Remote Control 5 Gang Extension Lead 2m, Black

It lets you command anything you have plugged in

After reading the reviews I thought it might be useful to write one that is actually over 6yrs on from the purchase of this, purchased August 2014.So it looks like these you can be unlucky and have a unit not so good, but in my case, I’m still using mine fairly regularly, but not daily use.It’s positioned in a spare bedroom where a plug socket ended up behind a wardrobe, so I bought this extension that sits behind a TV & DVD player, it has 4 items plugged into it, TV, DVD, night light and a firestick. As it’s a spare room that gets used 2 or 3 nights a week at least, and on occasions it’s been used daily for 2 to 3 months at a time. I wanted to easily be able to turn everything on at the plug on the day of arrival and off on the day of leaving.I’ve no issues in the remote control sending the signal, no awkward positioning needed, i don’t need to stand really close by but as it’s a small room I’m not more than 6ft from it, I just pull it out the drawer and press the buttons to turn it on. It’s still works as good as the day I bought it, hopefully it will continue this way for a good while yet. I will update this review when things change, but for this length of time, if it was to fail now I wouldn’t be to disappointed and wouldn’t take away any stars, 6+Yrs use I’d say is not bad at all.

This product works as described and is proving to be very useful. I have lights hooked up to it and it's great to be able to turn them all on without having to crawl around as I used to.The radio signal is nice and strong and one doesn't need to actually point the remote in the direction of the sockets to activate them. However, the manufacturers, having come up with a wonderful idea have let themselves down by ignoring the basics. Two things - Firstly the sockets number 1-5 from right to left which is counter intuitive. One might expect socket number one to be on the left of the strip. Secondly the remote control is also counter intuitive. One might expect the "on" buttons to be on the right but they are on the left. Two minor things I suppose and I'm used to it now so no big deal but it only gets the full 5 stars from me when these two minor annoyances are fixed.One other extremely annoying and basic thing is that there are no mounting key holes in the back, something that would have been so simple to design in to the moulding. This means that the block can not be mounted to a wall or skirting board. All the thought seems to have gone into the electronics which work flawlessly (if you don't mind hearing a slight audible relay click when a socket is turned on or off) but little thought has gone into the basics of practical utility.Still - a very useful and impressive product which is otherwise sturdily constructed.

As reviewed by others, this is NOT infra-red (IR), but is radio-controlled. I guess for many folks this is better, as there is no need for line-of-sight from the remote, but definitely not as advertised, and for some it might be a problem. It is only Amazon that get it wrong, the box is clear: it is labelled "Mercury RC-E5".It is cheaply built, but no more so than you would expect from the price. It doesn't appear to be so cheap as to be a safely worry (and by nature I am cautions in these things).The battery for the remote seems to be GP23A or LR23A (12v). I've not come across this size before, but it seems to be available (including from Amazon).The remote buttons are actually quite nice in use (of course this can be subjective!). But the the ON button is on the left, and OFF on the right, and I find this is backwards from what I expect. No doubt I'll get used to it. I'd prefer a little more room between the buttons so I can label each one, but they are perfectly usable.There is no memory: if the supply to the sockets is removed and restored, all sockets remain powered off until the remote control is used. Again, I'd guess no problem for most people, but worth knowing.Overall, this is just what you might expect. My only concern is to see how well it lasts: if it fails I'll update the review. :)

My wife wanted something that would enable her to switch on the outside Christmas lights from the comfort and warmth of the house and this is what she came up with. Fitted into a weatherproof box I may add.And it works well for the job intended.The remote is radio based and thus not line of sight which, means a bit more flexibility all round.Easy to use and the quality of manufacture is fine. It apparently meets the BS standards but without a doubt the materials used are in the 'fit for purpose and cost effective' range. Not premium by any stretch.If power is turned off the unit does not latch on which, I prefer as it's safer to always start in the dead position.Overall it allows easy operation of some power outlets for not much money.