Arlec Remote Control Power Outlet

I have used the Arlec Remote Controlled Power Outlet to turn my iron on and off as the switch is under the desk. Weekly, or daily if I'm sewing. I use another to control the lamp in the bedroom, the power point is behind the dressing table. Another turns on the charger for the laptop in the sewing room. They are not recent purchases, I've had them working for years. I've just bought another 3 single units Show details

Dangerous and could have caused house fire – It doesn’t deserve 1 star. I bought in Dec 2020 for Christmas lights. I removed batteries in Jan 2021 and put them away for two years as building a new house and didn’t use decorations. Took them out Nov 2023. Put batteries in and it was working as normal. Turned them off last night and by chance I was up at 1am with my 1.5 year old when I heard… Read more

this humming sound and my Christmas tree lights were on but really faint and the hum was coming from the plug. I plug it out and burnt my hand with how hot it was. I’m just grateful I found it when I did because if it was left all night it could have caused a fire.

Inferior product – I would not buy this product ever again. One of the 4 units will not turn on. Two of the 4 units turn on but will not turn off. Only one unit is still working, but I don't know for how long. It's a pity these problems do not occur while the product is still under warranty. Show details

Proved unstable and unreliable: not worth the money – In March 2020 I bought Arlec's set of four wall units with one remote switch unit. Within the 12 month warranty period two of the four wall units had failed. They simply stopped responding to commands from the remote switch and could not be reprogrammed. Bunnings replaced these two under the warranty. Now, in 2022, out of warranty, two more of… Read more

the wall units have failed in the same way. Clearly this system is unstable and hence unreliable. I'm getting rid of it and looking for an alternative system from another manufacturer. I don't recommend it.

Work well for a few months, then Total Failure Arlec RC214 – These work well for a few months then after unplugging and reassigning they become totally unstable and worthless. Now every time I reset and reprogram, the best they do is switch the relay power connection in for a few seconds, then automatically turn off whatever was being powered, A total Failure, I feel like taking back to Bunnings and… Read more

throwing a someone. Not that its Bunnings fault, but for the price you would expect these electronics to stay stable for at least a few years worth of reliable use.

Not robust – I agree with other reviews about the unreliability of these. They just don't last. A product like this should switch reliably for years. Initially it was ok, but then it got unreliable and stopped working altogether. Show details

RC210 great, RC212 faulty – I bought 3 RC210 from Bunnings years ago, and they still work great to this day. Then later, 2 or 3 years ago, bought another 3 (from Bunnings too, I think) but the model was RC212, seemingly same functionality but slightly more compact and modern looking plugs. The 3 RC212 progressively stopped working one after the other: the symptom was mostly… Read more

being unable to turn off the switch once switched one. Very disappointing. I've decided now to try anther brand DOSS to see if I get better luck. Before the Arlecs, I also had a set of Watts Clever remote switches, which also failed miserably with similar symptoms.

Rubbish – I now have 3 of these remote control power outlets faulty out of 8 purchased , wish I had read the reviews before hand , they are not cheap so I will look online but a different brand, very disappointing.Was a waste of money Show details

Best thing ever for Christmas lights !!! – I have used mine for three years now, and they still work perfectly. I use them for all our Christmas lights around the house. They are so easy to use, and such a time saver - a couple of clicks, and our house is lit up. I would definitely recommend this product. Show details

Worked for a couple of weeks then nada… – Bought these from Bunnings (4 pack with remote) Only one is working 6 months later. All 4 were running bedside lamps and lamps around the house so no high power draw.

Poor Quality Control – The product did not work in any way at all. Remote would not transmit nor receive at power outlet. This is the second time I've made the blunder of not reading reviews at Productreview. Throwing them in the garbage was my best choice, Headache gone. Its thus been noted in my tablet note pad to avoid products made by them. Its probably my best bet. Show details

Not worth the trouble – Eventually they will fail you and not turn off. Great idea but Arlec just did not make a good product that lives up to their claims. I will not buy anything Arlec again. Show details

Never even looked like connecting to Wi-Fi – Bought this thing recently. Never even looked like connecting to Wi-Fi . Took it back especially after reading some of the comments. Remember to keep your receipts. I'll try and find a genio device Show details

When it works it is great – I have owned 4 of these. They work well when they work, however be careful if using them for TVs, Computers, Amplifiers. They tend to cause them to be stuck on. After some researching, a good solid hit with you palm to the device can dislodge the relay and get it working again. My advice. If you need to use for these high power devices, use 1 per device. I just wish I knew about the clap with the palm trick before I binned the other 3... Show details

