Customer Reviews

Security Timer

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

 

 

This is a pretty good basic timer. I already own 2 of them but lost them after we moved to a new home. I suspect that my aunt may have borrowed them...permanently. Thus, I just bought one for my new home. All I use it for is to plug in a lamp so it'll go on and off at specified times. It's good that it comes with 2 adjustable time settings so that it doesn't have that recurring pattern. You can adjust it to turn on and off lamps or other appliances twice a day if you want. The time setting is somewhat small and confusing to use in the beggining, thus making hard to be exact (I just round off to the nearest hour, it's easier that way). But for a basic on/off timer for under $10, this is pretty simple AND effective. But if you want to be more specific with the time you want lamps and appliances turned on and off and maybe with multiple plugins for more than one appliance, spend more and get one with those features. But for a basic model, this is pretty solid.

Lots of Upsides to this product-

Po- Man's Smart Home.

If you're like me and hate to waste energy (and hate to waste money even more), these are great for Christmas lights and bug zappers (keep it dry though) lamps for when you get home, and does great for rice makers without the timers!

Also nice when you are on vacation, turn on and off the lights while you are away, less messy than a watchdog.

Alas (like the other reviewer) I have lost mine in a move and am very sad. Going to buy 4 more though. If you're lucky, you may be able to find them cheap on auction.

Downsides-

Difficult to understand the design of the timer. Once you get it, it's pretty simple.

Impossible to get an exact time for on/off. Have to round to the nearest half/hour. (With Christmas lights and bug zappers not a problem).

Kind of bulky, it's about a 3 inch square and it plugs right into the outlet, so you will need some room around the outlet for this brick.

Overall, very happy with this device.

Great value and function.

The timer is very good; the instructions, bad. I thought mine had broken until I went out and bought another one and had the same problem with it, when it was time to change my clocks. Well, the instructions had faded off of the first one, but were clear on the second one. One of the things I realized while reading the instructions is that to reset the time, you must turn the "setting" one complete revolution. You can't just inch it forward or back to set the right time.

Used 3 of these (1 in the living room, 1 in the master bedroom, and last in the kids room)while I was away on vacation. I had read reviews and saw where some where having problems. I really didnt really see where the complications came in. It was a breeze to understand. If you dont trust your settings, do a dry run a day or two before you really want to use them. I also liked how you can have 2 on/off times. This is really beneficial when your trying to fool people into believing your home. I set the living room lamp to go off at 9pm but had it come on again at 11 for an hour. I set weird times for the bedrooms, just to recreate movement in the house. This product is really useful if your worried about your home looking empty while away. Now Im using the timers to cut on the lamps in the living room 30 minutes before I usually get home from work, so that I dont have to walk into an dark house. Good product for a cheap price.

The TN711 is the best timer on the market in it's price range. Bought 2 in 1997 when we moved into our new house. One finally died this month after running continuously since then. Also, very easy to set and read - intuitive and ergonomic design. I have owned\tried others - First Alert, GE - they all stink in comparison to this unit. Just plain works great and is easy to use. You can't go wrong with an Intermatic.

this timer made life at the office easy over the holidays. just plug all the lights in a forget. thanks.

This works fine. After a year or two, mine has developed a tiny grinding noise that is not noticeable except when the room is very quiet. It sounds like a diesel pickup truck is idling way up the block. It sounds like a pair of tiny flamenco artists, clapping away rythmically, somehow happy to be trapped inside my cheap plastic timer. I would recommend buying a digital timer instead.