Remote-Outlet

Tag Archive: surge protector

I Wish I Had Known These Existed Earlier

The switch itself runs on a battery and can be attached with screws, but I used Command adhesive strips so I could remove it easily from the wall of my apartment when it was time to go. Each set of switch and receiver runs on a different frequency (I received an A and an E, but I don’t know how many different ones there are), so you can have more than one right next to each other without them interfering. The receiver can be a bit bulky if you’re trying to fit it on a power strip, but it’s not hard to work around that.

I bought two and they are fantastic! I hook them up to power strips and connect lights through out the room. Works way better than even built in lights. Long batter life too. Great product, love it.

Very responsive and consistent where as the one I purchased before that was from another company had a lag time from when I flipped the switch on and when the light came on. The only thing I dont like about this one is the fact that the switch is not a flip on, its a push up and push down one. Not convenient if you are used to always walking into a room and flipping on a switch. Otherwise great product.

It maybe looks a little on the cheap side with the fake front screws but hardly noticeable. Just FYI, it is activated by on/off rotation only, so it makes no difference which up/down direction is pushed, it only makes it do the opposite either way it’s pushed. Could just as well been made with a single in-out push button rather than a rocker. But the rocker does look more “authentic” I guess.

We have a high-tech young adult son who has set up and maintains an array of devices for us in his former bedroom, now converted to a “movie room” but also housing our wireless router, cable modem, our son’s “satellite” workstation, and God knows what else. Since most of those devices draw their power from the switched outlet, our son removed the switch and replaced it with a plain covering, so we would not accidentally cut the power by reflexively flipping the switch to turn on the room light. Minor problem: If the room was dark, you had to grope around for the lamp itself, or remember to bring a flashlight, to get the light on. This bugged my wife enough that I finally put it at the top of my priority list, and she hasn’t stopped thanking me yet.

I use it for a standing lamp on the other side of the room, I mounted the switch with the included screws and I was done in minutes. The plug is a little big, but it only uses the one plug, so it leaves the other plug unobstructed so you can use it

November 18, 2013 Outlet, , , 0 Read more >

This Switch Acts Like A Single On/Off Button – Either Paddle Acts As You Want It To

I have the light where I really need it and the switch out-of sight. I would buy this again (when needed). Appears to be better quality than similar switch I had purchased (which failed after less than a year). Other switch had a built in night light that I liked. This one does not have that feature.

We hooked up a fluorescent strip light, but wanted a way to turn it on and off beside groping in the dark for the in-line switch. We purchased this, plugged it into an available outlet in the closet, and located the switch in the area where we wanted it. (We mounted the “switch” box with 3M picture hanging strips, so we could change the batteries easily) Works great, no problems. As others have noted elsewhere, although it looks like a standard “flip switch” in the pictures, it’s actually just a button you press for on/off. Doesn’t bother me, because I’m delighted to have light in the laundry closet!

Only complaint is that when ordering additional units they do not ask for a preferred frequency. You may want to match existing units or more than likely you may prefer different frequencies. This choice should be part of the ordering process.

They work great for this. The switch part is small and light enough to be attached with a couple pieces of removable mounting tape, which is great.

The only downside is the radio channel is built into the device, and there didn’t seem to be any way to choose which one you wanted, or really an indication that this was the case on the product page. I ordered three and they came one of each channel, which was what I needed so it worked out for me. Still you should be aware of the channel thing in case you want two to work on the same channel etc…

Now there is no danger of him tripping over something on his way to the bed. I would highly recommend this to anyone who needs a convenient way to control electronics.

Also, up and down on the switch both do the same thing; but they are nice aesthetically I suppose. Overall very happy with this purchase.

Since daddy and teen are not on the same sleep schedule :) we had to forgo using it and purchase another locally to be sure and get a different frequency. It would be nice if the frequency was in the description, but I couldn’t find one online that let you pick that way.

The only downfall is if you purchase two or more, make sure they are not too close to each other room wise. I have one in my bedroom and the other in the living room and when I turn one on in one room, the other also turns on. Not a huge problem, but sometimes they tend to get mixed up and when one turns on, the other turns off. It’s kind of comical, but really frustrating at times. Otherwise, very simple idea for one or two rooms, if separated enough.

November 17, 2013 Outlet, , , 0 Read more >

Solid Wireless Solution To For An Outlet

You might think “what’s the big deal”, but I’d previously bought and immediately returned a similar device, Westinghouse T00412 Light Switch Remote (currently not available on Amazon, which is a good thing!). Here was my experience with both products:

Westinghouse- the battery was already installed when I opened the sealed package- so it’s likely energy was draining from the battery since it was packaged. Lamp turned ON when I flipped the switch up. Lamp stayed ON when I flipped the switch down- I couldn’t turn it off! Back to Amazon it went.

AmerTac- battery installed but with a plastic tab which I was instructed to remove- so the battery was fresh. Lamp turned ON when I flipped the switch up. Lamp turned OFF when I flipped the switch down.

This doesn’t sound like a big deal, but it IS nice when a product does exactly what it’s supposed to do and MIGHTY AGGRAVATING when it doesn’t. Shame on you, Westinghouse!

I did not want to pay an electrician to rip apart my walls and my home is old, so they always insist on redoing everything. A simple job ends up costing way too much. Both units have worked flawlessly for 4 months and I turn them on and off every night, sometimes more if I leave at night.
I plan on ordering a few more matching sets (Channel F) for my living room switch so that multiple lights will turn on at the same time with one switch… Be sure to order different channels if you want to install multiple sets for different lights.
Quality of the switches is a solid rocker and the lights can be turned on or off by hitting either the top or bottom of the switch. Rather convenient unintentional feature.

It was designed like a large paddle switch, but did not behave like one. Beneath the large paddle are small micro-switches, and you must press the paddle in exactly the right spot to activate or deactivate the switch. If you pressed the paddle anywhere that was not directly above the micro-switch, the thin plastic of the paddle would deflect and absorb your motion and fail to depress the micro-switch.

This Westek switch has a smaller paddle which feels very firm to the touch and works every time. Furthermore, it does not actually matter which side you press. If the light is on, you can turn it off by pressing EITHER side of the paddle (and vice-versa). It functions like a single on/off button. We do not mount our switch on a wall, but use it to activate a light from our coffee table, so the fact that we never need to know which side is “up” or “on” is very nice.

November 16, 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 >