Remote-Outlet

Outlet

Works Flawlessly – Style Looks A Bit Cheap

I liked that this unit has a remote switch that I can access easily to turn off my multiple monitors at once instead of turning them off individually or crawling under the desk to flip the surge protectors switch. It also has a couple of constant-on recepticals to power items whether or not the switch is flipped.

The switch looks a little odd, but probably as good as it can given the form factor. Signal strength is quite good — a brick wall and a washing machine are in between one of the plugs and its switch. As noted by other reviewers, there are no separate “on” or “off” directions. Pushing the switch on either side simply toggles the power.

Our house was built with no wall switches in the bedrooms and we were thrilled to find these. They’ve actually gone down in price since we bought ours. They work perfectly and we’ve never had a problem.

However, as another reviewer said, it has only two different frequencies, and the frequency is NOT selectable. When you buy, you must specify either the “A” or “B” frequency switch. The package is labeled such. Don’t get two of the same frequency within range of each other! Oh, and the switch and control block do not look like what is pictured. The control block is bigger and the switch (as mentioned in the other review) is a rocker, not a traditional toggle as pictured.

It has a one-piece rocker switch/plate cover that looks like it could break easily. However, I’ve had mine for about 2 years so far and it’s still intact.

This unit has three channels, so you can have up to three different sets of these in your home. In my living room, I have two sets, both on the same channel, controlling two lamps across the room from each other. Since they’re both on the same channel, either transmitter can turn on or off both lights (kind of like three-way switching for multiple lamps).

The rocker switch makes it seem like you’d press up for on and down for off. However, it’s just a toggle switch — there’s no difference between up or down.

Leviton makes a more-attractive switch (although they only sell the almond color here on Amazon). It resembles a regular hard-wired rocker switch commonly found in homes. However, it only has two channels (so you could only have two sets of these in your home), and it’s VERY tempermental. It will randomly switch off and sometimes constantly switch off — very annoying.

I would like to see X10 come out with one of these devices, but their controllers resemble remote controls too much. They need one that looks like a regular wall switch. So why X10? First it can handle 256 channels — not just two or three. Second, it can integrate with your PC for home automation. Third, it costs about the same as one of these other more-basic models.

November 14, 2013 Outlet, , , 0 Read more >

Perfect For An Energy-Saver Like Me

Well, I was looking for something I didn’t think was possible to find:

- slim design

- always on outlets along with the ability to truly power some off

- reasonable length cord

- decent remote control (both looks and function)

I got all of the above with this product. It is tucked away in a cabinet where I don’t have to see it (and I don’t have mikes of cord taking up the rest of the cabinet area), with my laptop in one of the “always on” outlets. BlackBerry, iPad, and my husband’s phone charger are in the remote-controlled outlets. Every morning after I read the news on my iPad, I plug it in and use the remote. When our devices are charged, off go the outlets. The remote is slim and unobtrusive. I also can’t complain about the price.

Personally, I don’t like paying more than $50 a month in electricity, especially when there are things I can do to reduce “phantom” energy usage. I bought the 8 plug model over 2 years ago and am still loving it. I actually bought a 2nd 10 plug one a few months ago and thought I’d send out a review for both.

6 of the plugs are connected to the remote switch with 2 being available for always on performance. I connected my DVR and TV to the always on plugs with my router, cable modem, PS3 and receiver on the remote.

I keep the remote upstairs by my desktop computer (also on the a conserve switch) so I can turn on the internet whenever I use the desktop. There is also a switch on the surge protector so you can turn the remote-controlled plugs on and off without the remote. Since I have two Conserve units, I set both of them to the same frequency and they both work off the same remote. I use the upstairs desktop sparingly and it helps eliminate the phantom power draw from the power supply of the desktop when it is off. I used the handy to figure it cut 90% of energy usage for my desktop when off.

I did the math and it easily saves me 2-5 dollars a month in energy consumption on my router and modem alone vs. being on 24/7. I turn the router and modem off while I am at work or am not using the devices. It really pays for itself over the course of a year or two.

Eliminate power consumption on low use items that consume electricity even while off. Will pay for itself over the course of a few years. Multiple units can be controlled from same remote. At least 30 foot radius for the RF remote, no line of sight needed (I haven’t tried longer but that’s about how far mine is from the downstairs unit)

November 13, 2013 Outlet, , , , 0 Read more >

Solution to a Real Problem

This surge protector allows for up to 8 devices to be plugged in with sufficient room for the wider DC adapters to fit and it will protect them against power surges. What makes it ‘special’ is, of course, the remote control that will completely shut off all but 2 of the outlets so nothing, not even stand-by power is consumed. This is good because it saves some energy and I suspect that the devices for which the power was completely shut down are better protected in the event of a spike. With the remote on my desk, I found that I almost always remember to shut things down when I’m done.

