Smart Strip SCG3 Energy Saving Power Strip with Autoswitching Technology
by Smart Strip
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List Price: Our Price: $21.20 You Save: $18.86 (47%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $21.00 (click here) Category: Tools See more product details |
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of Smart Strip SCG3 Energy Saving Power Strip with Autoswitching Technology
Customer Review: Mac Mini, Laptop Users and Smart Strips
Summary: 5 Stars
Note to Mac Mini users
Notice from the bitsltd website:
All Mac Mini and Dell 800 Series Laptop Owners!
Please order only 3rd Generation Smart Strip Models as Mac Mini and Dell 800 series laptops tend to have very irregular power consumption traits that are incompatible with our standard Smart Strips.
What can I use the Smart strip on?
The Smart strip can be used to save energy on Computers, TVs, & Home entertainment systems. they can automate lights & vacuums on your shop equipment. They do not save energy on phones, washers, dryers & Kitchen appliances.
I read a review elsewhere by R. Gressick who did use a laptop computer as the switching device by adjusting the knob on the side of the Smart Strip until the other devices switched off.
I have not bought or used the Smart Strip yet.
Customer Review: What an amazing product!
Summary: 5 Stars
This product will benefit you two-fold. It will turn off your extra peripherals attached to your computer, TV, etc, and it will block plugged in electronics from using power when they are turned off. Any one of these benefits would make buying a product worthwhile, but the SmartStrip has both of these features combined into one package. The price is a bit expensive for a power strip, but keep in mind you will be saving much more on your power bill over its lifetime.
I did have to adjust the sensitivity of the strip to make sure it came on when I powered up my computer and turned off when it was shut down, but this took less than 30 seconds and was as simple as turning a knob.
Please note that this is the smaller version of the strip! An even larger one can be purchased with more plugs.
Customer Review: Unreliable
Summary: 2 Stars
I'd really like to believe in this product, as it's a great idea. Unfortunately, it's too unreliable in my setting to trust. I tried using an older desktop computer on the control circuit. The computer draws 80W at idle and 3W when "off." After adjusting per instructions, the strip correctly turned off the peripherals when the computer was turned off. The next morning the peripherals were on again. More tweaking, and now the peripherals only sometimes came on with the computer. Back and forth... I gave up on this after a couple of weeks. I'm having trouble imagining what they put in here that makes the turn off point drift around so much, but it makes it unusable for the advertised purpose - at least with my hardware. On the other hand, it's an okay vanilla power strip.Customer Review: Power saving strips
Summary: 5 Stars
Energy is expensive. A power strip like this can help you not only save money but save the environment. I added one to my entertainment system. ow my always on powered speakers only come on when the amplifier does. These strips are wonderful ad the company's customer support people are outstanding.
Check the company site if you are planning to use this strip with a low power computer such as a Macintosh Mini. The version Amazon carries isn't sensitive enough to work with that computer. However, the company sells one that is sensitive enough and it also works like a charm.
I hate to think how much power I wasted in the past running power bricks and powered speakers when I wasn't using them for weeks and weeks. I love these strips!!!
Customer Review: Smart Strip SCG3 - A bit too insensitive
Summary: 3 Stars
I purchased this product to control other devices working with a new Apple Mac mini, such as its display and several external hard disk drives. However, it is not capable of being "triggered" by the Apple Mac mini, inspite of adjusting its sensitivity control full range. I swapped it with an old RadioShack autoswitching power strip which worked fine with the Mac mini, after a small sensitivity adjustment. The Smart Strip SCG3 works fine on an older PowerMac G5, which consumes quite a bit more power, compared to the Mac mini. If your source used to trigger the Smart strip draws very little power, it may not activate the other devices you want to control with it.
FWIW,
-Rod