MRCOOL SmartHVAC

Does the app work with the unit? Yes, it does work. However, setting up the unit is a bit odd. You have to plug a USB dongle into the mini split. This looks like they made Internet connectivity an afterthought. Next, connecting the unit is not quite as simple as what they make it out to be. Then there’s also the confusion between the remote control that comes with the unit, the wall temperature gage, and the main mini split. Each of the three give you a different temperature reading even though they’re in the same room at the same height level. Lastly, the app is greatly lacking compared to competitors. If you look at something like a nest, the unit is well-made, and so is the app. It works near flawlessly, and is intelligent to understand your habits and needs. Setting up a Nest is very simple, managing it remotely is just as easy. The app is well designed. Mr. Cole needs to purchase a nest begin to use it, and then implement similar changes. Most notably, they need to have an easier automated schedule. They also need to find a way to have the unit turn off when it reaches the temperature requested by the user. Instead, the unit remains on chewing up valuable electricity. I can’t say that I’m disappointed with my mini split because it does work. However when you compare it to other units on the market they have blown Mr. cool out of the water. They definitely need to catch up especially with their hardware and software capabilities.

I just downloaded this app today for my Mr. cool mini split. Several complaints: 1) Trying to get the app to connect to the Wi-Fi was slightly difficult. It only works if you allow it to use your location services at all times and use the precise location. If you set location services to anything else it else it won’t work. 2) when trying to add schedules to the app, that needs a little bit more work. It wasn’t apparent at first that you could select the days of the week because the color differences between the two are very slight. When it’s on it’s a very light blue and for off it’s a very light gray. For someone like me who is color impaired I couldn’t even tell that they were selected. Also there’s no stop time for the schedule activity. You can set a start time but not a stop time so if you only want the schedule to run for a duration you can’t do that right now. 3) for Siri shortcuts, there is also no duration capability. So you can set a start time but no ending time so if you run your shortcut it would run indefinitely. Also once you create the settings for that Siri shortcut you cannot go back and adjust them. Although it says edit, if you press the edit you can only change the title or save or delete that Siri shortcut. You can’t go back and reset the settings for example heat or fan or whatever. Overall the app is a start... but they need to refine the functions to really get it optimal. If they can add/upgrade those functions I’ll reassess my rating.

Update 8/2/19- I noticed the app updated a couple of weeks ago so I gave it another try. It looks like the app now sees changes made on the remote control after a little while. This should make the app far more useful, I'll update again after I try out some of the other functions within the app. My original 3 star review is below. I am using this with the Mr Cool DIY Enhanced heat pump. It works alright, it doesn't seem to have bidirectional communication with the heat pump though. You can use the app to send commands to the heat pump, but if you use the physical remote for the heat pump the app is unaware of those changes. For example, if I turn on the heat pump with the remote then decide i would like to change the temperature using this app the app doesn't know that the heat pump is already running. Or if I turn on the heat pump with the app then later adjust the set temperature with the physical remote control the app will not show that the set temp changed. I am not sure how much of this is the fault of the app itself, this may have more to do with the way Mr Cool implemented wireless on the unit.