Filtrete Smart Reviews

I’ve been using Filtrete 2500 Smart Air Filters for several months now, one upstairs and two downstairs. I’ve replaced each when the filter life is at 0%, which has been at different times for each filter. I’d rather spend more money now for these filters and the smart filter capabilities than possibly spend more money in the future dealing with health-related problems that could have been prevented by using high quality smart air filters. FiltreteSmart is great and allows me to know exactly when I need to change my filters rather simply guessing or waiting three months to do so. The tips on FiltreteSmart are informative and helpful. The only thing I would suggest for FiltreteSmart is the addition of a history of when each filter is replaced so I and other users can keep track of short and long term usage and replacement. I’ve been amazed at how sooner I’ve needed to replace my filters but am grateful that my family and I are breathing cleaner air!

Terrific app. Did what it said it was going to do and then, the unthinkable happened… A few days ago, a major upgrade was pushed out and now, can’t connect to my filter. No matter what I do… nothing. Sad to see one of the few apps that really worked as advertised fall by the wayside. UPDATE: What is specifically happening is after a couple of days, the Filtrete Bluetooth device will disappear from My Devices (Bluetooth) and the only way to get around the issue is to delete FiltreteSmart and reinstall and usually can get a couple of days out of FiltreteSmart using this procedure. Just saw there was a minor update pushed out (2.0.1) so we’ll see if that resolves the issue.
UPDATE 2: After a couple minor updates to FiltreteSmart over the last several days, it’s been very stable and no longer noticing any issues whatsoever so changing the rating from 1 star to 5.

Based on FiltreteSmart, one would expect that the Filtrete “smart” filters that pair with FiltreteSmart would actually monitor the effective airflow through the filter and therefore give you a good idea of when they should be replaced. Alas, its just a gimmick that appears to simply start a countdown timer that expires after 90 days or so.

FiltreteSmart also supports an environmental air monitor, but the monitor itself (Speck) is no longer available. As such, this feature has no real use. Filtrete is apparently building their own monitor, which may or may not work with FiltreteSmart if/when they actually release it. But beware - the monitor is under development and being funded via an Indiegogo campaign, which is quite strange for a company as large as 3M to require this type of funding. I personally contributed to the campaign, had an issue and contacted Filtrete. They failed to stand behind their commitment, so I cancelled my contribution and will not buy the monitor if/when it is released. I recommend that others do the same - delete FiltreteSmart, purchase standard filters and just set a reminder on your calendar to replace your filters.

The linked disk attached to the filter appears to be just a countdown timer. Besides common sense tips like not living like a slob to help keep air quality high I feel like the whole set up is just a fancy way to raise the cost of the filters.

My house unfortunately has filters/returns in just about every room (5 total filters), so the need to change them is a lot lower than the average home because the filters all work together. I’m bringing this up because I wanted to test and see if the disk truly determines air movement and filter usage, or if it’s just a count down timer.

Overall it appears to be just a really fancy timer that tells your app to tell you go by a new filter. It doesn’t seem to keep track of actual usage, just the time from when you pull the battery seal off the disk. When inspecting the filters they look only slight dusty, not much more then the day they were installed. Maybe others will enjoy the reminder, but for the added cost I’m not sure it’s worth it.

This is a great and practical app especially if you’re using one of the Filtrete smart filters that monitor your filter performance and updates to your mobile device via Bluetooth. I installed a smart filter and FiltreteSmart notified me it needed to be changed after approximately two months, or about 1 month before the filters maximum suggested life. I ignored the notification, and waited until 3 months had passed. Big mistake! When I removed the filter it was very full, much more than I typically see after a normal 3-month changeout. Next time when FiltreteSmart . Notifies me I’m going to change, or at least inspect my filter.

Bottom Line: Filtrete sensor only pushes you to buy more filters even if you do not need them.

Story time: I purchased filters for my home that included the sensor to alert me to when the filter needed to be changed. After approximately 6 months, the HVAC installer was over for an unrelated issue and noted the filters. Unbeknownst to me, two of the three HVAC units have internal filters. This led me to remove those two filters. Since all three filters are the same, I set them aside to use in the third unit since they had life left. These filters are sitting upright in an area with zero airflow. One of the filters has slowly decreased its filter capacity from 62% to 0% over a month with zero airflow. Either the sensor is completely whacked or they merely go off a timer to alert the owner when to change them. Why charge a premium and install an app that gathers your info for nothing? This smells like a money grabbing scam.

