How to control an old air conditioner with a mobile phone? The air conditioner companion won't fit into the wall-mounted socket; I bought the wrong one to realize that cabinet units and wall-mounted units are two different paths
one thing I crave most in summer is someone else's words: lying in bed and talking to the speaker, the air conditioner will be set to 26 degrees. I have two air conditioners: one 2016 Midea cabinet unit in the living room, and one 2014 Gree Liangzhijing wall unit in the master bedroom—all old machines, not even the kind with screens. With this idea, I placed two orders in succession: the first air conditioner companion I bought, but it wouldn't plug in the first one when it arrived; I added a universal remote control and spent another night fiddling with the pairing code library. After paying tuition twice, I finally understood the idea of an old air conditioner becoming smart. Cabinet units and wall-mounted units are fundamentally different paths. Buying the wrong one isn't about money, it's physically impossible to install.
check the plug before paying: 10A wall-mounted and 16A rack units are two different worlds
this matter starts with the power outlet. I wrote my article about smart sockets: 10A and 16A plugs and sockets are national standard two-way foolproof and can't plug in each other. Air conditioners are stuck at this dividing line: most wall-mounted units use 10A plugs, while cabinet units mostly use 16A plugs . The plugs on my cabinet unit are big and square; a five-hole socket is out of the question; The power outlet for the master bedroom wall unit is just like a rice cooker.
air conditioner companion is positioned specifically for 16A cabinet units—the main unit is a 16A smart socket, with a ring of infrared transmitters integrated on the socket surface. So it has two innate features: First, the 16A plug for the cabinet unit can be plugged in directly, while the 10A plug for wall-mounted units can't fit into the hole—not even a millimeter; Second, because it's connected to the power circuit, it also tracks the electricity consumption, clearly showing how many kWh you use in a summer. Wanting to use the Air Conditioner Companion while idling, someone online is forcibly turning a 10A to 16A adapter. I wouldn't dare do that for a 2-300W device, so I advise you not to.
so before placing an order, take a look at the air conditioner plug. The large square plug is a 16A cabinet unit, designed as a companion for air conditioners; The standard three-socket system is a 10A wall-mounted device, taking the universal remote control route. Just one glance can save you the postage of a return and a night of frustration.
Cabinet Unit Route: Air Conditioner Companion, essentially a 16A socket that emits infrared light
living room cabinet unit, I paired it with the Mijia Air Conditioner Companion 2, about 70 yuan. It comes with a built-in WiFi module that connects directly to the router, no gateway —this is different from the old model. The first-generation Air Conditioner Companion had a built-in Zigbee gateway, so you can easily carry several sensors. Unfortunately, it was discontinued long ago, and second-hand models are all speculating, so ordinary families don't need to chase after it. The current second-generation is basically a companion for air conditioners, cheaper and more convenient, just like the router's 2.4G network setup process and the robot vacuum setup ( have experienced five explosions in a row I've written about it before, so I won't repeat it here).
after installation, the most practical part is actually battery statistics. Last July, my cabinet unit ran 213 kWh in one summer, more than a third of the month's total for the whole family. Since then, whenever I turn on the cooling, I instinctively adjust the power by one degree. Infrared control itself is actually used less often—the living room has speakers, mostly shouting.
cabinet units have a hidden advantage: when placed on the floor, the air conditioner companion's infrared emitter tube is about as tall as the receiver head, with a straight line of three to four meters without obstruction, so commands are delivered accurately. This is also why the Air Conditioner Companion is naturally designed for cabinet units.
Hang-the-phone route: universal remote, or check out your own speakers first
the 10A plug for the master bedroom wall doesn't require a companion air conditioner, so I took a different approach: universal remote control . A small box, about the size of a matchbox, powered by USB, with a few infrared emitters on top, costs around fifty yuan. It doesn't touch the air conditioner's power supply; it just moves the remote control from your phone to ceiling height—hanging it on the wall directly facing the air conditioner and pressing the remote for you.
But before buying, take a look at your speaker. The Xiaoai Speaker Pro in my living room has an infrared emission array on top ( chose it for this ). If the speaker and air conditioner are in the same room and there's no block in between, you don't even need a universal remote for the hang-up setup—zero cost. The master bedroom doesn't have speakers, so I replaced the remote control. There's an even more economical solution: some Xiaomi phones come with built-in infrared transmitters, so pressing the top of the phone activates the remote control without any disconnection—the downside is it only works for people holding phones, and you can't expect elderly or children at home to use it the same way.
universal remote is the WiFi version, another 2.4G device. I have over 60 registered devices at home ( count once after which I became very stingy with every new device). For low-frequency devices like the hang-up remote control, I put them into a separate 2.4G network ( the old router to the AP ), separated from the main network so it wouldn't drag other things down when it ran out late at night.
pairing night: Selected the wrong code library, can only switch the data, not adjust the temperature
hardware is just the beginning; the real pitfall lies in pairing. Both the universal remote and the air conditioner companion work with a code library: select the air conditioner brand in the app, and the device will send out different infrared codes one by one. The air conditioner responds with a beep, and that's considered the match. It sounds simple, but I was stumped the first time.
