Meme: Oraimo CEO right now

The Oraimo power banks have gained popularity on social media due to their durability.

Out of genuine excitement, some Oraimo fans even claim their power bank “can charge all the smartphones on their street and still not run out of battery juice”. But how good are the Oraimo power bank series? Continue reading my hands-on review to find out.

For the sake of this review, I bought two Oraimo Power Banks; the 27,000mAh and the 40,000mAh variants. I purchased them two months ago from the official Oraimo Store. And since I would like this review to be more extensive, I went in search of people who use other models of the Oraimo power banks ( the 20,000mAh, and the 30,000mAh variants ) and I finally got them all from our Telegram group.

How to Interpret the Capacity of Power Banks

When choosing what Oraimo power bank to buy, you would often come across some technical jargon like mAh, Watt, Output Voltage e.t.c., but I would explain them in bits so that they make more sense to you.

mAh:  Just so you know, mAh is a unit that is commonly used to measure the energy storage capacity of a battery. The higher the mAh, the more energy the power bank will store.  The more mAh a power bank has, the longer it takes to discharge.

Watt: Another metric to consider when rating power banks is the Wattage, which is measured in Watts. In power banks and other electronic appliances, “Watt” is the unit used to describe the maximum speed of electric current that a power bank (or charger) can output. That is why we have fast-charging technology today. Fast Chargers usually have a Wattage of between 18 Watts to 27 Watts. Please note that for fast charging to work, the connected device needs to support the Fast Charging technology.

Dual Charging Ports: Power Banks that allow more than one device to be charged at the same time are said to have dual charging ports. Some Oraimo power banks have two output charging ports, while some have just one.

Output Voltage: The standard output voltage for smartphone and power bank chargers is between 3.5V -5V. But the new Anifast Technology in some Oraimo power banks brings this to as high as 9V. Some bigger models can even deliver an amazing 12V. Don’t worry though, Oraimo power banks have intelligent microchips that prevent using the wrong output voltage for an unsupported device.

Amperage: Measured in Amps (A). This is the amount of electric charge moving out of a power source at any given time. A good power bank should have at least 2A. Though you’d mostly see Oraimo power banks with 3A, and that’s perfect for charging our smartphones. Amperage (measured in Amps), in combination with Wattage (measured in Watts), determines how long a power bank would take to fully charge a device, although the battery capacity of the device that is being charged is another variable that should be considered at all times.

Apologies for all the technical details above, but they might help you better understand what you are paying for. Now let’s take a look at the complete list of Oraimo power banks currently available on sale today.

Full List of Oraimo Power Banks and Their Battery Capacity

Here is a full list of power bank models currently offered by Oraimo and their battery capacity in milliamp hours (mAh).

How Good are the Oraimo Power Banks?

Generally speaking, Oraimo power banks are pretty good. Asides from the wide range of models to choose from, Oraimo power banks boast one of the best battery life on the market. After a couple of charging cycles over my two months of use, there seemed to be no degradation of the battery life.

Some Oraimo power banks also have an LCD display that allows you to check the exact battery level at any point in time. Apparently, this is a handy feature.

The following Oraimo Power bank models feature an LCD Display;

• ✅ oraimo PowerBox 400, 40,000mAh (₦24,000)
• ✅ oraimo PowerBox 300, 30,000mAh (₦18,000)
• ✅ oraimo Traveler 3 Byte, 27,000mAh (₦16,500)
• ✅ oraimo Traveler 160, 16,000mAh (₦9,500)
• ✅ oraimo Toast 10 Byte 10,000mAh (₦6,800)

The 20,000mAh Oraimo Traveler 4 Pro doesn’t feature an LCD display despite being over 4,000 NGN more expensive than the Toast 10 Byte. However, it is twice the capacity. So if you have a low to medium budget, you might find yourself having to choose between an LCD display or a bigger battery capacity. 😁

This post would be updated in the coming weeks to cover areas such as Fast Charging, PD (Power Delivery), Dual Ports, and so on. So stay tuned and subscribe. 

The post Review of the Oraimo Power Bank Series – Things to Know Before Buying One appeared first on Branditechture.

The MTN HyNetflex router is a business-class router that was developed by Chinese company ZTE. This review is based on the ZTE MF286 Router Model pictured below.

Please be informed that I am not affiliated with any telco brand and this review is 100% based on my personal experience with the device. I may, however, update this review if my experience changes.

What Is In The Box

1. A ZTE MF286 Router (Branded as MTN HyNetflex)
2. 2 Instruction Manuals 
3. 1 RJ45 Ethernet LAN Cable
4. 1 SIM Pack
5. A 12V 1.5A Charger 

I bought our MTN HyNetflex at the Palms Mall, Oniru, Victoria Island, Lagos, for ₦25,000 (Approx. $57), which is very cheap considering its features.

ℹ UPDATE: This HyNetflex router is now sold for ₦10,000 by MTN Nigeria, but the welcome bonus has gone down from 120GB to 30GB.   

First Impressions

The larger part of its housing (or case) is a thick, white matte plastic, with a grey glossy chassis, which is perforated at both ends to allow for ventilation when the device is working. 

The router design looks very modern and the admin user interface is very nice to look at. The Admin User Interface sports MTN’s rebranded look; You know, the new MTN Sans typeface, with their famous yellow and deep black colour scheme. 

In my opinion, MTN is the most unique telco in Nigeria in terms of branding and brand communications, and they’ve ensured visual consistency across all their platforms. MTN is the only Telecommunications company to have developed its own typeface from the ground up. No other brand in the world is using the same typeface.  Pictured below is the MTN HyNetflex Admin Dashboard.

