Monthly Archive: January 2014

Very Good with Room for Improvement

You can adjust the cost per kwh. I sit next to mine at the computer to see my much of an energy hog it is. It shows I’m spending $12 a month to run my rig. I have all kind of things connected to it. Has a long cord to reach the desktop. Detects vampirism, too.

It is super easy to use. My issue as other customers is the lack of different times available that one can set it on such as 1hr and 2hrs. If it comes out with such a timer maybe with the luxury of a remote that would be the best. It is worth the money and it DOES save energy. I gave it 4 stars because I think it could be improved upon otherwise when one needs the times it has available 30mins 3hrs or 6hrs this is the timer to get.

That said, I wasn’t able to find much use for it on any of my electronics. You can’t use it on a computer unless you power down and turn it off, which I guess you “should” do, except that I access my computer remotely, or throughout the day, etc. Same with my stereo, which I do turn off when not in use… A good number of my electronics also have memory functions and need to remain powered in order to keep their timing or pre-programmed info, etc..

You could use it for things like lamps that you don’t turn on frequently,, but then you’d need a dozen of these for your house, and with that investment you’d not save much money of the course of the year. If you use a curling iron or clothes iron (or similar) and have a habit of leaving it on, that might be a good use, although I’d argue you should just leave yourself a Post-It or something and just unplug it…

If you have a stereo system or other “energy sucker” that doesn’t store programmed channels or other info, I’d suggest a multi-plug solution, which it also sells. This one seems too limited for me.

For me the only thing that makes sense (read: interested in) is the dollar amount. After a quick run through the instructions, I found this device to be rather simple to use. Basically you plug it in an outlet, plug your device into the Belkin outlet, and the display quickly gives you a reading. The Belkin Conserve Insight displays readings as a years usage or a month, and also averages it for you when used for 45 minutes. You’ll have to program the KWH by looking at your latest utility bill, but it’s simple enough.

Overall I guess I had nothing to fear, the device is fairly simple to understand, but you’ll have to spend a couple minutes reading the instructions and programing the wattage to get an accurate reading. I just wish the device also displayed the impact of an hour of usage.

Killawatt was a Waste of Money

“Perfect! We have so many things that draw power even when not being used!” and grabbed it. Yet I can’t find a practical use for it. All of my expensive electronics are plugged into surge protectors or UPSes (Uninterruptible Power Sources), and those are the things that draw the most power when they’re not turned on. Because you have to turn this power switch on and off yourself, it’s not useful if you can’t easily reach the outlet. And if you can easily reach the outlet, you can simply unplug whatever’s plugged in, like your toaster or a heating pad. I can easily see potential annoyance developing if you go to turn on an appliance that’s plugged into this, only to realize after your toast isn’t toasting that you forgot to flip the switch on this gadget. So really, it has very limited usage and is now going to be just another item in the junk drawer! I’d happily pay twice the amount for one that had a wireless remote control on/off switch…now THAT would be useful!!

For any plug not at eye level this is not the best choice. It looks like it glows in the dark but it does not. The switch lights up when its on which is just wasteful. Captain Planet would not be happy. I feel like it costs more because of greenwashing and I’m sure you could probably find a cheaper switch at a hardware store that does not light up when you use it. I brought a wireless remote control plug set made for Christmas lights by GE that was $5 instead of the $30 conserve remote power strip. It came with three remote plugs and they can be used outside. Its good to be green but do not let companies ripe you off.

Because it isn’t really the product or the manufacturers fault that the product didn’t do what I expected it to do. If anyone is to blame it could be the copy description on the website. I would recommend if you are thinking of purchasing this item that you go to the actual product’s website and read the features and benefits on that website.

I have been using it a little more and I changed my mind. I am using it to test the wattage on my computer and it does a great job. It tells you the real amount of watts it uses, how much does it cost you yearly to use it, and its carbon footprint. hopefully they’ll come up with a bluetooth version that connects to your pc or smartphone

I got a few of these and a few of the smart sockets (Conserve Socket F7C009q Energy-Saving Outlet) with built in 1/2 hr, 3hr, and 6hr timer. The advantage this has over that is the on off switch. I prefer the smart socket with timer. In the end I guess that is what I was looking for but I’m putting this socket to good use as a way to conserve energy when an appliance is not in use. But on that subject I think I would just as well get a power strip with on off button.

