Review on 🔌 Poniie PN1500 Portable Electricity Usage Monitor - Power Consumption Watt Meter Voltage Amp Tester (110V, 1500W) by Chris Bhatia

This review is for the Poniie PN1500 power consumption monitor. First, a few things about Revain's order processing. The PN1500 comes in a 2 x 2 x 4 inch factory box. Revain shipped this item in a 6" x 5.5" x 9" box; could hold about 20 PN1500. I really don't need anymore cardboard that I can't find in recyclable places. Due to the delay, Revain then upgraded my order to UPS delivery via USPS. This is normal in summer weather; However, for country dwellers in winter, UPS drivers are increasingly dropping packages at driveways rather than risking driving down the snowy road where they may get stuck. I have noticed that my local UPS vans have been running out of true mud/snow tires on the rear wheels for the past few winters. However, a recent FedEx delivery arrived in a small van with good mud/snow tires. Overall I like the Poniie PN1500. It arrived in perfect condition and has been working as advertised for a few days; but there are a few things to note: first, it's a very small unit; about 1/3-1/4 the size of a Kill-a-Watt product. With a socket directly below the control buttons, a large, straight, heavy-duty plug (compared to a typical two-pronged lamp connector or rectangular appliance connector) may somewhat impede your access to the buttons. Also, I've found that I have to use the tip of my fingernail to press the buttons since the buttons are fairly close together. This situation is made worse by very small 1/16 inch characters used to indicate what mode the display is in. The size of the room is absolutely big; but definitely no screen mode indicators. Several times I was momentarily confused when I thought I was reading a kWh/hour reading when it was actually the amp's reading. I would also like the device to show the average power consumption (energy consumed divided by run time, not just elapsed time) of the test object, in addition to the existing measurements. straight-forward that can fit a 30-inch-tall washer/dryer, kitchen countertop, or refrigerator; However, it is very, very inconvenient to edit/view the typical 12 inch height of typical US household outlets. I always thought these monitors were supposed to use a "remote head" for display/control with a simple 3-6 foot phone/network cable connecting the insert to the main unit. True, there are versions with Bluetooth or even Wi-Fi; But really folks, something you just need to check in from time to time after the initial infatuation is over. The double extensions to move the device ready for use are also annoying. Third, the default constant backlight seems a bit strange. There's nothing quite like another "night light" glowing behind the fridge or washer/dryer. I reset it to auto shut off after 10 seconds for the first few minutes of using the PN1500. Note, however, that pressing the Watts/VA, Hz/PF, or KWH/Hour button to turn on the backlight will also select an alternative of these options. For example, if the backlight is off and the device last displayed watts; When you press the Watts/VA button to turn the watts measurement backlight back on, you actually switch the display to the VA measurement. Get used to double-clicking a button or using a flashlight in dark places so you don't have to press a button. This is not a problem with the volt or amp buttons as they only have a normal function. It would be nice if a quick press of any key would only turn on the backlight and not change anything else. Ironically, the rating is based on 110 VAC. Currently, most American homes use 115-120 VAC. Maximum power 1540 W at 110 VAC delivers a specified maximum current of 14 A; However, if you have a 120VAC line voltage, the maximum current should be limited to no more than 12.8 amps. Therefore, first check the mains voltage after you have plugged the PN1500 into the socket and before you connect the device to the PN1500. Then calculate the situation in order not to exceed the performance limits of the PN1500. Fifth, there are obvious errors in the manual. Section 2 for "Voltage" shows 220.0V, although the text says the range is 100.0-140.0V and the Specifications section says the device can read 110-140V. However, the specifications state a maximum rating of 14A. The list goes on. Finally, calculating power and power factor is just a circular explanation with links to formulas; VA=Vrms*Arms, W = VA*PF and PF=Watts/VA. There is no correct explanation of how PF or W are obtained. Obviously, the device measures VA directly, like a traditional multimeter. Power measurements were often made using special ICs that measured the heating effect (the heating method avoids the influence of the power factor and the non-sinusoidal wave), and then the power factor is calculated using the formula above. Other methods require measuring the difference between zero crossings (or peaks) of voltage and current signals; However, results can be erratic with non-sinusoidal waveforms (which the PN1500 manual doesn't list as "poor quality power supplies" ie modified sine wave inverters). While the method of getting PF or Watts in PN1500 is unknown; I haven't noticed any significant errors in wattage or VA measurements, and the power factor readings are on par with heaters and devices I've tested in the past.