MTN HynetFlex Dashboard Showing Download Speed Indicator and Other Status Information

The myMTN portal and the router’s control panel both share a consistent look with the MTN’s website. Personally, the UX is awesome and everything you’ll ever need to manage your router and data plans can be easily spotted on the interface. 

You may like to read 👇🏽:

https://branditechture.agency/reviews/mtn-mifi-review/

MTN HyNetflex Technical Specs

The MTN HyNetflex router is labeled as “Cat 6”, which in theory, means that it could reach speeds of around 300 MB/s when needed. 

At the back, the router features four LAN ports and two WAN ports for telephony, plus one USB 2.0 port. 

This configuration allows it to power up to four devices simultaneously via wired LAN, and according to the instruction manual, you can connect up to 64 devices wirelessly through Wireless LAN (a.k.a WiFi), but I suspect that maxing out of the number of connected devices would overheat the router and damage it if used over long periods. 

The router is dual-band, which means it has support for both 2.4 GHz and 5.0 GHz frequencies. In case you didn’t know, the difference between 5.0 GHz and 2.0 GHz is the range and speed. 2.4 GHz is supported in more Wi-Fi devices and has a much wider coverage range.  

The 5.0 GHz is faster but even with a supported device, you have to move close enough to the router for you to be able to make use of the 5.0GHz frequency due to its comparatively lower coverage. 

Also Read this 👇🏽

https://branditechture.agency/how-tos/dial-code-and-sms-on-mtn-mi-fi-and-hynetflex/

Network Speed Tests

I tested both 2.4GHz and 5.0GHz and they both worked fine, however, according to tests, there was no noticeable difference in download speed on both frequencies. I also tested the LAN cable and carefully observed the bandwidth, but it didn’t translate to a faster internet as well. This is perhaps a result of the standard throttling practiced by almost all the mobile telecommunication companies offering internet services in Nigeria. 

One thing I like about the MTN HyNet Flex router is that you do not need to tweak any settings to connect to either frequency because both frequencies are broadcasted by default. All you just need to do is connect to your most preferred frequency.  It can operate on both frequencies simultaneously and that’s amazing. 

The router claims it supports up to 300Mb/s  download speed and 50Mb/s upload speed, but the peak bandwidth I was able to squeeze from MTN is Upload: 40MB/s and Download: 24 Mb/s. 

The average download speed fluctuated between 2.5Mb/s and 4Mb/s but bursts up to 24Mb/s when downloading large content. I used it to upgrade my 2015 MacBook Air from OS X Mojave to macOS Big Sur which is around 12.6GB and the download was completed in about 1 hour.

Bonuses & Extras

As they had promised, I got the FREE 120GB bonus after activating the new MTN SIM. The Free 120GB can’t be rolled over and it expires in 30 days, but MTN says you’ll get to enjoy a 100% data bonus on whatever mobile data plan you buy for up to three months, which starts counting the day you activated the SIM Card. 

There’s no daily Fair Usage Policy restriction on the FREE 120GB MTN HyNetflex bonus, which means you could use it all in one day if you so wish. I used about 10GB within 24hrs of getting it. 

ℹ UPDATE: This HyNetflex router is now sold for ₦10,000 by MTN Nigeria, but the welcome bonus has gone down from 120GB to 30GB.   

MTN HyNetflex Battery Test

With the factory-fitted charger, the average time it took to reach 100% from 0% is 1 hour and 30 minutes. 

The enclosed Li-Po battery boasts a capacity of 3000 mAh, but tests have shown really disappointing results. Even with a single device connected and a moderate data transfer activity, the battery struggled to last up to one hour. 

Prior to my purchase, I was told that the battery could last up to 7 hours. It was also boldly written on the pack that the battery offers up to “5 hours of use without AC Power” which I thought I’ll be able to use for up to 6 hours with moderate use. 

To cut the long story short, I was a bit disappointed to find out that the battery barely lasts up to an hour after a full charge.

If battery duration between charges is crucial to you, then you might want to reconsider purchasing this router. I initially thought I was unlucky with a faulty device but every person who has used this router has the same thing to say about the battery life.

Warranty & Returns

I’m not aware of any warranty or return policy from MTN, but the Limited Warranty from ZTE which can be found in the enclosed technical manual doesn’t make much sense to me as an MTN Customer. If you are curious about their warranty and return policy on this product, then you might want to contact MTN on 180 for firsthand information on this.

MTN HyNetflex Charging Problems

The MTN HyNetflex MF286 charger has the following technical specs;

Input Voltage: 100-240V, 1.0A

Output: 12V, 1.5A, 18 Watts

The charging issues I have noticed right from the very first day of use is as follows;

1. The router stops charging the battery once there’s an interruption of power. For example, switching to Generator when PHCN seizes the light and vice versa. There’s no amount of plugging and unplugging that would cause the router to resume charging. 
2. For the router to resume charging, you must have to remove and reinsert the battery — That’s the only solution that has worked so far. Every other method has proved futile. 
3. The router randomly stops charging, even without any interruption of power. As mentioned above, you would have to remove and reinsert the battery to resume charging. 
4. The above-mentioned problems are persistent in nature. Which means they reoccur shortly after you’ve “solved” it. 

I was able to confirm that the charging issues were not related to the router’s charger by using the MTN HyNet Flex charger to power our DStv decoder for about two hours, which worked fine since they share similar specs. 

I’ve had to start using the router without a battery so that the battery doesn’t get damaged from severe discharge. 

