Digital LCD Temperature and Humidity Meter Clock Alarm

Let's deal with the positives first. The product looks just like the picture and the display is easy to read. But now the negatives. From reading lots of other customer reviews, it would appear that there is no guarantee of accuracy with the temperature reading. The one I bought (and tested against my home brew thermometer) was 1.5°C over. The instructions are a disgrace and let the product down badly. I actually bought this meter for a 77 year old, and he couldn't make head nor tail of them.Now I'm 'usually' pretty good setting up appliances without instructions, but if you're not, then you're in trouble!Here's what you need to do to set up the functions (and note that every key press is confirmed with a loud beep):Clock/12 or 24 hrs/Month and Date sequence1) Press the MODE button and keep it pressed for 2 secs. It beeps and the hr display flashes. 2) Press the ADJ button and this advances one hour each press, or keep it pressed to move rapidly. 3) Let go the ADJ button when you reach the correct hour.Press MODE again and this time the minute flashes. Press the ADJ button as before and let go when the minute is correct. Press MODE again and choose between 12 or 24 hour display with the ADJ button.Press MODE again and the month flashes. Press ADJ to set this.Press MODE again for the date and adjust with ADJ.After the settings have been completed the device shows the clock as default but you can check the month and date by pressing the ADJ button briefly. After a couple of secs the display automatically returns to clock.AlarmThe alarm icon was set on. Press MODE for 2 secs to turn off the alarm and the icon disappears. I can't help with setting the alarm as I couldn't figure out how to switch it on again! My friend didn't want the alarm anyway.Temperature and HumidityThe default display shows the current temperature and humidity. To check the Maximum and Minimum Press the MEMORY button once to advance to MAX and once more to MIN and once again to return to default. Each press is confirmed with a beep.Clearing the MAX and MIN memoriesPress the MEMORY button once to advance the display from default to MAX. It beeps (as above). Press the MEMORY button again and keep it pressed for 2 secs until it beeps to confirm clearance (and reset to current setting). To return to default, press the MEMORY button twice.Press the MEMORY button twice to advance the display from default (via MAX) to MIN. Press the MEMORY button again and keep it pressed for 2 secs until it beeps. To return to default, press the MEMORY button once.Toggling the temperature between °C and °FOn the back of the product lift up the display stand. There is a small black button behind there with a sticker. Each press toggles between °C and °F.

PROS:* Functional, technically in working order. Displays numbers on the screen.CONS:* Shipped with a "Penesamig" branded battery (an obvious Chinese knock-off of the Panasonic brand name). Internet search indicates credible widespread suspicions about the build quality of these batteries. Shipping the device with this suspicious battery will cost me an extra trip to the council's waste disposal unit 1 mile away, as I don't want to risk my house setting on fire because of a badly made battery... I would rather that the device had arrived with NO batteries at all than a badly made one.* Device is obviously very cheaply made. For example, the battery compartment has a poor quality, ill-positioned spring that has to be manually bent into a different shape in order to ensure a good electrical contact with the base of the AAA battery (I haven't seen this style of battery compartment in any other devices for about 15 years). Even the when the compartment spring is bent into shape and forced to fit, the AAA battery is trying very hard to pop off the back of the cheaply made plastic battery compartment cover.* Colour is slightly different from that suggested by the photograph (white and dark-grey plastic; rather than white and black). In certain lighting conditions (especially sunlight), you get very visible rainbow effects on/in the transparent plastic screen; which suggests that the screen cover plastic is very cheap (with variable thickness, finished with cheap chemicals) with an air-gap at the back between the cover plastic and the actual LCD screen. This is NOT a device you would give pride-of-place on your mantelpiece, or display proudly on your office desk: it's a functional device that merely gives a rough idea of temperature and humidity levels.* This seller "forgot" to mention certain specifications on the product packaging, such as: temperature only accurate ±1℃; humidity only accurate ±5%RH. Mine has a systematic error >1℃ below the reading from my other digital thermometer (readings fluctuate wildly over a 1℃, 5%RH range from minute to minute, unlike my other device; but this error-responsiveness does not translate into responsiveness to actual ambient conditions: the device takes several minutes to respond to new conditions after being taken from one room into another). I bought this for humidity readings so I'm not too fussy about the temperature reading; but with only 5%RH accuracy, this device is by no means accurate: you're almost better off using your nose to smell the air humidity levels, and using your hair and feet to gauge whether there's any static electricity in the air/ ambient environment.* As shipped (from Singapore; originally "Made in China"), the official customs declaration on the package suggests this is a "gift". Well, if I paid four pounds for it, then I don't think it's a gift. Is this a tactic to avoid paying customs or sales tax on the cross-border shipment? Not sure...* Shipment includes card explicitly asking buyers to give five-star ratings on Amazon (I'm not impressed with this "request"...)OVERALL: For just 4 GBP, I would have given this four stars as "you get what you pay for" (readings with very limited accuracy and no value to scientists or engineers). But given the suspiciously made/branded battery included, the badly made battery compartment, the questionable customs declaration and the explicit "request" for me to give this product a five-star review; I'm giving this three stars.

I got this to give me a general idea with temp conditons in my flat (more to tell me the temp in my small coldwater aquarium ambiently - obviously not to submerge this lol) and it is giving me a stable reading right now but the humidity was all over the place as well as the temp. Setting the time date etc was confusing as the 'fortune cookie confuscian instructions' were slightly incomprehensible - once I called Mystic Meg out it was a doddle (kidding).I just need to know if my flat is too warm so I can do something to prevent the aquarium from overheating and I guess this item will do as needed. For £5ish I think it will do what I need it to do. Of course I have a thermometer in the fish tank as well - but aquariums heat up ambiently (from the room they are in) and this will work to warn me it might be getting a little hot in here (take off the fish clothes??? - take off the tank lid more like)This isn't scientifically accurate - so do not rely on this item too much. I havent bothered to do the alarm, and hope it doesn't do any annoying beeping in the night. It isn't backlit, so it wont glow in the dark. Just a simple cheap thermometer & hygrometer that may be useful in the winter when the mould & damp return...EDIT - 12/05/12 - Seems the temperature & humidity readings are stable now and looks to be ok in accuracy - added a star - so I think it would be a fine cheap purchase... Don't rely on it too much for a super-accurate reading! You need a better quality thermometer for that!

Great product easy to use