More details

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The following are noteworthy, in my view.

Positives:

+ Simple remote control with a 60 ft. range and no line of sight requirement to turn off all but 2 of the outlets – it’s what makes this device special.

+ On-Off switch could be mounted on a wall (mounting screws not provided) or simply glued to the wall or the side of your desk (adhesive tape provided).

+ 8-outlet capacity with a lot of room for the wider AC adapters.

+ ‘Always on’ light shows that power is present.

+ ‘Not grounded’ red light (must be off) will warn you when there’s something wrong. Its warranty won’t apply if the light was on when your devices got fried. I don’t know if for a fact but I assume they have a way of telling if that was the case.

+ ‘Remote-Switched Outlets’ light shows when switched outlets are active.

+ Manual override button allows for direct control of switched outlets. A must have when the remote’s battery needs replacing.

+ Clip for cable management. If you don’t need it – and I didn’t – you can simply pull it and it comes out easily.

+ Thin (one inch) and flat shape. Sits well on any flat surface, usually the floor.

+ It’s possible to control several similar devices with one remote control or have each respond to its own on-off remote – the manual shows you how to set them up.

+ 4 foot long cord.

The only negative I can think of is the overhyped up to $100,000 protection promised if your equipment is destroyed by a power surge. Once you read the fine print you realize that by the way it’s worded, it would probably cost you more to fulfill the requirements and prove your case than whatever you are likely to get IF you are successful.

Rating

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I like its opting for simplicity – click ‘off’ and you’re done – over the more complex semi-intelligent energy saving power strips that many will find difficult to set up and don’t always perform the way one expects. With me in control, at least I won’t be blaming someone else if something goes wrong. The outlets that I can turn off when not using them should probably not waste 25-35W each hour for 12+ hours every day plus weekends. Not bad and it should probably pay for itself after about a year of use.

I am awarding 5 stars to this item that addresses real issues by providing a realistic solution. It’s possible that the power strips of the future are going to be a lot more intelligent than today’s but, until then, this is the optimal solution for me.

November 12, 2013 Outlet, , , 0 Read more >

Remote Station: A Tale Of Discovery, Confusion, And Abject Laziness. Or, The American Dream

It’s become part of the overall scheme I have to slowly reduce my electricity consumption, and I plan to purchase a few more over the next few months.

While this surge protector is much larger than any of the standard power strips I own, and thus is harder to hide away behind a cabinet, the extra size makes it easy to utilize all of the outlets. I don’t actually understand why it’s so large, and the extra plastic on the end, designed for keeping cords wrapped around it and, presumably, organized, is fairly useless and annoying. But, the remote control is very convenient, and I used the included double-sided tape to stick it next to my light switch. This makes it easier to remember to turn it off when I’m not using it.

The two always-on outlets are great, because I can keep my clock powered while turning off my cable box, my PS3 and all my various chargers when I leave the house. In general, it’s hard to compare surge protectors, but the always-on outlets definitely make this one stand out from the crowd.

I was pleased to discover that one could set the devices on different channels. I had not known this and was initially frustrated that the remote was turning off both surge protectors on two different floors. This means the remote has good range. Now I set the individual surge protectors to different channels and I can turn off one set of devices without effecting the others. I have one for my home entertainment system and lights, one for upstairs tv, cable box and light, the third for my computer/home office. For the home entertainment system I leave the DVR plugged in all the time to record my programs and the TV and other plugs are plugged in the remote controlled outlets that I turn off when not in use. For those that do not know, the TVs even when idle drain a lot of electricity, and so do other electrical devices, so this saves power. The remote I put on the wall by the entrance which is also convenient to turn on lamps that are not connected to convenient light switches. The other surge protector I have upstairs for another TV as well. That cable box is not DVR so I turn it off when not in use and yes it takes time to boot up but not very long. The Fios box,and the battery backup are plugged in the plugs that are always on. The third is set up for my computer with my modem and router plugged into the outlets that are always on and the other devices for my computer are plugged in the remote controlled ones. This is useful when you go away or when you do not want to waste electricity. I put the remote switch on my desk.

I should add that one important feature which made me buy this particular surge protector is the spacing of the outlets. The outlets are spaced apart to allow plugs and chargers that normally do not fit next to each other to fit. On other power strips and surge protectors I have I cannot fit the plugs and chargers together which is an annoyance. Being able to utilize all the plugs of a surge protector is to me is a big plus! Many of my plugs are bulky and this allows one to put them side by side.

I have been pleased thus far with this product and am planning on buying a fourth one.