UPDATE: After reading my "rant", an MTN official (Name withheld) called me and offered a somewhat makeshift solution by providing me with an external battery backup (A 12V Huawei GT-4300 Lithium-ion battery rated 4300mAH ). That is a rare gesture and I was impressed by his professionalism.

Should you buy the MTN HyNetflex Router?

• ✔ BUY it if electric power is always within your reach and you have a UPS. 
• ✔ BUY it if you believe that both the MTN HyNetflex’s features and the 120GB bonus are great compensation for the poor battery life. (UPDATE: The 120GB bonus is now 30GB, but the price of the router is now ₦10,000)
• ❌ DON’T buy if you need a router that gives you enough battery backup after a power outage. The MTN HyNetflex barely lasts an hour after a full charge. 
• ❌ DON’T buy if you don’t have a good UPS that can help prevent disruptions during power cuts.
• ❌ The MTN HynetFlex despite its good broadband speed, still has a high ping rate (also known as latency). The implication of this is that games like FIFA 22 would noticeably lag in online multiplayer head-to-head mode, although not by much. On my FIFA 22 Mobile, I get between 135ms to 165ms when the network is good, but this is still not good enough for any serious gamer. In most cases, disconnecting other devices which are simultaneously connected to the router will not improve this ping rate.

Final Verdict

The MTN HyNetflex is a very pretty-looking device save for the battery. However, considering its ridiculously cheap price of just ₦25,000 (Now sold for ₦10,000), it might prove to be a good investment if you always have power available within reach, but with the current epileptic nature of power supply in Nigeria, I do think this is going to be a bad purchase for most people. 

If you do not intend to connect more than 8 devices at once, then the MTN Broadband MiFi is definitely a better option. 

That’s a brutally honest review of the new MTN HyNetflex router according to my personal experience with the device. 

If you have any questions to ask me, kindly comment below. Thanks for reading. 

The post A Brutally Honest Review Of The MTN HyNetflex Router appeared first on Branditechture.

Although this device is officially called “Broadband MiFi” by MTN Nigeria, this product is actually an MTN-branded version of the ZTE MF927U 3G/4G/LTE Mobile Wi-Fi Router as pictured below;

A Photo of the MTN MiFi on its box

Please be informed that I am neither affiliated with MTN Nigeria nor any of their competitors, and this review is 100% based on my personal experience with the device. I may, however, update this review if my experience changes.

What Is In The Box

1. A ZTE MF927U Mobile Wi-Fi Router (Branded as MTN Broadband MiFi)
2. Instruction Manual
3. A Charging Adapter and Micro USB 2.0 Charging Cable
4. 1 SIM Pack

I bought this MTN MiFi at the MTN Yello City at Adeola Odeku Street, Victoria Island, Lagos, at a promotional price of just ₦8,000 (Approx. $14 USD), which is super-duper cheap when you consider its features. However, it took a lot of extra effort to get it as it was unavailable everywhere else I had previously checked. If you can’t find one in your area, join our Telegram group and drop a message there. I will help you get one and ship it to you.  

Read this 👉🏽 How Much is the MTN Mi-Fi, and Where Can I Buy? 

First Impressions

The MTN MiFi MF927U is a compact-sized device with a square-shaped housing that perfectly fits into the pocket. The case is made of a thick, white matte plastic that doesn’t look cheap. 

The MiFi’s design looks very modern but the administrative dashboard is a bit outdated and not on-par with MTN’s current brand identity. 

The MTN MiFi Dashboard

What I am trying to say here is that the MTN MiFi’s control panel (shown above) does not share the same consistent look as the new myMTN portal and the official MTN Website. Personally, I think the UX could have been improved to enable easier management of connected devices.

MTN MiFi Technical Specs

The MTN MiFi MF927U is labelled as “Cat 4”, which in theory, means that it supports uplink data rates (or upload speeds) up to 50Mbps and downlink data rates (or download speeds) up to 150Mbps.

On one side of the device, you will find a micro USB charging port while on the very top are two round buttons — A power button and a WPS button. On the other side, you will find the SIM Card slot containing the micro SIM card tray and right beside it is a pin-hole that can be used to reset the MiFi.   

MTN MiFi Power and Reset Buttons

The MTN Broadband MiFi MF927U can support up to 32 connected devices but I would strongly recommed against doing that as it may heat up the device and reduce the battery life.  Unlike its big brother, the HynetFlex, the MTN Broadband MiFi MF927U does not have a removable battery. 

This MTN MiFi is single-band, which means it only has support for 2.4 GHz band. However, this should do for most people.  

Also Read this 👇🏽

https://branditechture.agency/how-tos/dial-code-and-sms-on-mtn-mi-fi-and-hynetflex/

Network Speed Tests

I live in Lagos Island, and when I tested the MTN MiFi broadband speed by downloading a 1.5 GB file, I’d say I was happy with the results. I was able to get an average Upload speed of 9MB/s and a Download Speed of: 15 Mb/s. On normal usage (e.g chatting and watching WhatsApp statuses,) the average download speed fluctuated between 1 Mb/s and 4Mb/s, and there was no lag or buffering when streaming videos.

As they had promised, I got the FREE 30GB bonus after activating the MTN SIM that came with the device. The Free 30GB can’t be rolled over and it expires in 30 days, but MTN says you’ll get to enjoy a 100% data bonus on whatever mobile data plan you buy for up to three months, which starts counting the day you activated the SIM Card. 

There’s no daily Fair Usage Policy restriction on the FREE 30GB bonus, which means you could use it all in one day if you so wish. 

