Toshiba Air Purifier with Alexa.
Toshiba Air Purifier CAF-W36USW UV Light Sanitizer, Designed for Smoke, Dust, Odors, Pollen and Pet Hair for Home, Office, Bedroom, Black
$67.48
Available in stock
Description
Additional information
| Asin | B088LQKL5K |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 6.9"D x 10"W x 26"H |
| Weight | 7.33 pounds |
| Manufacturer | Toshiba |
Reviews (10)
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Charlie Myers –
Reading some of the comments, there must be an alternate universe where things are different…
Filters aren’t expensive and they’re easy to find on Amazon
The Alexa integration isn’t needed – you don’t need a smart phone or smart home. But if you want it, it is EASY and lets you use all kinds of triggers or timers to do the same things you can do from the buttons on the purifier.
On Low speed, it’s whisper-quiet. On High speed, it’s not that loud – I mean, it is loud enough that you wouldn’t want to hold a conversation right next to it, and it is very powerful as a fan – but it is also a very pleasing white noise to sleep with.
I have Alexa set to remind me to clean the pre-filter, and the HEPA filter will last 6-12 months based on what I’m seeing.
Alexa sets it to low speed during the day hours to be less audible and save power, then I set it back to High speed before I go to bed (or I set the timer) so it’s a pleasing white noise at night.
Yes, it has UV to kill germs – that’s a good thing. Yes, that means it can theoretically make some ozone, which can bad for you in large quantities. Yes, it’s certified to make only a tiny amount of ozone – an amount which is perfectly safe to breathe. Oh, and Alexa can turn that UV light on and off – so you can program it to only have UV / Ozone when you’re not planning to be in the room, if you’re that scared of it.
Boston –
Robert L. –
I purchased this as a replacement for one from another manufacturer that failed a few days ago. As an allergy suffer during ragweed season, a HEPA air-filter is pretty much a requirement.
Set was simple: unbox; remove plastic wrap; plug-in. For most customers, WiFi setup will also be extremely simple. Unfortunately, I’m not among “most customers”. Being an IT Professional, my home network is more secure and restricted than the average home user. My IoT network restricts devices connections by the device MAC address, but this was not provided anywhere on the device or box. I had to jump through a few extra steps to determine the MAC of the Toshiba Air Purifier. However, most customers will not have this feature enabled on their WiFi access point/router, so this would be a non-issue. I wish manufacturers included the MAC address on the device labels, next to the serial number for those adding this extra layer of security.
Once setup, it is easy to control and manage either by Alexa on one of the Echo devices or the app on my smart phone. I like that I didn’t need to install yet another 3rd party app and was able to use the already installed Alexa app.
Device is has 3 speeds. On the lowest speed, I don’t notice it, even when sitting just 12-18 inches away. On the fastest speed, it is no louder than other air purifiers I have owned. I’ve kept it on the middle speed for the most part. It isn’t loud enough to be distracting, but just some background white noise.
I started it up for the first time and let it run on high speed. I noticed an improvement in my allergies in about an hour.
Overall, it is solidly constructed.
My only major concern is that I cannot find any details on replacement filters in the manual; box; or the product page on Amazon. This does look to be a re-branded version of the Eureka NEA120 Air Purifier, except with the addition of the “smart home” integration, which uses the NEA-F1 and NEA-C1 filters. Unless I find other information, I will try those filters when I ready to replace the filters. I am deducting a star from my rating due to the dificulty in finding confirmation on the required replacement filters. I will update my review based on the confirmation of the availability of replacement filters.
Zero –
I’ve been using this Toshiba air purifier for a few days in the bedroom and I can tell the difference immediately. I am no longer congested when I wake up in the morning. That’s a huge difference for me. I’ve been weeks waking up with a clogged head or stuffy runny nose. No longer since I put this purifier in place.
I like that there’s a way to control this with Alexa but I don’t think it’s really necessary. It connected easily enough with the QR code on the side. All I had to do was change the name to something other that First Air Purifier. I called mine Filtrum so I can sound like that terrible wizard kid when I “Alexa Filtrum Off-icus”
I use the medium fan speed since I like white noise at night to drown out the frogs. I mostly leave it set to this and run it 24 hours. Because Alexa can do routines you could set this to turn off during the day and not use up the unobtanium filter. Hmmm… Doing that now. One minute later and my filter will now be off during the day when I’m not breathing in there.
