COMPARISON · MULTIMETERS
Fluke 3000 FC vs Fluke 117: Wireless Monitoring vs Everyday Testing
Choose the Fluke 117 for everyday electrical testing and the Fluke 3000 FC when you need to watch readings from a distance or from several points at once. The 3000 FC sends its readings to the Fluke Connect phone app up to 20 m away in open air and can show three wireless modules beside its own reading, but its current input stops at 400 mA. The 117 has no wireless at all; instead it adds VoltAlert non-contact detection, a LoZ AutoVolt position and a 10 A input, the tools an electrician uses on every call.
By the OhmSavvy Research Team ·
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Fluke 3000 FC
4.4★★★★☆A True RMS meter that sends readings to the Fluke Connect app and shows up to three wireless modules on its own screen.
Fluke 117
4.8★★★★★The meter working electricians actually buy with their own money, not just the one brands push.
Specs side by side
| Fluke 3000 FC | Fluke 117 | |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.4★★★★☆ | 4.8★★★★★ |
| Accuracy | True RMS, ±(0.09% + 2) DC V | True RMS |
| Safety rating | CAT III 1000V / CAT IV 600V | CAT III 600V |
| Auto-ranging | Yes (manual RANGE) | Yes |
| Best for | Remote readings and multi-point checks via app | Electricians, serious hobbyists |
| Wireless | Fluke Connect app; up to 3 modules on screen | None |
| Wireless range | 20 m open air; 6.5 m through drywall; 3.5 m through concrete or steel | Not applicable |
| Recording | In the phone app; no in-meter memory listed | Min/Max/Avg on the display |
| Safety rating | CAT III 1000V / CAT IV 600V | CAT III 600V |
| DC volts | To 1000 V, best ±(0.09% + 2) | To 600 V, ±(0.5% + 2) |
| AC volts | ±(1.0% + 3), 45–500 Hz | ±(1.0% + 3), 45–500 Hz |
| Current | 60 mA and 400 mA only; no 10 A input | 6 A and 10 A; 1 mA finest step |
| VoltAlert / LoZ | Neither listed | Both |
| Temperature | Only with the t3000 FC module | No |
| Ingress protection | IP54 | Not stated in our sources |
| Weight | 340 g | 550 g |
| Battery | 3 × AA, 250 h minimum | 9 V, 400 h typical |
| Warranty | 3 years | 3 years |
Specs checked against manufacturer documentation and official Amazon listings. Fluke 117 is hands-on tested by OhmSavvy; the Fluke 3000 FC assessment is desk research. How we research.
Key differences
- →Remote readings: only the 3000 FC talks to a phone. The Fluke Connect app shows its reading live, records it over time and shares it by email, cloud or ShareLive video call.
- →Multi-point view: the 3000 FC displays its own reading plus up to three Fluke Connect modules, sold separately, such as current, voltage or temperature modules.
- →Current: the 117 reads up to 10 A (20 A for 30 seconds). The 3000 FC stops at 400 mA through a 0.44 A fuse, so load current needs a clamp module.
- →Electrician extras: only the 117 has VoltAlert non-contact detection and an AutoVolt position with a LoZ input of about 3 kΩ.
- →Safety and voltage reach: the 3000 FC is rated CAT IV 600V / CAT III 1000V with a 1000 V range. The 117 is CAT III 600V with a 600 V range.
- →Shared: True RMS, 6,000 counts, AC volts at ±(1.0% + 3), capacitance to 9,999 µF, a backlight and a 3-year warranty.
Two different jobs
3000 FC: watch
Readings go to your phone, so you can see a value change while standing somewhere else.
3000 FC: combine
Its screen shows its own reading plus three wireless modules at once.
3000 FC: record
The app records and shares readings; the meter itself keeps none.
117: find
VoltAlert spots a live conductor before the leads come out.
117: verify
LoZ AutoVolt tells a ghost voltage from a real one.
117: load current
Up to 10 A through the meter, where the 3000 FC stops at 400 mA.
The Fluke 117 carries our Hands-on Tested badge. The 3000 FC hasn't been through our hands; its section is desk research against Fluke's 3000 FC page and the official Amazon listing. Fluke names the 3000 FC as the replacement for its discontinued 233 remote-display meter, which tells you what it is for. Our Fluke 117 review covers the 117 in depth.
