With time everything upgrades. A multimeter is no exception. The new advanced and upgraded version of multimeters is called the smart multimeter.
A smart multimeter is a worth exploring device for anyone who is attached to electronics. It is safer, more advanced, easy to use, and more accurate than an ordinary multimeter. Especially, when it comes to the safety of users, smart multimeter excels at their opponents.
For this article, I researched a lot of smart multimeters. Made comparisons, read people’s reviews and videos. With all this done, I finally went for KAIWEETS KM601. After six months of testing and working with the KAIWEETS KM601, I can say it is one of the best smart multimeters. It is an auto range, colorful, and has all the features that an engineer, student, or casual person needs from any multimeter.
KM601 Overview
Besides being a colorful multimeter KM601, it comes from the promising brand KAIWEETS. The brand has done almost everything to make this meter one of its kind. In my opinion, the quality is best. You feel the quality of the multimeter when you hold it in your hands.
It is very easy to use. You can use it in both auto and manual mode by just pressing the middle red big button. Auto is good, but when I am measuring a single component (like 10 different resistors) I prefer to just set the meter into that single required mode. It increases the battery life of the meter as well as speeds up the process as well.
Moreover, the smart meter has capacitance, resistance, voltage (AC/DC), current, NCV, and temperature measurement options. I believe this is called a smart meter for a reason. It can do all the necessary measurements. It is not perfect, still has a few things that are not good, but those are not some kind of dealbreakers.
Buying options:
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Research Process
My research is no different from a normal person. First, I had no idea what smart meter to buy, what parameters to look for, and what are the famous brands.
My only desire was to buy a smart meter that is best for me and the readers and worth the money. I took all the obvious steps a person takes to buy things. Simple.
Why you should trust us
Trust is something that we can feel internally. We can’t make others trust us. Nor I am here to make you trust us or me personally. I am a simple person trying to help to the best of my efforts (not perfect). That is it.
Other than that. I am a professional electronics engineer and worked with a lot of multimeters in my University labs and in my professional career. I like using and testing various electronic devices in general, and now I have also started to write about my learning for this business.
Selection parameters
O Boy! I just typed “smart multimeter” in Google and on Amazon. And bombarded with tons of results. To filter these results out I looked for the following parameters that helped me to determine which one is the best among them.
a. Maximum measuring quantities
I don’t know, but my engineering feelings told me that a smart multimeter should be smart. It should be able to measure a lot of quantities. The filter I designed for the selection is the following. The smart meter should have:
- Resistance measurements
- Voltage measurements (AC/DC), and true RMS would be appreciated more
- Current measurements (from milli range up to 10A if possible)
- Diode testing
- Continuity testing
- Frequency measurements
- Capacitance measurements
- Temperature measurements
- Non contact voltage (NCV) feature
I know for all these features the price may be high. But if you get the high quality as well, then I would say: It’s better to invest in a higher quality tool that will serve you well in the long run, rather than buying a cheap model that may not meet your needs.
During the research, I discovered that almost every smart meter has these options for a similar price range. It confirmed that my engineering feelings were correct. So, no matter which option you go for you get almost the same features.
b. Correct probes indication
Beginners most of the time make a mistake of the wrong probe connection. They sometimes don’t know how to correctly connect the probes for different measurements.
Smart multimeters solve this problem. It exactly tells you which probes should be connected to which port. All the meter I researched and one I purchased has this feature. It is very amazing to see that the lights around the port go red when you try to make the wrong connection.
c. Internal fusing and safety
After all with multimeters, we sometimes measure high AC voltages which can be very dangerous. So, internally fusing among different ports is undoubtedly the must-have if you are buying a meter for AC measurements.
This was the feature that most of the smart meter I looked at was lacking. Maybe I think these meters are not specifically designed for such a task. And that is ok. But if I have a choice of a multimeter with all the proper fusing, I will go for it, and I did. This is just a totally personal thing.
d. Quality and price
What I have found during my research is that a quality smart multimeter with all the parameters and safety comes between 40 and 50 USD. Below this range, you still have a lot of options, but they lack features and the quality decreases.
e. People experience
The one is the most important thing I considered. After selecting a bunch of multimeters I looked for people’s reviews and watch videos. This gave me a good idea about some good and bad aspects of each one of my selections.
Also, it gave me a much better idea of what are brands people most likely to buy from, reliable, and I can trust for my own buying.
f. Accuracy and durability
My intention for a smart multimeter was clear. I want to have it for electronics circuit troubleshooting and measurements. I am not going to use it for industrial and research work.
Keeping this in mind, an accuracy of +/- 1% is totally acceptable. In case someone is doing research, then an accuracy of +/- 0.5% is recommended.
Luckily all the multimeters I sorted out have the mentioned acceptable accuracy.
List of best smart multimeters
After seeing and filtering many options I finally came to the three best smart multimeters. And among those three I picked KM601.
1. Our selected and tested KM601
After doing a lot of measurements, circuit analysis and troubleshooting, and home outlets testing I am confident that the KAIWEETS KM601 is the best smart multimeter for students, engineers, circuits, home use, and electrical work. It is accurate, solid, and has all the safety features that a quality multimeter must have.
The Good
Following are some good aspects of KM601.
Capable of measuring all the major quantities: KM601 can measure all the major quantities like resistance, capacitance, voltages, currents, frequency, and True RMS. Voltages include both AC (True RMS as well) and DC. Current can be measured in milli range up to 10A (Both AC and DC).
The auto range function is smooth. Also, the range is automatically adjusted which is very time-saving.