Toshiba makes a decent air filter. It will be a while before the unobtanium element needs to be replaced and because this is a relatively new product there won’t be a cheap third party filter for a while.
Papadoc –
I love this filter, but not so much to begin with. Initially I had both the blue and green lights blinking and it wouldn’t connect to anything. The filter worked fine for what it was supposed to do with the manual buttons, but once I settled down, it only took a few minutes, turning on a light and unpacking a few brain cells to get everything connected and working the way it was supposed to.
I’m sure all this was included in the setup directions, but being male and moderately capable in technology, my wife says I tend to avoid those in favor of having challenges to solve so I can prove my worth around the house. I think it’s more that I just hate wading through useless directions telling you 78 ways to not use your new appliance that never crossed my mind. Nope, taking my air filter into the shower wasn’t even a consideration, but I’m sure there’s a really entertaining story in there somewhere.
On startup, the blue light was blinking which supposedly means that the filter needs to be changed. Not likely just a minute or so after initial startup. The solution is to hold that button down for a few seconds till it gives a very faint beep. Don’t hold it down any longer than that… as with many things, more than enough isn’t necessarily better and might actually hold up or reverse the process.
That left the blinking green light to solve. Again while the directions said hold it for 3 seconds, I held it for about 10 seconds just to be sure. At that point it beeped numerous times at me and as it turns out, that was the filter’s way of saying, “knock it off”. Nope – wouldn’t connect to Alexa and the app just gave me error messages. So I went back and just held it down till it beeped once and like magic, then it connected.
With everything working, let me tell you about the number of ways that I like this and how great it is, in no particular order.
1) This pushes as much air as my old air filter but only weighs about 20% as much, meaning it’s easy to move and takes up about 1/3 the floor space.
2) It actually kinda looks pretty slick and fits in with just about any decor.
3) The Alexa function is spanky. On/off and increase/decrease speed. Also turn on/off UV mode. You can also create a routine with this but I honestly don’t plan on turning this thing off till 2020 his in my rear view, and I’m not sure about then.
4) Since beginning operation, our required dusting is significantly less. Since we have allergies to dust, this has made everyone feel better. Also of note, dust is a known pathway for various pathogens so it makes sense that reducing the dust could improve health and the immune system less encumbered.
5) I don’t burn things in the kitchen very often, but general odors from cooking are quickly reduced while running this filter on high, and guests say they can’t tell what we had for dinner just a couple hours later. I expect fish fry night may put that to a test and could mean I’ll have to change the carbon filter much sooner.
6) Super quiet. All you hear is the sound of the air going through the machine. On low setting, you could have this right next to you and not have it interfere with a conversation. We have ours on the far end of the living room with seating in the middle and the television at the other end. On high speed, there’s no interference with television sound.
There is a claim in this page for [UVA sterilization]. I have serious doubts here as I’ve not been able to find any corroborative information and in fact several sources say that UVA doesn’t sterilize anything. Also, even when UV does sterilize, it depends on how long the pathogen is exposed. This filter pushes air through at a very good rate, and even on low speed, I can’t see that anything going through the filter would be exposed to any UV light for more than a split second. Sounds like a gimmick to me, but take it for the opinion that it is and welcome information that tells me how they can accomplish this task and independent labs that would have verified this is what is happening.
Lacey P. –
So far I am very pleased with this air purifier. I feel like I can really tell a difference, we use it in our bedroom and the air feels crisp and clean. The room smells much better. We have pets and we would usually open a window and have a fan, but this works much better. It really circulates the air, I keep it on the highest speed until bedtime. When it’s on high it has a fairly loud whooshing noise, but medium is perfect for sleep and still circulates the air a lot. I love that it has the UV light, which you can’t tell is on while running.
It works perfectly on my phone with Alexa. I love being able to turn it on when I’m away from home and know the air is nice and clean when I arrive. The filter it comes with lasts 3 months, so I’ve not yet tried to find a replacement. I see on the bottom of their ad that Eureka filters fit and it has the model nos. Hopefully I won’t have trouble finding them as others have.
The design is a bit large but mostly just in height, it doesn’t take up much floor space. I like the Toshiba brand and this seems well made, as I would expect. I really like this overall and I would definitely recommend it.
