November is Radon Action Month, when shelves get refreshed and sales pop up.
- Amazon.ca stocks the Wave Plus, View Plus, and Corentium Home, often with the widest price swings.
- Canadian Tire and Home Depot Canada carry the Corentium Home in store, and sometimes the Wave.
- Direct from Airthings sometimes runs bundles and seasonal deals.
Before you buy, check the exact model against the C-NRPP consumer device list.
Some Ontario towns also hand out free or cheap test kits through Take Action on Radon programs.
What your reading means
Your Airthings shows radon in Bq/m³ (Becquerels per cubic metre). Here’s the quick read.
- Under 100: You’re in good shape. Keep the monitor running and glance at it now and then.
- 100 to 200: Below the guideline, but not zero risk. Worth watching, especially with kids in a basement bedroom.
- 200 to 600: Above Canada’s guideline. Health Canada says fix within two years.
- Over 600: Fix within a year. No need to panic. The harm builds over decades, not days.
Radon is the leading cause of lung cancer for people who’ve never smoked in Canada.
Not sure where you stand? Our FAQ covers the common questions, or book a test in 60 seconds.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Airthings View Plus worth it over the Wave Plus?
Only if you want Wi-Fi, a screen, and the PM2.5 dust sensor. Both read radon to the same standard. If you don’t need hands-free Wi-Fi syncing or dust tracking, the Wave Plus gives you the same radon quality for $80 to $110 less.
How accurate is the Airthings radon sensor?
Accurate enough to act on, not accurate enough for paperwork. Left in one good spot for a week or more, it gets close to your home’s true average. But it has no calibration certificate and drifts slowly with age, so it isn’t accepted for home sales or Tarion claims.
Can I use an Airthings monitor for a real estate deal or a Tarion claim?
No. Consumer monitors like the Wave Plus and View Plus aren’t calibrated with a certificate, so they’re not accepted for home sales, Tarion warranty claims, or post-mitigation proof. Those need a calibrated professional test.
How long before an Airthings shows a real radon reading?
About 24 hours for a first number, and a full 7 days before you trust the average. The first-day reading is noisy because radon swings a lot day to day. The 7-day and long-term numbers are the ones to act on.
Does the Wave Plus need Wi-Fi to work?
No. It reads and stores radon on its own and syncs to your phone over Bluetooth when you’re nearby. For all-day cloud logging without a phone in the room, you need the Wi-Fi View Plus or a separate Airthings hub.
Do Airthings monitors need calibration like pro devices?
No. Consumer monitors don’t get the yearly recalibration that professional devices do. They drift slowly as they age. If yours is more than 7 to 10 years old, compare it against a fresh test to make sure it’s still reading true.
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Authored by the Breathe Radon Free Team. Every claim is backed by a primary source. Full bibliography at /sources.
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