Amazon's Smart Air Quality Monitor ($69, Amazon) gives you a simple 100-point score for indoor air quality. This compact white cube sucks in air and breaks down humidity, harmful particles, and environmental temperature in a visual report. It can also notify you of changes in air quality and talk to your existing Alexa smart home device.

In other words, it can be used to trigger smart home routines. For example, it could automatically turn on the air purifier when the air quality score drops below 80% or turn on the dehumidifier when the room becomes a little damp. I had been considering a smart air quality monitor for some time, and I actually used this gadget last week. Read on to see if Amazon's smart air quality monitor is accurate enough to justify its $70 price tag.

I've been through a number of rental homes without HVAC systems to tell me about the air. It wasn't until I moved into my first studio apartment that I realized how much of a difference air quality makes in every aspect of life. From sleeping to working, it's hard to concentrate when the room smells like freshly fried chicken cutlets or remodeling paint.

Amazon's air quality monitoring system is an affordable and easy way to enhance your home. When the air quality is poor, it tells you to take steps such as opening windows (or closing them if you live in an urban area). I stay in an old apartment where they keep heavy-duty sandpaper and wood stain. I have cleaned it many times, but I use this gadget to monitor the air quality at a glance. My room is usually in the low 80s. This gadget automatically activates the air purifier if the air quality drops too low.

The Amazon Smart Air Quality Monitor comes in a compact rectangular box about the size of a smart plug. Inside are a plain white air monitor, a wall outlet, and a Micro-USB power cable.

Once plugged into the wall, the device enters pairing mode. Setup is simple: open the Alexa app, press the Add Device button, and scan the QR code found in the included manual. This immediately connected the air quality monitor to the saved Wi-Fi network and assigned it to the living room group of smart home devices.

The monitor takes 7 minutes to calibrate to the room in which it is installed and obtains readings through the silver mesh air intake on the front. Once the monitor is ready, air quality can be quickly assessed with an LED light on top of the monitor that shows at a glance whether it is green (good), yellow (moderate), or red (poor). Alexa has compiled more detailed statistics into a visual report with graphs.

This can be accessed through the Alexa app on a cell phone or pulled up on an Echo smart display or Fire TV; asking the Echo Show 15, "Alexa, how's the indoor air quality?" will show you temperature, humidity, particulate matter (PM), volatile organic compounds ( VOCs), and carbon monoxide levels were displayed.

In addition to real-time data, Amazon's Smart Air Quality Monitor allows you to see air quality trends over time: hourly, daily, and weekly. During my test, the monitor quickly sent notifications to my phone when the air quality in the room declined. If a guest smoked or my dog used a pee pad, it instantly notified me. It took only two seconds from the time I aimed the bottle of cologne at the monitor until the pop-up appeared on my phone and Echo device.

The monitor not only puts this information at your fingertips, but also uses it to improve the air quality in your smart home in real time. If the humidity gets too high, my smart home turns on the dehumidifier's smart plug to make the room more comfortable. If the temperature in a particular room is too low, it can tell the smart thermostat to turn on the baseboard heating. In addition, my fans and air purifiers are automatically activated when harmful particles and dust appear. This is a seamless way to optimize the air and keep everyone in your home healthy.

The wide range of readings this monitor looks for is especially handy to have when you are cooking or spring cleaning in your Echo. The only thing that would make this air quality monitor better would be if it were wireless. Considering how often I check the air, a battery-powered version would not be possible. Even in its current state, it is easy enough to move from room to room. One just has to wait for the 7 minute calibration process. All in all, this is a versatile device to keep in the living room, bedroom, basement, or any other primary living space.