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Guide

How to Build a Whole-Home Air Quality Monitoring Setup

A whole-home setup is not ten identical monitors. It is a CO₂ sensor where people sleep and work, a particle sensor where they cook, radon on the lowest floor, an outdoor reference, and a dashboard that ties them together and switches the fan and purifier.

By the Akermin Editorial Team · 3 min read

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Build a whole-home setup by mapping pollutants to rooms and placing one appropriate sensor per zone: NDIR CO₂ in the main bedroom and the main living or working space; a laser PM2.5 sensor in the room adjoining the kitchen; humidity wherever damp is a concern; radon on the lowest occupied floor; and an outdoor PM2.5 reference. Bring them to one dashboard, either by staying with one maker or through a home-automation platform, and automate the two responses that work: a purifier on PM2.5 and ventilation on CO₂. Calibrate CO₂ units outdoors quarterly.

Step 1: Map the house

Zone Main problem Sensor
Main bedroom Overnight CO₂, humidity CO₂ with humidity; battery, no glow
Other bedrooms Same CO₂ if budget allows; otherwise a portable survey
Living room / home office Daytime CO₂ CO₂ logger, plug-in, Wi-Fi
Kitchen and adjoining room Cooking PM2.5, gas CO₂ PM2.5 monitor in the adjoining room; CO alarm in the kitchen
Basement / ground floor Radon, damp Radon monitor; humidity logger
Bathroom, laundry Humidity Humidity logger or the extract fan’s humidistat
Outside Reference for ventilation decisions Outdoor PM2.5 unit or a nearby public sensor

The reasoning is in how to choose an indoor air quality monitor.

Step 2: Choose the ecosystem

  • Single maker: Airthings (View Plus, Wave, Corentium) or Govee (H5140 CO₂, H5106 PM2.5, purifiers) give one app and dashboard with no integration work.
  • Mixed makers via a hub: Home Assistant, HomeKit or Matter bring different brands together. More setup; more choice; data stays local.
  • Whatever you choose, confirm each device exports data; see how to choose an air quality data logger.

Step 3: Automate what responds

  • PM2.5 → purifier: on high above about 35 µg/m³, back to low below 12. See using a monitor with a purifier.
  • CO₂ → ventilation: a bathroom or MVHR boost fan, a window actuator, or a notification to open a door, above 1,000 ppm.
  • Humidity → dehumidifier or extract fan: above 60 percent.
  • Outdoor PM2.5 → windows: a notification when outdoor air is cleaner than indoor and CO₂ is high.

Radon and VOC inform longer-term decisions (mitigation, source removal) rather than minute-to-minute automation.

Step 4: Place and calibrate

Follow the placement rules for each sensor: breathing height, away from people, vents and sources for CO₂; away from the purifier outlet for PM2.5; lowest floor for radon. Take every CO₂ unit outdoors together once a quarter and calibrate any that read outside 400 to 450 ppm. See how to place a CO₂ monitor and automatic baseline calibration.

Example configurations

Budget Setup
Starter One battery CO₂ monitor carried between rooms; one PM2.5 monitor near the kitchen
Standard CO₂ in main bedroom and living space; PM2.5 near the kitchen; radon on the lowest floor; purifier automation
Complete Airthings View Plus in the living space (CO₂, PM, VOC, radon); CO₂ in every bedroom; PM2.5 near the kitchen; outdoor reference; humidity loggers in bathroom and basement; Home Assistant dashboard with purifier and fan automation

Phasing

Start with CO₂ in the bedroom; it produces the most surprising and fixable result. Add PM2.5 near the kitchen next. Then radon if the home has a basement or ground-floor bedrooms. Build the dashboard once there are three units. Monitors for each role are compared in best CO₂ monitors and best air quality monitors.

Airthings 2960 View Plus - Battery Powered Radon & Air Quality Monitor (PM, CO2, VOC, Humidity, Temp, Pressure)

Airthings 2960 View Plus - Battery Powered Radon & Air

View on Amazon
GoveeLife Smart Air Quality Monitor CO2 Detector H5140, Display & Alarm

GoveeLife Smart Air Quality Monitor CO2 Detector H5140, Display &

View on Amazon
GoveeLife Smart Air Quality Monitor with PM2.5 H5106, LED Display Wired

GoveeLife Smart Air Quality Monitor with PM2.5 H5106, LED Display

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Airthings 325 Corentium Home 2 Smart Digital Radon Detector - Portable and Easy-to-use Radon Testing with Bluetooth connectivity and Humidity & Temperature Sensors

Airthings 325 Corentium Home 2 Smart Digital Radon Detector -

View on Amazon

Products shown because their documented specifications fit this guide. Price and availability are on Amazon and can change.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many air quality monitors does a house need?

Typically three to five: CO₂ in the main bedroom and the main living or working space, PM2.5 in or near the kitchen, radon on the lowest occupied floor, and optionally an outdoor reference. Add CO₂ per bedroom if budget allows.

Should all monitors be from one brand?

One brand gives one dashboard with no effort. Mixed brands can be combined in Home Assistant or similar, which takes setup but avoids being locked to a single ecosystem.

What should the monitors automate?

A purifier on PM2.5, and where possible a ventilation fan or window actuator on CO₂. Humidity can trigger a dehumidifier. Radon and VOC are for information and long-term decisions.

Affiliate disclosure: Akermin earns a commission from qualifying Amazon purchases made through links on this page. Our editorial picks are based on documented specifications and owner feedback, not commissions.