Minus 30 degrees in the trunk, we tested the Alfawise smart fridge
If we want, the chicken legs from Pest to Lake Balaton can be chilled in the arctic cold.
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Introductory
The tools that surround us to help our lives have undergone tremendous change in recent decades, even more so in the last few years. We’ve moved from the analog world to the digital world, so these days we’re hardly encountering a novelty with a device that wouldn’t connect to our phone or even the internet.
Cooler bags and coolers have also changed in a crazy way. Many years ago we had fun with their ice cubes, and then came the miracles that plugged into Peltier batteries, which could be plugged into a cigarette lighter. When the latter appeared it was a real luxury not to have to put ice in the crate. Or at least we thought we didn’t have to, so then we bought these active cool boxes on a neck-to-head basis. True, the Peltier battery was really able to do some cold, but mostly only if we filled the crate full of food taken out of the fridge, and then not for long. On a longer trip on a summer, everything warmed up in a matter of seconds, and we didn’t dare dream of taking frozen food.
These days, these things have changed. True, due to the novelties, we still have to reach deep into our pockets, but if we do, then - as you will see from the article - we can put a real freezer in our trunk!
Alfawise B15 refrigerator - Packaging, accessories
Alfawise's box comes in a single carton, nothing but nothing about the product. Apparently it wasn’t meant to be sold in a store because the box on the shelf would look pretty crappy. We shouldn't be affected by this, the point is inside anyway, at least we don't have to pay the color box surcharge.
By unpacking the packaging and removing the upper styrofoam, we can already lift out the fridge, and by opening the lid, we can find the smaller box that hides the accessories. We didn’t expect too much abundance, and it came in. A razor cord, a 220-volt to 12-volt power supply, and a fairly long 12-volt power cord await us, and the latter has a plug that plugs into a cigarette lighter. Apart from the cables, there is only a short description of the use, which, as you will see, is enough.
Alfawise B15 Fridge - Exterior and Capabilities
The chest from the outside is by no means an extra. The plastics look good, the top white part is a little stiffer, the blue surfaces are a little softer. If you are not careful it will scratch, but it will probably not break, the material is quite flexible. The lid is the same as the blue plastic on the side, just like the lid of any portable cooler bag.
Seen from the front, the “engine compartment” is located on the right, above it is a control section with four buttons, an LCD display and a USB port. We can already set a few things here, but we would rather address them in the operation. First of all, the USB port can be used for charging, you can plug in anything you want to charge from your phone.
One of the most important points in Alfawise's box is the implementation of cooling. Obviously, we’re talking about active cooling, but the fact that we’re hiding a regular refrigeration compressor in the box, namely one of German origin, says a lot about performance. The refrigerant in the Alfawise box is R134A, so we can safely say that we are facing a small but full-fledged refrigerator here.
Let's also see in detail the abilities!
The Alfawise fridge is 57 x 32 x 26 centimeters and weighs only 8,6 kilograms, which is not a bulky piece, it fits loosely in the trunk next to our stuff. Due to the very modest nature of the external dimensions, the storage capacity is not large either, only 15 liters. This is essentially for smaller soft drink bottles, beer cans, although, as you’ll see from experience, it’s not at all an unearthly idea to take frozen, portioned cooked food from home for your Adriatic vacation.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, this relatively small storage can be cooled from plus 25 degrees to minus 20 degrees in an hour, according to factory data. We measured slightly different values, but let’s not run into things, let’s stick to the capabilities given by the manufacturer for now.
Because the energy hunger in the crate is relatively high (45 watts) due to compressor operation, it is important not to overload our car’s electrical system. To prevent this, some protection has been built into it, which monitors the voltage of the electrical system, and if it drops a lot, it automatically disconnects the box and then restarts itself after the battery is properly charged again. It is also important that the Alfawise box can be operated not only from 12 volts but also from 24 volts, which means that it can be a useful companion for professional drivers on trucks as well.
However, the real extra is not battery protection, but the “smartness” mentioned in the title of the article. The Alfawise B15 has a Bluetooth connection, we get an application for our phone, and by pairing the mobile phone with the box via Bluetooth, we can even monitor the operation of the refrigerator in the trunk from the passenger compartment. Of course, we can get deeper into the operation through the program, but the point is, we don’t have to get out of the car to know that the frozen chicken legs have started to thaw.
Alfawise B15 refrigerator - operation, experience
Of course, we start the installation by turning on our new cooler, which is immediately followed by downloading and installing the telephone software. Connecting the phone to the case is not a complicated operation. We open the program on the phone and tap on the search. Once the software has found the fridge (its name is WT-0001), you can click on the chest icon. After a while, APP will appear on the LCD display of the refrigerator, then we will press the gear button once and our mobile is already connected to our refrigerator.