When choosing a brand, I almost picked "Gree" and entered the calibration process. The app asked "Is the air conditioner on?" "Has the temperature been lowered?" and kept clicking through until the temperature adjustment step was dead—the air conditioner only recognizes power on and off, with no temperature touch. After looking around, I realized Gree's infrared codes are divided into several generations, and my 2014 Laoliang Zhijing doesn't match the default code library. The app actually has a hidden entry for selecting a by model year, choosing the corresponding age level, then recalibrating a dozen steps before the temperature responds. So if you don't qualify, don't rush to return it. First, check if there are more detailed year options.
calibration process, there was another awkward issue: every time it tried a set of codes, the air conditioner actually executed it. During the winter calibration, the cabinet unit would cool one moment, heat the next, and blow the air the next. My family looked at me as if I were an idiot. Pick an empty afternoon to make a routine, and the whole family can be relaxed and worry-free.
Infrared's Fatal Flaw: It's a one-way street, and apps become blind
used it for a month, and I encountered all the inevitable issues with infrared solutions. One day at the office, I saw the master bedroom air conditioner on the app showing 26 degrees, and my heart tightened—I forgot to turn it off before leaving. When you remotely close it, the app obediently shows "Closed." When I got home that night, I found the air conditioning hadn't been turned on at all. My wife came home at noon to get warm, so she the original remote control to set it to 27 degrees, but later turned it off with the original remote. My 'Remote Off' feature sent infrared signals to the already shut-off air conditioner, but the app thought it was turning it off itself.
this is the weak spot of infrared: infrared is one-way, emitting only and not retracting . The Air Conditioner Companion and universal remote only press commands; they have no idea whether the AC is actually executing it, the actual current level, or whether it's on or off. The "current temperature" displayed in the app is the estimated value from the device's own sensor, which is far from the actual room temperature perceived by the air conditioner. Whoever touched the original remote or pressed a button on the device—the app was all blind. The true smart air conditioner uses two-way communication, with commands and status on a single line; The infrared solution essentially "presses the remote for you"—just press it and that's it.
solution is not without it, but one rule: equipped with smart controls, store the original remote in a drawer and store it all through the app, speaker, or desktop widget. For elderly people who can't afford to have a phone, they set a shortcut for the speaker. If you mix them together, sooner or later you'll end up with something like me that 'locked up for nothing.'
Can you turn on
when the internet is disconnected: Three baseline lines align with other devices
I specifically tried the internet disconnection (my home network was constantly messed up, the vacuum was offline for three days that was easy). The conclusion aligns perfectly with the rules of smart devices:
App remote control and speaker voice; if the network is disconnected, it will go silent, and commands must go through the cloud. But the infrared action itself is locally transmitted—the device receives a command and flashes the infrared tube, without needing a network. There are two types of scheduled tasks: the device-side stored timed network disconnection runs while running, while the pure cloud linkage system goes silent. This is the same as the cloud-based fixed for electric curtains. The most practical automation is the opposite: the thermometer and hygrometer automatically turns on the air conditioner at 30 degrees—this depends on local linkage from the gateway ( my Zigbee network ). The pure cloud version shuts down if the internet goes off, and in summer, if you go offline for half an hour at noon, you'll get heat rash from stuffiness in the room.
Assigned to the Designated Seat: Two Air Conditioners, Two Configurations
| your situation | it's recommended to | the cost-effective |
| cabinet unit (16A generous plug) | air conditioner companion, plug it in directly and check the battery level | about 70 yuan |
| wall-mounted system, speakers sharing the room with infrared | don't buy anything, try using speakers for | 0 yuan |
| Hang-up speakers, speakers are mounted on the wall | universal remote in other rooms, facing the air conditioner directly | about fifty yuan |
| phones with infrared transmitters | enough for yourself, but not for the whole family | 0 Yuan |
wrapping up the order: look at the plug to tell the cabinet unit is walled, buy the air conditioner companion for the cabinet unit, buy the remote control for the wall-mounted device, select the model year level when pairing, and after assembly, put the original remote control away in the drawer. After completing these four steps, an old air conditioner and a new smartphone won't differ much from a new one—the only difference is that it will never tell you its true state. This tacit understanding depends on you following the rules.
