TCL - 250 Sq. Ft. 6,000 BTU Smart Portable Air Conditioner 3-in-1 with AC, Fan & Dehumidifier - White

TCL has a new 3 in 1 Smart Portable 6,000 BTU Air Conditioner, Fan and Dehumidifier that works well in 250 sq. ft. spaces or under. It is super easy to set up and equally easy to download the app and control when away from your home. After complete setup, and with Wi-Fi assistance, it can be controlled through the TCL Home App, by voice command using either Alexa or Google Assistant, or by using the remote that is included. I set this unit up to work with Amazon’s Alexa, and the voice commands work great. It has three modes that make it very versatile and is designed with multiple fan speeds. Other useful additional features have been included like a sleep timer, a 24-hour timer, and an auto restart after a power outage. The design is simple and straight forward and the product is even set on casters and has side handles for easily moving it when needed. First and foremost, it is designed as a portable air conditioner, but it also doubles as a dehumidifier and as a fan. The air conditioner is extremely easy to install, and everything needed is included in the box. Installing the air conditioning requires the exhaust hose which has an outlet and inlet attachments, a window slider kit that functions in both double hung and sliding windows, foam installation to seal the slider kit, and a drain hose. The air outlet slides right into the back of the unit. Then the exhaust hose can be forcefully pushed and screwed into the outlet before extending it and connecting the inlet to the outer end of the hose. It is a little easier if you do not extend the hose before attaching both the hose’s outlet and the inlet attachments. Even then it requires a little pressure and at least three turns as the plastic to plastic has to be screwed in order to ensure a tight fit. It is equipped with a reusable and washable filter which is nice. The dehumidifier is a notable feature of this 3 in 1 product for me because there are a few months of the years that my geographical area has extremely high humidity. I can use the dehumidifier feature to extract water from the air before actually running the air conditioner. The kit comes with a drain hose for using the dehumidifier function. The fan is also a great stand-alone feature to have when the air conditioning is not needed. Both the dehumidifier and the fan use considerably less electricity than the air conditioning does. So having all three features in one unit and using them to maximize cooling and yet limit electrical use is a great concept. Both the remote and the control panel on the top of the unit allow for all of the controls to be operated. The controls are easy to see on the top of the panel. The basic choices are the power button, cool mode, dry mode, fan mode, and sleep mode. This TCL model (H6P44W/T06PC5S) is marketed as quiet, and it is for an air conditioner. It operates at around 54 decibels which is considered to be moderate to soft. Normal conversation is around 50 decibels. The TCL Portable Air Conditioner is also a small vertical unit of 26 ½” tall that only occupies a footprint of 11” x 11”. I really like this product. It is perfect for cooling my outside shed that I use as an office. The overall dimensions of the shed are 12’ x 20’ which puts the 240sq ft of the shed under the 250 sq. feet of the unit’s capacity. I would recommend this product for a workshop in a garage, a dorm, an apartment or anywhere in your home where you need additional cooling.

This is my first portable air conditioner. I needed something to make the back room bearable again. For years, my elderly mother would suffer through uncomfortable temperatures and stuffy air, while the rest of the house was cooled by the main air conditioner. I’m not sure why I didn’t get a portable air conditioner before. Maybe I was hesitant about the setup, or maybe I knew that portable air conditioners had a reputation for not working as well as a standard window mounted air conditioner. Regardless, I decided to get this unit because I noticed other models from TCL were well rated. After installing and testing it, I can confirm this unit does a good job producing cold air and is effective at cooling down a hot and humid room. What makes this unit stand out from similar models is its smaller footprint and its integration into an app or smart home assistant. First, the unit is a compact 11 inches by 11.4 inches and just over 2 feet tall. Compared to other portable air conditioners with similar BTU and room coverage, this is one of the smaller designs. It allowed me more options on where I can place the unit in the bedroom. As with all portable air conditioners, you need to leave room around the unit to allow for proper air flow. TCL recommends 18 inches, but it seems to be working well with my current setup of about 10 inches in all directions. Given that spacing is always a consideration with these units, I liked the flexibility offered by this unit’s more compact size. As mentioned earlier, another feature that stands out is the ability to control the unit with an app on your phone. The smart integration is very convenient. And if you choose, you can instead connect the unit to your smart speaker or home display. I use Google Home for all my smart home integration, but this model also works with Amazon Alexa and Apple Home. By integrating with my smart home setup, I can control the unit from my phone, by voice, or from my Google Home display (see pictures). The good news is that even if you don’t have any of these smart home options, you can still control the unit on your phone with the TCL Home app. And if you are not interested in using any of these smart features whatsoever, a simple to use remote control is also included. It is the flexibility this model offers that makes it user friendly to operate, especially from a distance. In terms of how effective it is at cooling the room, I am very impressed. The unit blows very cold air when the condenser kicks on. To me, this is the most important feature and the main reason why I choose this air conditioner. I want to know if the unit I’m buying is going to be effective at properly cooling the room. This unit is strong enough to bring down the temperature in a hot room to a comfortable level. The master bedroom that it sits in is about 250 square feet, and it was able to bring a very warm 90-degree room down to 78 degrees. The unit was operating at max capacity, and it took over an hour to drop the temperature by 12 degrees, but it accomplished the job. Simply, it made an unbearable room comfortable again. That alone is the main reason for my 5-star rating. These next points are based on things I noticed while setting up the unit or are recommendations for other features. The most challenging part of the setup was connecting the exhaust hose to the hose outlet and inlet. The quality of these parts is very good, but it takes careful alignment and some muscle to screw on the outlet and inlet connections to both ends of the hose. Hopefully future models have an easier design method to attach these parts. Also, the reusable filters are a little hard to remove. They are designed to slide out, but it takes a good strong tug to get the first one out. It felt like I was going to break it, but once it came out, it was fine. This unit has really strong airflow; it is rated at 300 cubic feet per minute. There isn’t a way to direct the airflow with a vent. It would be nice if there were a deflector or movable vents. Instead, I just made sure to point the unit in the direction I wanted the air to flow. Another note when installing the unit, you are provided with insulation foam and a seal strip adhesive. The instructions tell you to use the foam and it even shows a little image of possible places to put it in a window, but that’s about it. I wish it provided more details or guidance on how to use the foam and strip. Alas, I made it work how I thought best. A note about setting up the unit to the TCL app. The instructions were clear and the process for turning on the Wi-Fi on the unit worked as described. However, when selecting the type of product within the app, I made the mistake of choosing the incorrect device. I accidently selected the icon that said Portable AC; it appears first in the list of products. After failing to get the unit connected to the app, I reread the instructions and noticed it said to select the icon labeled “Matter Portable AC.” Once I realized there was a difference, I located the proper device within the app and the rest of the configuration worked without any issues (see pictures). Regarding the name difference, Matter devices provide an additional option for connecting to your smart home system. It is a relatively new connectivity standard that provides additional options for controlling your devices within your home. One major benefit with Matter devices is they are specifically designed to work without an internet connection because it prioritizes local communication within your home network. If this is something you are interested in, it is best to learn how the Matter ecosystem works just in case you may benefit from this technology. On another note, regarding the connectivity options, it doesn’t appear you can connect the unit to both the TCL app and the Goggle Home ecosystem at the same time. You’ll need to choose which option is best for you. However, the included remote control works regardless of your setup. So, obviously this is the easiest option of them all. Again, it’s nice to have all these options built into this portable air conditioner. Overall, I am very happy with this unit, and I am very glad I chose this one.