MTN Broadband MiFi MF927U Battery Test

With the factory-fitted charger, the average time it took to reach 100% from 0% is 1 hour and 30 minutes. 

The MTN MiFi MF927’s battery boasts a capacity of 2000 mAh, and tests have shown really pleasing results. With two devices connected, I was able to use the MTN Broadband MiFi MF927U for about 5 hours before the battery indicator turned red, meaning battery low. 

If battery duration between charges is crucial to you, then this is the best MTN wireless router that money can buy as you can easily get up to 6 hours after each full charge. Surprisingly, it currently sells for a paltry ₦8,000 ($14 USD) at authorized MTN outlets. 

Interpreting the Light Indicators

You might ask “What do the light indicators on the MTN MiFi do?”. Well, since the router does not have an LCD display, you would need to know what these signals mean in order to make sense of them. The table below shows the different lights on the MTN MiFi and what they mean;

Indicator Light	Status	Meaning
Battery	Red, solid / blinking	The battery is low. Charge battery.
	Green, blinking	The battery is currently being charged
	Green, solid	The battery is sufficiently charged
	Lights off	The device is powered off
Wi-Fi	Blue, solid	Wi-Fi is active.
	Blue, blinking	WPS is active
	Lights off	Wi-Fi is off.
SMS	Blue, solid	You have unread messages.
	Blue, blinking	You have new messages or the message storage is full.
	Lights off	There is neither an unread message nor a new message.
Network	Red, solid	There is an error establishing a network connection. Possible reasons include; – The device is not registered to the mobile network. – There is no micro-SIM card inserted. – There is no network service available.
	Green, Solid	The device is registered to the 2G/3G mobile network.
	Green, blinking	The device is connected to the 2G/3G mobile network and data is being transferred.
	Blue, solid	The device is registered to the 4G LTE network.
	Blue, blinking	The device is connected to the 4G LTE network and data is being transferred.

MTN MiFi Problems

SMS Suddenly Stops Opening, Keeps Loading Infinitely
After a month of using the MTN Broadband MiFi, I noticed a major issue with accessing SMS messages. The MTN MiFi SMS interface simply gets stuck in a loop with the message; “Waiting…”.

Just in case you run into this problem, here is a guide to fix it 👇🏽

https://branditechture.agency/troubleshooting/how-to-fix-the-sms-keeps-loading-problem-on-the-mtn-mifi/

Should you buy the MTN Broadband MiFi?

• ✔ BUY it if electric power is not constantly available where you live but you need to stay online all day. The battery lasts up to 5-6 hours of use between full charges.
• ✔ Unlike its big brother (the Hynetflex,) that requires an AC Power supply,  this MiFi model can be charged using the regular power bank you use to charge your smartphones.
• ✔ BUY it for the 30GB bonus on activation, it’s worth more than the MiFi device already. Then you also get to enjoy a 100% bonus every time you subscribe to a monthly data plan for a period of three months.
• ✔ BUY it if you are always on the move as it is easy to carry about due to its compact size (1.45 x 7.8 x 7.8 cm).
• ❌ DON’T buy if you always need to connect multiple devices all the time. Not suitable for everyday office/home use with several devices connected.

Read also 👉🏽 How Much is the MTN Mi-Fi, and Where Can I Buy? 

Final Verdict

The MTN Broadband MiFi is the best Mi-Fi that ₦8,000 can buy. This is the most ideal solution for freelancers and digital nomads. It is a very good investment if you don’t always have power available within reach.

This MTN Mi-Fi is the best option for most people and perhaps, you.  However, if you want a more rugged wireless router that can guarantee efficiency and speed at all times, then you do well to read my review of the MTN Hynetflex MF286 Dual-band Router.

If you have any questions to ask me, kindly comment below. Thanks for reading. 

The post MTN Broadband MiFi MF927U Review: All You Need To Know appeared first on Branditechture.

PLEASE NOTE: This is an unbiased review of Selar.co. I am not an employee of Selar.co, but I would get a commission if you register through my link. Using my link to register on Selar is totally optional.

I’ve actually started using Selar for about a couple of weeks now and I have already processed a couple of transactions seamlessly in different currencies.

Hello, my name is Yusuf Odukoya, the founder of Branditechture Design Agency and the author of one of the best and most detailed WordPress and Elementor Courses in the world. (You can actually get the course on Selar by clicking HERE)

I’m super excited to write this review as I walk you through the Selar platform, which I have been using for a couple of weeks now. Selar is just super amazing: You would be able to receive money in different currencies, thereby effectively circumventing the challenges of receiving cross-border payments — A challenge that has plagued the monetization efforts of Nigerian creators for many years.

The best part is you don’t even need a website to start making sales and receiving payments online. In this review, I’m going to show you a super cool trick where you will be able to install your Facebook Pixel on Selar. Facebook Pixel helps you create retargeting ads. This is completely a game-changer!

So, let’s get started. First, let’s talk about the basic features of Selar, just to show you how it works before getting into the backend. I’m actually going to be very detailed so that you can follow through when you’re setting up your Selar accounts for optimum use.

So how does Selar work?

1. You create a free account
2. You will log in and add your bank details
3. Upload your products
4. Get your unique product URL or link.

You can either share your unique product link on social media, embed it as a CTA link on your website, or send it directly to a potential buyer.

It is super duper simple to set up. I literally got started and uploaded my first content within 8 minutes. No unnecessary delays or stressful KYC verification.

