Smart Strip SCG4 Energy Saving Power Strip with Autoswitching Technology and Fax/Modem Surge Protection
by Smart Strip
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of Smart Strip SCG4 Energy Saving Power Strip with Autoswitching Technology and Fax/Modem Surge Protection
Customer Review: Working well so far
Summary: 4 Stars
The two latest reviews say they got defective Smart Strips so I wanted to report that the one I got has been working fine for about a month. I'll update my review if it fails over time. Others have reported that it was very difficult to adjust for their computers, but with my computer it worked the first time with no adjustment and has worked every time since.
Since I was concerned the strip would fail over time as others have reported, I got a Belkin power strip for my wife's computer to hedge my bets. The Belkin strip is much more stylish than this one and it seems to auto-adjust - the first time I plugged the PC into the Belkin it did not turn off the other outlets, but after I turned the PC on and off, it seemed to adjust itself correctly.
Auto adjusting is handy in theory but I think having a manual adjustment makes me feel better in case the auto adjustment doesn't work.
I also like that the Smart Strip has a physical switch on it so I can turn it off completely to save more power or to protect things more in a lightning storm. You can't turn the Belkin strip off other than to unplug it, although that means it should save a bit of power by not having a lit power switch and not having a switch also means you can't accidentally turn it off with a kick.
The Smart Strip has one fewer plug than the Belkin but one of its plugs is spaced far away from the others. In most situations (including mine) one of the Belkin's plugs will be wasted by a large power block, so the extra plug will likely be unusable for many people anyway, but it's still nice to have the option.
Customer Review: works like a charm for me
Summary: 5 Stars
at first I was very skeptical to purchase this strip from reading all the bad reviews It got. The reason why I got it is for my Mame cabinet,as an easy all in one switch solution for when I power on the cabinet. On the control outlet I have my PC hooked up, and on the white outlets I have my marquee light, speakers, and monitor hooked up. I did have to adjust the little sensitivity nob on the side a little to get it to work properly, but it literally took two minutes to find the right sensitivity. Now all my peripherals turn on and off when the PC turns on and off. I'm not sure if people aren't setting it right or aren't even trying to set it to begin with (make sure you read the instructions, the setting knob is allowed to make up to 1 full turn. don't go over that or force it, I only needed a half a turn for my setup, also the instructions state that if you are trying to turn on lights, they have to be at least 40 watt for incandescent, and 7 watt for fluorescent). To me it seemed super easy, maybe I was just one of the few lucky people who didn't get a defective strip. Either way I highly recommend it if you are looking for a solution to turn all your peripherals off at the push of one button.Customer Review: 2 Units defective, Customer Service is difficult
Summary: 1 Stars
I had high hopes for this product to use with my TV, cable, VHS and DVD. Per the company's recommendation, the cable should be left hot to maintain settings and turning the TV on would control everything else. The first SCG4 product arced and left a burn spot. The company would not send me a new one until I returned the damaged one. Given a difficult "built-in" setup, I have to hire someone each time I need to install/dismantle the surge strip so I gave them my credit card to send another one so I could do the dismantle and reinstall in one service call and left everything off until it arrived. (One month later, I have confirmation that they recieved the original burnt unit but they still hold my credit card until they "have time" to look the unit over and see the burn mark for themselves.) The second unit also arced and the TV service tech helping me advised that the unit be disconnected entirely. I just went to get a new surge strip (with more joules) and will need to hire the tech again to install it. With what I have gone through so far, I will just eat the cost as a learning experience .Customer Review: Great idea but not necessarily convenient
Summary: 3 Stars
I bought this product after reading a review in a magazine and was drawn to it for the "green" and money-saving claims. I thought it could be an upgrade to my very, very old surge protector (from the late-80s!) for my "home theater" system (just a TV, DVD player and cable box).
The instructions say that the TV should be plugged into the "control" socket so that "everything" turns off when the TV is off, assuming that you're using all the products together. However, my reality is that the the cable box took too long to boot up after the power was completely turned off, and my DVD player is part of a sound bar that I also use for my iPod and radio.
So in the end, I'm using this surge protector much like any ordinary one because my products need to be treated independently. Hopefully, I'm still saving some money since this product has more advanced technology than my old surge protector, but I'm definitely not helping the environment as much I as had hoped with being able to turn the power off to multiple electronics as needed.
Customer Review: Not Exactly as 2 Stars
As I understood this product from the Oprah show, all appliances plugged into this strip turn off and draw no power when "off".......Be aware that it does not work quite that way and will not save you as much power as you might think[very little, actually]. A "Control device" such as a TV must be plugged into the "control device outlet" and thus is always on in the "Standby mode" drawing power, waiting for a command, for instance, from your remote control. Other devices, such as, DVD player or VHS player cannot be operated unless the "Control Device" is turned "On"[This is okay], but others such as CD player or Stereo Receiver cannot be turned on unless "Control Device"[TV] is turned on, thus these must be plugged into a "live", or "always on" outlet.........Just be aware of this before you buy......It should be fine for PC peripherials.......