OTOFIXBattery Tester BT1-Lite,6V 12V 100-2000 CCA Car Battery Analyzer, Cranking & Charging Test Tool,Test for All Vehicles (BT1-lite-new)

I was intrigued by this device when I saw the Autel association, so I ordered it. Autel is a very well known name in the automotive diagnostic tool industry.First thing to do when you receive this is download the appropriate app for your phone. I have a Samsung so I obviously went to the Play Store and searched for "Battery Test" by Autel. After you download and install the app you will be required to create an account. After creating your account, you can log in. You'll be faced with a relatively straightforward menu that is quite easy to navigate. Next connect the device to your car battery and you will be prompted to pair the tester with your cellphone.After pairing, navigate back to the main menu screen and select the desired test. I selected "in vehicle test" and was immediately prompted to install an update. You have to do this. After the update installs, you can start the test. The next screen will have places to enter VIN, license plate and car information. You don't have to do that. That's for generating reports or being able to identify the test in your history.You do have select the battery type..flooded, AGM etc. and enter the CCAs obtained from the label on the battery. Note: other units are available, CCA is what most are accustomed to. After you make your battery selections, start the test. It runs the test very quickly and provides you with a complete health report on your battery.After that you can test your starter and alternator by following very clear onscreen instructions on your phone. Your report will be stored in your history, you can also generate an actual report if desired. This was obviously designed for possible use by a professional repair shop.I checked the results against another tester, the BT-1 was spot on.This is a very well made tester that uses an application from an industry leader. It offers a variety of tests, is easy to set up, easy to use and provides accurate results.

Having already tested several battery testers I was pleasantly surprised by the heft and feel of this little meter. I expected another flimsy device, but boy was I wrong about that! The case is covered on the edges with rubber and it feels quite substantial. Another thing that surprised and delighted me is the internal rechargeable battery. This little gem can be powered up even if your vehicle’s battery is dead, and that is the way I believe it should be. An owner’s manual is included in the box and also in the tester itself. You can view the user guide on your phone while connected to the BT1-Lite; a nice touch. The battery cables measure some two feet from the base of the meter to the tip of the clamps. What’s so good here is that the cables don’t have to be very long since you are using your phone to operate the tester, and your phone will be inside the vehicle with you while doing starting tests. The downside to this is that Autel could conceivably stop making the app available and make life tough on anyone who wants to use their app; but we can keep the faith and hope they don’t do that. This meter performs the same battery tests that other battery testers do: battery test, starting test, and charging test. The meter will probably need to be updated when you first power it up and pair it with your phone and the Autel app, but that is quick and painless so don’t fret over it. The meter has a single button located right on the front of it that is used to turn the unit on. There is a USB-C port for charging the battery, a welcome sight for my eyes since I have not seen that on any other battery tester that I have used; however, you will have to supply your own USB-C cord since one is not included with the BT1-Lite. I sort of expected the USB port to also allow for transferring test reports from the BT1-Lite to a PC, but it doesn’t connect to my PC and I can’t locate any drivers for it. I will continue searching for drivers and edit my review if I find them.If doing a battery test you have the option of in-car or out-of-car. While the out-of-car choice will probably give marginally better results, choosing in-car doesn’t require you to disconnect the battery cables. In-car also opens a form not seen with out-of-car, a form that can be used to track the battery under test by allowing you to enter the vehicle’s license number, VIN number, make, model, year, and some other information to help identify it. This seems like a lot of extra work, especially if this is the family car; but in the case of a business this would prove very useful. One item that could be wished for here is a facility for the meter to read the VIN number itself. Maybe someday that will be added. This meter will give you a relative health number for your battery as well as a textual good no-good indication; and while bad batteries can be detected with a certain amount of accuracy, about 63% for this meter, you may still need to rely on your knowledge as a mechanic to make the right call. This meter is not a magic bullet, but then neither are any of the other battery testers on the market. It is just one more tool to help you troubleshoot a problem. The charging test just might be the most important test of the three, and yet it may be the least used test. The charging test isn’t sexy, but it tells you how well your battery is being charged, and that can be a real revelation. If your charging system isn’t up to snuff it won’t matter how good your battery is. The cranking test seems a bit unnecessary; oh, I don’t mean it ought to be removed or anything like that, but when you turn the key you can pretty much tell how well it cranks without a meter telling you. Having numbers is OK, but familiarity with a car is good, too. This is quickly becoming my favorite battery tester; even above my TopDon. The convenience of this thing is great, and it just plain works.

The BT1 Lite battery tester is made in Vietnam. The battery tester uses bluetooth to communicate with a 64-bit application on your compatible phone (android in my case). The app requires you to create an account before you can use it. The jaws on the tester to open wide enough for some of the bigger battery posts I have. The tester was accurate in testing various batteries, most good and a couple bad. The app did not always show a value for State of Health (SoH) on the display for me. My other battery meter is consistent in showing me an SoH value. This is a good tester, I just wish Autel/Otofix would have provided an alternate 32-bit app so I could use this on my ruggedized shop tablet that a little older than my phone. I recommend this tester.4 stars

This battery tester works great when paired with an Otofix OBDII diagnostic tool. Its easy to use and it feels very durable.