You may like to read this👇🏽

https://branditechture.agency/affiliate-marketing/how-the-selar-affiliate-network-works/

Features of Selar.co

So, let’s just take a deeper look at some of the features of the Selar platform;

1. Multi-Currency support

Whether your buyers or subscribers are paying in Naira, Cedis, Pounds Sterling or USD, Selar is there to help you with all the conversion while you get settled in your local currency the next day.

Supported payment gateways include but are not limited to Stripe, Mpesa, MTN MoMo, Airtel Mobile Money, Tigo, PayPal, Mastercard, VISA, American Express and Verve, amongst others.

The system automatically detects the IP Address of your potential buyers/subscribers and set the default currency of their country to match that of your sales page, although, it could be manually changed by the user.

Their payment gateway is so robust that it supports some relatively lesser-known currencies such as Ugandan Shilling and Rwandan Franc.

This is actually a significant paradigm shift, especially to the average Nigerian seller living in Nigeria. With Selar, we’ve actually been able to receive a payment from the US through Stripe, which is usually only available to people in the US, UK and other countries like that. Amazing!

2. Seamless integration with your favourite CRM and Analytics tools

With Selar, you also have the option to integrate your landing pages with a newsletter platform like MailChimp. That means you can simultaneously build a mailing list while you sell your products. All these are possible out of the box and does not require that you upgrade to the pro plan.

You can also add a Google Analytics tracking code to monitor user activities on your product sales pages.

Facebook Pixel integration is also available in the free plan.

All these tools are knitted together by Selar to help you reach more potential buyers.

3. Inbuilt Affiliate Marketing Engine

To add an affiliate from your Selar dashboard, click the dashboard menu and click Affiliates, then click Add an Affiliate.

This is my best feature. The affiliate marketing feature is a super important tool because I was actually able to get people to sell my products for a defined commission (in percentage). The good part is that no manual intervention is needed. You can just set and forget it.

The unique feature is that you can set the percentage you want per affiliate; In other words, you can decide to give Mr. John 20% per sale, and Mr. Jack 35% per sale. This comes in handy during the negotiation process with each marketer where each affiliate marketer may demand different commission rates before they can agree to help you market your product in front of their followers.

4. Subscriptions

Selar also has other options like subscriptions, I personally love subscriptions because it means you can automate your recurrent billing process. So for example, we have website maintenance plans billed monthly where we charge subscribers a certain monthly fee to help manage their websites. With this, you won’t have to go about reminding people to come and make their monthly payments, it’s automated.

5. Inbuilt analytics

You have analytics there in your Selar dashboard, you can check out how well your store is doing. You can see your sales are performing, you can see people abandoned carts (or transactions).

6. Abandoned cart emails (or Cart recovery emails)

Selar also has abandoned cart emails to notify a buyer of an abandoned transaction. Abandoned carts can occur either due to card being declined, network outage, or pure distraction. So if a person tries to make a purchase and doesn’t complete it, the person is actually going to get a follow-up email some minutes later, which may help you recover the sale.

7. Coupons (Discount Codes)

Selar allows you to set discount codes otherwise known as coupons for your products. For the coupon discount, you can set a combination of both a percentage and Fixed amount discount, or you can set either of the two criteria.

Coupons are an amazing way to give discounts. Would you like to give a 5%, 10% OFF your product? the coupon feature on Selar.co can get that done for you.

Unfortunately, for now, Selar does not allow you to set an expiry date for the coupons you create, but you can set a limited number of coupons. I personally hope to see that in the future because it would help us schedule the time range between when a coupon should be valid.

If implemented, this would definitely be very useful for time-sensitive promotions such as Black Friday or Christmas Sales.

How to start selling on Selar.co

So without further ado, Let’s sign up and get started so that we can take a deeper look at the platform…

I advise that you should use your primary email address so that you don’t miss out on sales notifications.

You actually have a quick signup option with Facebook, Twitter, Google, but I personally love using emails because I can always set my preferred password right from the signup page. So let me hit the signup button.

1. Go to www.selar.co
2. Hit the  Start Selling  button
3. Enter your details or sign up with one click using Google, Facebook or Twitter
4. In the next screen, you would be prompted to add your bank account details. Add your bank account details and click  Verify account detail.

That’s all! It takes literally 5 minutes to get started on Selar.co and you can instantly start adding your products.

You can sell intangible products like PDF ebooks, video courses, software, scripts. You can also sell tangible goods like shoes, electronics and so on.

My Store on Selar

Selar.co — Advanced Features

1. Instalments

You can set very flexible payment plans for your high ticket products, this option allows customers to enter the amount of their first instalment while splitting the balance in subsequent instalments.

2. Custom Redirects

So, this one is usually good. For example, let’s say you sell an ebook, and you deliver the ebook through your Google Drive. You can set the Google Drive link as a redirect.

3. Automatic Receipts

So when a person makes payments, the person actually gets a receipt. Your customers can even print their receipts by hitting Ctrl+P on the receipt page.  If you’re using a Macbook, then it’s CMD + P.

If on a mobile phone, you can print or save the receipt as a PDF by tapping your browser’s hamburger menu (the three dots or dashes) and then tap share. You’ll see the option to either print it or save it as a PDF. However, I think just taking a screenshot should be more than enough.

4. Price Strikethrough

You can strike out a product’s original price whilst showing your sale price. For example, Original price: ₦2000 NGN  Now: ₦1000 NGN.

To do this, just click on “Show the striked out original price” while adding your product to Selar, after which you would be prompted to add the original price.

5. Private Products

Do you want to hide a specific product from your store homepage? Yes, this is possible on Selar. You could actually make a product accessible only via its direct link. So I guess this will be useful if you are, maybe, creating a lead magnet or building an email list. You just want people with the link to go directly to download it.

