We are hosts ourselves, Superhosts since 2015, and the bookings that keep us up at night are the same ones that keep every host up at night: the last-minute weekend booking for “a quiet stay with friends”. Noise monitoring will not stop every party, but it turns a 2am call from the neighbours into a polite text to the guest at 10:45pm.
This post compares the two best-known dedicated sensors, NoiseAware and Minut, with the approach we built into BetterSTR: noise monitoring on the in-room companion tablet. Prices and plan details for other companies are as published at the time of writing and do change, so check their sites before you buy.
The short version
- NoiseAware is a noise-focused sensor with an optional weatherproof outdoor unit. A good fit if you need to watch a deck, pool or garden.
- Minut is a ceiling-mounted sensor that adds occupancy and smoking detection on its higher plans. A good fit if you want more than noise from one device.
- A tablet running BetterSTR Companion uses the tablet’s own microphone, so there is no sensor to buy. It is $2 a device a month, or $5 with noise monitoring, and the same screen shows your guidebook and house information.
- All three measure volume, not conversations. Whichever you choose, disclose it in your listing.
What a noise monitor does, and what it does not
Every product in this post works the same way at heart. A microphone measures the sound level in decibels, the software compares it to a threshold you set, and if the level stays above the threshold for long enough during the hours you care about, you get an alert. You then message the guest, and in most cases the volume comes down.
What a noise monitor does not do is listen. None of these products are sold as recording what people say, and that is the point: guests can be told plainly that the monitor measures volume only, which reassures the quiet majority and puts off the people planning a party.
The platform rules
At the time of writing, Airbnb’s policy on devices allows decibel monitors in common areas provided they are disclosed in the listing, and does not allow devices that record or transmit audio, or any monitoring device in bedrooms and bathrooms. Other platforms have similar disclosure rules, and privacy law where your property is may add more. Read the current policy, mention the monitor in your listing and house rules, and keep it in shared living space.
What to look for in a noise monitoring device
Thresholds and quiet hours
You want a threshold you can set per property and quiet hours you can set per property. A studio apartment with thin walls and a rural house with no neighbours need very different settings. A sensible starting point for most living rooms is around 70 dB during quiet hours, roughly a loud conversation or a TV turned up.
Alerts that reach you
An alert is only useful if it reaches the right person quickly. Look for alerts on sustained noise rather than a single spike, and a history you can check if there is a dispute later.
Indoor, outdoor, or both
Most noise complaints start outside: the deck, the spa pool, the garden at midnight. If your property has a big outdoor area close to neighbours, an outdoor-rated sensor is worth considering. If the trouble spot is the living room, an indoor device covers it.
Total cost per property, hardware included
A dedicated sensor is another device to buy, mount, power and keep online; a tablet you already use for the guidebook is one device doing two jobs. Compare the subscription plus hardware, across all your properties, for the plan with the features you need.
The three options compared
NoiseAware
NoiseAware is one of the longest-running noise monitoring brands in short-term rentals, and it is focused on noise. At the time of writing its published pricing was around $15 a month billed annually, or $20 month to month, with an indoor sensor included and a weatherproof outdoor sensor available as a one-off add-on of about $99. It is noise only: there is no guest-facing screen and no guidebook.
Minut
Minut sells a ceiling-mounted sensor that guests barely notice. At the time of writing its plans started from about $5 a month for a single property, with Standard around $10 per home a month and Pro around $15, and the sensor hardware bought separately. Higher plans add occupancy estimates and smoking detection, which some hosts value as much as the noise alerts. Like NoiseAware, it is a single-purpose device.
A tablet running BetterSTR Companion
BetterSTR Companion turns any Android 11+ tablet into a locked-down guest tablet showing your digital guidebook, WiFi details and house information. Switch on noise monitoring and the tablet’s built-in microphone measures the decibel level, with your own threshold (70 dB by default), quiet hours per property, instant alerts and a noise history. No audio is recorded.