I echo the disappointment with FiltreteSmart of others who compare the Bluetooth device and app to a countdown timer. Despite the marketing jargon used to explain how and why filters in some houses need to be replaced more frequently than others (to which I agree), the device and app should do more than merely measure air flow. Not that I don’t understand the rationale, but if FiltreteSmart and device doesn’t measure, record and display airflow over the life of the filter or even better some semblance of the actual particles caught, it really is nothing more than a countdown timer regardless how quickly that time passes, which any homeowner interested enough to make use of FiltreteSmart would already know. That being said, a reminder for changing the filter is never a bad idea. FiltreteSmart should just have more functionality. As it is, it just seems like an app for app sake.

I’m not happy with the need for location but it does add extra features to the filter what filter does do a good job of tracking filter life and let you know exactly when it’s over it raises the cost of the filter but takes the guesswork out so you don’t end up replacing filters too early
Or replacing filters too late after you’ve already got dust everywhere overall it’s a great product I’m just hoping they can get the cost down a bit more Buying once a year in quantity helps as they appear to be just fine over Time in storage and you get a break on price

I have two units in my house. Both units are in HVAC systems that usually run about the same every day. However, one filter unit will say 79% remaining and the other one will say 30% remaining. When FiltreteSmart says 0% remaining and to replace the filter, the filter just does not look that dirty compared to other Filtrete treat smart filters that were at 0% remaining and actually did look dirty. When replacing filters, one will have an extremely accelerated decline (from 100% down to 85% and just a matter of days and then accelerate to 0% from there) and then the next time around the other one will. What’s with that? I have had several Filtrete smart filters (I’m on my 6th set) and they have all been very unreliable and inconsistent, the most problem is connectivity, even when standing right next to the unit. I will never buy a smart filter again.

I still may be afraid to spend time in my furnace room trying to find the UPC on my furnace filters. I also would still rather just manually type the model # in because I’m better at remembering model numbers than I am at remembering to scan UPCs before I throw them away.

However, I appreciate that 3M takes the time to read negative reviews and gather feedback on what would make it easier for users, and will give FiltreteSmart ***** on that and it’s usefulness with the UPC alone.

I do not have a "Smart" air filter, but FiltreteSmart page said it could still be used. I could use a reminder to change the filter. I have allergies & having a new filter at least quarterly helps a great deal. The problem is, it is not using my proper location. I can add it as "another location" but cannot set it as default. The city it's using isn't even a neighboring town! It never has the same conditions. If filter life is at least partially determined by air quality, then there should be a way to set the proper city! I don't want reminders based on incorrect information. I have a separate air quality app & the numbers are pretty darn close to FiltreteSmart for my town. It just isn't the default town!!

After one of the updates it now will ONLY allow me to scan the barcode when I try to enter a non smart filter. I switched to a higher mpr and couldn’t figure out how to change the setting so I deleted the info on FiltreteSmart and now it won’t let me add it back. The box had a couple different bar codes and I held camera over each one and they don’t do anything and no button to push to snap a pic. Deleting app and just setting a reminder on my phone.
EDIT: that’s how I was doing it but since I switched to a different filter I wasn’t able to change that setting so I had to delete the data and start again at which time I couldn’t get it to read the barcode therefore rendering FiltreteSmart useless. Reminder on my phone is easier since FiltreteSmart was only a timer anyways

Had two filters that I installed on exactly the same day. One system runs daily and runs often. The other, a basement area, rarely runs and till now the filters are good for well over a year. I fully assumed the filter change interval would be different due to the claimed differential pressure measurement..... there was NO DIFFERENCE !! FiltreteSmart claimed that both filters had to be changed after just 30 days ... they have been easily good up to 90 days before the ‘smart’ sensor. Even if the 30 days were correct on the main system, how do you explain (3M that is) that another system (smaller in Sq-Ft but using the same size 20x25x1 filter) that barely runs had signaled the need to change on exactly the same day as he other. Differential pressure sensing .... I don’t think so. The ‘smart’ appears to be a simple timer. Disappointed, majorly, in 3M !!

I have had the smart filter only a few weeks & already the smart device on filter is no longer connected to app & unable to reconnect. During the short time it was connected; it only showed outdoor quality & very little information on that. The weather channel app shows much more detailed information on outdoor air quality. Also, the indoor air quality status apparently is only available if you have purchased an indoor air monitor from some other company. That being said the smart filter is useless unless it stays connected & shows status of filter life. In my opinion, it is a complete waste of money to buy a filter including the smart device as it does not work & only increases the price of the filter.

Someone is being less than honest about these Filtrete Bluetooth filters + app.