6. Custom URLs

By default, Selar generates a URL based on the product code e.g https://selar.co/wgcx. The problem with this is that it is not human-friendly. You can actually customize your URL by replacing the characters after the trailing slash with something more readable and memorable, for example, https://selar.co/wordpress.

Warning: Don’t ever customize a product URL after sharing it across different social media channels, doing that would result in a Page Not Found error when users click on the old link. So, it is always best to use the Custom URL feature at the time of uploading your product.

7. Image Reviews

When adding a new product or editing an existing one, you can add image reviews such as screenshots of your buyer reviews on other platforms. That way, you can buy the trust of potential buyers since those links are usually verifiable. Social proofs can help you amass more sales.

8. Stock level management

You can set the number of units available for any particular item. This is especially useful for physical products so that the product automatically goes out of stock when all the available units have been purchased.

9. Non-Downloadable PDFs

You also have the non-downloadable PDF feature (referred to as “Read Online Only”) that allows you to host your PDF files on Selar. This is great if you have piracy concerns. However, the only drawback is that there is a size limit of 10MB so, Selar does not support PDF uploads larger than 10MB if you wish to use the Read Online Only PDF feature.

I like the feature because it prevents unauthorized redistribution of your work. So, If you don’t want someone to buy your PDF and start reselling it somewhere else, this effectively solves that problem.

How to Integrate Facebook Pixel on Selar

Selar allows you to integrate your Facebook Pixel tracking ID with your landing page and product pages. Of course, this is one of the mind-blowing things with regards to running sponsored ads on Facebook. This would not only help you optimize your ad spend, but would also help you target the most relevant people.

To integrate your Pixel tracking code, all you need to do is provide your Pixel ID in the Selar Facebook Pixel integration settings;

1. Log in to your dashboard and click the hamburger menu on the top right corner
2. Click Integrations to expand the integration settings
3. Click Facebook Pixel
4. Enter your Pixel ID and click  Update Pixel 

So, if you are able to install your Facebook Pixel on Selar, it means you can retarget people through Facebook Ads.

With Facebook Pixel, you would get the opportunity to retarget your (Facebook) ads to people who have previously checked out your products (but didn’t buy).

Selar.co Premium Features

Selar has pro plans starting at ₦8,000 NGN for the Pro plan, while the Turbo plan costs ₦15,000 NGN, both plans are billed monthly.

Are you considering whether to upgrade to the Selar Pro or Turbo Plans? these are all the premium features you will enjoy if subscribed to any of the premium plans on Selar.

1. Custom Domains

With a custom domain, you can replace the preceding Selar.co in the URL with your own domain e.g www.omotayo.com. This is great for branding.

2. Zone-based Delivery Settings

If you sell tangible goods, you can set different delivery fees based on zones. For example, you can set Lagos Mainland deliveries to be ₦2000, and make delivery to the Lagos Island regions to be ₦1,500.

You can actually create a virtually unlimited number of delivery zones, but it is always a good idea to keep the list as short (and broad) as possible.

3. Custom Store & Landing Page Design

With any of the two premium plans, you can redesign your Selar.co store and product landing pages to make it stand out even more.

4. Zapier Integration

Zapier is an automation tool that can help you set certain triggers and actions. For example, you can configure an SMS alert that fires when someone makes a purchase, or you can send data to an Excel spreadsheet using a Zapier and Google Sheets integration.

5. Pay What You Want

This feature allows you to set a fair price, but still allow the customers to submit bids. Very good for deals and products that you are willing to give out for some cash. This is a bit different from the regular fixed price method because, in a Pay What You Want product, you would still need to either accept or refuse the offer. I am still yet to find out if you can set a “Buy Now” fee, but I expect that option to be available.

I will update this review once I figure that out.

Is Selar.co Legit?

I can categorically tell you that Selar is Legit.

Selar was founded by in October 2016 by Douglas Kendyson, a former software engineer and manager at Flutterwave. Douglas has also worked at Paystack as a Customer Success Expert & Software Engineer.

Notable influencers like Nelly Abogu, the brain behind Naija Brand Chick, have used Selar.co to host and sell their courses. Her photo editing course which she sold for ₦ 3,225 amassed over 7000 sales on Selar alone. If you do the maths, this is over ₦22.5 million NGN.

Look at the screenshot below;

Stats for Nelly Agbogu’s Smartphone Photo Video Editing Course as of December 27, 2021.

Selar must have processed more volumes thanks to their global reach, but at least, I can attest to this one.

Pros and Cons of using Selar.co

There are good and ugly sides to virtually everything on this planet and Selar.co is no exception. Here are the pros and cons of using Selar.co based on my experience with the platform so far;

PROS

1. Very quick payouts.
2. Takes off the liability of running a self-hosted e-commerce store.
3. Exemplary customer service.
4. Lots of features in the Free plan.
5. Very simple to use and beginner-friendly.
6. Allows you to export all your products and subscribers data into a csv file.

CONS

1. You have almost zero earning opportunities with their Refer & Earn system. The terms and conditions do not just make any sense.  The Refer & Earn terms and conditions go thus:
   

   Refer a seller and get 1% of their all their sales in their first month of selling on Selar. Yup, it’s that straight forward.

   E.g if your referred user sells NGN 5,000,000 in the first month of them selling on Selar, we’ll give you 1% of that, NGN 50,000. The referral commission is capped at your default currency’s equivalent of $100, and terms & conditions apply.

   I am not sure how they want anyone to make a dime from this.

