Smart Strip SCG5 - It Does Work, But Setup Requires Patience and Not All Claims Can Be Verified
The Smart Strip SCG5 Energy Saving Power Strip with Autoswitching Technology and Coaxial Surge Protection has a lot of claims built-in to the product description. Can it deliver on all of them? Well the short answer is *mostly yes*. It does work for those claims that I could test, but not all claims could be tested right away. As with all power and electrical equipment there is some chance of device failure so you have to make sure to clearly read the instructions and follow them carefully. But in a nutshell, here's my take on the claims.
1. Is it energy saving? Well, this was the hardest claim for me to truly verify strangely enough. It's easy to attach this to a usage monitor like the P3 International P4400 Kill A Watt ... Read More
It works what more do you want?
I have tried the strip with both my computer and my TV. Adjusting the sensitivity allowed both to work well. You will need to reed the directions and tinker a little with devices that have low power draw when on. Also, you will need to adjust the sleep and hibernation settings to account for when you would like peripherals to remain on or not. Newer PCs that allow power throttling of the chipset will be problematic, but again this is a matter of adjusting sensitivity and your computer settings.
Waste of money
I bought two of these and they worked marginally for a few weeks and they both stopped sensing. I did try to adjust them over and over; maybe that's why they quit working. I still could use a power switch strip but these are not worth the time, I did try to get some action on replacement or repair and never received and answer. And now I see them offered on Amazon, it must be Karma! Stay away from these.
Great power saver
This power strip is excellent. It allows me to leave everything else on and when I turn off my computer, the monitor and speakers shut off automatically without me having to hit a power switch. That seems a bit lazy, but Windows computer take so long to shut down some times that I don't want to stand there and wait for it to shut down. This eliminates that need.
Well worth it.
Economical Power Strip
I can't say I notice any difference in my power bill, but I feel better knowing that when a main item, like a TV is turned off, the attatched DVD player and VCR are also off. Same with my computer. When that is off, so is the printer, scanner, other printer, modem etc. So, I feel good that I own this and I think it is priced reasonably. I'd buy more if I had a need for them. I would give this as a gift to anyone that I knew would appreciate being "greener"
