The AirVersa Purelle air purifier boasts exclusive support for Apple HomeKit and benefits from unique support for Thread connectivity. Purelle is one of the smaller air purifiers on the market. Suitable for rooms up to 300 square feet, it is just over 13 inches tall and less than nine inches square. It has a sleek, all-white look with a simple AirVersa logo on the front. The front and rear are solid, although the sides are home to slotted intake vents.

Display on the Purelle air purifier

There is a round display on top that is touch sensitive for manual operation. It can display a numerical value of the room's VOCs. If you don't want to interpret the value, an LED backlight shines around behind the display in different colors that are representative of how good the air quality is. If the air quality is excellent, it will be displayed in green. If it's bad, it will show up in red. This is a quick and visual way to determine the air quality in the room at a glance. There is a child lock for households with children to prevent accidental touch, and it can be dimmed at night.

Bottom of the Purelle air purifier

To replace the filters, you can reach them from the bottom. When you turn it over, there are four silicone feet and a round lid in the middle. The handle is slightly larger than a tennis ball. When you turn it, the entire bottom comes loose. Opening the bottom of the air purifier, there are two filters in the Purelle air purifier, each with three stages. Large particles are blocked before small particles and activated carbon traps odors. The HEPA filter removes 99.97% of airborne pollutants, as small as 0.3 microns. The filters pull off with small tabs and cost about $25 for a replacement pair.

Connecting to Thread

One of Purelle's distinguishing features is its support for Thread. All other HomeKit air purifiers connect via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, each with pros and cons. With Wi-Fi, you get a persistent and reliable signal if you have a strong Wi-Fi signal where the air purifier is located. Bluetooth is nice because it uses much less energy, but you have to have your device or Home Hub within range to operate it. Thread, on the other hand, is desirable because it can create a self-healing mesh network throughout the home and communicate in remote areas without Wi-Fi strength. This can act as a Thread router, repeating the signal and expanding your Thread network. For example, the Purelle air purifier can connect to a Nanoleaf Essentials light, which then jumps to an Eve Light Switch and sends a signal to your Wemo Stage Scene controller. That information is passed to your Thread border router, like the new HomePod mini or Apple TV 4K. The border router connects your home network to your Thread network. We monitored our Purelle air purifier in the Eve app, which allows you to view the devices on your Thread network. If you don't have a Thread border router, the Purelle air purifier falls back on Bluetooth. In our experience, Thread devices are very reliable, and the more Thread devices we add, the more robust our Thread network becomes. The Purelle air purifier responded quickly when we sent commands, and we had no instances where it went offline.

Apple Home control

At this time, the Purelle air purifier only works with Apple Home. Installation, as with all HomeKit accessories, is painless and just requires you to scan the pairing code applied to the device. Once added, assign it a name and a room so you can easily find it in the Home app. Technically, it adds two appliances to your home: the air purifier and an air quality monitor. They can each be named individually so they are also easily accessible via Siri.

Controlling the Air Purifier

Assuming you're a HomeKit user with an adequately sized room, the AirVersa Purelle is an excellent choice.

AirVersa Purelle - Benefits

• Compact, sleek design
• Touch-sensitive top display with dimmed night mode
• Air quality monitor and air purifier
• Three-stage filtering with activated carbon
• Full support for Apple Home
• Connects via Thread and acts as a Thread router
• Affordable filter replacements

AirVersa Purelle - Cons

• Not suitable for large rooms
• Colored light is too vibrant
• Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Get the AirVersa Purelle Air Purifier with Thread for Apple Home on Amazon for $189.99, although it is currently on sale with the coupon clipped for $170.99.