Remote-Outlet

Tag Archive: outlet remote

Nice Range, Simple Functionality, Overly Large Plug Modules

The only issue I have is with the receiver that plugs into the wall outlet. One, it is extremely large, you aren’t able to plug two of them into the same outlet and they protrude 2 inches away from the wall (I was not able to put it behind a couch); and two, if it isn’t plugged directly into the wall (I put one of mine onto a power strip so I can still use the outlet) the signal is significantly weaker. I used to be able to turn on this light from over 20 feet away in another room when the receiver was plugged directly into the wall, now I have to be within 5 feet with the remote pointed in the direction of the receiver while pushing the button repeatedly to get the light to turn on.

Basically, just keep in mind that you will be utilizing an entire outlet with this device. Otherwise it is a very handy thing to have.

I’ve never had the remote not work because it’s out of range, so that’s good. The remote doesn’t have any indication whether your devices are on or off, but this isn’t an issue because I can just look at the tree and see.

You can also turn on and off the devices from the front of the plugs, which comes in handy if you misplace your remote.

Every apartment I’ve lived in has zero overhead lighting in the living room and bedrooms. Remote control outlets were the perfect solution. I just leave the switch on the lamp on all the time and control the power with the remote. No more feeling my way to the lamp. This would also be great for a hard to reach outlet that turned something like the christmas tree lights on.

I really love this device, especially at this price point. The simply work, and they have worked flawlessly. The only issue is their size. They are annoyingly large. But I do my best to hide them from being visible.

A surprising annoyance that I never considered is that when you want to turn off your light, it’s actually more work to remember where the remote was last placed than it is to know where the light switch is. But it’s worth that small inconvenience. I just leave it on the coffee table…usually!

Out of all of her presents she liked this stupid thing the best. She hooked her tacky lights to this. This year I bought her 2 more. I color coded each set because each set works on its own frequency. Now she’s controlling things all over the house and just loves it. Now if she could only control me….

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

Great Product, Just as Described.

It takes an uncommon battery size, but I found it easily at the store. I actually velcroed the remote to the wall, so it wouldn’t get lost, and use it as a switch. It’s one of the coolest things ever! It’s sure easier than wiring a ceiling light with a switch or a switch to an outlet. Would recommend this seller and this product!

We plugged everything into the outlets and we can turn on 3 different trees and all the decorations out in the sunroom without having to go out and plug them all in one at a time. In my opinion THEY ARE GREAT.

My order arrived quickly and contained one remote with battery, and three outlets. I tried all three outlet right away and they did all work just as described. In fact, I just tested the remote from outside on the opposite side of my house and it STILL WORKED. Yes, the outlets are rather large, but I’m not sure why you couldn’t just use an extension cord if the space is tight. I would definitely recommend this product.

So far they are working perfectly fine. It’s so much easier tuning everything off/on w/these than running around the house to plug/unplug all the millions of thing I have to light up. The only downside, which has been mentioned in other comments is the size of the outlet, they are very large. Even though you only plug it into one outlet, it covers both outlets up, which is a pain b/c you end up running extra extension cords to everything.

I use all three outlets to power three floor lamps and one bankers table lamp. When I’m out of my home I leave the remote by the front door and sometimes take it with me if I plan on returning soon. I thoroughly enjoy being able to enter a lit living room without fumbling. When viewing my home theater I can adjust my lighting without having to cross the room. Glad I took a chance on this device. I also don’t have to worry about sounds from my entertainment system or visitors shutting off any of the outlets.

I have used them for hard to reach lamps. I would have liked the plug insertion to be on the side and not the front because of placement in back of furniture. I wanted to use one on a stairwell behind a narrow chest and could not becuase the chest then stuck out too far from the wall.

I’ve replaced three separate ‘key fob’ controls with a single remote. I’ve had it for a couple of years and have had no problems with it. It would be nice if it had a dohickey on it to allow me to hang it – but it is otherwise perfect.

Not a single issue with the functionality. I use them in a relatively large room to power a fan, a light, and a space-heater. The only issue that puts my review at 4/5 is the size of the unit: I’ve been unable to plug-in another cord into any of the outlets it occupies.

December 9, 2013 Outlet, , , 0 Read more >

They Are Exactly What We Expected

The newer models allow you to program each socket to respond to any of the buttons on the two remotes provided. The instructions that came with the device are very poorly written. Poor English in some cases and incomplete instructions. There is no explanation of how to ‘un-program’ a button, and I was finding it impossible to get the two remotes to replicate one another. In some applications you want to program the remotes to control different devices, but in what I believe is the more common application you want the remotes to functional identically. If I program button number 1 on remote A, I want button number 1 on remote B to control the same socket. I would setup one remote, and then when I went to duplicate the process for the second remote some of the buttons stopped working on the first remote and vice-versa.

