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Tuya Wi-Fi Smart Air Box V2 Review

AliExpress Reviews: Tuya Smart Air Box V2 Air Quality Monitor With Temperature & Humidity Sensor.

In this AliExpress Review, we are testing the Tuya Wi-Fi Smart Air Box V2 with Temperature & Humidity sensor. This gadget can measure Temperature & Humidity, CO2, Formaldehyde and Volatile Organic Compound (VOCs). It’s available both as a ZigBee & Wi-Fi variant and costs less than $20. This review examines the Wi-Fi variant, but besides the connectivity module their core components are the same.

Technical Specification

  • Working Temperature: -20–85℃
  • Working Voltage: 4.8-12V
  • Working Current: 10-496ma
  • Size: 90x90x35mm
  • Power Supply: Micro USB 5V/1A
  • Communication Protocol: WIFI 2.4GHZ/ZigBee
  • Shell Material: PVC
  • Formaldehyde Range: 0-10.0 mg/m3
  • VOC Range: 0-99.9 ppm
  • Carbon Dioxide Range: 0-1000 ppm
  • Temperature Range: 0-60℃
  • Humidity Range: 0-95%

What’s Inside?

The shell of the Tuya Smart Air Box is made out of PVC plastic. Its perforated all over its front and back of the body, this is to allow air flow to the sensors. My first impression was that it is extremely light. A 5V1A Micro USB cable is included in the box.

After opening the case, the first thing you would notice is that the PCB is very lightweight. Four screws are holding it in place, with the sensors placed freely on the middle (temperature) and on the side (air quality). This is a conscious design decision, to allow airflow to easily reach the sensors for accurate measurements without obstructions. 

The PCB has rectangular holes cut out throughout its layout, again, to allow airflow to reach the sensors and dissipate heat. On the bottom of the PCB, a reset button and a Micro USB port are soldered.

The PCB carries an Asair DHT20 temperature & humidity sensor angled toward the middle of the case. Sticking out of its side, is a KQM6600TA VOC sensor. The communications are handled through a TYWE3S Wi-Fi module. There is no dedicated Carbon Dioxide sensor in sight!

The DHT20 is a newer version of the already familiar DHT11 sensor. It is rated to be accurate up to ±0.5°C for temperature and ± 3 % RH for humidity.  This is a trusted temperature sensor with DIY enthusiasts, used frequently in Arduino projects.

The KQM6600TA sensor is a Chinese TVOC sensor with rated accuracy of 0.1 ppm. This is a fairly unknown sensor, but it may fit the purpose here.

The TYWE3S module is a TYWE3S is a low-power embedded Wi-Fi module developed by Hangzhou Tuya technology. It is based on the well known and trusted ESP8266 chip. Wi-Fi communication will not be a problem.

Integration & Compatility

Wi-Fi Version: Official Tuya Integration

The Wi-Fi version which was available to me, paired with Home Assistant through the official Tuya integration without issues. It exposed 5 entities:

  • Carbon Dioxide
  • Formaldehyde
  • Volatile Organic Compounds
  • Temperature
  • Humidity

The update interval on the Wi-Fi version was very frequent. It pushed updates almost every second.

ZHA Integration

The ZigBee version of this Air Quality sensor is officially supported in the the ZHA integration. It is identified as model TS0601. It exposes the same entities as the Wi-Fi version in Home Assistant.

  • Carbon Dioxide
  • Formaldehyde
  • Volatile Organic Compounds
  • Temperature
  • Humidity

ZigBee2MQTT Integration

The Tuya Smart Air Box v2 is also officially supported in the the ZigBee2MQTT integration. It is identified as model TS0601_air_quality_sensor, _TZE200_ryfmq5rl. It exposes the same entities as the Wi-Fi version in Home Assistant.

  • Carbon Dioxide
  • Formaldehyde
  • Volatile Organic Compounds
  • Temperature
  • Humidity

You can calibrate it’s readings in Z2M’s control panel via the Settings (Specific) tab. Temperature, humidity, CO2, Formaldehyde and PM2.5 calibration are available.

Measurements

To check if the Tuya Air Box’s readings have any merit, I compared them to some sensors I have installed in my Home which I have already calibrated to be accurate.

To check the temperature and humidity, I’ve placed the Tuya Smart Air Box next to a calibrated Xiaomi Mijia LYWSD02 BLE sensor. 

The Temperature reading of the DHT20 was very accurate with an average offset of ±0.4°C. I expected an accurate measurement considering the DHT20 is a respected sensor in the DIY Arduino niche.

Humidity on the other hand, gave an average offset of 8%, so a recalibration was needed.

The Carbon Dioxide reading was completely false. This is of course to be expected, as this thing has no dedicated CO2 sensor! It showed a constant reading of 358-370 ppm. Even when I blew on it, the reading barely moved. This is because the CO2 reading is an estimate based on the VOC sensor. This is a known technique used in gyms, offices where you need to get an estimate of carbon dioxide concentration called CO2eq or eCO2. It maybe good enough to tell you when you need to open a window, but nothing more.

The VOC readings were fairly sensitive to environment changes. I sprayed perfume near the Air Box and the sensor picked it up immediately. 

Formaldehyde readings on the other hand, were a complete inaccurate mess. They barely moved from 0.1mg/m3 no matter what I tried.

Verdict

The Tuya Smart Air Box is a cheap air quality sensor for home environments. It is far from accurate and precise, but considering the price tag this is to be expected.

It’s strongest suit is the DHT20 Temperature & Humidity sensor. Maybe recalibration is needed to get exactly correct readings, but this is easily done if you have something already calibrated to compare it to. The other measurements are an approximate calculation based on the KQM6600TA TVOC sensor. A dedicated CO2 sensor is non-existent and is a computation better known as eCO2 or CO2eq.

This smart gadget cannot tell you the correct CO2 or VOC readings, but it is sensitive enough to tell you when you need to open a window. If you are cooking bacon, it will be able to tell and send you a reminder via Home Assistant to air the place out. If you want to try it yourself, consider using our affiliate links bellow.

Tuya Smart Air Box – Wi-Fi Variant
AliExpress | Amazon
Tuya Smart Air Box – ZigBee Variant
AliExpress | Amazon

9 thoughts on “Tuya Wi-Fi Smart Air Box V2 Review”

    • Yeah, It’s basically a glorified temperature sensor. It can tell you when to air your room at best. It cannot provide accurate CO2 measurements. Thanks for reading!

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  4. Thanks for the review! I’m currently writing a dissertation on CO2 sensing within the built environment and would love to reference this article – is it possible to know who wrote it?
    Thanks
    Alexander

  5. Thanks very much for the review! I was considering to buy it because of its CO2 sensing!
    Thanks, Paul (from the Netherlands)

    • Hello Mathias,

      As everything from Tuya, I’ll have to test it and see. Most variables with these sensors are derivatives os a single laser sensor, they have no dedicated sensor for PM or CO2.

      Thanks for the suggestio, I will order one and test it.

      Cheers

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