Southwire TechnicianPro Bluetooth Multimeter 14090T

The Southwire TechnicianPro Bluetooth Multimeter distinguishes itself from the rest of the TechnicianPro lineup with its exceptionally useful Bluetooth capability. In this review, I’ll show you how it – and the rest of the meter’s functions – work on the job.

PROS

• Excellent value compared to other CAT IV multimeters with Bluetooth capability
• Bluetooth capability offers safety and efficiency
• Ruggedized and waterproof with an IP67 rating

CONS

• No current probe accessory available

Bluetooth and MApp Mobile App

Southwire’s MApp mobile app allows a Pro to read and control the Southwire TechnicianPro Bluetooth CAT Multimeter with his phone. That’s a big advantage when it’s unsafe to be near the work or impossible to be two places at once (which is always!).

MApp allows those readings to be recorded, saved, uploaded, and emailed with pictures, notes, and GPS data for accurate documentation and work validation.

Multimeter Tough Guy

The TechnicianPro series of meters is ruggedized with an IP67 rating. That means the housing is dust-tight and waterproof. A Southwire video even depicts a muddy meter being hosed off!

Bells and Whistles

The Southwire TechnicianPro Bluetooth Multimeter’s large, digital display is backlit as are the controls. There’s also a work light on the meter’s top edge. A kickstand and a strap with a magnet come in quite handy.

Additional Features

• TrueRMS
• Low Z
• CAT IV 600V/CAT III 1000V, UL listed

Performance

At Your Service

I perform the full spectrum of electrical work from rough-in to trim-out. But my first experience with the Southwire TechnicianPro Bluetooth Multimeter was a late-night service call. The meter’s backlit display, controls, and work light are exceedingly useful in this kind of situation.

Although the photos for this review were taken during the day, a few of the rooms in the warehouse refurbishment project didn’t have power.  The warehouse had been abandoned for what looked like decades. I used the work light to illuminate several trip hazards in the warehouse until I got the big overhead doors open to let the light in.

I used the meter while I tore out and roughed in new service in a couple of the rooms, determined if other parts of the service were salvageable, and brought everything up to code. The meter performed its functions exceedingly well.

Get Connected

The meter’s Bluetooth capability, paired with Southwire’s MApp mobile app, is the outstanding feature. Now that I’ve used it for a while, I don’t want to use a meter without it! This functionality improves safety and workflow efficiency because you don’t have to be within eyeshot of the meter to read and control it.

Recently, I was on a trim-out job and had a co-worker help me determine which breaker controlled a particular outlet. In the same situation today, I plug the meter into the outlet, then switch off breakers at the panel while looking at MApp to find the circuit. In the same fashion, I often find panels to be mislabeled, and this functionality helps me correct the information quickly.

MApp makes many other tasks simpler (and safer) by allowing distance or eliminating trips between panel/switch and multimeter. I can see all the information the multimeter reads on my phone. I can even change the meter’s functions from my phone. MApp records, saves, and emails the readings with photos and notes. That’s pretty impressive.

Keeping Current

I wish Southwire offered a current probe accessory as Fluke and Flir do. In that case, the Southwire TechnicianPro Bluetooth Multimeter would be my only meter because it easily does everything else. I need to measure current too often not to have a clamp meter of some kind. If I was only doing control wiring or new construction, it would fit the bill. As it stands, I’d have to move up to something like the MaintenancePro series.

Price & Value

Digital multimeters are a dime a dozen. Even some Bluetooth-enabled meters are surprisingly cheap. But in the CAT IV Bluetooth realm, Southwire seems to offer a lot of value.

• Southwire TechnicianPro Bluetooth Multimeter – $149
• Fluke 3000 FC CAT IV Multimeter with Fluke connected – $269
• Flir DM91 Bluetooth Multimeter comes in around $275

The Bottom Line

Southwire’s done a great job of making a remarkably rugged, feature-packed digital multimeter. The Bluetooth/MApp capability is a quantum leap for the electrical Pro. If Southwire ever offers a current probe accessory, this could be the only meter you need.

Southwire TechnicianPro Bluetooth Multimeter Specifications

• Item Number: 14090T
• Price: $150 $142.99
• Includes:
  • Test leads
  • Temperature probe
  • Magnetic hanging strap
  • Carrying case
  • Four AAA batteries