I reached out to customer support via email and got a quick response. The customer service rep (Tyler) was very helpful and informed me that each socket can only remember up to 3 buttons. So as soon as I tried programming a 4th button to a socket that had already been associated with 3 other buttons, it removed the association for one of the 3 previous buttons. Each button sends out a specific frequency. 5 different frequencies for buttons 1-5 on remote A, and another 5 frequencies for each of the buttons on remote B.

I explained that this is the setup I wanted, and that I wanted all buttons on both remotes A and B to behave identically. They are all hooked up to various lamps in my kids’ bedroom.

Button 1 – Device 1

Button 2 – Device 2

Button 3 – Device 3

Button 4 – Devices 1,2,3 (all at once)

Button 5 – Device 4

I wanted to place one remote in the dark and scary hallway for my kids to press on the way to their bedroom, and the the other remote right next to their bed so they can turn off the lights from the safety of their bed. They would especially like button #4 which turns all 3 light on all at once.

The rep informed me that this was not possible because the two remotes used different frequencies, and you couldn’t have socket associated with more then 3 frequencies (buttons). This is when I got pleasantly surprised. The rep offered to send me a remote that matched the frequencies of one of the remotes I already had. He explained that one remote had a number on the back, the other remote had no number. He would be sending me a duplicate remote in essence for the one without a number on the back – at no extra charge! He sent it USPS First Class. I reprogrammed the matching remote, and the one he sent me duplicated the programmed remote without any additional programming.

I was disappointed it uses strange batteries (12v A23) instead of the standard ones that the original non-learning remotes use, but I read they are smaller and provide more power for this type of application. I just ordered a five-pack of them on Amazon for under $7 and stuck them in my spare batteries drawer.

My kids are super happy campers and I am a happy parent, and now loyal customer of it. All companies should treat their customers this way.

December 1, 2013 Outlet, , , 0 Read more >

Great Long Lasting Product

These switches have been a lifesaver. I attached a piece of velcro to the back of the remote and stuck it to the wall. Now I can use the remote like a light switch, or remove it from the wall and use it as a remote.

That’s where these babies come in handy. I can be as lazy as I want and with the push of a button, my fan / lamp is off or on. Or they can be used for something else, either way they are convenient.

To do that I needed to know how to remove a plug from a certain remote number. I am reducing the rating by one star, because the user instructions do not mention this and I had to call them (hold the learning button on the plug while you plug it on to reset it, so it will react to none of the remote numbers).

They work great! I like that any outlet can be paired with any remote, and that you can pair more than one outlet to any remote button.

The outlets themselves are rather large. However, if you plug them into the top part of a wall outlet, you can fit a small plug into the bottom part. If you have a larger plug or transformer, or are using a power strip, you’ll need something like 1-Foot Extension Power Cable, 5-Pack. I bought a set and they work very well to make the outlets usable in those situations.

I bought the 5-pack of the newest model with two remotes. However, one of the remotes didn’t work properly. I contacted Etekcity’s customer service and they sent instructions on how to clear and reprogram the outlets to the remote. I followed these instructions, but the remote still didn’t work. They quickly sent me a replacement, which works perfectly. The rep who helped me was polite and professional, and responded quickly to several emails.

I’ve been so happy with these outlets that I bought a second set to use in my bedroom. I’ll probably buy another set for my elderly mother, so she can control her lights without having to get out of her recliner. I would recommend them to anyone!

I have used it for a long time and have had no problems with the device. However, I received the device with only one remote and not two remotes as shown in the image in the product page. This product is especially great for nights when one doesn’t want to get up to switch off an electrical appliance. The remote does not consume much battery which is surely a plus point in the long run. However, one needs to ensure that the remote is in line with the outlet to actually work but that is not much of a problem(However, this is the reason I rates this product 4). Thanks to this products life and my lazy attitude, I will surely be heading back to this seller and purchasing it again!

November 26, 2013 Outlet, , , 0 Read more >

Performs Exactly As Promised

I use mine every day. Only two cons that I’ve come across:

1. the plugs are MASSIVE. and 2. the battery is not a standard size so when it comes time to replace it, that might be a challenge. Also getting the battery into the remote was quite a challenge but not a huge deal. I couldn’t do it properly so the cover doesn’t fit back on.