Fluke 3000 FC vs 117 spec by spec
Strip away the wireless and the two meters measure many of the same things in the same way. Both are True RMS 6,000-count meters, and their AC volts accuracy is identical at ±(1.0% + 3) from 45 to 500 Hz. The 3000 FC is tighter on DC volts, reaches 1000 V and carries a higher category rating. The 117 measures real load current and carries the two building-wiring tools.
| Spec | Fluke 3000 FC | Fluke 117 |
|---|---|---|
| AC response | True RMS | True RMS |
| Display | 6,000 counts; up to 4 readings at once | 6,000 counts + 33-segment bar graph |
| Category rating | CAT III 1000V / CAT IV 600V | CAT III 600V |
| DC volts | 600.0 mV to 1000 V, best ±(0.09% + 2) | 600.0 mV to 600.0 V, ±(0.5% + 2) |
| AC volts, 45–500 Hz | ±(1.0% + 3) | ±(1.0% + 3) |
| Volts input | >10 MΩ, <100 pF | >10 MΩ DC, >5 MΩ AC; AutoVolt about 3 kΩ |
| Current ranges | 60.00 mA and 400.0 mA | 6.000 A and 10.00 A |
| DC / AC amps accuracy | ±(0.5% + 3) / ±(1.5% + 3) | AC ±(1.5% + 3) |
| Resistance | To 50.00 MΩ | To 40.00 MΩ |
| Continuity | Beeps below 25 Ω; 250 µs opens/shorts | Beeps below 20 Ω; 500 µs opens/shorts |
| Capacitance | To 9,999 µF, ±(1.2% + 2) | To 9,999 µF, ±(1.9% + 2) |
| Frequency | To 99.99 kHz | To 50 kHz (manual: 99.99 kHz) |
| Wireless and app | Fluke Connect, 2.4 GHz | None |
| VoltAlert, LoZ | Not listed | Yes |
| IP rating | IP54 | Not stated in our sources |
| Power | 3 × AA, 250 h minimum | 9 V, 400 h typical |
| Weight | 340 g | 550 g |
Bars use a logarithmic scale: each step is ten times the last.
Two physical details follow from the job each meter does. The 3000 FC weighs 340 g, runs on three AA cells for at least 250 hours and ships with TL175 leads and AC175 alligator clips, which suit a meter you clip on and walk away from. The 117 is heavier at 550 g and runs about 400 hours on a 9 V cell.
How Fluke Connect remote readings work
The 3000 FC is a normal handheld meter with a radio. Press its Fluke Connect button and it streams its reading to the app on your phone. From there Fluke lists four things you can do: watch the value live, record it over time, send a report by email or to Fluke Cloud, and share the live reading on a ShareLive video call. Separately, the meter can receive readings from up to three Fluke Connect modules and show them on its own screen, four values at once.
Range is the practical limit. Fluke quotes up to 20 m in open air but only 6.5 m through a drywall partition and 3.5 m through concrete or a steel enclosure. A meter clipped inside a closed steel panel and a phone in the next room may not connect, so plan where the phone sits before you close a door. Fluke also notes that the 3000 FC doesn't work with its older CNX wireless tools.
Where wireless monitoring pays off
A meter that reports to your phone solves problems where the reading and the cause are in different places. Three common ones:
| Job | With the 3000 FC | With the 117 |
|---|---|---|
| Control voltage drops when a machine starts | Clip leads at the control panel, watch the phone at the machine | A second person reads the meter, or use Min/Max |
| Nuisance trip at random times | Leave it connected and record the trend in the app | Min/Max/Avg holds the extremes but not when they happened |
| Which breaker feeds this receptacle? | Meter at the receptacle, phone at the panel | Walk back and forth, or use VoltAlert after each switch |
| Voltage and current on one motor together | Add a current module; both on one screen | Measure one, then the other |
| Remote advice on a tricky reading | ShareLive video call with the live value | Describe it by phone |
The 117 can still catch a dip with Min/Max/Avg, but you learn only how low it went, not when. For the full case of recording a circuit over a shift, see Fluke 3000 FC vs Fluke 289, which compares app recording with on-meter logging.
Where the 117 is the better everyday tester
Most electrical calls are not monitoring jobs. They are a run of quick point checks: is this cable live, is this breaker off, what is this motor drawing. On those, the 117's built-in tools save steps. VoltAlert finds a live conductor from the meter's top edge. AutoVolt drops the input to about 3 kΩ, which drains the capacitive ghost voltage that a high-impedance meter such as the 3000 FC (more than 10 MΩ) will display on an open conductor. Our guide to measuring voltage on a floating circuit explains the effect.