Alli –
Love it, had it for two years, boutta buy another
Still never found an answer of how to shut that green blinking light off if I don’t have an Alexa
Other than that, best longest lasting air purifier ever
Best value hands down
Cheap filters, easiest maintenance, ease of mind with allergies and pet dander
Footnote: –
I like this unit, it looks stylish and the footprint is relatively small, but it is tall. On the high setting, it moves a good amount of air and the UV light is nice. Unfortunately for me, the one that I got makes a whistling noise that is really noticeable on the low setting. There are top and bottom exhaust vents and the sound only comes from the top vent, so I think there’s a gap that the air blows by and creates the whistle. I bought spare filters when I got the unit, and swapping them out didn’t make a difference. Not a deal breaker for me, but I had to ding them a star for it.
Tarzan –
This was on sale with a free Amazon echo dot for $75 on prime day but I missed that sale. Got it for $80 with no echo dot. I got this over others due to the UV light which is supposed to kill viruses.
Bought it for Thanksgiving and Christmas since we were hosting. My little brother goes out too much to bars etc, like covid doesn’t exist! It was hard telling him not to come, hurting his feelings and for fear he’d getting me and my mom sick. We used this in our dinning room with 4 windows half opened. I told him cuz the food stunk lol. Well I guess it worked because nobodys sick yet!
At first, I had issues getting it connected to the Alexa app. I gave up and was gonna return it but the next morning it stated working?!? The smart features are cool. I got looks when I had friends over and told Alexa to turn on air purifier. You can ask Alexa to turn it on off, low medium high, and turn on and off the UV light. You can also create routines to have it in schedules etc. Note that it’s not compatible with Google home.
3 Cons:
They say it had a UV light which it does. But it’s very small. See my pic. I could barely tell it was on. I’m not sure how such a tiny light can kill any virus! This is the main reason I bought it.
It’s claims that you need to change the carbon filter every 3 months and the hella filter every 12 months. But Alexa notified me at 2 months to replace the carbon filter. But, I did have it almost always on 24/7. I bought a 3 pack carbon filter + 1 hepa filter for $35.
You can still hear it on the lowest setting. On the highest setting, it sounds like a vacuum cleaner. I usually leave it in low unless my brother comes over. Then I switch to high.
I also thought it was stupid having the air sucking vent in the back and the air blowing out the front. I would think it’s better to suck covid air in front vent and expel through the back? If you don’t need or want the smart features, buy the similar looking Eureka model and save $10-$20. This is a pretty ok air purifier. Mild recommendation.
KC –
I must admit that I had my doubts about how well this Toshiba Smart Wifi Air Purifier would work with my Alexa smart speaker. Several times over the last couple of years, I’ve had frustrating experiences getting things like my smart light bulbs and other Alexa-paired devices to function properly (Me: “Alexa, turn on hall lights”; Alexa: “Playing Despacito from your music library”). But I was already looking for a new air purifier and figured it would be a nice convenience if I could control it through my smart speaker. I’m so glad I tried this Toshiba. It’s a really terrific air purifier and works great with my Alexa.
Focusing first on the air purifier itself, the unit is very easy to set up and use. First, I removed the back as per the instruction booklet to take the plastic wrapping off the filter. After putting the filter back in and closing up the back, I plugged it in, pressed the power button on the top, and it started blowing out purified air from the front panel of the unit. The unit’s control panel consists of 3 buttons. They are intuitive and easy to use. The top button toggles through 3 fan speeds, the middle button activates the UV setting, the bottom is the on/off button. The middle button also has a secondary filter reset function. The bottom button has a secondary wifi connection function. The air purifier stands about 26 inches tall. With the air coming out of the front panel, the unit works much like a vertical cooling fan except that I get the added benefit of purified air.
Now for the most exciting part: This air purifier was very easy to set up with Alexa and works surprisingly well with my smart speaker. I followed the step-by-step instructions on the quick set-up guide sheet that came with the unit. In under 5 minutes, I was set up and controlling the air purifier with voice commands. I recommend that users look over the list of voice commands on page 10 of the instruction booklet for the wording of the Alexa commands. I’ve been using this unit all week and it has been wonderful. In the kitchen, if I have my hands full while I’m cooking, I just tell Alexa to turn on the air purifier so I can clear out the cooking smells. I also take the air purifier into the family room while I’m doing yoga or some other exercise. I keep the air purifier facing my exercise/yoga mat, and when I need more air-purified ventilation, I just ask Alexa to turn on the air purifier or to increase the speed. I don’t have to interrupt my pose or even get up off the mat. The low speed setting is also nice and quiet. This Toshiba air purifier is so very convenient that it’s quickly becoming indispensable to me.