2. You can’t set coupon expiry dates.
3. In the free plan, you can’t set a customized thank-you e-mail message after purchase.
4. No phone numbers. Customer care services are only available via live chat and email

That’s all I have for this review. In my opinion, Selar already has some qualities of Shopify, and it has all the potential to become like the Clickfunnels of Africa only if they could just put in the work to create premade sales funnel templates.

Conclusion

Selar is a very very good free alternative if you do not have the funds to get a custom e-commerce website for your small business.

If you enjoyed it, consider rating my article below and also remember to subscribe to our newsletter for more detailed reviews.

Thank you very much for reading thus far. If you have further questions, kindly use the comments section.

Support me;

Buy my book; WordPress and Elementor for Absolute Beginners on Selar for just ₦6,000 NGN.

The post Selar.co Review – Everything You Need to Know Before Selling on Selar appeared first on Branditechture.

Oraimo SmartOffice Wireless Keyboard + Mouse Combo

Oraimo (officially stylized in lowercase as oraimo,) is owned by Transsion Holdings, the same company that owns Tecno, iTel, and Infinix. Since its inception in May 2013, Oraimo has gained popularity among Nigerians for its high-quality smartphone accessories.

Oraimo’s most popular product line is their power banks, but did you know that they also produce hair clippers, keyboards, and mice?

This review is specifically about the Oraimo Wireless Keyboard and Mouse Combo with the model number OF-KK30. So, let’s get into the nitty-gritty of it.

IMPORTANT NOTE: 
This is not a paid review. Please be informed that I have no affiliation with Oraimo and its parent company, Transsion Holdings, except as a consumer.

The Oraimo Keyboard and Mouse Combo can be purchased on the official Oraimo Nigeria Store (ng.oraimo.com). I got mine for a promotional sum of ₦9,900, which is about $20 USD.

What’s in the box

1. A full-size wireless keyboard
2. A wireless optical mouse
3. A Z-fold user manual

No battery was included in the box, which means you’d have to buy batteries to start using both devices.

First Impressions

At first, the package felt a little bit heavier than I had earlier expected, but it soon felt comfortable to carry after a day of use. Looking at Oraimo’s product images, you might assume that the keyboard is slim. Nope, it isn’t. Here’s an image showing the thickness of the keyboard.

Image showing the thickness of the Oraimo OF KK Wireless Keyboard

I currently use the keyboard with my Microsoft Surface Pro 6, a professional tablet PC that sports a detachable keyboard called “Type Cover”.

Photo of my Microsoft Surface Type Cover. A keyboard that also doubles as a cover for my Surface Tablet PC.

Ever since I started using the Oraimo Wireless Keyboard and Mouse, I haven’t quite felt the need to dock my Surface Pro 6 to its Type Cover, but the lack of trackpad and backlighting on the Oraimo Keyboard sometimes makes me miss my Type Cover. Well, if you don’t own a Microsoft Surface device or any other convertible tablet PC, you may not be able to relate to this. So, read on.

The Oraimo keyboard is very large — at 17 inches wide, using it with a mobile device such as a smartphone or tablet may seem like overkill, but will definitely be a nice upgrade to your wired keyboard and mouse if you want to declutter your workspace. This Oraimo OF-KK30 Keyboard is best suited for use with a desktop PC, but you can definitely use it on your mobile devices by pairing it using an OTG cable.

Here’s how big the Oraimo SmartOffice Wireless Keyboard looks in front of my Tablet PC

I just decluttered my desktop workspace, thanks to this Oraimo SmartOffice Keyboard and Mouse Combo

The best part is that the USB nano receiver does not require Bluetooth to be enabled in order to work, instead, it uses a special 2.45 GHz radiofrequency technology to pair the keyboard and mouse with your device in a plug-and-play fashion.

For clarity, here is what the nano receiver looks like.

Oraimo Wireless Keyboard and Mouse OF-KK30 Technical Specs

Let’s take the keyboard first:

The Oraimo OF-KK30 Wireless Keyboard is a standard full-size keyboard with a QWERTY layout. The material used for the keyboard’s housing is 100% plastic as you would expect, but it doesn’t look cheap. To be more precise, the material is a thermoplastic polymer called Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (or ABS), which is a highly durable and cost-effective plastic used in the manufacturing sector.

The keyboard sports an all-around matte finish, but the matte texture is more pronounced on the front-facing part of the keyboard.

Being a full-size standard QWERTY keyboard, the Oraimo OF-KK30 Wireless Keyboard has a total number of 104 keys that includes a full numeric keypad on the extreme right side. It has a dedicated calculator button on the topmost right corner. The keyboard is highly optimized for everyday office use and that explains why it is called “SmartOffice Wireless” by Oraimo.

You would produce almost no noise when stroking the keys as they are very silent when in use. As far as silent typing is concerned, I would give the Oraimo OF-KK30 Wireless Keyboard a score of 8/10. Hitting the keys feels rather natural and soothing, but if you are used to a Surface Type, Macbook, or Surface Laptop, you might notice that the Oraimo OF-KK30 Wireless Keyboard’s keys are a bit raised. It would certainly need a decent amount of time before getting accustomed to the keystrokes. Keypresses on this keyboard feel a bit too mechanical for me, and I really wished that the keys were flatter.

The Oraimo OF-KK30 Wireless Keyboard operates at a voltage of just 3V DC. It uses two AAA-size batteries, which is boldly written inside its battery compartment. I am using two 1.5V Duracell Plus Alkaline AAA batteries and I would expect the batteries to last for at least, three months of everyday use.

Unfortunately, the Oraimo OF-KK30 Wireless Keyboard does not have a backlight, which makes it totally unusable in very dark or poorly-lit environments.

