Maxcio Power Meter Energy Monitor Dual Tariff with Backlight LCD Display UK Plug, Upgrade Electricity Usage Monitor Consumption Analyzer Voltage Amp Watt KWH Outlet Power Meter Socket for Home/Office

Bought this Power/Energy dual tariff monitor to check general power usage of devices around the home. The instructions supplied is rather small and its a little tricky to setup the different rates however the supplier was brilliant in that they sent separate instructions by the time I received the unit via email to assist with this. Unit arrived on time as specified. Note: you only need to set up the device for timing and if you want the unit to display the cost of the power consumption on each tariff. Also the reset button seems to reset everything, including the time and any stored tariffs and consumption data - was hoping it would allow a selection of what you want to reset including everything but couldnt find the options or instructions to do so. Have checked a few devices already, for current usage, supply voltage, supply frequency, phase (not sure what that is, but was told by an engineer it could be important with a large load and if its very much away from unity (one)). Seems relatively accurate, going by what is displayed on the device packaging and the readings this power meter takes. Your results may vary. Have checked a few smart bulbs - colour temp doesnt make difference to power consumption. The brightness makes the difference to power consumption. Leaving the bulbs on for smart functionality does consume a little bit of power as they are connected to the wifi network Currently connected to the TV, broadband router and satellite box to get some consumption data on the usage over days and weeks.

The unit i received initially did not display anything at all, or illegibly faint. After a while it improved, but only when viewing the display at a 45 degree angle. When you push any button the display illuminates (good) but then you could not read anything at all (bad). Maybe a faulty unit. I sent it back for a refund though as it does not store the settings you input e.g. unit cost of electricity, date, time, ... this means as you move it around to measure different devices, you have to reprogram it every time. This is extremely inconvenient for my use case so returned it. UPDATE: The seller offered brilliant customer service, picking up on my poor 2 star original review and replaced the unit. The new replacement unit does work as expected and I am pleased now. Updated the rating to 4 stars

Device seems accurate and well made. No signs of overheating even on continuous 3kw load. I use it to monitor my electric car charging. Such a pity there is no backlight to the display so difficult to see in poor lighting.

The Maxcio power meter, is just that, a power meter that fits between a 13A UK socket and a 13A UK plug to record power consumption of that plug's appliance. Snag; it also does a whole lot more, confusingly. It has too many functions; most of which one does not need and the most useful operation is buried in the menus. The revised instructions do cover it, but are a pain to read and understand. Most people will give up. The viewing angle is poor for something captive in a wall socket, as is the contrast on the crowded display. It compares very poorly in this respect with my old meter which is sadly no longer available. Stick with it, use it in an extension lead to bring the display to a reasonably convenient location and viewing angle, take time to understand the menus and operation, and this Maxcio will reward you with useful info. But is the result worth the hassle?

The voltage measurements were accurate when compared to a high-grade meter. However, using this plug is not easy though due to poor design of the software it runs which is not helped by the limited manual. One really annoying feature is there is a soft reset is supposed to reset the totals, when starting a new test run. This function only resets one total, though, leaving most data untouched. You have to do a hard reset to clear all the data, but then means you need to re-enter the all the cost data which is a laborious process. The display is also difficult to read unless viewed directly head-on and with bright light. There are better alternative testers available for a similar price.