Thread continues to be the theme of HomeKit in 2022, with it becoming a key future-proofing checkbox I am looking for with all new HomeKit products. Currently, there’s only one HomeKit-enabled air purifier with Thread, and that is the Airversa Air Purifier. I’ve had it in place for a few weeks, and it’s quickly become my favorite HomeKit-enabled air purifier.

HomeKit Weekly is a series focused on smart home accessories, automation tips and tricks, and everything to do with Apple’s smart home framework.

If you’re looking for a way to breathe easier, consider investing in a HomeKit-enabled air purifier for your home. These devices remove the impurities from your home’s air that make breathing hard. Air purifiers have many benefits: They improve overall health, are easy to use, are easy to install, and don’t require expensive maintenance. Air purifiers remove all kinds of air impurities that can contribute to health problems, such as asthma and allergies, and help you breathe easier.

Here in the southern US, where I live, seasonal allergies can be a pain. Chattanooga is one of the worst cities in America for pollen. When it comes to fall and spring allergies, I do whatever I can to avoid them. We have air purifiers in almost every room in our house running during the heaviest pollen periods of the year.

Airversa Air Purifier with Thread

The Airversa Air Purifier with Thread is a relatively new device from a new HomeKit manufacturer, but don’t think it’s a slouch when it comes to features. One of the immediate things I appreciated about the product was Thread support.

Thread has emerged over the last year as the latest way for smart home devices to communicate with each other. Apple built-in support for the protocol with the HomePod mini, and we’re seeing a variety of third-party smart home products from Eve and other HomeKit vendors introduce support. At a high-level, Thread is a purpose-made mesh networking protocol for HomeKit (other platforms too) and smart home devices with direct peer-to-peer communication and is self-maintaining and self-healing. A Thread network consists of two types of roles: routers and endpoints. Devices can also act as other a router or endpoint depending on the current network situation and demands. Overall, it’s designed to create a much faster and more stable smart home environment.

I am at the point where if two devices are similar in functionality, but one has Thread, I’ll be choosing the one with Thread. It’s really about future-proofing my HomeKit devices as much as possible. Thread is a key part of the Matter smart home platform that Apple supports, so I want to lean into devices that support it.

Setup and automations

The Airversa Air Purifier is a quick install. There’s nothing to do other than to unbox, plug up to AC power, and then scan the HomeKit code on the back of it. The Home app should immediately add it to your network and let you pick a room. Once the device is in the Home app, you can customize the fan’s strength and turn it off and on.

Because the Airversa Air Purifier can act as a sensor for testing the air quality, you can create a HomeKit automation for automatically turning it on for a preset period when it drops below a certain air quality. In my situation, I have it set to turn on for four hours if the air quality drops below collection.

Wrap up

Overall, the Airversa Air Purifier is my new favorite HomeKit air purifier. Here are some key specs about the physical hardware:

  • Five speeds to choose from, including auto and sleep
  • 1- to 24-hour timer options
  • Child lock
  • Customizable display
  • On/off buttons (so you can use it without HomeKit)
  • Filter Life
  • Thread icon to inform you of Thread connectivity
  • An LED ring that changes color depending on the air quality