Monthly Archive: October 2013

Works Just As It Should

I found in my research indicated the product stopped working properly after a short time, my experience has been different. I’m using these units on three lamps, two of which have no direct line-of-sight and have not had a hiccup. It’s been 6 months and I’m about to buy another set. Great solution at a great price.

I like the fact that you can control your home and its plug in devices from a distance or even from outside. This set does it all it’s great. There is not really that much to explain although I’m sure someone with more experience and expertise could write pages about it. The set comes with three receivers, one each that you plug into an outlet and then you plug the electronic device you want to control into that, you are then able to control each item remotely from a distance of I find not greater than 100 feet using the included remote. On the whole the units and remote work wonderfully, they come with the frequencies corresponded to each of the 6 buttons on the remote pre-loaded (3 each, on and off). The remote is small, its about the size of a standard car door opener, and the unusual looking battery has already been installed for you at the factory, so to use a popular phrase its literally “plug and play”? The remote has an extra extendable radio antenna built in, to boost the signal through walls, it’s quite effective. I have two sets one in my living room controlling my end table lamps and my rather out-dated A.C. Unit, and the second set in my bedroom, controlling my night table lamps, and the floor lamp, after trying them out and finding that the frequencies overlapped allowing the living room remote to control the bedroom simultaneously with it’s own intended receivers, and viceaversa, I pulled out the instructions page and read how to alter the frequencies. It was quite simple, the remote pops right open a coulp of levers flip up or down and all is well in the world. Also through research I was able to find a universal tv remote that would accept the intended remotes signal and control the receivers thusly. Very cool. I gave the set 4 stars instead of 5, for two reasons, one because at times the remote fails to work on the first press of the button, it must be depressed very hard a second time or even have the antenna extended in order to work, even from a distance or location you have used it a thousand times before. The second reason being because you cannot use two receivers in the same outlet, or even within 6 inches of one another, they simply don’t work, which I guess isn’t the biggest deal, but it’d be nice if you could use the same outlet for both lamps behind the bed, that’s all. Good product I like it and highly recommend it. They also serve other purposes beyond convenience for lazy people, and a thrill for us techno geeks, they are great for disabled people with limited mobility.

AWESOME Product–GET IT GET IT GET IT!!!

I just set it up today. I recently put up string lights in my small urban backyard going between my detached garage, over my deck, and attaching to my house. It’ll be nice to have them on when friends & I are sitting outside on warm Spring & Summer nights. I cut holes in the eave of my garage and ran the power out there to connect the string lights, which are then connected via extension cords to an outlet in my garage. But it was annoying that every time I wanted to turn on the lights, I would have to go out to the garage, unlock the door, and turn them on manually from the inside. So I looked for a solution, came up with this wonderful product from Stanley, and decided to give it a shot. Well, it’s working GREAT! Not only does it always work the first time I press the button (when I’m within range), the range itself seems quite expansive. I can stand INSIDE my house at the back door, point the remote toward the garage (even with the antenna fully retracted), and the signal travels through the door, about 25-30 feet to the garage, then THROUGH THE WALL OF THE GARAGE, and turns on my string lights!!! To me, it feels like it works about the same as the remote for my car, which I can also lock & unlock when outside of the garage. If you’re on the fence about this product, DON’T BE–just get it. I don’t write many reviews, but this affordable little bit of techno gadgetry is worth its weight in gold, IMHO. If I would’ve paid to have an electrician install a switch for me, it would’ve easily been several hundred dollars. I haven’t used the other two outlets that were included yet, but I’ll try to update this if I find any faults. Also, some people find the keychain to be annoying or unnecessary–I actually like it, because I just hang it from a wire shelf near my back door and whenever I want the string lights on, I just grab it, point it at the garage, and voilĂ –they’re ON!

When I was finished reading, I would give those two loud claps to shut off my light. It was great — except that my husband was already asleep. He never complained, but sometimes he would suddenly ask a question or make a comment as if we were in the middle of a conversation. Poor guy… So we got this wonderful remote control which allows us to shut off his light and mine by simply pressing a button. It’s silent and effective.

Because of arthritic hands she has trouble with lamp switches. This device is PERFECT for her. We put one in the bedroom and one in the living room. It is amazing!!!

These inexpensive little devices will keep your lamps young and healthy, because you never have to touch them, in addition to making your life easy. One thing I will say is that Bed, Bath and Beyond recently ran a special on this exact item. It was being sold for $9.95 a pack but I just came back from there and they no longer carry the item. I guess it was a closeout. Honestly, THIS is the brand to buy.

Very Convenient Gadget

The reason that I keep buying is because the remote control quits working after about 5 months. My wife loves the ability to turn on/off the lamps in the room with a remote, so I just look at this as a disposable item that keeps her happy. A small price to pay in my opinion! This time I went ahead and purchased two of these, so I’m prepared when the remote quits working….planning ahead so I will not have any “down time” waiting on the replacement to arrive!

We used it with my mother-in-law’s Christmas lights in the house – which are plugged in behind the couch, tree, mantle, etc. With one click each outlet comes alive – with no crawling behind things!

The product works as described when it works. Unfortunately the battery enclosure in the remote control is very poorly built and causes a loose contact leading to the unit not working. You have to remove the battery and insert it a few times before a good contact is made. Also, it seems like the sockets go into some form of “sleep mode ” when not turned on for a long time, so when you first use the remote (after a prolonged period of inactivity) you have to push the button twice to turn the socket on. After that a single click seems to do the job. I haven’t fully tested the range as I live in a 1 bedroom apartment and the remote is sufficient for that sort of space. Overall, this is a very convenient ting to have. Just wish the build quality of the remote was better.