Works great. Very customizable. Can be complicated – You can pair any number of buttons on any number of remote controls to the one plug. You can also programme a button to control any number of plugs. For example, you can set button A on three different remotes to control one plug. Or you can set button a on one remote to control four different plugs. You can also program button A to control one… Read more

plug, button B to control another and button C to control both plugs at the same time. Its very customizable but can get complicated if you’re not methodical when programming them. If there is a power outage, they usually retain their pairings, so long as you don’t push any buttons while the led on the plugs are flashing (usually about 20secs). We have nine of these plugs in a very small area and I think we may have reached the limit as one of the buttons meant to control an upstairs plug also turns on a downstairs plug. We did not have this issue until I added the last plug. Perhaps 8 is the limit? I’m very happy with these for the price and I prefer them over the ‘smart’ versions (which we also have in other areas of the house) as they have physical buttons so you don’t need to get out your phone to turn them on and off.

Very unreliable – Great when working, but totally unreliable. I've owned two sets of these and unfortunately both developed faults. They generally go bad by turning on but then not turning off or only working intermittently. The indicator light remains functional so you can see it's receiving signal, but the main relay either fuses to the on position or doesn't get… Read more

triggered at all.

The frustrating thing is that you cannot obtain replacements. The likes of Bunnings only sells these as a two or four set pack, which always includes the remote.

I thought Arlec gear would be better quality. Would love to find something like this from a reliable vendor.

Too clunky for double power point, and didn't work anyway – This unit is big and clunky so it blocks the second plug on a double power point. It flashed to show the power was on...and then immediately turned the power off. I tried all possible solutions, but it was simply a dud. Show details

Not true 10 amps – First attempt at turning on a 1600 watt pressure cleaner it fried itself. Only suitable for light loads and nowhere near 2400 watts Would not recommend this for switching motors Show details

2 of 4 don't work – Great concept but frustrating when two stations don't work. Two of the stations turn everything on. I have tried to reset them but to no avail. I also prefer the old model where you can operate from the plug as well.

Alrec remote power outlet is old technology but still has its place – We have quite a few of this remote controlled switches for all sorts of things - light, music, small appliances - and have been using them for a couple of years. When we changed over to the Google Home ecosystem, we initially removed all the Arlec plugs, but have since reinstated a few of them for specific purposes, hence as the title says, it… Read more

still has its place, at least for my requirements anyway.

I have not found any other power plugs that clearly states that it is a double pole switch. This is of course fantastic because it cuts off both live and earth lines leaving only ground connected. This makes the plug really safe for appliances power cord with only two pins and you can't tell which way the wires are connected. It is not entirely uncommon that some appliances can be sensitive to remote switches shortening its life considerably and I learnt this from experience. I have found no issue with this plug at all. However, I am not a trained electrician so this is just my personal experience.

Good

Safety through double pole switch - as explained above. With some other switches I have tried, when used with TV / music can have a pop thus what appears to be a phantom power / surge that could damage equipment. I haven't had this problem with Arlec remote controlled power outlet having used them for quite a few years.

Security - it is not WiFi enabled hence not an IoT device. One must use the supplied remote control, paired with the plug to turn on or off the appliance. I like this because this means there is no way a hacker, at distance, can somehow turn it on. Even with such as Google Home, Alexa, Siri, through voice command, anyone in the house can accidentally turn on the appliance unintended, bad if the appliance can catch fire and hidden in a room out of sight.

Great for hard to reach switches - exactly as it says on the packaging, this plug is great where the on/off switch is hard to find such as tucked away behind furniture, at really high places, etc.

Grouping appliances - we used to drive lights with several switches all paired to the same channel on one remote. This is great. There is also an 'All' button to turn on/off all appliances pairs to the remote. Conversely, several remote controls can be paired to a switch hence you have not one but any Arlec remote you find would do the same thing. A good convenient feature if the plugs are at different places throughout the house for different purposes.

Setting up - it is pretty easy to set up. Like most things nowadays, UX is important and few appliances come with thick manuals you have to read and constantly refer to if anything need to be changed. While it is not exactly the case with this remote controlled power outlet system, turn off the power and on again, then holding the 'All' button for a few seconds resets it. Then it would pair with whichever remote button (A/B/C/D) that is pressed next. An alternative maybe to have a reset button (pin hole) on the plug itself. I haven't noticed one. This remote control uses 2x AAA batteries. Awesome.

Size - unlike all the WiFi plugs I know, this plug is tall but fairly narrow. You should be able to plug one right next to another into a double power point. That's good! All WiFi plugs on the market including Arlec's very own WiFi plug are wide and will not let you plug anything next to it.

