Midea PortaSplit: Remote control of external air conditioning systems

There are increasing discussions on internet forums about faulty Midea PortaSplit air conditioning systems. The remote control with the supplier's app is apparently not controlling the affected person's own air conditioning system, but that of a third party. This is particularly unfavorable at a time when meteorologists are predicting temperature peaks of more than 39 °C in the shade in several parts of Germany this week.

However, this may also be a data protection problem. In a discussion on Reddit, one person is looking for a Midea owner who operates a Wi-Fi network called “Guybrush”. The user even suspects the mutual exchange of Bluetooth passwords for control purposes, and notes that he has apparently turned down the temperature of the person he is looking for. Other participants in the discussion expressed fears of putting Midea devices on the Internet. Others point out that this is not an issue as long as Internet sharing for the air conditioner is deactivated in the router – it then only runs on the local network.

Multiple assigned device IDs?

In another Reddit thread, other users report that their system takes on a life of its own after a longer period offline when it is reconnected to the Wi-Fi via the app. The speculation there is that device IDs have been assigned multiple times. In the specific case of the deactivated system, the consumption history also showed constant use since June 2024 – although the device was purchased in August 2024 and had been standing in the basement without power for several months.

Finally, there is a thread with a summary of the issue, also on Reddit. According to this, in September 2024, Midea had already confirmed to customers that some devices were experiencing the issues mentioned. It was apparently not yet possible to narrow down which devices were affected. Midea advised customers to wait for the next cooling period and, if the issue persists from March or April 2025, to arrange for the appliance to be replaced. Users have identified service.portasplit@midea.com as the contact address for support email inquiries.

We were unable to reproduce the issue with a Midea PortaSplit air conditioner. However, the manufacturer replaced the appliance once during the test. This could prevent such problems, as some users on Reddit also stated that they received a replacement unit on request. A server-side or app-side correction does not seem possible.

Midea has not yet responded to a request from heise online. If we receive feedback, we will update this report accordingly. Those affected should contact the manufacturer via customer support, for example via the email address mentioned above, to have the devices replaced. Turning off the Internet access for the air conditioning system may help temporarily, but it will then not be possible to use the statistics functions, energy monitor or intelligent sleeping, self-cleaning and similar functions. Control is then still possible locally via remote control or Bluetooth.

(dmk)