109,99€ Go to shop First impression of the Xiaomi Mi Smart Fan Scope of delivery and assembly A pedestal fan for just under € 160 is anything but cheap. Accordingly, my expectations of the Xiaomi Mi Smart Fan were extremely high. Well packaged, the fan is delivered in a total of 9 individual parts. The tool required for assembly is included and is surprisingly high quality. The instruction manual is typical for Xiaomi in Chinese. Due to the understandable illustrations of the individual steps, the assembly is very easy to understand even without knowledge of Chinese.
Design and workmanship In my research for comparable pedestal fans that are also in a similar price range, I actually came across a model that looks confusingly similar to the Xiaomi pedestal fan. At € 300, the Balmuda GreenFan from the Japanese company Balmuda costs almost twice as much as the Xiaomi fan and also offers similar functions. Balmuda sued Xiaomi as early as 2014 because the "Xiaomi Air Purifier" looked very similar to the "Balmuda Air Purifier". So is the Xiaomi Smart Fan just a cheap copy of the much more expensive Balmuda pedestal fan?
At least at first glance one could conclude that it is. Visually, the Xiaomi fan impresses with its modern design with a matt white base, the anodized connecting rod and the visible propeller. The dimensions are 34 x 33 x 92 cm, with a weight of 3.74 kg. The processing of the entire fan is flawless and does justice to the high price.
Commissioning and app control The Xiaomi fan can be used in battery mode or directly via the socket. However, since this is a product for the Chinese market, the power cable supplied is only equipped with a NEMA-1 plug. However, the cable is detachable and can be exchanged for a 2-pin power cable with an EU plug.
Commissioning is simple. Plug in and switch on using the power button on the motor. Four green LEDs on the motor and four additional LEDs on the aluminum rod indicate the total of four possible operating levels. The operating levels can be changed using the multifunctional switch-on button. If you have connected the fan via the power cord, the exchangeable 2800 mAh battery is charged at the same time.
Mi Home App The smart control of the Xiaomi pedestal fan takes place via the "Mi Home App". This app is now the control center for all Xiaomi household gadgets. The app is available directly from the Google PlayStore or Apple AppStore. The language of the user interface cannot be changed to German, but it can be changed to English.
A connection between the app and the fan is established via WiFi. The pedestal fan is equipped with a 2.4 GHz WiFi module (802.11 b / g / n) for this purpose. The user interface of the app is clearly structured. The start screen provides information on the current room temperature, which is measured by a temperature sensor on the fan. The app can also be used to choose between the 4 operating levels and you can even change the ventilation strength steplessly. Within the settings it is possible to program an automatic switch-off according to the operating time or a switch-off according to the time. A motorized swivel function allows the fan to rotate horizontally by 120 °. Vertical inclinations can unfortunately only be made manually and are not motorized.
Another feature of the app or the fan is the possibility of simulating a natural wind. An arbitrary air flow is generated using an algorithm.
field test The last week of May was perfect for the practice test of the Xiaomi standing fan. With outdoor temperatures above 30 ° C, which also properly heated up my attic in the attic, the fan ran around the clock.
ventilation levels At level 1, the fan generates a gentle breeze which, at a distance of approximately one meter, is sufficient to work comfortably in the 28 ° C attic. The ventilation is so quiet that the fan running at level 1 cannot be heard even at night and you could easily sleep next to it.
At level 2, an air flow that is twice as strong is generated, which you can feel the skin at a distance of one meter. Even at this level, the fan works so quietly that it goes down at normal room volume. In a quiet room, the device is only noticeable by a very low humming.
At level 3 the air flow increases again significantly. If the motorized rotation is activated, the fan at this level is already suitable for ventilating a smaller section of the room. The volume generated is still pleasant to work with, although the volume has increased significantly compared to levels 1 and 2.
At level 4, the Xiaomi Smart Fan generates a very strong airflow, which can be quite uncomfortable if the distance is too close. Instead, level 4 is ideal for ventilating a larger area of the room. The volume also increases significantly and can be compared with a conventional pedestal fan from the supermarket.
Battery life and power consumption The battery runtimes are very different and depend on the extent to which you switch through the step program, have actively connected the app and whether the turning function is activated. With the rotary function switched off and also constant level 1, the Xiaomi pedestal fan achieved a runtime of 16 hours. At level 2, 13 hours were possible, at level 3 another 10 hours and also at level 4 the running time was reduced to 6 hours. With the rotation function active, there are running time differences of around two hours. The charging time of the battery is 2 ½ hours.
In the cable network, the power consumption is 8.76 watts in standby. At level 1, the consumption is 10.95 watts. If you also activate the turning function, the consumption increases to 13.14 watts. The consumption at level 2 is 13.08 watts, at level 3 at 15.33 watts and at level 4 at 22 watts.
Unfortunately, the Xiaomi fan cannot be switched off completely, so it is always on standby. The WiFi of the device cannot be deactivated either. If you do not use the app control, the power consumption could be further reduced by deactivating the WiFi.
