Customer Reviews

La Crosse Technology RS-204U Remote Control Outlet System

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Guilty as charged! I do live my life through my son. I try to get him everything that I had or wished that I had, growing up...this is one of them!

I was having a tough time getting something nice for my son's 7th birthday. I asked him what he wanted...........he wanted NOTHING!!! And he wouldn't budge from this demand.

My son gets all tucked into bed and reads, without fail, every night. I thought I could save him getting a trip to the other side of the room to switch-off the light. So I started looking for a remote-outlet. I wanted a remote-outlet versus a light with a remote switch so as not to restrict myself to one applian...we could use the outlet with Christmas lights, etc.

I researched GE, RadioShack and a few other brands, but none had such sleek looking outlets or remot...they seemed oddly bulky or very 70-ish in their designs and were more expensive. I preferred the look and features of the La Crosse. I read the, only available, company reviews and decided to bite the bullet and purchase it from Amazon. (Free Shipping helped!)

PROS:
1. It has a sleek design, which will not stand out in the room. The silver on Black finish is attractive and feels good in the hand.

2. Setup is absolutely intuitive - Plug it in, press the silver button on the outlet and press the button on the remote you want to control the outlet with. YEAH! That's it!!!

3. Visual Indicators - The outlet is powered with AC current and if you remove it or switch it from one outlet to another you need to re-program it....complex instructions above! ;o)
There is a small vertical LED above the silver button (see picture) which flashes when not programmed and is steady when programmed. I think it's cool to know in an instant what's wrong.

4. The remote is radio-frequency controlled and it does not need to be pointed towards the outlet.

5. The remote has four separate on-off channels. You can add two more remote-outlets, to this remote, for individual remote-outlet control. BUT you can connect more than one remote-outlet to one channel. E.g. If, late at night, you need to switch on your night-light, the hall-way light and the bathroom light......you can program all three remote-outlets to operate with channel 1. So when you press channel 1 all three will come on.

6. A master switch which can switch on-off all outlets at once.

CONS:
1. There is a very distinct `click' when you switch on or off. I think it's due to the remote-outlet having a mechanical circuit rather than an electronic circuit. Just a little noisy, nothing more.

2. The buttons on the remote are a little loose, so they kinda' wiggle in their slots. I guess I'm so used to seeing tight, rubber-coated buttons on our remotes, this plastic feels a bit odd. No loss in performance though...just a personal feel.

3. With a loss of power, you need to reprogram the remote-outlets. This means that if you have a wall-switch for the wall-outlet, you might be re-programming pretty often - Old habits die hard. I suggest using this on a wall-outlet without a wall-switch.

4. This is a SERIOUS CONSIDERATION. On a standard wall-outlet (two outlets) there is a high possibility that you will lose the other outlet. The shape of this product hinders use of the other outlet.

Overall, I give this product 4-stars. I think someone took the time to think this product through. It's cool, functional, nice looking, very intuitive to use.

1-star less, because of outlet hogging and remote buttons.

My son loves this product as do I. He did end up getting a lot of gifts for his birthday, but this was the one he raved about most!!

I really like this product. Although I believe this product is a little expensive (slightly cheaper now than when I purchased), I am sure that we have saved money on electricity. From Oct. 1 to Jan. 1, we have Halloween and Xmas decorations running. Our configuration makes it difficult to get to the plugs, especially at night when you are ready for bed already. So we left the electronics on over night from time to time. Now, we just turn them off remotely.

Cons: the outlet unit will cover both outlets in most cases. The flat, wide design also prevented me from plugging directly into an outside outlet. My outlets are slightly recessed so the rubber gasket can cover them when not in use. I have not been able to find outlet units by themselves.

This product is awesome -- it's perfect for Christmas trees, lamps, and other items that are hard to reach or out of the way. I'd recommend it for the eldery or anyone with mobility problems. The only question I have is: since the remote control can handle 4 remote outlet units, why does the manufacturer only supply two remote outlets with the device, and why don't they sell individual remote outlets to round out the 4? I can't find any individual remote outlet units for sale anywhere. My question to the manufacturer about this has gone unanswered.