Positives - The process from taking out and physically setting up was straight forward and easy to follow from prior experience with other portable air conditioners. The setup manual provided clear instructions as well (if needed for first time people setting it up). Once all needed components were connected (Power/exhaust hose), the unit took less than 5 mins to start really getting cold air running. For placement, I placed it in around 500-600 Sq/Ft room . Although this is rated for 250 Sq. Ft, it was able to provide a comfortable environment. Negatives - The area of improvement is the connectivity to the application, after following the setup instructions for the app “TCL Home”, Setting up the account and trying to trouble shot. I was unable to connect the device to that dedicated app. There was however, a QR Code on the side of the device that directed me straight the Apple Home Kit. I was able to connect the device that was but still unable to link it to the TCL Specific Application – assuming this would cause me to not be able to leverage with turning the AC on while on my way home from work. Overall - The overall experience was good. Although there were connectivity issues, it did provide the important function of keeping the room cool. I would recommend it to friends and family, if they were looking to cool a respective bedroom, office or workshop area.

The TCL 250sq ft portable AC unit is a nice, compact way to keep smaller areas cool in a house that either lacks AC or has a room that simply falls behind the others in cooling. Its quick and easy to setup, has a nice remote so that you can turn it on and off, and has a companion app (that I haven't used). I haven't had much time to test this as the temperature has been very mild where I live lately, but yesterday it finally got bad enough to kick the AC on and I was pretty impressed. Pros - Remote - Cooling Ability - Easy Setup Cons - A little noisey - Weaker fan As for build quality, I had no issues with the unit. Its made out of a thinner plastic which I imagine is to keep the weight down. It has two handles on the side for lifting that I wish were just a bit higher (makes for an awkward lift with how low they are). The tubing I felt was long enough, the adapters fit right in my window with no need to make modifications, and it even comes with foam insulation, which my last unit didn't have. As for performance, I have this setup in an 8x12ft room, so well below the rated area for this unit, and it did a great job. Even when fighting against the heat produced from my gaming PC. The unit itself will allow you to set the temperature down to 64 degrees, and it actually cuts off when it hits it unlike my last unit. One of the settings that I found particularly useful on days when the temperature wasn't high, but the humidity was is the dehumidifier. We've had days where the humidity was 60-70%, so running the dehumidifier made my living space much more comfortable. Only really complaint I have with the unit is that its pretty noisy at times. The compressor itself is pretty loud, and sometimes it will run through and have clicking sounds that are pretty audible. Overall a pretty good unit for smaller spaces.

Ever since the 4 days of winter left here in Texas, we have been preheating to summer quiet quickly. I've always needed something external to cool my bedroom as the ductwork seems to not cool my room down as much as the rest of the house. Enter the TCL portable AC. If my living room was a nice 72, my room would always be 8-10 degrees hotter and it wasn't pleasant. The TCL has mighty cooling power in a small package albeit a little noisy. When 1st setting up a portable AC unit, always let it sit upright for a minimum of 24 hours before use. Setup was quick and simple. You get everything you need to get started. The only item you will need if you do would be something to cut the trim with if you window is small and a screwdriver. I used the smaller bay window in my room to exhaust the hot air and just had to cut off a small piece to get in to set right into the window frame. TCL includes all the hardware needed to find a good spot for you. Also included is a remote control that I prefer using over the App that you can download. I also purchased a little stand to let it on so the cold air could reach my bed as I have a high bedframe and put the unit on it. This also helps with the draining once the unit is full of water from use. There is nothing too fancy about the TCL, but there isn't anything else it needs if you just want a cold room. It has 2 speeds, default and high. Both run a little loud and high being really loud. I am a heavy sleeper and can drown it out easy but light sleepers be warned. There are also 3 modes if you need them, 1st being AC, 2nd is just being a fan to move air and the 3rd is dehumidifying. Last night my bedroom was 81 when I started it and after watching about an hour of TV, my room was a super comfy 73. Performance is great for my needs. I would recommend to any in need of an AC unit for a room no bigger than 250 sq ft.