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Maybe Belkin and Monster will come up with something that works for those devices, since they can still draw up to 30% power even when they are off.One caveat for computer devices.if you have laser printers, make sure you use it as the main power source on this. Most printers are have a pretty decent power save mode and most manufacturers don't really recommend turning them off anyway.Overall, I think the concept of these power saving strips can create some significant savings; however, $25-30 for each strip means you need to have a considerable amount of power draw from the devices that are plugged in to justify the cost vs. return. I have a central outlet I use with laptops, a printer and lamps on my desk and it's nice to just turn off the printer and have it turn off all the other devices.As for energy hogs like a plasma TV and DVR, if you are smart and have a central power management unit, there is no way to use this without killing the power to everything. If you use it for a few flourescent lamps, it's a waste of money, but for the right combination of devices, you may get your money back. You will use up a considerable amount of toner and add extra wear to the drum unit as the printer will have to recharge the drum using extra toner. I work at home as an IT Consultant, so I have lots of electronic equipment running all of the time.
If you have a surge protectors or power strip that just has "dummy" devices plugged in, this unit works great. The DVR has to stay on all the time to record programs, so you either have to separate the TV from the central power management unit defeating the purpose of conditioning the circuit or kill the entire center. I have been investigating options to save energy and thought I would give this a try. You can buy a regular surge protector and just hit the power button on it as easily as you can turn the power off of one device to get the same results. I think the concept is great for most items (lamps, printers, chargers, other computer peripherals); however, I really haven't figured out a way to use it with energy hogs like plasma TV's and DVD players. I don't really care about the clocks on the DVD player (why do they still put a clock on these things all they do is burn out the LED's on the little screen)., but I don't want to separate anything from the central power unit. These are first generation and have great potential, just don't buy one to avoid bending down to turn off a surge protector.
You should not kill the power to a laser printer without turning off the power button first.
This causes the the power strip to shut off all of the accessories. When I bought this I had a 27" CRT style TV. It worked great and I loved it.The TV died and I replaced it with 32" LCD TV. It doesn't happen every time, but when I am starting a movie on the DVD player frequently the screen goes black for a second, then the power gets disconnected to the DVD player. The new TV draws very little power when the screen goes black.
There is a master outlet that controls a series of switched outlets. There are also 3 "always on" outlets that you can use to bypass the master outlet. I have one for my TV and another for my computer. So on the TV, you can plug in your DVR into the live outlet so even if TV is off, the DVR remains on to do your recordings.
Easy to set up. So, for example if my computer is in the master outlet and is on, the printers, scanner, extra monitors plugged into the switched outlets become live. Once I shut down my computer, all those peripherals turn off. What could be easier than that to reduce trickle energy usage.
My "Control" (computer) and my "Uncontrolled" are on but I can't get any of the "Controlled" peripherals to understand this. Was that a surge. What a waste of time on a nifty idea.The 800 number in the packaging is No Longer in Service. I thought the idea was that if my computer was on so were the peripherals (the printer, speakers, etc). I'm returning this thing.
This product is not working for me at all. My "Controlled Outlets" are not on and I've turned the "sensitivity meter" every which way and shut down and rebooted. Can't print, can't hear my speakers. I heard a spark of power and then it disappeared.
Now, all that works is the master socket and the "always on" sockets. I'll just use a $5 power strip and turn the strip's switch off. They will not even offer technical assistance with the product. This worked fine until almost exactly two months. This is now just an overpriced regular power strip, only with less usable sockets. You get the same money savings in energy, and it just takes a few more seconds to do. The packaging made it look like there is a lifetime guarantee no matter where you purchase it, but the company will not honor it unless you buy directly from them.
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