Being a hobby woodworker I recently purchased a large dust collector for my garage shop. I saved over $100 by NOT getting the model with the remote control built in. However, I soon learned that a remote control for the dust collector is almost a necessity. After doing some research I settled on this system from La Crosse. Here is what I found:

Pros:
- well made
- does what it is supposed to do
- handles up to 30 amp appliances/tools
- comes with two outlets
- easy to program and use
- remote takes two AAA batteries (easy to find)
- remote will control more than one outlet
- remote has master on and off buttons (for use when more than one outlet is programmed for that remote)

Cons:
- remote does not have a cutout or ring so it can be hung from something (like a belt hook or keyring)
- the remote buttons are on the small side
- the remote outlets are large enough to block the use of the free outlet when plugged in to a wall outlet (top or bottom)

Despite these shortcomings, I found the item a great bargain for the price. It works well and I am used to the buttons on the remote now, although I still wish they were bigger (at least the master buttons should be much larger). Even though the instructions warn against using the outlets on the end of an extension cord, that is exactly how I have it hooked up to my dust collector (no other way I could use it otherwise) and it works fine!

Overall, this is a great product for the price. I had some questions about using it with my dust collector (especially on an extention cord) but those have been put to rest. Note: my extension cord is heavy duty 12 gauge so I'm betting this makes a big difference. I would not use this product with a standard household extension cord!

UPDATE (12/10/08): Well, it turns out that there is one more "Con" to add to the list above. The remote buttons are not only small, but they are not durable. After almost a year of usage, the #1 buttons have totally failed. I have had to program the outlet (for the dust collector) on the #2 buttons now. Unfortunately, those are starting to become unresponsive and have to be "mashed" down pretty hard to turn the outlet on and off. The good news is that there are still two more sets of buttons to go through!

I bought the control to turn on the coffee in the morning - I just push the button when I'm ready to get out of bed and the coffee is done by the time I get downstairs. The only drawback that I have observed is that the receiver encumbers both outlets on a dual receptacle.

Instead of repeating previous reviews, I'd juss like to say that this item does what it's supposed to do. It has good range and the remote is light and small. I ended up buying two.

A small complaint would be that the part that plugs into the outlet is a bit bulky.

(Changed my mind. 2 stars.)
Though mine had no problem with the draw off my dust collector, once I turn it on, it has issues turning off. From five feet away, I've got to click like mad to get it to shut up.
If you don't need the 15amp, go for the generic one that handles 10 amps but listens to what you want. 1/2 the price for 3 outlets. Remote Controlled Switch Socket - 3-Pack

I bought the La Crosse RS-204U on the recommendation of a friend. Amazon.com customer service was excellent and the remote control arrived ahead of schedule. Setup is extremely easy and the product performs as promised.

I will use this primarily during Christmas as I have a small house and after we put presents around the Christmas tree, it is extremely difficult to get to the wall outlet and plug in the tree lights. My fiance is handicapped and not as mobile as the average person so this makes it much easier for her to turn the tree and other lighted decorations on.

The range is very good and should work for most average size rooms. The units have an internal antenna, so the higher they are mounted the greater the reception range.

My only complaint (and it is minor) is that one of the units will cover both of the standard size wall outlets. This is a small annoyance, however, because if you plug a power strip or surge protector into the remote unit, you will have several plugs available. I highly recommend this product and I feel it is a good value for the money.

we bought this for my elderly mother who loses her balance when she leans over to turn on lights. this product allows her to control the lights from her chair. she also suffers from some dementia and this remote is easy enough that she doesn't forget how to use it.

Originally I purchased the LaCrosse Technology Remote Control Outlet System to enable us to turn on movie poster box lights in our media room without having to leave our seats. The remote was very easy to program and all four boxes were plugged into two outlets that could be turned on with the push of one button. We were so happy with the product that when we installed our wet bar and pendant lighting we purchased another unit for that lighting. We were able to easily program those lights into the original remote allowing us to control all "mood" or ambient lighting with one remote. This is the next best thing to having a remote hardwired by an electrician and definetly less expensive. Ths only complaint that we have is that when we experience a power interruption the outlets and remote must be reprogrammed. Luckily it is a very simple operation.