I just did some searching looking for the product. Several sites have discontinued the product. The Amazon reviews turned me off, no pun intended. It seams that when it works it is great but often you need to tweak it in order for it to turn off other peripherals. I would have no idea if these things actually turned off or not. I have a surge protector with a master switch that I will continue to use. ----- Original Message ----- From: Ray Boyce To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, January 19, 2008 2:45 PM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] A Little mor on Smart Strips
The public has a vast amount of computer peripherals available to them. Most computer systems now have at least a monitor, scanner, printer, DSL/Cable modem and a USB hub. While the computer is turned off, each peripheral still draws an idle current of 50 mA to 400 mA per hour. Multiply that by the number of peripherals you have, and the number of hours you leave them plugged in (usually 24 hours a day, 7 days a week), and you can see how that 'idle current' can really add up on your bill! Just a printer and a monitor can draw as much in idle current as a 60-watt light that is on 24/7. Would you leave a 60W or greater lamp on 24 hours a day? ...you shut everything off: If you shut everything off, you will enjoy the benefits of the Smart Strip even more. 1. No more waiting for the computer to turn off. 2. No more bending over to turn off your power strip. 3. All those peripherals that do not have a power switch can now also be turned off. 4. Did you know that all those plug in transformers have a leakage current? Even if the device that they are attached to is turned off, a transformer has a leakage current of more than 4 watts. The Smart Strip stops leakage current. The only surge protector that pays for itself. The Smart Strip Power Strip is the only surge protector on the market today with energy saving electronics. The amount you save depends on your usage patterns and your computer. Tests conducted by an independent computer consulting company showed that the Smart Strip Power Strip can save enough energy to pay for itself in as little as six weeks. It also showed that it can save up to $20.00 per month on your electric bill. Use it to control your computer or TV entertainment system -- and the Smart Strip Power Strip will PAY FOR ITSELF in energy savings over time. The only power strip that helps environment. ENERGY STAR studies show that if every home office replaced all their the computer equipment with ENERGY STAR labeled computer equipment, it would save 219 billion pounds of greenhouse gases. While ENERGY STAR does not have a category for energy saving power strips, by using the Smart Strip Power Strip" on your existing computer system, you will save more than just energy and greenhouse gases. You will be keeping more computers out of the landfills. Consider the fact the office computers far out number home computers and that most offices leave their computers on 24/7 and this simple solution when used on all computers equates to being a BIG part of the solution for the Energy Crisis. It's cheaper then a standard surge protector. Our power strip costs less than most of the top-end surge protectors (1250 joules or more). This translates into you getting the energy savings electronics for free and still paying a lower price for the Smart Strip's top-end surge protector. Top of the line surge protection. Most surge protectors come with 1250 joules or less of surge protection. Smart Strip comes with 2225 joules, almost double the industry average. All Surge protectors have 1 fuse, Smart Strip has 4 different fuses. Each one responsible for a different Task. Then using one simple indicator Smart Strip monitors the status of the entire surge protector and the ground. This means your computer is protected twice as much as the average surge protector on the market. Best noise filtering on the market. The Smart Strip Power Strip is the only surge protector that uses noise filtering chokes that other companies leave it out because they consider it too expensive. The chokes eliminate high frequency spikes that film capacitors in standard surge protector do not catch. This adds a second layer of protection for your equipment, as well as optimizing the strip's performance. More outlets, more power, more space. Our power strip has ten outlets, including 4 transformer outlets. This give you plenty of room to plug in ALL of those gadgets that you have for your computer or home entertainment system. 15 amps of continous power handling means that anything your standard wall outlet can handle, our power strip can handle. Smart design is full of features. The intelligent design for the Smart Strip isn't limited to its internal circuitry. The strip itself was designed especially for ease of use: List of 3 items . Simple red status indicator light clearly indicates when Smart Switching is active . 45 degree angled space saver plug designed so it won't block other wall outlets . Recessed, lighted power switch to minimize accidental switching (i.e, turning off power strip accidentally by kicking it). The power switch is also a 15 amp circuit breaker list end Learn how it works. A small electronic device inside the Smart Strip monitors the current on a single outlet. The computer is plugged into that single outlet. When the computer is finished shutting down, the current draw from the computer drops to its idle current -- and the Smart Strip senses the current change, automatically shutting off all of the computer peripherals. Many great uses around your home or business. Use a lamp to turn on your stereo or fan! Use a table saw to turn on a shop vacuum. And many more... The Smart Strip Power Strip can be used anywhere a regular power strip is used. While only certain electronic devices (such as computers, monitors, fluorescent lamps, motors and electronic devices that have a high efficiency power supply) will turn on the switched outlets, 4 of the outlets are always hot and can be used just like a normal power strip. This allows you to automate certain repetitive tasks without any additional cost. The following is a sample of what the smart strip can be used with to help you automate: Table with 2 columns and 5 rows Control Outlet Switched Outlets Computer All computer peripherals, desk lamp TV Home theaters, DVD, Cable box Fluorescent Lamp Fan, home Stereo, small heater Home shop equipment Work light, dust collector, shop vac table end Best & most realistic guarantee on the market. Smart Strip offers a 30-day unconditional return; 2-year guarantee on manufacturer defects; and lifetime return policy for damage cause by a power surge. Mor info found here http://www.smarthomeusa.com/Shop/Smart-Energy/Smart-Strip/ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