There are four buttons on the control panel on the box. One of these is for the on / off switch and two for temperature control. There’s also a fourth button with a gear pictogram already mentioned, which hides some excitement. In addition to setting up the connection, you can also use it to set up different modes. By pressing it smoothly, you can choose between maximum and energy saving modes, the former indicated by MAX on the display and the latter by ECO. If you press and hold the button for three seconds, you can choose between three battery-saving modes. Obviously, this will play a role in car use, if you go from an electrical outlet at home, you can stay comfortable with everything in the roughest settings. So, if you hold down the button, the letter H, which is set by default, will start flashing. Then, by pressing the button, you can move to M or Middle and L or Low. By definition, High is the most energy consuming and Low is the gentle mode.
After switching on, the outdoor temperature of about 30-31 degrees (operated from the 220 mains) was made to be 12-15 degrees in about 4-5 minutes, which is perfectly suitable for chilled drinks. According to the factory value, we can go down to -20 degrees, which corresponds to a correct freezer. The 5 degree crate was cooled to minus 20 in roughly 20 minutes so that the outside temperature on the terrace where we tried it was still above 30 degrees. As you have read above, according to the factory data, from plus 25 to minus 20 can be cooled in about an hour, we have managed to thoroughly surpass this, because if we add the cooling time from 30 to 5 degrees and then from 5 to minus twenty, then we also only walk at a tight three-quarters of an hour.
Interestingly, I can mention that the coldest and warmest values can be set in the telephone application, the lower limit of which is minus 40 degrees. There would have been no test of the test if we had not tested what the real lower value is. Well, at an outside temperature of 31 degrees, we were able to cool the interior to minus 32 degrees, but to keep that up, the compressor was already running continuously, not stopping for a moment. That is to say, although the crate is physically capable of producing quite extreme cold, the usable value is still minus 20 degrees given by the manufacturer, because by setting this the compressor also rests sometimes.
During the test, we also chilled half-liter soft drinks and canned beers, of course we didn't want to freeze them until we drank them. Importantly, the frozen vegetables packed from the freezer into the crate went well all day, not wanting to thaw even in the heat, so we can say that we can really use this fridge even as a freezer. It is important that the crate left in the car can only produce minuses if we are not allowed to shine directly in the sun. In the car, behind the glass with a crate that heats up 40-50 degrees, not even the compressor can handle it, which is also my own experience. The point - probably everyone will use it this way - is that the food and drink will be cold or frozen during the trip, and if we arrive and put it in the apartment, plug it in or even unwrap it.
We even need to say a few words about the phone app. For some strange reason, the application given in the description did not work, but another program from the same manufacturer without any problems. The point is, there is definitely no hardware problem, we suspect some software anomaly.
To avoid having to search, you can find the alternative program for Android here: Car Fridge Freezer
And the original Android software that doesn't work with us is here: Smart car fridge
Fortunately, the program is easy to use, all settings are available and working. We can also regulate and monitor the operation. He doesn't know Hungarian, but it's so simple that everyone will probably succeed with the English version.
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Summary
From what has been described, I hope it is clear to everyone that a refrigerator called the Alfawise B15 is not a simple piece. It has serious performance, and in reality it shouldn’t really be called a car fridge, as the hardware in it makes it a complete yet small and easy-to-carry refrigerator that can even be used as a freezer.
In addition to high performance, we also get nice extras, as protecting the electrical system of our car is very important, Bluetooth communication and the telephone program are a very convenient solution. It's really just icing on the cake that the crate works like a powerbank via the USB connector, meaning we can charge our electrical gadgets, hang a camping lamp, a fan or anything that can be operated from the standard 5 volt USB port.
So the point is that apart from the software anomaly we have, the Alfawise B15 has delivered on what it promised, so it could move into the trunk of our car. In the description of the box, the manufacturer specified the service life of the compressor to be 10 years, of course with continuous operation. If this is true, then the lifespan of the chest with us will be an eternity plus a day, because unlike a normal refrigerator, it won’t constantly buzz.
Unfortunately, the high performance and extra features also mean that the price is much higher than a simple ice pack. If we want this serious smart refrigerator that can even be used as a freezer, we have to leave no less than 56 thousand forints at the checkout. Fortunately, duty and VAT free Priority Line shipping is free!
If you liked the fridge, then Coupon code GBSZ3802You can use ot to buy at the above price here:
Alfawise B15 compressor, car refrigerator and freezer
Remember, choose the free, duty and VAT free Priority Line delivery as the delivery method!
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