- The modular nature of the AC500 lets you add up to six B300 battery modules for a ton of extra power.
- The screen on the unit makes everything easy to use, as does the Bluetooth/Wi-Fi-powered app.
- It’s super heavy, especially when connected, but there aren’t any wheels or easy way to move around.
Imagine running your refrigerator for more than 40 hours in an emergency. Or your air conditioner for almost nine. That’s what Bluetti’s AC500 with an added backup battery pack (B300S) promises, and, from my own testing, it delivers.
I was able to run my fridge for an entire day without depleting a full charge of the review unit the company sent along for this hands-on piece. I also connected my entire entertainment system, consisting of a big 65-inch HDTV, PlayStation 5, and soundbar system, and let that run for an entire day.
Connecting the two units is easy via a robust, specialized cable that plugs into both the AC500 and the B300 units. You’ll need to remember to engage the locking button, or the power will not flow, which must be a safety feature.
Plenty of Control
There are two 15W wireless charging pads on top, too, which makes it super easy to just set down my iPhone and Pixel 9 once in a while and keep them topped up. Wireless charging creates a lot of heat, though, so I wouldn’t recommend doing this as your primary way of charging your phone.
There’s a touchscreen on the front of the AC500 unit, a super-simple way to manage whether the AC or DC ports are enabled, and to see at a glance what’s charging and how much.
This functionality is duplicated in the app, too, which connects to the backup battery via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. It’s real nice to be able to see the charge left in the battery from anywhere as long as the AC500 is connected to my home Wi-Fi.
It charges fast, too, with the ability to stack both wall plug/grid charging (at up to 4500W) and solar charging at a max of 3000W. Use both and you get almost 8000W of charging power, which the company claims can charge both units to 80% in 50 minutes. The home battery can also function as an uninterrupted power supply, great for computers or servers you don’t want to suffer downtime.
You can also plug it into your car cigarette lighter, use a lead-acid car battery, or use a generator to charge as well.
Mostly, I just plugged it into a wall in my house or garage, and it charged to 100% within a few hours.
So Many Ports
The front of the Bluetti Home Backup Battery has two cigarette-lighter ports , two USB-C ports, two USB-A ports, and six different AC ports for regular plug in items like lamps or stereo equipment as well as appliance-style outlets for washing machines and the like.
I tried plugging in my Nissan Leaf EV to see if it could power the car just a little, but as I’ve noted in other battery generator reviews, my EV pulls power at more than 50V, and the appliance outlet on the Bluetti is capped at 50. Ah, well.
The attached B300S has another cigarette lighter port and two more USB-C ports, which can come in handy if you have a whole bunch of folks needing to connect their phones.
It’s Very Heavy Without Wheels
The only downside of the AC500 +B300S home battery backup is its weight. Yes, batteries like this are heavy, but other systems I’ve tried include things like wheels to move it around. The Bluetti form factor, with the heavy battery on the bottom and a heavy but lighter controller unit on top, really encourages putting it somewhere and leaving it there.
That’s great if you’re connecting it to your home power as an emergency backup, connecting six B300S expansion packs to it, but if you’re like me, you’ll want to move this around your house, from one appliance to another, or to bring it outside onto your deck for parties. To do that, you need to unplug the two units from each other, move the top AC500, then move the B300, which really is heavy, then reconnect, then use them in tandem. It’s a lot of work to move it.
A nice set of wheels, like the integrated luggage style of Anker’s Solix F3800, for example, would go a long way towards making this a “use everywhere” device.
Is the Bluetti AC500+B300S Worth It?
For me, this is a qualified yes. Bluetti AC500+B300S Home Battery Backup is a great unit to keep your smaller devices charged up and power your larger appliances for a significant amount of time (Coffee Maker for almost 16 hours? Yes, please).
It’s easy to use, charges fast, and can expand with even more B300S units to make it a worthy system for your home, cabin, or RV.
It’s a little heavy to move around without assistance, and the lack of a built-in wheel system definitely is a downside, but otherwise, at $2,499, you get a whole lot of battery backup in a useful package.
Thanks for letting us know!
News Summary:
- This Home Battery Backup System Keeps My Devices Powered All Day Long
- Check all news and articles from the latest Tech updates.
- Please Subscribe us at Google News.