Review on 🌬️ Honeywell Smart WiFi Portable Air Conditioner & Dehumidifier with Alexa Voice Control: Cool & Control Your Space Up to 450 Sq. Ft with Drain Pan & Insulation Tape Included by Lisa Carter

TL/DR - Great portable air conditioner but with potential WiFi connection problems. Make sure your Wi-Fi router allows you to choose between the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands, otherwise you won't be able to use it with your Wi-Fi and Internet of Things (IoT) system can connect. If you just need a portable air conditioner, you can look at other models. If connectivity is important to you, familiarize yourself with your wireless router beforehand. If you're like me, you want all your electronics to be connected to your Google Home or Alexa system. This offers a lot more flexibility when you're on the go, planning energy savings, or just being able to conveniently control things from your phone or with your voice. However, it is important to know that your IoT devices only work on the 2.4 GHz band of your WiFi network. If you have a router like Google Nest, Revain Eero or similar, you may have problems with this device. Like most WiFi routers, these smart routers operate on the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands. Unlike most WiFi routers, you don't get to choose between them. Rather, the router itself chooses the range in which it thinks a particular device should work. For the most part this is correct. Usually. That may not be the case with this unit, and you may end up with a 'smart' air conditioner that isn't that smart. However, there are a few possible workarounds: If devices on these routers connect to the 5GHz band and need 2.4GHz, you can usually move them to the edge of your 5GHz band and the device should automatically switch to that Switch 5 GHz band. Long-haul 2.4. Since this thing weighs around 65 pounds, it might not be possible to get it to the edge of the 5GHz band. Instead, you can try temporarily moving your router from where your air conditioner will be. This can prevent the 5GHz band from even reaching your device and it will then automatically connect to 2.4. Another option could be to set up a "guest" network in your Google Home or Alexa app. Typically these additional networks operate at 2.4GHz as they are really only meant to allow additional users to connect a single device without impacting the speed or bandwidth of the entire home. So far these are the only two workarounds I've found. Smart tech and connectivity aside, this is a really good air conditioner. I live in an old house with ventilation and air conditioning barely reaching the top floor, which is exactly where my master bedroom is. In the summer, my bedroom is often 10-15 degrees warmer than the floor below. Last summer was absolutely awful and I found myself asleep downstairs on my couch. This device changed the game when it comes to comfortable sleep. My room is a decent size, but certainly not 450 square feet. ft. Also, I'm not sure I would trust this unit to effectively cool such a large area, so keep that in mind. Some curiosities should be noted: 1. Remote. It doesn't have a backlight, which is a little annoying when you're trying to adjust settings in the dark at night. Even in low light, the screen cannot be seen. You might be relying on people using Wi-Fi or a phone app, but either way this is a significant design flaw. The unit comes with an exhaust hose and a plastic window shade with a hole cut to the exact shape of the end of the exhaust hose for mounting. The idea is that you can open the window as little as possible, slide the plastic baffle into place, and snap the exhaust end right into the baffle. Problems arise in 2 areas. The end of the exhaust hose will snap in first, but any slight movement or adjustment of the unit will cause the end to pop out of the notch. You must install the device and hose in the correct location before attempting to snap it onto the window screen. Second is the section itself. It comes with an extension that fits into the crash bar for larger windows, which is great if you have the perfect window size. If your windows are the same as mine you will find that the baffle itself is too short and moving the extension across the full width of my windows means that the extension now covers the cutout where the exhaust hose ends runs . This means you need some kind of tool to trim the plastic extension, which is quite difficult. Overall I would give this unit 4 stars out of 5 for the above specs and issues. If you're just looking for a space cooler, you can find something less expensive. If you're looking for something smart with added flexibility, make sure you know your Wi-Fi router's specs.