We are officially one step closer to making everything in our home smart. 3M recently announced their new Filtrete Smart Air Filter. It can monitor the quality of your air filter and remind you to replace it. But is a smart air filter really necessary? Let’s explore this in our Filtrete smart air filter review.
Table of Contents
Filtrete Smart Air Filter Review
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How it Works
The Filtrete Smart Air Filter has a Bluetooth pressure sensor that monitors the airflow of your heating and cooling system. You can easily see how much life is left in your filter within the app. Once the filter is worn out, you’ll be notified that it’s time to replace your filter.
This is based on the life left in your filter, not how long it’s been installed. This is the main selling feature of the Smart Air Filter: since everyone’s environment and home is unique, some filters needs to be replaced earlier than the recommended quarterly schedule by the EPA, especially if there are pets, smoke, nearby construction, or other contributing factors.
By adding the companion app to track when and how you should replace your air filter, it takes the guesswork out of replacing your filter. Once you get a notification that it needs to be replaced, the used filter has to be thrown out, including the Bluetooth sensor. It’s a bummer you can’t reset the sensor and use it on another air filter, but you can easily purchase a new filter within the app when the time comes.
App
The companion app displays plenty of useful information about how much life is left in the filter. After you put in your profile information like geographic location, allergies, respiratory conditions, pets, etc., the app will show more details, including:
- Outdoor air quality updates. After you input your location, the app will track your local air quality as measured in µg/m3, which measures the concentration of air pollutants. If that’s confusing to you, they also rank the air quality as very good, good, fair, poor, or very poor. In our Filtrete Smart Air Filter review, we found that the outdoor quality near our home was
- Tips for improving air quality. This section includes ideas about ventilation, information about outdoor air quality, and more.
- Filter size and info. Quick: what’s your filter size? When was it installed? While it’s usually difficult to remember and track these details, it’s very easy in the Filterete app where it’s readily available.
- Replace your filter within the app. As you could probably guess, Filtrete also makes it simple to replace your HVAC filters using their convenient Products section of their app. The other option is to click on Buy Replacement when the filter information is loaded up.
- Easily Pair a new filter. Once your new filter arrives, just click Pair Replacement on the filter page to begin setting up your new filter.
In testing for our Filtrete Smart Air Filter review, we found that the app was helpful and very easy to use. It takes the guesswork out of replacing your air filter, and provides some peace of mind about the air I’m breathing.
Availability
Filtrete’s Smart Air Filter will be available in March in a wide range of sizes. The price will sit somewhere between $21.99 to $29.99, depending on the size. The filters will also be compatible with some indoor air quality monitors, although no word yet on exactly which ones.
All of this comes down to the question: do you even need a smart air filter? While 3M’s app has helpful features, some people might not find it necessary if they already have reminders set for changing their air filter periodically.
Don’t buy it if: you religiously change your air filter, memorized its size, and know that your home’s air quality is great thanks to your diligence.
Buy it if: you’re the type of person that notoriously forgets to change your air filter. You probably also forget the filter size, get annoyed at re-ordering it, and want to streamline the process altogether. Failing to change your air filter on time is potentially damaging to both your health and the functionality of your HVAC system, so if you want to make it easier on yourself, then Filtrete has the answer you’re looking for.
You will also want to strongly consider it if members of your home suffer from allergies, or if there are pets, smoke, dust, construction, or other environmental factors near your home.
What do you think? Is a smart HVAC filter: or ? Let us know in the comments below!
No pressure sensor, nor any sensor exists on these filters.
It is strictly a Bluetooth radio which connects to your phone and uses it MAC ID to authenticate your use of the Filtrete “Smart Filter” app.
100% Scam. Intentionally vague packaging, a low power bluetooth radio basically on a filter installed in your furnace, which is actually a pretty good Faraday Cage that blocks RF signals, Thus making them hard to connect to, makes them upvote their power output which kills the battery.
ALL this could have been easily accomplished by a QR code, UPC or 4 to 20 digit serial number that would be scanned by, or entered into the Filtrete App.
Worst yet, we are now intentionally polluting the planet by disposing li ion batteries in the trash which ultimately end up in the landfill…
my deconstruction https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWnJYWHKiQE&feature=youtu.be
Thanks for your comment! You make some excellent points. I watched your video and it was very detailed. I will have to update the article and add a comment to the video with some of the points you brought up. Thank you!
Huey, thank you for making it clear this is a gimmick. I’m a sucker for smart technology & would have paid the extra it it actually had a pressure differential sensor. Video was excellent. Thank you for taking the time to show us the breakdown. And saving us money!
Alysa, I know its not your fault, i fell for it too, as did many people. i found it unsettling and a bit shady what they elude to or infer that these do so much to ensure cost effective filter replacement and clean air, and theyre literally just a filter… the wording and placement on the box is vague. and the cost of the parts is probably less than 2 dollars, we just paid to be beta testers for their app. and worse yet, were polluting landfills with heavy metals and toxic and dangerous li ion batteries…
100 Bucks says we see these in one of those class action lawsuits within 2 years.. hell they sent people checks for Sylvania headlight bulbs because they werent truly blue, this is obvious and intentional fraud.
BTW, i appreciate your reviews. very thorough and concise. well laid out and pertinent.
Thanks
Total scam. I sent them a message calling them out that it was little more than a countdown timer translating into a filtration life. Much like your water filter “life monitor” in your fridge. Of course haven’t heard back.
It’s been crazy hot for months where I am so of course my furnace hasn’t run. Yet… that filter % keeps dropping! Must be the dust accumulating on it. Hahahaha.
Sigh
These filters are absolutely a scam. I bought 2 unfortunately. It continues to change data going from good 70% to getting used 57% and then back to good 75%. I just checked my filter and it was filthy and the bluetooth did Nothing. No notice or anything to change the filter. I am going to email 3M and give them my sincerest thoughts. Disorganized people (like me) are much better off setting a future alarm or reminder on their calendar to check the AC filter.