Having purchased similar items from another manufacturer in the past, I was surprised to find that the item ships batteries not included. The range is also noticeably less than that of the competing product that I have purchased- I usually have to click the button two or three times just to switch the lights across the room. Also, the oversized outlet takes up two plug spaces. On the plus side, the product is much cheaper than competitors, considering that you get separate control of three different outlets with one remote. With the competitor's product, you'd have to buy three packages and juggle three remotes, so if you want separate control of multiple outlets from one remote, this is definitely the way to go.
UPDATE 2/8/11 ------------------------------------
This product didn't last very long before it stopped working. I'd recommend other alternatives. There's a reason this product is so cheap relative to the competition. Remote Controlled Switch Socket - 3-Pack
What a wate of money. I mean I kind of knew it wasn't going to be what it should be because of the cost but hey, totally useless? You have to be within 6-8 feet and have the remote pointed perfectly inline at the base units reciever which is almost impossible in any normal usage. Let see...the normal plug outlet is down by the floor and usually has furnature surrounding it. No other remote I have in my house has to be so accurately lined up at such a close distance. Heck, the #2 unit didn't work if you were farther than 2 feet away!! Now what kind of convenience product is that???
I threw mine in the trash and chalked it up as being stupid for buying it.
This product has great set of features, but they are all worthless for me, since the range is the worst of any remotes I've ever used. New battery (not included) gave me about 20 feet and not even reliably, far less than advertised. If it's for just across the room then fine, but they should have advertised the range honestly.
Remote requires nearly direct line of sight to the receiver-outlets. The units and remote feel cheap and clunky. For some reason (perhaps frequency related) only one of the receiver-outlets works at a decent range (+3 ft). I have all three in the same small room, but two of the receiver-outlets I've never used just because you have to walk over to them which negates the need for a remote... The remote usually requires holding down a button for a few seconds and waving it around in the air until my one working receiver gets the signal and turns the lamps on. I've had it for a couple years though and the battery is still good and I still use it for my lamps on the one receiver-outlet that works well (waving the remote around). Its not all bad (especially the price), but I don't feel any price is worth the aggravation of this product. I would not buy this again.
I have owned and used two sets of these switches for over a year. At first I was skeptical about the quality/reliability of the product due to the low price. I didn't get them from Amazon because I found them elsewhere first (with batteries, for $14.95 per set). At first, I was annoyed by having to push the buttons several times to make them work. Sometimes one click worked and other times it took a few tries. Well, when all else fails - read the directions! It says to wait about 5 seconds between button pushes to make them work! Bingo! Occasionally, a switch will misfire and require another push and if you don't wait a bit nothing happens. That's a bit quirky but easy to get used to. Overall, I can't complain about having five remote controlled lights in my living room for $30 and I have one left for a replacement if/when one fails. My entire electrical system is solar powered and since it's tied to the grid (my meter runs backwards when the panels are producing more than I'm using) I can use all the electricity I need. I'm conservative about my lighting and energy use in general and being able to control the lights from my easy chair makes it possible without having to sacrifice convenience or adequate illumination. I have used the more sophisticated remote control system like the BSR X10 and the Radio Shack knock-offs and they work but at $15 to $25 per module they can be quite expensive and take some time to setup. These switches are a no-brainer and well worth the price if you don't pay more than $15 to $25 for a set of three.
P.S. Radio Shack is the most expensive place on the planet to buy replacement batteries from. Shop around and a keep a spare handy so you don't have to pay through the nose when you need it.
Purchased this item from another source, but I have to say that it is THE WORST product I have come across. While it does function, you have to be within a few feet of the receiver for it to work. I bought 2 sets of these, so thinking the first set was bad, I tried the second...same thing.
After wasting my money on these, I had to go out and buy two expensive model 23a 12-volt batteries (NOT INCLUDED) for the remote controls. Upon putting these units into use, I tried to simply turn on the light in my living room, and got nothing. After much troubleshooting, thinking that I had done something wrong, it finally worked... I was standing right next to the light, not more than 3-feet from the outlet. If I moved any further away, I got nothing.
These are great if you stand next to the outlet to turn on the light, but why? It would be just as easy to reach under the lamp shade and turn it on that way... Don't waste you money on this garbage!
I'm disabled and found it distressing to have to painfully get up and down over and over every day to turn lights on or off when no one was around to help me, as well as disconcerting and dangerous to awaken in a dark room and have to feel my way to the nearest lamp or light switch. My husband looked for something like this for me 3 years ago and got these. I've been using them ever since and they've changed my life. I've used that same set ever since and it's worked beautifully since Christmas 2006. Unfortunately I recently dropped the controller into a cup of milk and it stopped working, so I came to Amazon to get a replacement set ASAP. Now that I have them again I decided to come back and get a second set. I need to add at least one more for a small air purifier I want to be able to turn on from either the living room or the bedroom (whenever a neighbor and his 3 teens are home smoking enough cigarettes to make my condo feel like a pub...) and may add my dining room hutch light to the second one. I have also noticed (without knowing why) that my electric bill went down and has remained less than expected month after month for at least a couple years now - after reading reviews from other satisfied users I think I know why, so that's GREAT! We got some for my mother as well last year and I think they were a great help while she was recovering from a broken hip. Both of my sets have had no trouble ever with a range of 3 feet to 30 feet. A note to folks about the battery distress you're having - my husband has had ZERO problem finding this battery at many closeby stores: King Soopers, Wal-Mart, Radio Shack & Home Depot just to name a few. They're easy to find but last a good long time. I don't even remember ever changing the one in my first set of super switches. This item is a God-send and I'll always have a set handy here to help me out dozens of times a day. - Wireless Remote Control - Light Switch - Wireless - Remote Outlet'
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