Great Device, Far Superior to the Kill-a-watt

This device tells you that a 60 watt light uses 60 watts of energy, or a 20 watt device uses 20 watts of energy, or a 100 watt device uses 100 watts (who would have guessed?)… and then tells you how much it would cost if you had it on 24/7. Does not calculate how much cumulative energy items that turn on and off use, which is what you probably actually want to learn. This device does all basic math you could do anyway if you tried with a calculator. I did figure out my cable TV box uses 19 watts of energy. My microwave uses almost 1.5 watts for the clock. Other than that not much use.

Simply put it at the origin point of your plug and it will keep your device from draining power when you aren’t using it.

I thought this would be a perfect item for the house, in my neck of the woods electricity is expensive so such a device would pay for itself quickly, and it would…in theory.

Not that it doesn’t do what it’s designed to do, you plug it in and simply use that switch to power down and up the device that is plugged in, piece of cake right? Not exactly.

You see the only problem is one could accomplish the same thing by unplugging the device each time. People don’t do this because it’s too much of a bother to get up and unplug the device, hence the Belkin conserve power switch.

But it only takes a few days to discover that people who aren’t willing to get up and unplug a device, aren’t willing to get up to turn it off via the Belkin. and when they DO remember they forget they’ve done so and end up upset when they have to get up and turn the switch back on to use their gaming systems.

So there is very little difference overall. It’s a great idea in theory but frankly a person that concerned wouldn’t have to buy it. Now if you can get a wireless control for the switch.

I set in my cost of electricity from my power bill, plugged in my freezer and found out how much a month it costs to run. I love a product that does exactly what you want it to do. I bought this one because of the 5 ft cord. The plug in is behind the freezer making a none cord thingy unusable.

Easy to set up and great real time calculation of energy use. Has helped me put a few energy hogs in my home on timers or other ways of saving them from running up my power bill.

Adds Convenience to My Life!

We tested it on Friday and it worked from about 20-25 feet away in the room. Perfect applcation for this device.

Works great. The only thing strange about the device is the design didn’t allow my 3 prong plug to fully seat in receptacle. The molded rubber end of unit didn’t allow enough room. Easily solved with an exacto knife cutting away a 1/4″ or so of material that did not effect integrity of unit.

It’s great. Very well made & not flimsy like the others and a really good feature is that the plug is on a short cable so you don’t have a hassle trying to plug it into a strip or outlet. I really wish I could get a few more of the key chain transmitters…that’s what I’m looking for.

So glad I found this because although the others I had (Handy Switch) worked pretty good for a while, I had to throw them away because of the recall/fire hazard thing. Now if only I can find extra transmitters…..

UPDATE……..The remote went through a hot water wash (accidentally left it in my pocket) Let it dry out over night, put in a new battery..AND IT STILL WORKS!!!

In order to keep energy costs down I generally only keep on a light that I need at that time, often for reading. The rest of the house is dark at night. I’ve got a couple of places where the lamp is behind a large chair, making them difficult to turn on and off, and of course they are on the far side of the rooms. If I want to see where I’m walking ‘d have to cross the room to turn on a light elsewhere before coming back to turn one of these off and either climb on or move around the chair to get to the switch.

I received a similar product for Christmas and was instantly in love. That one plugged directly into the outlet. This one has a short cord that plugs into the outlet which allows you to mount the device on a wall close to the outlet. Mine is actually plugged into a multi-outlet strip which works out fine. I’ve got the remote dangling from a light switch which has to be on all the time for something else. No more navigating across a dark room.

My only complaint is how difficult it was to open and close the battery cover due to the position of the ring that attaches the keychain to the remote.

I have used one of these switches for my family room light for several years, and it has worked wonderfully. I decided to buy two more for my bedroom and my son’s bedroom. One room is upstairs and one is downstairs. The good news is, the remotes have a long range. The bad news, both remotes are on the same frequency. What a surprise in the middle of the night when my bedroom light came on because my son had turned his light on! We swapped the family room remote switch with my son’s and everything is fine. Alas, I wanted another outlet switch for another room, but can’t seem to find ones with multiple frequency options.

We kept the remote near the tree and it worked as advertised. I will note you can’t get very far from the source or the remote tends to not work. I will say our plug is located behind our large screen television, so we don’t have line-of-site (that may make a difference in the distance it works from).