Again. for the money this is good solution. If I had paid any more than $15 then I probably wouldn’t give it four stars.

i did not want have to run down the stairs every time i wanted to switch the cameras on or off (i need to reboot them like once a week, sigh i know……) and the other ones i have till now (i think from x10) used to stop working on occasions, the reason they didn’t work is not because of the “distance” because the basement is just a few feet under where im standing in the kitchen its just that all the concrete and insulation seemed to make the signal fain every so often so i went for this unit. this unit work flawlessly! so this review is not targeted at the distance of the product but rather about the fact that it seems to send its signal through walls and floors pretty well. for me that was a plus.

it saves me so many steps, I can’t believe it. I bought it pretty much on a lark. But am I glad. I can control so many things from one spot. Lights in other rooms on at dusk, off at bedtime. Various Entertainment components easily controlled without moving to each of them. Considering more of these for my office.

They simply work. I’m sure that maybe a few out there don’t, because some bad reviewers have noted some lemons. But, also look at the high reviews… they all worked for me, and I bought about $200 worth for different houses/ rooms. I added fluorescent under-cabinet lights all over my house… 4 underneath my bed, 3 behind each television, etc. These remote outlet switches allow me to have accent lighting galore.

These worked instantly and very well. They are pretty big, so don’t plan on using the other plug unless you run an extension (probably ill advised). The remote is curved, so I can’t hang it on the wall like I did the last one. Now I have to walk one whole step into the room. I think I’ll live.

First off, the socket switches are much larger than I expected and limit your ability to use the other socket in the outlet (if you have 2 like most outlets). For example, I could plug in another lamp below the switch, but my Ipad charger will not fit due to switch bulkiness. Second, the 3 button control is not flat on the back, its concave. To most this is not a big deal but I wanted to attach it to the wall with Velcro. I was still able to do so but it doesn’t stick nearly as well as a flat back remote would have with less Velcro space to hold it.

November 25, 2013 Outlet, , , 0 Read more >

Very Glad to Have This Product

It is very easy to install and use. Only one negative I think it has is, no local switch on module. I would recommend to consider this point. Because if you do not have access to remote, you will end up switching the power off to the module. Instead, if it had a local switch on it, it would have been better.

This is not an issue with this set, one press of the remote and the module turns on / off my devises, good range, easy to use, better current rating, 10 amp / 1200 watts verses my other set which was 5 amp / 600 watts. Two remotes add convience, if I forget to turn off a light, she can turn it off with her own remote.

I’m surprised at how quickly the unit showed up [2 days] since I only picked standard delivery. I’m using two of the outlets for the string lights and the other for my LED projector. I was tired of reaching up to push the power button to turn it on and off. I’d order this again to use for seasonal lighting, but I might end up controlling my existing set! I will at least recommend the product.

I’m visually handicapped, and I have three plug-in lights in various corners of the room that I call my office at home. One light is a long stretch to turn on, one has the switch lying on the floor (in-cord switch), and one is one the back corner of my desk and I have to reach over my sound speakers and control to get at the in-cord switch.

At first I was upset since I couldn’t find the battery, but my wife spied it in a corner of the box. Very small, an odd battery type, I’m very glad I bought the 3-pack WITH the battery included. The remote has a small door (typical for battery-operated devices) that we couldn’t find at first and was very hard to open, but once I managed to slide it open it worked smoothly after that.

So now I have a little (about the size of one of those big packs of chewing gum) control sitting on a corner of my desk. The 3 outlet controls are numbered, so all I have to do is remember 1 is the corner, 2 is the floor lamp, 3 is my desk lamp … and voila!

A few drawbacks that keep me from rating this as a five.

#1: The instructions should state exactly what the battery is. When I need to replace this battery I plan to bring the entire remote along to one of those battery stores and just show it to them. But I’d appreciate more info about it.

#2: The battery cover was VERY hard to slide off (and I have huge strong hands).

#3: The three remote boxes (in my opinion unnecessarily) cover BOTH of the outlets when plugged in. It would be much nicer if the prongs were on one end of the box, so I could plug something else into another outlet. In one case I needed to use a small extension cord to make everything work.

#4: My obsessive tidiness doesn’t like having the remote just floating around. I really wish it came with a holder or something I could have screwed into the wall near the door to the room.

HOWEVER … it does exactly what I wanted it to. I’m already thinking I’d like to get another one for another area of the house, and I’m wondering if they operate on different frequencies or something so they wouldn’t interfere with each other.

November 23, 2013 Outlet, , , , , 0 Read more >