Price - cheap compared with WiFi plugs.

Bad

Local control only - not a IoT product. There is no integration with iOS or android, with Google, Alexa, Apple, etc. You can only control the outlet using the supplied remote. However, this may be exactly what you want like it is in my case for some applications.

Aesthetic - it is definitely not the most modern looking remote but a pretty plain looking remote control, not that there is anything wrong with it, functionally it is good, just not a good looking remote. That said, I prefer this over tiny remotes that can get lost, using harder to find, short lived button batteries and those with touch buttons which can puncture and/or pill over time. This remote control has proper buttons and they are rubber and there is enough area up the top to stick a label on it and write down what the buttons do.

10A - like all other switches like this, it is only 10A and I won't plug a heater to it lest it gets hot and fails.

Remotes - if you already have tons of remotes in your home and don't like them or the look of them, here is another one.

Summary

Given it does exactly what I want, and what its says on the tin, and I even choose this over modern WiFi / IoT device. I am giving it 4 stars. I have not have any issues like some other reviewers have stated. I reckon it has its special place in the market and you want to think about what you are trying to do before committing to this or some other system.

Only 2 of total 4 wall socket units works – Bought Arlec Remote Control Power outlet about a year ago. At beginning only 3 of 4 worked OK. Soon thereafter only 2 worked. Have changed battery and re-installed to no avail. Captain Cook

Great little unit, works well – I notice some users are having problems with the unit responding to other channels or multiple channels, I also encounter this problem, turing my 3 separate units into basically three units that come on with one button push, very annoying. Anyway it is a very easy fix, please read the instructions carefully, you must reset the unit, i.e delete… Read more

its programming. Look in the instructions under "Resetting the units" read and follow carefully and all problems will be solved.

No problems so far – Easy to program, and has worked without fail over hottest temperature period of 3 months so far. This unit has the multiple button handset but only one on off plug in switch. I cannot comment on the problems with the units having three plug in switches.

Does not work as advertised – As previous reviewers noted -- only 1 powerpoint works correctly/as advertised (#A). The other 3 (B,C,D) all turn on/off simultaneously when any of the buttons are pressed. Tried 're-setting' by removing all powerpoints and taking out battery from controller overnight but defect is permanent/hard wired. I can ONLY control 2 powerpoints on a controller that's ADVERTISED to control 4 power points.

Great idea, but – These little gizmos would be great but the four programable buttons all get mixed up. You program a particular device to come on when you press button "A" (which it does) but it also comes on when you press button "C" or "D". As such you can really only use them to control one device - or a bunch of devices that all come on and go off simultaneously.

Was great for a few months... but – I use the remote to switch off the units, the units make a distinct audible click, the little light goes off, But the power stays on So... Doesn't do what it says on the box.

Not long life – One remote unit died first day (not overloaded) second unit OK for a few weeks but now won't turn things off even though it has supposedly shut down...don't waste your money.

This product worked quite well at least 6 times – The main problem is that the relay inside the switch unit is *SO* intolerant of inductive or capacitive loads that the contacts weld together after several operations. This is to be expected with a large electric motor for example, but not with a computer power supply. Because I bought the pack with 3 switch units and 1 remote, I could try this… Read more

experiment a few times. I found that even a switchmode plug-pack such as the one you might charge your phone with or a laptop supply caused the relay to malfunction.

An added bonus is the remote being unable to output a correct or unique radio key for each button. eg. channel A and B both appear to send the same signal and cause 2 independently programmed switch units to be switched.

Total waste of time and money.

This item is perfect when it works properly – I use this multiple times a day/night to turn on/off appliances so that I don't have to get up because I have a fatigue condition. When it's working, I can turn things off in my bedroom from my kitchen etc so it can work very well in 2 bedroom apartment from anywhere to anywhere, when it's working I really love it & find it incredibly helpful &… Read more

use it lots. You can also turn multiple things on/off with the last buttons. They don't seem to have a long life tho sadly. They only come in either a one pack or 3 pack but it's a 4 outlet switch, & the one packs are too expensive to get the last 'extra' probably because it also comes with the switch. Can you's please sell the plugs stand alone at a reasonable price or do a 4 pack please! I would definitely buy another, & probably will, but if it this one doesn't last long i'll investigate other similar appliances before buying another! After writing this I brought a new one & it immediately failed, took it back they swapped it the swapped new one lasted 7wks! I now worry considering 3 have played up rather fast if these aren’t just faulty but potentially fire or electric shock dangers too because they’re clearly very cheap quality, rubbish product.