First order only #2 and #3 outlets worked. Returned and replacement order same thing, but this time #1 and #2 outlets worked. Third replacement #1 and #3 worked. Good thing Amazon sent my 3rd set really fast as I still had the 2nd set. So I kept the ones that worked to complete my set. As for 50 ft of transmission through walls, HA! Yea right. I was lucky to get maybe 10-15 ft of UNOBSTRUCTED view. For my needs, it works in my small room. If I was using for a larger room, I would think twice about this. Remote is tiny which I like. Outlets are HUGE, so keep that in mind before purchasing.

Helps if you need more than 1 set or if you’re worried your neighbors might have one. Otherwise, it works as advertised. I found that it works better when the antenna is pointed upwards, not at the outlets themselves.

You can put your light on before you enter the room. You can turn your bedroom lamp off when your finished reading without getting up. There are so many uses for this remote. You will love it if you purchase it.

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.

Wish I’d Gotten It Sooner, It’s Great!

I was living in an apartment without ceiling lights and this let me mimic the ease of “flicking a switch” by vel-cro-ing the remote to the wall and hooking it up to my floor lamsp all around my room. No need to go to each one to turn them all on, or to bend down to find the button on each lamp. I LOVE these.

Some of my lamps are behind a big piece of furniture which is hard to move in order to turn them on. This one does it with just a click and I can do it from the other side of the room. It’s really nice when I get home in the dark…I just take this little remote control and turn on all my lights in seconds.

Had purchased one during the holidays for “remoting” the Christmas tree, Living Room and Dining Room window lights. Just purchsed this second one for use with several lamps in my den. Great idea and great buy!

You can switch electic devices on and off from a good distance and it seems to work through walls. A steal at around $21.00. Just buy it. I am sure you will find a good use for it, even if you just hook it up to your Christmas tree once a year. I use mine for a 3 channel DJ light control in my party room. No one can tell who’s running the light show when I have the remote in my pocket.

I had to give it 3 stars because chanel number 1 was defective … would not work … otherwise a good product and good deal … just ordered a replacement … as this one’s going back

Been testing my replacment for a while … wonderful little outlets … really great to turn on and off things when not near them … these replacements had a yellow stanley badge on them instead of the red they defective one came with. they are rated to 625watts and make a clicking noise when they are turned on and off (i don’t mind as it lets me know it’s receiving the signal) new rating will be a 4 1/2 … i would order another set but they are out of stock at the moment.

These are a replacement set, since some of those have stopped working. (different brand-same concept) These work great. I have had this set for several months now. I have even given them as a gift to my parents. They come in very handy, especially for things that are difficult to turn on and off, like those curio cabinets or china cabinets that have switches inside the cabinet that are difficult to reach, or you have one, two, or three buttons to have to turn on and off for one piece of furniture. I use mine all over the house. I have a set in my bedroom to control a lamp on the dresser, one on the night stand, and the other to control the lamp I have in the far corner of the room. I have the remote mounted to my headboard with double sided mounting tape, so I don’t have to get out of bed to turn lights off. I have a set in my living room that controls two different lamps on tables at different ends of the room, and one that controls a lighted book case. It just makes life easier to push a button on one devise to control lights all over the room or house, instead of running all over the house turning lights on or off. You can use them on anything, like radios, lamps, up lighting, etc. I highly recommend the Stanley 31164 Indoor Wireless Remote Control with Single Transmitter to anyone and everyone.

Great Remote Outlets With Decent Range

Most of the light switches activate outlets across the room, and others don’t seem to do anything! These wireless switches helped us to make sense of the situation, and now we walk in the room and turn on all of the lights with ease. Range could be better, but for the price it’s hard to beat. Of course make sure to keep a spare battery for the transmitter on hand!

The transmitter has a very long range as long as you are in a direct line with the receiver and there are no objects blocking that line. The price is definitely right if you need an inexpensive way to control lighting or small fans.

We would have to climb a chair to plug or unplug our cabinet lights – an obvious pain, so we never turned on the lights. I bought this and now we can turn the lights on and off from anywhere in the vicinity of the kitchen, and no more standing on a chair. The range seems to be pretty good, and the outlet is inside a closed cabinet.

Works great…And works best if you use the transmitter with the telescopi cantenna up. We just leave the transmitter on an end table and when it gets toward evening we can turn them on/off from just one location. Very convenient for the inexpensive price. I wouldn’t recommend this though if you needed to remotely turn something on/off from a long distance or through walls…For us it has performed great.

1 remote controls 3 different outlets, separately. I have a lamp that works, but the switch doesn’t, so I’ve had to pull the plug to turn it off. This solves that. Just plug it in once, then let the remote do the work, just one click on, one click off! Yay, no need to toss the lamp, or crawl to reach the plug behind the couch! (Still plugged in behind the couch, and the remote gets to it fine.)

Didn’t need the other two, til I saw how great it was, so I plugged in my basement fan to #2, and voila, I never need to do the stairs just to turn on/off the fans. Just open the door, and click away. (I do have to aim it, but better than the stairs! : )

#3 is a seldom used lamp, in a dark room, that I rarely go into. Nice to not have to fumble my way through the room to search for the little switch they conveniently placed about a foot down the wire, to turn it on. Just click, and it’s on. (Who designs houses with no lighting in the ceilings, anyway?)

I got mine at a tool store, for about half this price, and while I only needed one, I’ve found use for the 2 spares, and couldn’t be happier. Just a note, they will fit in the top slot on the outlet, leaving the other plug accessible, too. Great tool, and a good price for the ease of use.