Over the past year and a half, we’ve all become experts at wearing masks. It’s been interesting to see how everyone has a favourite mask to wear; some like the disposable variety while some only want to wear a reusable, washable cloth face mask. I’ve tried both types, but I had never tested out a true filtering face mask until recently. It’s even better that the mask I tested out, the AirPop Active+ Halo, is a smart mask that can monitor the air quality around you.
The AirPop Active+ Halo reusable microfibre smart face mask is a non-medical face mask with a smart sensor built-in. The design is cool and comfortable, and you can switch out the replaceable filter to keep you completely protected. With the filter inserted the face mask can filter out 99.97% of germs and particulates in the air around you.
I thought the AirPop Active+ Halo was comfortable to wear, and it is so nice to have the peace of mind that your face mask is doing the job it should be. Here’s what I thought of the AirPop Active+ Halo smart mask.
Features of AirPop Active+ Halo
The AirPop Active+ Halo smart face mask is a face mask made of nylon, polyester, and ABS. The reusable outer shell is designed in a 3D aerodome shape to stand off your face, and won’t collapse unless you push on it to compress it
The box includes the AirPop Active+ Halo and 4 reusable filter inserts.
- Halo Smart Sensor powered by one CR1632 battery to monitor your breathing in real-time, sending your user data right to the companion app whenever you decide to sync
- Halo app has a personal dashboard to give you a real view of air quality, protection levels, breaths by activity and location, and your filter life
- 360 adaptive seal and flex frame construction so you feel comfortable wearing it
- The replaceable filter fits snugly and eliminates 99.97% of particles as small as 0.3 microns including dust, pollution, and microbial matter
- Outer shell is temperature-, water-, and abrasion-resistant and wipes clean with a cloth
- Compatible with Apple HomeKit
- Designed for use with AirPop brand filter inserts
Setting up AirPop Halo smart mask
To set up the AirPop Active+ Halo, you’ll need to download the AirPop companion app. It’s available for iOS and Android.
Open the AirPop app, set up an account, and you can sync your new face mask. To sync you’ll remove the tab attached to the battery. It only took a minute or two, and you’ll be asked to choose your Halo Smart Sensor colour. There are quite a few different colours to choose from, but blue has always been a favourite so that’s what I picked.
Before you wear it you’ll open up a filter, scan the QR code, and add the filter to the app as well. Once its added you’ll attach the filter to the clips inside the mask. The ear straps are adjustable so you can move them around for the perfect fit.
Testing out the AirPop face mask
The AirPop Active+ Halo is more than just a face mask with a reusable filter. It’s a smart filtration system that lets you see what the air quality is around you in real-time. It also monitors how many breaths you take when you are wearing the mask.
There are a few features on the AirPop Active+ Halo smart mask that are worth a mention.
Fit of AirPop Active+ Halo face mask
The AirPop Active+ Halo is a pretty large mask. I’ve been wearing disposable masks for about a year now, so the first thing I noticed was that my AirPop face mask took up a larger portion of my face and chin than my disposable masks. This is a good thing, because I’ve often found I was adjusting my disposable face masks to fully cover my face.
I like the 3D aerodome shape that makes the mask stand up and off your face. It took awhile to get used to the look of it as it does stand up quite a bit, but it’s so nice to be able to have that air pocket. It makes it easier to breathe in a mask and you never feel as though the mask is getting caught in your nostrils when you are breathing in.
Using the AirPop Active+ Halo reusable filter
The AirPop Active+ Halo smart mask is meant to be worn with replaceable filters. The filters have a seal above your nose and below your chin so they fit snugly. It’s a soft seal so you don’t feel them, but they definitely seal the mask off and prevent any air from coming in.
I found the mask to be very comfortable to wear, with and without the filter. The adjustable ear straps are a welcome addition to a face mask, and it’s built from such durable materials that I wasn’t worried about a strap breaking while I was wearing it.
AirPop app and assessing your air quality
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The AirPop Active+ Halo smart mask measures your breath while you’re wearing it. It will also detect the allergens and pollutants in the air around you. The lights on the sensor will light up when it detects your breath, and it will measure the air quality as you go about your day. It protects you by filtering out 99.97% of particles as small as 0.3 microns. That includes the usual dust, dander, and other particles, but it also includes microbial matter like viruses.
Anytime I wanted to see what the air quality is like, I would sync the mask with the app. It’s as easy as opening up the app and tapping sync. After the past year and a half, it’s very reassuring to know what’s going on in the air around you, and I love how you can just open up an app on your phone and you’ll know right away.
Should you choose AirPop Active+ Halo smart face mask?
The AirPop Active+ Halo smart mask is easy to wear, has a reusable shell that wipes clean with a damp cloth, and includes filters you can swap out whenever you need to. The filters should last approximately 40 hours, but you can change them when you’d like.
I found the app is easy to use, and it really puts to rest the question we’ve all been asking ourselves for the past year and a half; ‘What’s in the air I’m breathing?’ With AirPop you’ll always know. The app and mask sync easily.
The mask itself is larger than what I’m used to wearing, but I’ll take the larger size to have the non-compressible 3D shape. It gives you a pocket of air to breathe and you’ll never struggle with a mask that feels like it’s trapping your airway.
You can find the AirPop Active+ Halo smart mask on Best Buy right now.
