Now, I’ve reviewed tons of smart home devices already this year, and among all, there is one device that I just cannot live without is this – the Hisense KA Smart Inverter R32 Series. Yep, an AC! Don’t be shocked because, in this article, I’ll tell you why.
So, let me explain my journey about smart home ACs in general. Since I started YouTube 7 years ago, the idea of having automation for my AC was one of my biggest priorities.
Why? Because I wanted to control my AC to turn it on and off wherever I was, as this would ensure that once I’m back home, I could enjoy a cooler temperature in my room. Hence, I can wind down way much quicker. Usually, if you want to be able to control your AC, the easiest way is to get an IR blaster. But there’s always a problem with IR blasters.
IR Blasters Issue
So, let’s talk about the IR blasters available to control air conditioners. There are basic IR blasters like the Broadlink RM4 Pro, which acts as a simple IR controller. And then there are advanced ones like the Sensibo Sky or Sensibo Air, which almost duplicate your aircon remote.
The Sensibo options are expensive, starting at RM600+, and occasionally, even on a promo, they are about RM400+ per unit. Since each Sensibo unit can only control one AC, getting that for multiple ACs in your home can be very costly, especially for us, where we have seven ACs in the studio. That is really expensive.
Then, while the Broadlink RM4 Pro is cheaper, around RM200+ per unit, it requires a direct line of sight for the AC IR receiver. That is also similar to the Sensibo products as well.
And of course, the main problem with IR blasters, in general, is the fact that they cannot penetrate walls, need a power source, and often face some synchronization issues where sometimes the app shows that the AC is on when it’s off, or even worse, when it comes to vice versa situations, leading to higher electric bills.
Additionally, app limitations mean that you cannot get the same control as your AC’s remote, and Sensibo’s extra features like the filter cleanup or the anti-mold can be very questionable regarding the actual effectiveness of your specific AC.
Why Hisense?
While I spoke about the issues with IR blasters in general, why choose Hisense specifically then? Well, it is simply because of its reliability.
As a brand, Hisense is one of the global market leaders, not only for appliances but also as a brand, as they were also the official partner for the recent EURO 2024 as well.
Before diving into the smart capabilities of this particular KA Smart Inverter R32 series, the purification of this AC was one of the highest sought-after features for me. It has a high-density filter, anti-mold running, and has an Evaporator Self-Clean thanks to the activated carbon filter and the ionizer filter as well.
This particular series also uses 100% copper pipes with an anti-corrosion golden fin and also has fast cooling because of the QSD rapid inverter. This also means that it has high energy savings, up to 35 to 38%, compared to non-inverter models.
There are also a lot of underrated safety features too, like gas leakage detection, where the indoor unit will automatically stop when it detects a gas leak. Then, there’s also the double fireproof designing, which is put into a closed metal shelf that enhances electrical safety.
If there are any issues, Hisense gives a massive 7-year warranty for the AC’s compressor and a 3-year warranty for all of the parts too.
So, that explains why I use this particular Hisense AC. But Adam, how does this solve the smart home problem that you talked about? Well, this is all thanks to the built-in Wi-Fi capabilities, which I will talk about next!
Hisense KA Smart Inverter R32 Series
There are a lot of different series of models to choose from. I went with this KA Smart Inverter R32 series because there’s a built-in Wi-Fi module available for each of the AC units.
With this, it totally eliminates the potential and possibly ongoing issues that IR controllers have since each module is physically connected to the AC. So, there’s no third-party hardware that needs to be present between your controls and your AC.
Can you control them remotely, and is there an app for this? The answer is yes and yes. We’ll dive deeper into the ConnectLife app, which is available for Android and iOS devices, and here is the app walkthrough.
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ConnectLife App
Adding the AC to the app is super easy by hitting the plus button at the bottom right and then choosing the AC in the category list. You’re all set!
At the home screen, there will be all the notifications under the notification center based on the automation set, which I’ll go into soon. Below that is the Home Status for each of the devices, whether it’s offline or online. Then, there’s an option for Air Care for each of the devices.
Below that, there’s a row for the automation if you have created one. Finally, there’s the Discover tab menu as well.
The next tab is the Devices tab, and this is for you to go through each individual AC. Here, you can get accurate controls like the temperature, the different modes, and the speed as well.
Then, there will be another row for the swing controls, fast cooling, and my favorite, the Quiet Mode, which I always use when I shoot my A-roll since the AC is directly facing over here. There’s also a Sleep and Energy Saving button there as well.
Below that, there are the favorite rows: the Air Care, the Timer and Scheduler, Self-diagnostics, and you can even share the device with another person via email too. Underneath that, there are other options like the manuals, help and support, and further settings as well, such as the temperature unit, the toggle for room temperature linkage, or even the unpair option at the bottom left.
The next tab is the Automation tab, and this is divided into the Manual Routines and the Auto Routines, which were created by me. You can create these automations accordingly based on what exactly you want. I’ve set a manual routine to turn off all of the ACs in the upper floor of my A-roll studio.
Then, there’s also a manual routine I’ve created called “Recording Prep,” which sets all the three ACs in the A-roll area to 24°C with high fan speed to prepare the whole area for me to record. I usually turn this manual routine on when I’m on the way to the studio, so the studio is nice and cool when I’m shooting these videos for you.
The final manual routine is the “Recording Mode”, which sets all the ACs to a low fan speed before I start recording this A-roll video.
Below that, there are the Auto Routines. One turns off all of the ACs at 11:59 p.m., and another one at 9:00 p.m. as well. This is to make sure that all of the ACs in the studio turn off two times during the night.
What’s lovely is that there’s also an option for recommended routines where the app will give you some routine ideas that you can use accordingly or tweak exactly how you want.
The final Menu tab is where you can view your notifications. You can even set up your preferred voice assistant. For my case, I’ve linked my AC to my Google Home, which means I can turn on and off my studio AC with my voice, just like this: “Hey Google, turn on the living room AC.”
There’s also the Manage Rooms menu to add a room accordingly. I have 3 rooms in total here in the studio: the living room, the office, and the A-roll studio. You can edit a 3D room if you wish to as well.
Next, there is the menu for firmware updates and other further options like manuals, help and support, FAQs, and more.
So yes, as you can see, these controls are not only very extensive but totally replace your remote. Now, it allows you to do all of these controls, not only with this ConnectLife app but also through your voice as well.
Conclusion
Alright, so there you have it, the Hisense KA Smart Inverter R32 series, which is hands down one of the smart home devices that I cannot live without. I know it might seem surprising that an AC is my favorite, but trust me, it makes a world of difference, especially with the crazy hot weather here in Malaysia.
All in all, the built-in Wi-Fi is a game-changer, as you can forget about all those annoying IR blasters with their line-of-sight issues and unreliable syncing as well. With the ConnectLife app, you get direct control of the app and, of course, your voice, and it’s totally easy to set up as well.
So, if you’re looking to upgrade your smart home, this Hisense Smart Inverter R32 series is a no-brainer!