My experience exactly matches other reviews. My home has 6 returns. I tried two of these in a T plenum; side 1 gets exposure to outside air, side 2 exclusively has exposure to conditioned air. I placed one of these Bluetooth filters in each side expecting their “replace” indicators to be significantly different, as the side 2 conditioned air return takes more than 2x as long to dirty a filter as the other.

FAIL

Side 1 installed 4/21. Side 2 installed 4/22. Side 1 indicated “replace” exactly 90-days later. Side 2 said replace exactly 1-day later.

The devices installed on these filters do NOT function to measure flow, volume, nor pressure. This is nothing more than a 90-day countdown timer, either (A) because the sensors are nothing more than timers; or (B) because the software app defaults to showing “replace” regardless of the state of the filter once it hits 90-days.

If A, these are falsely advertised.
If B, FiltreteSmart results in false advertising.

THESE ARE A RIP-OFF

The pairing works fine, FiltreteSmart is easy to use. You can get the same functionality by setting a note in the iOS calendar to repeat every 99-days ... without the overhead and misleading of FiltreteSmart.

Filtrete Smart Air Filters are a great concept, but they constantly lose pairing and cannot reconnect even when placing the phone directly on the filter. I have 8 filters going at a time and only the two that are nearest the living areas seem to work and even they are spotty. I hope they resolve the issue because it is a great concept. I don’t think Bluetooth is the way to go to cover the distance needed in anything larger than a Barbie Doll house.

When I first set FiltreteSmart up I had one filter upstairs with the Bluetooth sensor and one filter downstairs without a sensor.

When I tried to replace the upstairs filter with a filter without a sensor, FiltreteSmart prompted me again and again to simply pull the tab on the sensor and wait for it to connect. Obviously a filter without a sensor doesn’t have a tab to pull on the sensor. There was no option to replace a sensor-based filter with a non-sensor filter. The only option was to delete the filter and all of its historical data and add a new filter that didn’t have a sensor.

So once you put a filter with a sensor in place, you had better replace it only with another filter with a sensor or you will have to delete your entire history.

I downloaded FiltreteSmart after I noticed an advertisement for it on some furnace filters we purchased. Once I downloaded it’s asking for several sign in options. I tried to use Apple but it tells me I need to use two factor. I don’t use two factor and I don’t care to because it was activated with one of the updates and it was too much of a hassle so I went back to my security questions. I don’t want to use Facebook or google. Too much tracking going on. Why can’t you just use an app as a reminder as it’s intended why do you need my email? I have many other apps I use that are reminders for my aquariums etc and no emails required. I’ll just use my reminder on my phone so no thanks to your app

Apologies. I think I left a review of FiltreteSmart a long time ago saying it should work with other air monitors but this would involve different companies so it may not be possible.

However, I’ve found FiltreteSmart useful esp seeing that during these stifling summer months of heat with a/c running round the clock FiltreteSmart suggests a 3 month filter needs a change in less than 1 month due to the Bluetooth sensor noting heavy use. Don’t know the validity of this, esp given the cost of filters, but if its not subjective this is really useful to know.

The Bluetooth filters don’t seem to be in stores anymore and I have no idea how much these sensors cost 3m plus throwing them out attached permanently to the filters.

Without the Bluetooth sensor FiltreteSmart is minimally useful. Maybe 3m can make a long lasting Bluetooth sensor that can be moved from one filter to the next and reset through FiltreteSmart .

Without knowing more about these sensors it seems a waste of money for 3m and bad for the environment to throw these out.

The responses to other reviews indicate that the plastic, electronic, battery operated sensor mounted on the filter actually monitors airflow and determines filter change frequency. I can’t verify that for certain. What I do know is that it displays air quality but don’t be fooled. It’s not measuring indoor quality. FiltreteSmart gets that from your home address. You need an additional compatible sensor to measure indoor air quality. Also, I now have e-waste mounted to what used to be a paper and metal and would decompose in a landfill after I throw it away. What happens now that I’m disposing of the filter with its battery operated electronic sensor mounted to it? Just a waste of money and bad for the environment in the long run. My first one will be my last.

I think this is a really great air filter . I'm also impressed with the Bluetooth app that comes with these filters. Never thought I'd get excited about an air filter ,but it's just a really cool smart product . I like the fact I can monitor the air quality inside and outside my home with my IPhone . I am installing my second Filtrete(1900) smart air filter today because the first sent me a text . How cool is that? I'll tell you this, its as cool as the clean air coming out of my HVAC system.