NEVER GET UP FROM BED TO TURN YOUR LIGHT OFF AGAIN!

Give me a break, I have a big bed okay? Haha So I used an extenstion cord and connected both lamps to this gizmo and voila! I can turn them both on with the touch of a button. I’ve had zero problems with it. I may buy another for the lamps in the living room. I wish there was a two pack but I guess being lazy aint cheap!

I have a little hook on the side of the fridge for the remote and when we have company or just want to enjoy the lighting, one click takes care of it. An easier option than a new outlet or running an extension cord. Works great for what we need it to.

Great for lamps/lights that are in hard to reach spots—or for turning on or off lights outside—or after you’re in bed. I gave this to my nephew and he really liked it and put it to use right away.

It meet my needs and then some. I have an extra one but haven’t decided where I am going to use it at as of yet. Great product and great prices.

I plugged it into this and now I can shut my light of while Im in bed. VERY CONVENIENT. We also have one for our christmas tree so you dont have to bed down under all the branches to plug it in. Im sure there are many more uses for it as well!

Easy to set up, but the adapter is a bit bulky and the cord is short. Had some trouble getting it to connect to my device, but once I did all was well. Prompt delivery. Better than the fire hazard clapper.

I have it plugged behind my nightstand in order to turn on my nightstand lamp. The only problem is that I have to click the button for “On” and “Off” sometimes multiple times before it registers to turn the lamp off. This could be due to the fact that the outlet it is plugged into is behind the nightstand, and it’s just not catching the laser to the sensor. Just be aware that if it’s plugged behind something, it might take a few clicks to turn the switch on or off. This really doesn’t bother me because it works usually after the second try.

Every time I sat down on my lazy boy to watch a movie or a game, I had to get back up to turn the lamp off. I now keep the remote control for the wireless power switch right next to me. The product does exactly what I wanted it for and it’s a simple device: you plug the power switch into an electrical outlet and, in my case, the lamp into the power switch. You are then ready to turn the lamp off or on with your remote control. It’s a little expensive compared to some of the other comparable devices, but it’s simple and well put together. I recommend it.

SUCH A BIG HELP

It saves her from having to run up the stairs if I get a phone call or something. She is operating the remote from about 40 to 50 feet away and operating an upstairs light from downstairs.

I was worried at first because I wanted to put the plug behind my bed and I didn’t know if it would block the remote signal but it didn’t. I was still able to plug something below it too. The remotes also have a thing on the back so you can hang them on the wall.

Does exactly what it’s supposed to do. I bought 2 remotes and one outlet. The outlet is in a closet outside the house, and I use one remote control from the 1st floor and the other from the 2nd floor. No issue. It works perfectly all the time.

I’ve had trouble turning off the lamp beside my bed. This remote has been such a wonderful help to me! Now all I have to do is click the remote button instead of struggling to reach the switch on the lamp.

I have it hooked up to my living room lamps in the apartment, it works anywhere you go, even outside! I haven’t seen how far away I can go yet but it lets me go as far as my car and… well… how much further do I need to go? Sometimes might have to press the button twice for it to “hear” me but that’s not a big deal… I just click again! It’s not that hard!

It installs in seconds and has excellent on/off response from the remote switch that comes with this product. My only caveat is that this is an RF device so it can not be “learned” by a standard universal IR remote controller.

I have one for an incandescent stand lamp and now have a new one for a compact fluorescent (CLF) desk lamp. The switches for both lamps were in a location that was hard to reach. This wireless remote control switch did the trick.

When we pollute the air, we can turn it on for a bit to clear it, and turn it off again from the couch. Plug is about 6 feet away

When I plugged it in… or rather, when I tried to plug it in, I found it had a formed piece of plastic, undoubtedly intended to shield the outlet itself from the elements, that made it impossible to plug in the router without first plugging in a three-outlet adapter.

This works, but it’s a little less than elegant. It’s not clear from the photos that this little overhand exists, and it wouldn’t make any difference to a lamp or a string of holiday lights. But the plugs for technology devices are sometimes exotic in shape, to try to make it easy to plug into power strips.

Ah well, I was able to make it work, but it’s lightly irritating (and would have been moreso had I not already had a three-plug adapter).