The price is $2 a device a month, or $5 with noise monitoring. You bring the tablet, so if you already have one in the property the hardware cost is nothing. On BetterSTR Simple, $15 a property a month, the tablet with noise monitoring is included alongside the Premium guidebook, WiFi marketing and TV.
To be fair about the limits: it is indoor only, a tablet in the living room hears the living room, and there is no occupancy or smoking detection. If your problem is the outdoor spa pool, a dedicated outdoor sensor is the better tool.
| At the time of writing | NoiseAware | Minut | BetterSTR Companion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly price | About $15 billed annually, $20 monthly | From about $5; Standard about $10 per home | $2 a device, $5 with noise monitoring |
| Hardware | Indoor sensor included, outdoor about $99 | Sensor bought separately | Your own Android 11+ tablet |
| Quiet hours and thresholds | Yes | Yes | Yes, 70 dB default |
| Outdoor monitoring | Yes, outdoor sensor | Outdoor-capable sensor | No, indoor only |
| Occupancy or smoking | No | On higher plans | No |
| Guest-facing screen | No | No | Yes: guidebook, WiFi, house info |
There is a fuller side-by-side on our Airbnb noise monitor comparison.
So which is the best noise monitoring device for your Airbnb?
There is no single winner, because the right answer depends on where the noise happens and what else you want in the room.
- The trouble is outside. Pool, deck, hot tub, garden near neighbours: pick a dedicated sensor with an outdoor unit. NoiseAware is the obvious one to look at.
- You want more than noise from one device. If occupancy and smoking detection matter to you, Minut’s higher plans are built for that.
- You want a tablet in the property anyway. If you would like guests to have the guidebook, WiFi details and house rules on a screen in the living room, the tablet can be the noise monitor too, and you skip buying another device.
- You run several properties on a tight budget. Work out the total cost per property, hardware included, for the features you actually need. Single-purpose sensors add up quickly across a portfolio.
Some hosts run both: a tablet inside, an outdoor sensor on the deck.
Getting the most from a noise monitor
- Disclose it clearly. One line in the listing and house rules: “This home has a noise monitor in the living area that measures volume only. It does not record audio.” It deters party bookers before they book.
- Place it in the living space, away from the TV speaker and the dishwasher, and never in a bedroom or bathroom.
- Start with conservative settings and tune them after a few stays. Too sensitive and you will ignore the alerts; too relaxed and you will hear about it from the neighbours first.
- Prepare a friendly first message. “Hi, our noise monitor is showing high levels and we have close neighbours. Could you bring it down a little? Thanks!” Most guests simply did not realise.
- Pair it with screening for risky bookings. A monitor tells you there is a party. Guest screening such as ID checks and a deposit hold makes a party less likely in the first place.
Frequently asked questions
Is it legal to use a noise monitor in an Airbnb?
Decibel-only noise monitors are widely used in short-term rentals. At the time of writing, Airbnb allows them in common areas as long as they are disclosed in the listing, and does not allow devices that record or transmit conversations, or any device in bedrooms or bathrooms. Local privacy law also applies, so disclose the monitor in your listing and house rules and check the rules where your property is.
Do NoiseAware and Minut record conversations?
They are marketed as measuring sound levels rather than recording audio, and BetterSTR Companion works the same way: it reads the decibel level from the tablet microphone and never records or stores what anyone says. Whatever you choose, read the vendor privacy documentation and say in your listing that the monitor measures volume only.
What is the cheapest way to monitor noise in a holiday rental?
If you already want a tablet in the property for the guidebook and house information, adding noise monitoring to it is usually the cheapest route, because there is no separate sensor to buy. BetterSTR Companion is $2 a device a month, or $5 with noise monitoring, and it is included in BetterSTR Simple at $15 a property a month. If you only need a sensor and nothing else, compare the entry plans of the dedicated sensor brands.