An invisible cancer risk lurks in the Czech Republic. Airthings Wave Radon will detect it, and now it's a thousand crowns cheaper

Radon is one of those risks that most people have only heard about marginally, even though, according to the WHO, it is the second most common cause of lung cancer, right after smoking. The Airthings Wave Radon, with code ALZADNY25, is now available for 3 524 Kč, which is a decent price for an entry into measurement from a Norwegian manufacturer specializing in this issue.

Quick summary:
✅ Makes sense if you live in a family house with a basement, have a ground-floor apartment, or are in an area with known radon exposure.
⚠️ Consider that continuous measurement is necessary – one-off readings mean nothing; ideally, count on at least 30 days.
💡 For 3 524 Kč you get a professional radon sensor that Airthings also uses in professional inspection services.

Why radon specifically, and why specifically in the Czech Republic

Radon is a naturally radioactive gas without color, odor, or taste, which is formed by the decay of uranium in the subsoil. Undetectable by humans, it quickly disperses outdoors, but accumulates in enclosed spaces – typically in basements, cellars, and ground floors. It seeps into homes for decades through cracks in foundations, pipe joints, or through the floor, without you ever noticing. The risk of lung cancer increases by approximately 16% for every 100 Bq/m³ of long-term concentration.

For the Czech Republic, this is a relevant topic – part of our geological subsoil contains increased amounts of uranium, and values vary from house to house. Your neighbor might have a normal concentration, while yours could be twenty times higher. The only way to find out is through long-term measurement directly in your home.

What Wave Radon Does

Airthings has developed its own patented alpha spectrometry technology, which is more accurate than traditional ionization chambers and allows for continuous measurement without laboratory analysis. In practice, this means the detector measures radon levels every 5 minutes and combines this with temperature and humidity measurements. You’ll get the first approximate readings after just 24 hours, but for a serious picture, let the detector run in the room for at least a week, ideally 30 days – radon concentrations naturally fluctuate, and the long-term average is important.

You monitor data via the Airthings mobile app (Android and iOS), or through an online dashboard in your browser. The app displays graphs, trends, and classifies values according to WHO recommendations (GOOD/FAIR/POOR). Waving your hand in front of the detector illuminates a colored LED indicator – green/yellow/red – so you have a quick overview without reaching for your phone. For more advanced automation, integration with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and IFTTT is available, allowing you to connect the detector, for example, to a fan.

Practical Things You Should Know

The detector belongs in the room where you spend the most time – usually the living room, bedroom, or children’s room on the ground floor or in the basement. Placement is important: at least 50 cm above the floor and 90 cm away from windows, doors, and fans, otherwise the readings will be distorted. For the most accurate results, measure during the colder months, when the house is more closed up and less ventilated.

A small detail worth mentioning – the Airthings app is only in English. Fortunately, it’s a simple interface (graphs, numbers, color indicators), so it’s not a deal-breaker, but people relying on Czech should be aware. The detector runs on two AA batteries with a 1.5-year lifespan, so no power outlet, no cables. If you have other Airthings devices in your home, it can connect via the Smartlink protocol to a central Hub to gain Wi-Fi access to data from anywhere.

Have you ever measured radon at home, or are you thinking about it for the first time?