Current is the other gap. A 1,500 W heater on 120 V draws 1,500 ÷ 120 = 12.5 A. The 117 can't hold that continuously either (10 A, with 20 A allowed for 30 seconds), but a 5 A fan or a 7 A pump is a routine in-series reading on it. On the 3000 FC, anything above 400 mA needs a clamp module or a separate clamp meter; our guide to measuring AC current with a clamp meter covers that method. The 3000 FC's mA ranges, with 0.01 mA steps, are better suited to control signals and 4–20 mA loops than to loads.
Wireless doesn't replace the basics
Which should you buy?
| You are… | Better fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Residential or service electrician | Fluke 117 | VoltAlert, LoZ and 10 A cover the daily point checks |
| Maintenance tech chasing intermittent faults | Fluke 3000 FC | Watch and record a reading from a distance on the phone |
| Technician who works alone | Fluke 3000 FC | Reads the meter at the panel while you operate the machine |
| Industrial work on 480 V or at the service | Fluke 3000 FC | CAT IV 600V / CAT III 1000V; the 117 is CAT III 600V |
| Anyone measuring load current through the meter | Fluke 117 | 10 A input; the 3000 FC stops at 400 mA |
| Team that documents readings for customers | Fluke 3000 FC | Email reports and cloud storage from the app |
| Apprentice building safe habits | Fluke 117 | Non-contact check and LoZ back up live-dead-live testing |
For more options by trade, see the best multimeter for electricians guide or the full best multimeters roundup. To compare the 3000 FC with a precision industrial meter, read Fluke 3000 FC vs Fluke 87V.
Safety: connect dead, then watch
Choose the Fluke 3000 FC if…
- ✓You chase intermittent faults and want to watch a reading on your phone while you work elsewhere
- ✓You need several readings at once, such as voltage at a disconnect and current at the feeder, with Fluke Connect modules
- ✓You want to send readings or a trend straight from the job to a supervisor or customer
Choose the Fluke 117 if…
- ✓Your work is branch circuits, receptacles and lighting, checked one point at a time
- ✓You want VoltAlert and a LoZ check for ghost voltage built into the meter
- ✓You measure load current directly through the meter, up to 10 A
The bottom line
Buy the Fluke 117 if your work is everyday electrical testing: VoltAlert, the LoZ AutoVolt position and a 10 A input cover the checks you make on every call. Buy the Fluke 3000 FC if your problem is seeing a reading you can't stand next to, recording it over time or combining several points on one screen, and you have a clamp or a Fluke Connect current module for load current. Many technicians who chase intermittent faults end up carrying both.
Frequently asked questions
Does the Fluke 3000 FC measure 10 amps?+
No. The 3000 FC's current ranges are 60 mA and 400 mA, protected by a 0.44 A fuse, and Fluke allows 600 mA for no more than 2 minutes. There is no 10 A jack. For load current, pair it with a Fluke Connect current module or a clamp meter. The Fluke 117 reads up to 10 A directly.
Does the Fluke 117 have Bluetooth or an app?+
No. The 117 has no wireless connection, no app and no stored readings. Its Min/Max/Avg function holds the highest, lowest and average values on the display, but not the times they happened. If you need readings on your phone, the Fluke 3000 FC sends them to the Fluke Connect app.
How far away can the Fluke 3000 FC send readings?+
Fluke states up to 20 m in open air, 6.5 m through a sheetrock wall and 3.5 m through concrete or a steel electrical enclosure. It uses the 2.4 GHz band. Range applies both to the phone app and to Fluke Connect modules, so check the path before you close a panel door or leave the room.
Can the Fluke 3000 FC show more than one reading?+
Yes. Its screen shows its own reading plus readings from up to three Fluke Connect modules, four values in all. Fluke names current, voltage and temperature modules as compatible, including the a3000 FC, a3002 FC, v3000 FC and t3000 FC. The modules are sold separately; the bare meter comes with leads and alligator clips.
Is the Fluke 3000 FC good for electricians?+
As a second meter, yes. It is True RMS, rated CAT IV 600V / CAT III 1000V and IP54, and its remote readings help one person do two-person checks. As the only meter, it falls short for wiring work: it has no VoltAlert, no LoZ input for ghost voltage and no 10 A input, which the Fluke 117 has.
Can the Fluke 3000 FC measure temperature?+
Only with the separate t3000 FC wireless temperature module, which sends its reading to the meter or the app. The meter has no thermocouple input of its own. The Fluke 117 doesn't measure temperature either; in the 110 Series that is the Fluke 116.
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