Wave Enhance

The box contains:

• Wave Enhance (fully assembled)
• 2 AA alkaline batteries (already installed)
• Quick Start guide
• Regulatory information guide
• 2 strips of double-sided tape

Your Wave Enhance comes fully assembled. You only need to remove the pull-tab from the back of the device so that the batteries begin to power the monitor. Then, simply place the device where you want it to monitor the air quality. See Setting up your Wave Enhance for detailed instructions and tips on where best to place the monitor.

Step 1 - Download the Airthings app and create your account

Download the Airthings app from the Apple App Store or Google Play and create an account. If you already have an Airthings account, that’s great! You’ll only need to add your new Wave monitor to it.  Your phone finds and connects with Wave Enhance using Bluetooth LE. 

For Android users: Android requires location or nearby devices permission to be enabled in order to use Bluetooth LE. Need more information?  Read more here.

Step 2 - Activate the monitor and add it to your Airthings account

Unbox the monitor and remove the pull-tab from the battery inside. It’s now activated and will start monitoring. Open the Airthings app and log into your account. Follow the in-app instructions to scan for and connect to the device.

Note: Make sure that Bluetooth is enabled on your smartphone or it won’t find the monitor!

If you have an Airthings Hub or View series monitor already set up as an internet hub (plugged in to a power outlet via the USB cable), you will be prompted to switch to SmartLink during the onboarding process. If you choose to Connect with SmartLink, you will have access to your most recent air quality reading in the app from wherever you are.

If you choose not to connect with SmartLink, you can do it later using the Connectivity settings for your Wave Enhance device in the app.

Once your new Wave Enhance is added to your account, you will be prompted to update the firmware. This is necessary. Your phone must remain near the monitor while the firmware is updating - this can take several minutes depending on the connection speed.

Step 3 - Place the monitor where you need it

Because of the combination of sensors it contains, Wave Enhance is great for bedrooms, the baby’s room, or a home office. That said, you can use it wherever you like inside your home. You may mount it on a wall or use the integrated table stand to set it on a surface. Remember that to get the most accurate readings, some of the sensors in the monitor require an initial adjustment period to gather enough data. Refer to Step 4 for more information.

Please follow these guidelines for optimal placement:

• Never place the device outdoors - Wave is designed only for indoor use. When placed outdoors the components can suffer irreversible damage from condensation and other factors. Damage to the monitor from use either outdoors or in extremely humid environments may cause condensation inside the monitor and void the warranty.
• Keep the device at least 1 meter (3 feet) from windows, doors, and vents that might interfere with accuracy of readings for the room’s air. 
• Try to place the device at the average “breathing height” in the room to take the most relevant measurements. For a bedroom, this would be at pillow height. 
• If on a tabletop or other surface, make sure the surface is stable and that the monitor is placed where it’s not likely to be tampered with, moved or knocked to the ground.

Step 4 - Calibrate and maintain your monitor

Most of the sensors inside your Wave Enhance will provide accurate readings immediately - like carbon dioxide (CO₂), temperature, humidity, noise, light, and air pressure. However, the VOC sensor needs up to seven days to calibrate to the space so it can before it acclimate to the space and provide the most accurate readings. 

To maintain your device, now and then you’ll want to wipe it gently with a dry cloth to keep it from collecting dust and impeding its ability to monitor the air properly. It’s also important to be sure that the monitor is exposed to fresh air at least once a week. Do not take the monitor outdoors, simply air out the room regularly by opening a window for a few minutes or making sure that air is flowing freely through the room via open doors.

The Airthings app indicates the remaining battery power for each monitor in your account so that you are aware when it’s time to change them.  For optimal performance, we recommend non-rechargeable, alkaline batteries. You can read more about battery recommendations here.

Note: When you change the monitor’s batteries, it can take up to 1 hour for the remaining battery power to be updated in your Airthings app.

The Airthings app is where you will interact the most with your Wave Enhance. Unless your Wave monitor is connected to an Airthings hub, you must have Bluetooth enabled on your smartphone and be within Bluetooth range whenever you want to check your air quality data. 

In order for the monitor’s sensors to calibrate fully to offer you the most accurate readings possible, we recommend that you keep the Wave Enhance in the same space and move it as little as possible. If you do want to use the device to monitor a different space, check out the tips here to get the best results.

Quick-checking the current readings

Wave Enhance is equipped with a capacitive touch sensor behind its faceplate so that when you tap the logo, a color-coded glow indicator gives you an indication of the overall air quality. 

The color of the indicator is determined by the current readings of the sensors, excluding temperature, air pressure, light, and noise:

   Air quality is good

The current reading for each of the six sensors are within the normal, healthy ranges.

   Air quality is fair

At least one of the sensors is recording a reading that is in the fair range of values.

  Air quality is poor

At least one of the sensors is recording a reading that is in the poor range of values.

To access detailed readings, open the Airthings app.

Look into trends over time

By analyzing trends in air quality, you can often identify and better understand what is causing it to decline. 

Open the Airthings app and select the home where you located your monitor. The latest values for each of the sensors are shown with a color-coded indicator we call AirGlimpseTM. At the top of the screen, tap a time scale to quickly check the averages for each sensor for the last 3 hours, 24 hours, 7 days, 30 days or 1 year.

Tap a sensor to open its graph. The default time resolution is 3 hours - you can change this by tapping a different time resolution above the graph. Slide the graph to the side to view the graph through time.

Below the graph the average value for the selected time window is shown.

Manage notifications

You can receive notifications on your phone when a threshold is crossed and a reading is detected inside a “red” zone. To turn notifications on and off, use the Settings for the monitor in the Airthings app. 

