DR.PREPARE 9000 BTU Air Conditioning Unit, 4-in-1 Portable Air Conditioner with Remote Control, Dehumidifier, Cooling Fan with 2 Speeds, 24H Timer & Sleep Mode, Child Lock, Dual Window Venting Kit

I have wanted aircon for a long time because I absolutely hate being too hot, especially at night. In very hot weather I end up sleeping (badly) on the sofa downstairs. I finally took the plunge and bought this. It looks and feels very well made, and certainly blasts out cold air. We have solar panels, so on hot days I can run this for free all day in the bedroom and stop the house getting too hot in the first place.It cools the room very effectively, but also does make downstairs feel a lot fresher too, even though it is a big space. I didn't bother trying to fit the rather cumbersome fabric window cover provided, instead I have made a screen from a sheet of plywood which clamps on to the window frame, and to fit the hose to it I used the supplied plastic frame that is meant to fit a sliding window. It fits firmly and securely and provides an air-tight means of venting the hot air, and will come apart easily for storage when not required. I am no DIY expert but even I managed it.The wifi connection works but is a bit of a gimmick really (I can control it via Alexa and my Home Assistant home automation system but not terribly useful in my opinion, I would have been happy with the non-wifi version but it was out of stock). It's not exactly quiet but I don't plan to run it overnight anyway so that's not a problem for me.The hose is quite stiff and a bit difficult to manipulate without popping it off the end fittings, but once in place it does hold its shape well without forming any sharp kinks which would inhibit the quite considerable airflow through it.It is fairly easy to move around and even lift, it is heavy but not impossible to carry. You are obviously limited in where you can use it because of the need to vent the hot air. You need a convenient window and the means to seal it wherever you want to use it, so in practice you will probably only be able to use it in one location, unless you make a board like I have for each window (our upstairs windows are a variety of sizes so I can't use the same board anywhere else).Overall, very pleased with it.

This portable air conditioning unit is about half the size of its predecessor in the same room, but seems to be as effective at maintaining a pleasant temperature in the summer heat. We use it in a loft conversion room, on the south-facing side of the house, which was heating up to stupidly high temperatures before we got an air con - the Dr Prepare 9000 BTU model is perfect for the job.A couple of warnings, and the reason for deducting one star:1. There is a prominent instruction on the box lid, "For optimum performance, we recommend placing it horizontally for 24 hours to allow the refrigerant to stabilize before initial use" (see photo). The same language is repeated in the instruction manual under "Installation" - but PLEASE DON'T DO THIS! What they probably meant is to stand the appliance vertically (i.e. on its castors) for 24hrs prior to initial use, in case it was accidentally laid on its side during transportation. If you lay it horizontally, the refrigerant will mix with the compressor oil, and the compressor could seize up due to lack of lubrication.2. The dreaded exhaust hose test of your patience is included - portable air conditioners seem to use an assortment of different diameter hoses to direct the hot air out of the window. This one has a 150mm diameter round hose; the largest size in common use (the others are 120mm and 100mm). If you use the supplied "window kit" then there's no issue with the hose and adaptor that comes with this machine. If you want to interface to a different diameter, you either need something that has an internal diameter of 150mm, a reducer (available from all good hardware stores, and probably Amazon as well) or (in my case) a large jubilee clip to attach the "Dr Prepare" hose to a 120mm internal diameter fitting (see other photo).The app for remote control works well, despite the fact that I didn't understand what was going on during setup (it asks you to switch on Bluetooth connectivity and wi-fi on your phone before starting setup but, once installed, you can control the unit from anywhere with mobile data e.g. on your way home, switching on the aircon before you get there!).Overall very good. It may not last as long as its predecessor (which only conked out after 18 years of fairly intensive use each summer), but it seems to be doing what it says on the can for now.

Very good and quiet

Small and not noisy. It cools the room very quickly. One problem you need a big bucket as it lets out water very quickly

Efficient. Not too noisy compared to others.WiFi control through SmartLife all is brilliant.

Cooling my staff accommodation and is usually 35 degrees Celsius and this keeps it at 18 degrees if I need it and dehumidifies. Noise is good and size is small for its power.

In the recent heatwave in the UK this was a godsend. We used it for a small box room and it makes it cold within seconds. Like all these units the drain holes are in stupid places, no idea why, but you have to slide a thin baking tray underneath to drain it, or use the tube and bowl/bucket to have it constantly drain. (Not great in a bedroom)The window seal is the most confusing thing I have ever tried to put up, but once it's done it works well. Clearly designed for massive windows and mine is just... A standard window. So loads of excess.Bit overall it easily gets 5 stars from me, it feels amazing on a hot day.Edit: 3 months later the compressor no longer kicks in, despite weekly draining and cleaning. so now I'm having to get this sorted via Amazon. It's such a bulky item I'm dreading returning this.