As for the transmission distance, the Oraimo keyboard and mouse still work within a distance of up to 8 meters to the 2.45 GHz nano receiver. This is particularly useful if you are working with a large TV screen connected to your laptop or PC.

The Oraimo OF-KK30 Wireless Keyboard has three LED indicators for Caps Lock, Num Lock, and low battery warning.

Cons of the Oraimo OF-KK30 Wireless Keyboard

One thing I dislike about the keyboard is the lack of a toggle switch that lets you put off the keyboard without having to yank off the batteries. The implication of this is that the keyboard will always stay connected to the nano receiver and accidental keypresses can still occur.

Another thing I dislike is the large oraimo logo printed just above the arrow keys. It doesn’t look as good as they thought. Debossing it just above the F-keys would have been cosmetically better.

A bug I noticed while using the keyboard is that sometimes, it registers multiple keypresses when you use it over a certain distance. A typical example is when your laptop is connected to your TV and you are using your keyboard while sitting on the couch.

Summary 

1. No power switch or toggle
2. The keyboard sometimes registers multiple keypresses when used over a fairly long distance

Pros of the Oraimo OF-KK30 Wireless Keyboard

1. Very low power consumption. A pair of alkaline batteries can last well over 3 months.
2. Full keyboard layout with dedicated num keys which makes it good for business uses e.g in Banks.
3. Fully wireless, thereby keeping your desk tidy.

Technical Summary of the Keyboard:

1. Material: Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS)
2. Number of Keys: 104
3. Operating Voltage: DC 3V
4. Rechargeable: No
5. Battery: 2X 1.5V AAA (Total: 3V DC)
6. Transmission Distance: Up to 8 meters
7. Compatibility: Windows, Mac, Linux, Android (via OTG)
8. Bluetooth Support: No
9. Plug-and-Play Support: Yes. Additional driver installation is NOT required

Now, it’s time to talk about the Oraimo OF-KK30 wireless mouse:

The mouse is a pretty decent one. It spans a bit above 4 inches on its longest side, which is the height. It is about the size of a typical business card. I like the design and it feels very comfortable to hold. Unlike the keyboard, I fell in love with the mouse at first sight!

The scroll wheel feels smooth and precise. However, I would still like to see how long it would last before the scroll wheel starts to act shaky, jumpy, or erratic — a notorious problem among wireless optical mice. (I will update this review when I find out).

UPDATE:

After using the oraimo wireless mouse virtually every day for four months, the scroll wheel started acting shaky. This started affecting my scrolling and zooming experience negatively. However, considering the price point, 4 months of service is not really a disappointment for that price. I have, therefore, bought an MX Master 3S mouse which sells for a whopping ₦‎130,000 NGN as of the time of updating this post  (November 19, 2022). Trust me to write a review on that soon.

The Logitech MX Master 3S

What I love most about the Oraimo OF-KK30 Wireless Mouse is that it is completely silent to operate. Clicking, double-clicking, and middle-clicking all feel stealthy with the mouse. On the basis of silent operation, I would rate it 9.0/10. After just a few seconds of using the Oraimo OF-KK30 Wireless Mouse, I was already set to trash my Microsoft Mobile Wireless Mouse 1850. The Oraimo OF-KK30 Wireless Mouse simply felt superior.

The Oraimo OF-KK30 Wireless Mouse is an optical mouse, meaning that it uses a LED light to track movements. You can find out by simply lifting the mouse bottom-up when in use.  The mouse has a total number of three buttons namely: Right, Left and Middle.

The Oraimo OF-KK30 Wireless Mouse does not have a DPI key that can be used to adjust mouse cursor sensitivity on the fly. The DPI button is mostly used by gamers who would like to have greater precision when gaming. As a result, this mouse is not the best for gaming.

Technical Summary of the Oraimo OF-KK30 Wireless Mouse:

1. Material: Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS)
2. Number of Keys: 3
3. Operating Voltage: DC 5V
4. Rechargeable: No
5. Battery: 1X 5V AA
6. Transmission Distance: Up to 8 meters
7. Compatibility: Windows, Mac, Linux, Android (via OTG)
8. Bluetooth Support: No
9. Plug-and-Play Support: Yes. Additional driver installation is NOT required

Warranty

Oraimo gives a 365-day warranty, starting from the date of purchase. In other words, all quality-related defects sold by Oraimo or its authorized resellers are covered by an exclusive warranty for a period of 365 days from the date of purchase.

Full warranty terms and conditions can be found on the Z-fold leaflet included in the box.

After-sale Customer Service

Oraimo products are sold in over 50 countries including India and Nigeria. Depending on your country, you can get exclusive aftersales customer service by referring to the contact details below:

• India: care.in@oraimo.com
• Nigeria: care.ng@oraimo.com
• Kenya: care.ke@oraimo.com
• Ghana: care.gh@oraimo.com
• Morocco: care.ma@oraimo.com
• Rest of Africa: service@carlcare.com

Final Verdict

I would give the Oraimo OF-KK30 Wireless Keyboard and Mouse Combo a rating of 8/10 for business use. For Gaming? Maybe 5.

Should you buy the Oraimo OF-KK30 Wireless Keyboard and Mouse Combo? If you are a blogger, writer, designer, or programmer, I’d say yes. However, if you mainly want to use it for gaming, I would advise that you go for a gaming mouse.

Thanks for reading. If you have any questions, please use the comment section below and I would respond to you immediately.

The post Oraimo OF-KK30 Wireless Keyboard and Mouse Review appeared first on Branditechture.