You will only receive notifications when you are within Bluetooth range of the Wave monitor. However, if your Wave is enabled for remote access via an Airthings hub device, you will receive notifications whenever a threshold is reached, no matter where you are.

Move your monitor to a new location (changing a monitor’s name)

After monitoring the air in one space for a while, you may want to move the monitor to understand what’s in the air in a different space in your home.  There are a few ways to do this and you can get more information in our Help Center.

Change the batteries

The two AA batteries should keep your Wave Enhance running for up to 14 months. If your Wave Enhance is connected to an Airthings hub device, you can expect it to last up to about 17 months. In any case, the time will come when you need to replace them. We recommend using non-rechargeable alkaline batteries. You may also use 1.5V lithium batteries (but definitely not 3V lithium batteries). 

When you change the batteries, it can take up to one hour for the battery charge level to update in the app. But don’t worry, the monitor will start taking its readings as soon as the new batteries are inserted.

When you remove the old batteries, all of the sensors automatically reboot. This means that the VOC sensor needs to recalibrate so you might notice some fluctuations in those readings in the following few days until it has recalibrated.

The most common issues customers experience are related to connectivity and syncing. Before getting to our troubleshooting guidance, let’s explain how connectivity works with the Wave monitor.

About Wave monitor connectivity & syncing

Syncing over Bluetooth

Your Wave monitor is not enabled for direct WiFi connectivity. So, how does it send its readings to your account in the cloud? It does this using Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) to sync the data it collects with the Airthings app on your smartphone. The app requires Internet connection and needs to be open and within Bluetooth range of the monitor in order to sync. When syncing, the app collects all new data since the last sync and sends it securely to your account in the Airthings cloud.

Syncing over SmartLink

Your Wave monitor can be enabled for remote access so that, wherever you are, your app shows you the latest, live readings from the monitor. How? By using an Airthings hub device. A hub device is one that connects directly to your home’s internet network and uses SmartLink*,  to wirelessly link to Airthings Wave monitors in your home. The Wave monitors send their readings continuously to the hub device over SmartLink, and the hub device sends the data to your account in the cloud. Then, wherever you are, you can open your Airthings app and check the current air quality measurements taken by your home’s monitors.

Other benefits of being Hub-connected are to use voice commands with your home’s Amazon Alexa or Google Home system, or to use IFTTT applets or Homey devices that integrate your Airthings air quality readings with your home’s smart plugs, air purifiers, humidifiers, and so on. In addition, when a hub enables your Wave monitor for remote access, you will receive any configured notifications whenever and wherever, and not just when you are within Bluetooth range of your monitor. Finally, because using SmartLink automatically turns off Bluetooth, you extend the battery life of your Wave monitor.

What are Airthings hub devices? 

One is the appropriately named Airthings Hub which simply serves as a link between your Wave monitors and your home’s internet network.

The other type of hub is any of our three View series monitors when they are powered with the USB-C cable and not running only on batteries. These WiFi-enabled monitors contain different sets of sensors to take their own readings in a space in your home and can simultaneously be used as Airthings hubs to link your Wave monitors with your account in the cloud.

*Airthings SmartLink is a form of long-range wireless communication, developed by Airthings. It is based on the Sub-1 Ghz communication protocol and it is designed for low power consumption and long-range robust connectivity of up to approx 100m/ 330ft.

General troubleshooting tips

Whenever you are experiencing problems with the Airthings app or a monitor, there are some basic things you should always check first:

• Has the monitor been dropped recently? The sensors inside the monitors are quite delicate. If you drop your monitor or it suffers an impact, this could cause a malfunction in readings or the monitor’s general operation.
• Are you running the latest version of the Airthings app? Check the Apple App Store or Google Play to find out if there's a newer version available.
• Do you have the latest firmware installed?  If a new firmware version is available, you will see a hint bar for your Wave Enhance in the devices page. Just tap the hint bar to update the firmware and stay near your monitor.
• Are the batteries dead or about to run out? You can consult the monitor’s battery level in the app from the last time it synced. If the device’s glow indicator doesn’t light up when you tap the touch button, this could also indicate that the batteries are about to run out.
  
  

When using a Wave monitor without an Airthings hub

After following the general troubleshooting tips above, you might still be seeing a problem.  Here are a few common problems and what you should do if you are not using an Airthings hub device with your Wave monitor.

When using a Wave monitor with an Airthings hub

After following the general troubleshooting tips above, you might still be seeing a problem.  Here are a few common problems and what you should do if you are using an Airthings hub device with your Wave monitor.

• If using an Airthings Hub, make sure that all three lights (Power, Cloud, and SmartLink) are glowing green. This means that the Hub is ready to go.
• If using a View series monitor as the hub, ensure that it is powered via the USB-C cable provided with the monitor (not only running on batteries). View series monitors are only activated as hubs only when they are plugged into a power outlet.

If you’re still having trouble and you’ve followed the troubleshooting guidance above, it’s always a good idea to search our online Help Center where we answer common questions about how Airthings monitors work and what to do when something goes wrong. 

If you are looking for technical details about the product or sensors, check out the product sheet.

If you cannot find the help you need there, you can contact our Customer Success team in the following ways:

• Web chat: Our representatives are available on the airthings.com chatbot 18 hours a day, Monday through Friday.
• Email: Email our team at support@airthings.com and we will reply to you within 24 business hours. Remember to:
  • Attach any photos or screen captures that may help to describe the problem. 
  • Include your monitor’s serial number which you can find inside the unit by removing the back plate and looking under the table stand. 
  • Confirm the email address associated with your Airthings account in case you send the email from a different address.