Smart Strip LCG4 Energy Saving Power Strip with Autoswitching Technology and Fax/Modem Surge Protection
by Smart Strip
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List Price: Our Price: $29.29 You Save: $12.66 (30%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $27.00 (click here) Category: Tools See more product details |
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of Smart Strip LCG4 Energy Saving Power Strip with Autoswitching Technology and Fax/Modem Surge Protection
Customer Review: Okay but....
Summary: 3 Stars
Alright this is an expensive device. The way it's set up, you have a single device control a bunch of other devices except those you want to run independently. So let's say you have a TV which you set up as the controlling device: when it goes off the other devices you set up to be controlled by it go off as well. If you have a VCR you can set that to be on independently of the other devices which you most likely want as it needs to be on 24/7 to keep time and record tv shows. So that's reasonably solid. The problem is that the strip doesn't allow for large or odd shaped plugs which can block other plugs. For a strip that's over $30 it should be designed so that doesn't happen. Also you could accomplish the same thing with two plain strips: one which you turn on when you need it and one you leave on all the time. That would very likely save you $20. If the automatic switching is worth that much to you then buy it, if not.....Customer Review: One Major Flaw - Impossible tuning for Computer Sleep/Standby
Summary: 2 Stars
I really wanted to like this product. It is a great idea and the design is almost perfect. The major problem with the design is a single $0.20 trimmer pot ( variable resistor ) that is used to set when your device is ON versus OFF. It is VERY hard to set. My computer in Sleep mode consumes 50W and in normal ON mode consumes 100W. Tuning the strip to recognize the difference between the two power states required about 1/10 of a degree turn - hard to do. What is worse is that even after I got it working once, temperature variation in the circuit would cause it to stop working the next day. For many applications ( for example, computer hibernate=5W, vs ON=100W ) this device works just fine. I can't recommend it for computer Standby however. If they would improve the circuit with a multi-turn pot, it would probably work great. I might try this myself after the warranty period is over. Should have been a great "Green" product, sigh....Customer Review: Great For My Setup
Summary: 5 Stars
I've read some other reviews and I'm confused as to how they had set up their electronics. Perhaps my setup is very simple, but I've had 0 problem with this strip; everything works correctly, I haven't had to adjust it whatsoever and nothing flips on or off unless I have it plugged in to the white outlets. I have two of these strips with television and computers running as CONTROL (blue), answering machine, phone, modem, and paper shredder running on HOT (red) and DVD, home theater, antenna, PS3, computer speakers, etc. running on SWITCH (white). I guess if all you're buying this for is a lamp and tv, or a microwave and toaster...I don't know, yeah, you might have problems. I think you may need to consider what it is you're trying to save energy on, and then decide what CONTROL unit you'll be using. Pretty simple, I'd say. Otherwise, this is an awesome product!Customer Review: Real smart, Real simple
Summary: 5 Stars
I use it for my home office computer workstation:
Took less than 15 minutes to connect and test:
I connected it through the UPS, the main unit is a Dell Dimension 4600, dependent units are an HP officejet 7310 printer, speakers, external WD hard drive, and always on are the modem, router, and a Voip phone box.
Works perfectly - as the computer goes to hibernate mode all is turned off, and comes back when I wake it up.
Only draw back is the hard drive doesn't come back on, so I need to turn it on manually, but since it is only used as a backup, that is not a real problem.
I've reduced its on time significantly, but am yet to see the effect on the power bill.
With this success I'm going to get another device for the entertainment system and charging station.
Customer Review: It works
Summary: 5 Stars
I can recommend this product.
I had some problems initially getting this work correctly on the default settings - some slave devices (Xbox360, Wii) would not start properly - they started, switched themselves off, started again, switched themselves off again etc. 4 - 5 times - but after adjusting the "sensitivity" to the maximum (could probably be lower) those problems have disappeared and I am very happy with the product.
Even if I am not certain as to how much power I am actually saving with this surge protector, I like the idea of not wasting any electricity. And for me, the price was also low enough that I don't feel like I have to crunch numbers to see if the purchase was worth it.