This looks at ways to make life around the house a little easier for those of us who may benefit from being able to control electrical appliances without having to reach for what may be an awkward to get at switch. Remote control if you like, but not just for lazy or "gadget" obsessed people. There is no shortage of electronic gadgets these days, but here we concentrate on simplicity and actual benefits to owners, rather than having the latest device regardless of how difficult it is to use.
Technology is constantly bombarding us with new ideas, but what will actually make life easier and help solve existing problems? Here we look at just a part of the "Home Easy" range of products currently being sold exclusively through B&Q. They are manufactured by a market leader in this type of industry and are very affordable for a majority of us, as you might expect if B&Q are selling them.
Rather than look at the entire quite comprehensive range of Home Easy products,
which can be seen on B&Q's or
the manufacturer's websites,
we are detailing here some of the simpler to set up products that have been
tried and tested.
Basically, we looked at a means of switching appliances on and off remotely
and using
a timer to control something like lighting for both comfort and security
purposes. Cost was also a major consideration. Prices quoted here are as of
January 2008.
Two different remote control sockets were tried, one with a dimming capability and one with normal on/off operation. Two different remotes were also tried, one with timer capabilities and again a simpler on/off one.
The remote controls are not like ones usually found with a television or DVD player, which use infra-red and must be pointed at the device they are controlling. The Home Easy remotes use radio signals and will pass through "obstacles" such as brick walls, they do not have to be pointed at whatever they are controlling.
HE-302 remote socket
This device is very much like a mains adapter as shown in the pictures below (alongside a 50 pence piece for scale) and is available in a silver, black or white finish:.
For the technically minded, the socket can take
loads up to 3000 Watts (about the maximum you could run on a normal household
13 amp plug), so just about any domestic appliance with a standard plug on
it can be controlled by
this
socket.
The
dimmable version can take loads up to 300 watts only, which is generally adequate
for lighting fixtures.
This currently sells for £9.98 at B&Q, but don't forget if a pensioner
is buying one, they can avail of the 10% discount B&Q offer to pensioners
on particular days.
Sets of 3 sockets and a remote with 4 pairs of on/off switches are also available
from B&Q for £19.98
This is the cheapest and simplest remote control in the Home Easy range, with a simple on and off switch. It is shown in the picture below, again alongside a 50 pence piece for scale:
As can be seen, the remote is quite small. It
does, however, come with a key chain attachment as shown in the right hand
image so that you could attach it to something you are a little less likely
to lose.
Each remote has to be "paired" with the device it is controlling.
To do this with a socket, you simply plug it in to a conventional power
socket,
press the small recessed button on the front (a ball-point pen is handy for
this), then press the "1" or On button on the remote. That's all
there is to it. You can then plug something into the socket and switch the
power to it
on and off with the remote. There is no limit to the number of sockets a remote
can simultaneously control and each socket can be paired with up to 6 different
remotes, so it is entirely possible to have a second "spare" remote
around the house. This remote currently sells for £5.98.
In our tests, the comments were more concerned with how easy it would be to
lose the remote somewhere like down the side of a sofa or chair cushion. You
could use the keychain to attach it to a larger object (a tennis ball was suggested!)
making it harder to lose. Another possible issue was with the size of the buttons.
A user with arthritis or some other problem with the hands, could find it difficult
to hold the remote and press the required button. Please see our notes further
on for possible ways to address this issue.
HE-300 remote control
This is a little larger than the key-fob remote, about the size of a television remote and looks something like the picture below:
It has 4 pairs of on/off buttons, so can control
up to 4 different remote devices such as sockets independently.
It also has "Group" on/off buttons, which can be set to control all the paired
devices with just one buttton press. It retails at £9.98 or £19.98 with three
sockets.
HE-202 remote dimmable socket
This socket looks essentially the same as the HE-302 detailed
above, but operates as a dimmer switch and could be useful for controlling
lights plugged into it. It has a 300 watt maximum load and will control incandescent
lights. Most modern "energy saver" lights are not dimmable, although
it could be used to control mains powered (i.e. not those powered through a
transformer)
halogen lights. We have tested one successfully with a set of four 35 watt "GU10" halogen
spotlights. The minimum load for such a switch is 40 watts, with a load less
than that, there may be a problem with the dimming action.
The way the dimmable sockets with a light connected operate is that an "On" command
from
a
remote
switches
the light(s) on, pressing the "On" switch on the remote again puts
the socket into a dimming cycle where the light(s) go from maximum brightness
to off and
back again through a cycle of a few seconds. Pressing the On or Off button halts
the cycle and the socket remembers the setting for future operation. Another
nice touch is when the socket is powered on, it powers up the lights to the
remembered setting in about a second. This gives a "gentle" turning
on of the light(s), which is better than the normal harsher operation we are
used to. The
price is £14.98.
One thing to be aware of though is that the HE-301 key-fob remote cannot fully
operate a dimmable socket. It will switch it on and off but will not put it into
the dimming cycle. You would need another model of remote to do this, such as
the HE-200 timer/remote, which is a little more expensive at £19.98
or £24.98 with a dimmable socket. We have not yet proved it, but we have
been told by other users that the HE-300 remote will operate dimmable sockets
fully.
A quick clue to the compatibility of devices is in the colour of the packaging.
Basically, those in blue packaging are the on/off range and not dimmable. Pink
packaging denotes dimmable and/or timer based products.
HE-200 programmable timer/remote
This is a more sophisticated remote, which allows you to control on/off and dimmable sockets as well as set up timers to switch devices on and off at set times of the day. This could be useful to ensure that an electric heater or light runs at set times of the day. The remote looks something like the pictures below. The remote also comes with a mounting bracket shown with the remote located in it) which can be fixed to a wall:
This is a little more difficult to operate because of it's quite sophisticated programming capabilities. It must be left within range (30 metres claimed in open air) of any devices it is programmed to control, but test have shown it does not need to even be in the same room as walls are no obstacle to the signal.
Consideration was given to the difficulty some people may have in operating the fairly small remotes. Part of the Home Easy range is the HE-307 switch, which is the same size as a regular wall mounted light switch and looks something like the picture below. It is priced at £12.98 in B&Q:
As can be seen from the picture, the actual switch surface the user would have to press is almost the same size as the whole switch unit. Pressing one half down activates the "on" command and the other half is the "off" operation. This, like the other remotes, is battery operated so no wiring is necessary. It could be mounted to a piece of wood, or even an easy to reach side table to give the user remote control of his or her appliances and without the possible frustration of losing the remote! Two gang switches are also available.
The remotes listed require a battery to operate. Typically a CR2032 type, readily available from most B&Q's as well as many supermarkets. The timer/remote also requires a 23A battery, which may be a little harder to obtain but again, most B&Q's should stock them. The batteries are not expensive (typically £2 or less). Their life is not known as it will depend largely on how much the remote is used, but a life of around a year should be quite realistic.
There are many products within the Home Easy range, allowing for quite sophisticated control of lighting and appliances. The few listed here are considered effective aids and within many people's budgets.
Click here to view some suggested uses for these devices.
Click here to view some ways you might be able to do your bit for the environment..