Bits Limited SCG-3MVR Smart Strip Advanced Power Strip, 7-Outlets, Surge Protector, 15A, 4ft. Cable, Pack of 1

This is actually a review of 3 different products. I'm putting the reviews all together because I'm using them all for one application and I thought others may find it interesting. I have a small closet that stores all my audio equipment. The receiver and DVR put out a lot of heat so I have been looking for a way to cool them. I wanted to be able to have a fan turn on when I turned on the receiver and turn off when I turned it off. Unfortunately the receiver does not have a switched outlet so I had to find a different solution. There isn't much clearance so I decided to use a computer fan. After purchasing some other fans that did not move enough air I found this.3 of Cooling Fan-AFB1212GHE-CF00 120x 38mm - TAC Sensor, 3-pin, 240.96CFM, 5200RPM, 62dBA, 2.45A (Max 3.24A), 27.48 air pre.The thing I learned about all of these little fans is that you have to pay attention to the #'s. CFM is "cubic feet per minute" basically how much air it moves. Be aware this fan is strong it moves more air than a hair dryer. RPM is speed and dBA is how loud it is. I purchased other fans before I learned about the #'s and some of them didn't move enough air to blow a piece of paper. These fans are loud. I actually purchased 3 fans and with all 3 fans going it was too much wind and too loud so I bought this.Lamptron FC2 Fan Speed Controller 45W x 6 channel BlackThis allows me to control the speed of the fans which affect how much air they move and how loud they are. This was one of the only speed controllers I could use because most of them could not handle a fan that required as much amperage as these do. The next problem I had to solve was how to get the fans to turn on when the receiver comes on. I tried a thermostat that is designed to turn on a certain temperatures but it had a limited range so it didn't work. I also tried a thermal probe from another company but its power supply failed as soon as I connected it to the fans. Then I found thisSmart Strip SCG3 Energy Saving Power Strip with Autoswitching TechnologyYou connect the receiver to what is called the master plug and the other outlets don't receive any power until they sense the master plus is drawing power. I didn't want to wait for delivery to so I bought two different brands from home depot and lowes but the receiver draws too much power even when its off so they didn't work right. The Smart Strip has a dial on the side that you can adjust the sensitivity (this is a big benefit I'm not sure why they don't hype it in the description, I wouldn't have known if it wasn't for a review I read). It took a couple of minutes to get it just right but now it all works perfect. When I turn on the receiver the power stip senses the power is on and provides power to the fan controller which is perfectly set to turn the fans at the speed I want so they aren't too loud but keep my electronics nice and cool. I even found a local metal shop to build a nice bracket for me for $25 to hold the fans. This took several trials and errors but now it works perfectly. Hopefully this will help someone else in the future. I would definitely recommend all of these products.

First, if you can't tell from the description, here's how this works: one outlet (blue in the picture) is the "master" outlet. If something plugged into this outlet is turned on, it will activate the automatically switched outlets (green in this picture). If not, they will be switched off. The idea is to help you save energy by effectively turning off power to things that might draw a phantom load just by being plugged in, even when you don't need them (and sometimes even when they're turned off) like computer monitors, speakers, DVD players, or pretty much anything with an AC adapter. Finally, there are two always-on (red in the picture) outlets that are never automatically switched off (but, of course, you still turn off them and the entire power strip with the physical switch).I have two of these, one for my computer and one for my other computer that I use in place of a TV. Both have the computer in the "master" outlet and the monitor and speakers in the automatically switched outlets. I have a floor lamp in the always-on outlet in one so I can use it without my computer, and I have my wireless router in an always-on outlet of the other. Both have worked wonderfully, exactly as expected, by switching off the desired peripherals when the computer is off or sleeping. I've both for over a year now, in constant use, and they're holding up fine.A key feature of this power strip that I couldn't find on similar products (like the Belkin Conserve strip) is that you can adjust the sensitivity of the master outlet with a screw on the side of this power strip. This is important because, for example, my MacBook often uses so little power when it's *on* that the power strip didn't initially detect it and turn on the switched outlets. I had to adjust the screw a bit to make it switch on and off as expected. You can also do the same if your device uses more power than expected when off (or sleeping or whatever) in order to make the power strip still turn off the extra devices. Reviews I've read for other strips without this feature seem to indicate that some people have problems that could be resolved if they were able to do this.Finally, I've noticed this same company makes similar power strips in different sizes with different features (7 or 10 outlets; just power or power plus phone or phone and coaxial cable protection). Until I rearranged my equipment, I almost wish I would have purchased a larger one, but this one works fine for me now and it's also the least expensive.In summary, this product has worked as expected for me and held up to my usage for over a year so far. If you're looking for a product like this, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this one, especially on account of its adjustable sensitivity, a feature that appears to be lacking in most other "green" power strips.