Diode and continuity testing: There are separate functions for diode testing as well as continuity testing. They do a pretty job. For continuity the inter beep sound is loud. The response time is just decent.
Non contact voltage testing: This feature allows you to check the presence of voltage or live wire. This is useful for home and electrical work. During the testing, I came to the conclusion that KM601 can do this job from a decent distance.
The meter can actually tell the intensity of voltage presence which I really enjoyed. For example, if you take it near a voltage socket it starts to beep but when you take it too close it starts to beep quickly and the above light turns red.
KM601 is 0.5 to 0.87% accurate: After a few measurements, I calculated that the accuracy of KAIWEETS KM601 is under 1% as stated by the manufacturer. I can say that you can trust its results for your own measurements.
Inner PCB and fusing: This is the part where I open the product and see what is inside. It gives the exact measure of PCB quality which can help determine how reliable and durable the device will be.
The PCB is properly masked and holes are properly drilled. Also, there is a silkscreen for labeling which further enhance the protection of copper traces. Properly grounded and the thickness of traces is good, which means they can withstand a large amount of power.
The other important parts to look for are the port connections and fuse quality.
Fuses used in KM601 are standard. The port connections (under the two fuses) are decent. I think the port connection should be strong as we connect and reconnect the probes to these connections frequently.
The overall feeling of KM601 is good: You can’t describe this in words, but you know when you hold a quality product in your hand you just kinda feel it. And I had those feelings with this device.
Flashlight and colorful display make measurements in the dark efficient: Flashlight is a very helpful feature. It helps when we are troubleshooting in dark light. Also, it helps in safety as well.
The colorful display as you can see is readable. This is what I was telling above, KAIWEETS brand really looked for details when designing this little smart multimeter.
Quality of probes is good: A major part of a multimeter is its probe quality. It affects the accuracy and precision by a large percentage in research type work. The probes of KM601 are good. What I like the most is the KAIWEETS detail for safety.
The probes have protection cups at both ends. On the lead side, you can adjust the length of tips according to your situation.
The Bad
These are some bad things about this meter but not dealbreakers:
- Buttons are hard to press. I personally don’t like buttons that need a little more pressure than my expectation. I think this reduces the lifetime of a device in general.
- The switching sound in the auto range mode. It made some internal switching sound when you are in auto mode and making measurements.
Remember these are my personal opinion, maybe someone will like the internal relay switching sound I don’t know.
The Downright Ugly
The one downright ugly of this meter is that: You can’t use the NCV in auto mode. You have to select this option manually.
Am I happy with my KM601?
Yes, I do. I believe that I have made a good decision in picking KM601. I think quality vise it is worth the money. I think it is a good smart multimeter.
2. Also Great: AstroAI MUS10KRD
The AstroAI MUS10KRD is similar to the KAIWEETS KM601 in design and features. It automatically identifies voltage, resistance, and continuity, as well as a variety of other useful functions for measuring electrical properties.
Its unique design includes a large, backlit LCD color screen and real-time temperature display, ensuring safety with adherence to international safety standards and protective features. Perfect for both DIYers and professionals, it comes with a three-year after-sales service and lifetime technical support.
I am recommending the AstroAI MUS10KRD (Amazon link) in case someone doesn’t like KM601 or to go with a little cheaper option.
3. Also Great: SeeSii MT2101
The third meter is the Seesii MT2101. I am thinking of buying it for sure, just to expand my multimeter collection. It’s portable and durable, featuring a protective cover and seismic protection for increased longevity.
It has all the features like the above two. The difference is, the sleek and exquisite design, and the manufacturer is committed to providing the best customer service to address any questions or concerns.
I think the Seesii MT2101 (Amazon link) is perfect for various users, including home users, DIY enthusiasts, professional electricians, and technicians working with distribution boxes and electrical circuits.
Conclusion
Smart multimeters are advanced versions of the traditional multimeter. It is a device used to measure various electrical parameters such as voltage, current, and resistance.
Since it is smart, it is capable of doing a lot more of the above fundamental measurements like:
- Non contact voltage (NCV) detection
- Diode testing
- Frequency measurements
- Capacitance measurements
- Continuity testing
Selection of the best smart multimeter among different options is a hard and time-consuming task. It takes deep research to figure out which suits your requirements and budget.
I went through that deep research and found out that the KAIWEETS KM601 is one of the top smart meters one can have for research and all electronics projects, troubleshooting, and analysis. I personally bought and tested it with different measurements and finally come to the conclusion that I made a good choice.
Questions
Following are some of the questions that you might have on your mind.
What is a smart multimeter?
A smart multimeter is a digital measurement device with advanced capabilities for electrical and electronic circuit diagnostics. It measures parameters like voltage, current, and resistance with auto-ranging features.
It can automatically tell you if you connected the probes incorrectly, which makes the smart multimeter way cooler than the regular multimeter.
What is the difference between a smart and a regular multimeter?
After using the KM601 for a while, I really didn’t feel any difference between a regular and a smart multimeter. Expect the design and working.
For example, for a regular auto multimeter, you have to first select the function through the function dial. While in smart multimeter it can automatically detect the parameter I am measuring.
Is smart multimeter any good?
Yes, a smart multimeter is generally considered a valuable tool due to its advanced features, improved accuracy, and user-friendly capabilities. Its auto-ranging function and enhanced safety features make it easier to use and more efficient for troubleshooting electrical and electronic circuits.
However, it’s essential to choose a reliable and well-built smart multimeter from a reputable manufacturer to ensure quality performance.
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