Perfect For Hard To Reach Plugs
I have a plug right in the middle of the wall behind the bed, I plugged my lamp into it and now I free space in easily accessible outlets. I also have used it with my box fan and with Christmas tree lights. They work great and work fine from all rooms in my 2br apt.
I removed the fluorescent bulbs, and have this to fire up a floor lamp when needed.
Fob works well, just wish there was a bit more tactile feedback for the button presses. But it works consistently, never a missed press. I was concerned at first because on the back of the plugs, all said “Channel 3″ and I thought at first it was referring to which channel on the transmitter it was tied to, thought maybe I got a mismatched set. But there’s a number on the front to the right of the little LED that shows which button each corresponds to.
And for people figuring out how these will fit on their outlets, the plugs are at the bottom of these, so you’ll end up with these in the top plug if you want to keep the other plug in the outlet available, otherwise the top half will block the other plug in the outlet.
I only needed the one outlet plug so i can’t say how it would work using all of them, but I am very happy with the product.
Due to concerns raised by other reviewers, I immediately tested all three receivers as soon as I opened the package and found them to be in full working order. Also, my remote came with the more convenient bottom-sliding battery drawer so I believe it is the newer version of the product. In case it matters, the mfg. date was listed as 9/2010 on all the units (I purchased in 4/2011 from Amazon).
I found the indoor range to be about 70 feet with the remote antenna fully extended. Beyond this distance the response became bit spotty. Fortunately there are separate on and off buttons for each unit so you can just hammer away until the signal finally reaches its destination. To that end, there is a helpful red LED on the remote which indicates when a button is being pressed, so that way you can better determine when something should be happening at the receiver end. Also, the receivers make an audible click when the internal relay switches on and off, which I suppose could be viewed as either a positive or a negative depending on one’s preferences.
Other reviewers have commented that the buttons are flimsy or lack longevity. I’ve found them to be fully functional so far, but I also have doubts about how the remote might operate a few years from now. There’s just something a little flimsy feeling about their operation.
Please note that the receivers are definitely not suitable for outdoor use. My setup is such that I have plugged the units into indoor sockets and then run wire through the wall to the lights themselves under the eves.