Jebao MLW-30 Smart Wave Maker with LCD Display Controller

I just bought two of these to replace the SOW-15s I have on my reef tank. I wanted power heads with a broader flow pattern and these accomplish that perfectly. They move water without blasting the skin off corals placed infront of them. They are dead silent. Also, a much slimmer profile in the tank. The wifi app also works surprisingly well. It's super easy to configure, and allows you to set each power head to run different flow patterns/intensities throughout the day. I will note, you can only turn it down to 30% power. And the random flow mode still lacks control over power -- it's 30%-100% random. I'd love to see a software update allowing control over this so you could, for example, have it be random with a max of 80% for those of us who don't want the thing full power. That has been a complaint of mine with all the jebao power heads. Also, it can be a bit of a pain to connect the app to the power head. Like a lot of wifi devices, it only operates on 2.4 ghz. But most modern routers don't run separate networks for 2.4 ghz and 5 ghz; instead your devices dynamically switch based on connection. The controller had the ability to set it as a network access point for configuration, but that didn't work for me. What did work was simply finding a spot in my house where my phone swapped to 2.4 ghz - then bam, device configured and good to go.

The app is absolutely horrible. I should have spent a few extra dollars for the Nero or anything else. 1. I could not connect to the pumps with my Galaxy s20 or IPhone X I had to use an S7 a 5 year old phone to connect to the pumps and configure the app. 2. I cannot control the programs no matter which phone I use. I want the night to run at the minimum 30% and a frequency of 100 for a calm night using the Sine mode. During the day I want a more aggressive movement and use the Classic mode to run at 70% power and a wave a frequency of 45. The app does not allow for this. Evertime I change the Classic mode the Sine mode will also change. 3. Feed mode. I want Feed mode to run at a slow consistent speed. The app does not allow for this. The pumps are either ON or OFF. When I use Feed mode and the pumps come out of Feed mode the pumps revert back to 100% power and maximum frequency, I have to go back to the app and re-program for the speed and frequency I set before. 4. The cords are short. On my 75gal I cannot reach from inside the tank to the inside of the tank stand on the other side where my Apex is. 5. The pumps puts out a very wide flow. No matter how I angle the pumps the center of my sand bed is blow around, I have a U shape bottom of sand about 2 ft long. 6. The reason I bought these pumps over the Nero pumps was the ability to angle the pump heads. However, the angle will move quite easily, I have found using the algie scraper close to the pump heads will alter their position causing more sand blowing around. 7. On a positive note the pumps are silent even at 100%. To sum up if you want to be able to control the pumps with the app wait for Jebao to fix the app it is total garbage. I would return the pumps due to the app but missed my 30 day window. Jebao fix your POS app, I own three other Jebao pumps that are not app controlled and they work flawlessly.

I like these but can’t seem to get them to last a little over a year.

It’s a knock off of the AI Nero series (or is it 🤔), and works like a charm. I bought a Jebao SCP-120 gyre power head 2 years ago and it’s still working like a charm. I expect this will keep on working too. If not, I’d have to replace 3 times to equal the spend for the Nero. Saw some Bad reviews on the Wi-Fi. No problems at all here. I have worked in IT for 20 years but, there was nothing special to do. Some routers have the 2.5 GHz and 5 GHz sharing the same SSID and the router is supposed to be smart enough to connect the device to the right frequency. I have found this to be faulty and set my routers up to have separate SSIDs. I have yet to encounter a provider or OTS router than didn’t allow you to separate them.

The Jebao App has not been updated to manage this pump!

The item arrived a day late wasn't a problem, but the hour I had to spend cleaning it was. I didn't understand why it was dirty in the first place, but it worked.

The pump worked decent for the first few weeks. I cleaned the pump, and it started making quite a loud noise, I had hoped the noise would die down shortly, but sadly it has gotten worse. I have a jebao return pump, that I have been very pleased with, but this pump is either defective or not engineered very well. Pretty sad as it only 2 months old, and has gotten to the point of not being usable. I would return it if I could.