November 11, 2013 Outlet, , , , , 0 Read more >

Works Great And As Expected

The remotes works exactly as expected. Since I have an office and just work at home at night and on the weekends, I wanted an easy way to completely shutdown my home monitor, printer, and ext hard drives when I am not using them. This worked great. It costs $30 on Amazon and $35 at my local Home Depot. Unless you have Prime shipping, it is probably not worth buying online if you have a local Home Depot or Lowes.

I’m one of those people that switch off their power strip/surge protectors; when seated at my desk I only need to lean a few inches (maybe a foot at most) towards the floor to knock the green-lit selector into the off position.

My Enercell worked fine; however, while purchasing beginning-of-the-year crap, I decided to buy a surge protector with a wall insert that was flush with the wall rather than a protrusion (note: yes I know that last part wasn’t exactly technical), and was tempted by the promise of being able to ‘manage [my] power use via remote control’.

These are not the ho-hum benefit statements of yore; Belkin is promising, in effect, to add seconds (possibly ten seconds on aggregate) to my life. And remember kids, we are ALL selling convenience…

…and so I bought it, and it screamed from some state in the interior of this country (with the other crap for the year that is now upon us) to solve the “energy cliff” which I was so precariously teetering off of. I unplugged everything, rewired it all into the Belkin, and like Link holding up the Master Sword, held the remote above my head and clicked.(!)

And it didn’t bloody work. I repeatedly clicked it, and it repeatedly didn’t work.

I unplugged it all, plugged everything back into the Enercell, and started reading the manual. And then I logged back onto Amazon to read the reviews, somewhat like your doing now (only somwhat because you are actually reading an unboxing epic), when I noticed in the preview pics that the remote was mounted on the wall.

In order for it to be mounted on the wall, there would have to be a wall mount. But there was none in the box! They denied me a wall mount! I was certain that words would be exchanged with a Belkin customer service representative!

But nay! Upon closer inspection, I noticed the other pics with the remote out of the wall mount…and realized it came shipped inside of the wall mount. It was like studying epistemology for the first time, all over again.

Quite frankly, whatever time would have been saved by purchasing the Belkin Conserve Switch Energy-Saving Surge Protector with Remote has been spent writing this review. Buy it, get what you expected, and always remember friends…

November 10, 2013 Outlet, , , , 0 Read more >

Cut Your Energy Bill!!

It’s all buried behind the entertainment system. You do have to push relatively hard on the switch to ensure it turns on/off, but otherwise functions very well. Kills 126 watts (Killawatt used for testing) of idle power draw from the six components hooked up to it. A couple of KW a day at 30 cents a KW… it’ll pay for itself in just a few months.

We had a lamp in the corner of the room that we liked to turn on to add light to the room but you would have to reach over a couch to turn it on. We hooked it up to this and put the switch by the other light switch and it works great. Saves us some time and effort turning it on and off. I also like that it has constant on outlets for things you don’t want controlled by the remote. I wish i would have bought a few more while they were on sale.

The remote switches were very easy to set up with a different configuration for each computer (it took about 45 seconds to reset the configuration so each remote switch would work only one system). Switching on and off is absolutely as simple as it gets. This is a winner if you want to switch off your electronics when not using them to save electricity.

You know, almost every single product now have a so-called “idle” mode and that’s where the energy and money are wasted. I have my router and modem plugged in the always-on outlet, along with my TV, PS3, sound system plugged-in the “Remote-Switched Outlets”. I’ve seen some people here mention about the remote not working, or whatsoever problem with it.

Here I got some little tricks for you:

I believe this remote would put itself into “idle” mode, therefore, if you simply just switch on and off, it might not work all the way you want. So, I recommend you press the same side down first, before you switch it to the other side.

Sounds complicated? here’s an example:

If your remote is on “I” (which means on, closed circuit), and you want to turn it off. You simply press down on “I” first (in my words- to wake the remote up), then switch it to “O” (off), vice versa.

I love this surge protector and am STRONGLY RECOMMEND it. Great product!!

So far they are working pretty good. Occasionally they do require a firmer or repeated pressing to go on or off but after several months so far it still works pretty good. Id recommend it. If it breaks I will update with an appropriate response.

Running one of these power strips on every TV and computer in the house

will easily knock $25 – $35 dollars a month off of your electric bill! Why pay the utility company for the time you NOT using your devices? In these days when utility rates

are jacked up so unjustifiably high you have do everything you can from being raped the by utility companies! These strips are wall mountable, have cable management hooks and the remote switch can be taped or screwed to the wall and should be placed next to a light switch to make sure it gets used. Bottom line it’s a little pricey but it will definitely pay for it shelf in 1-2 months time!

November 7, 2013 Outlet, , , , 0 Read more >