Title: Worded as hoped, some installation issues, no big downsides.
Content: This product has worked out well, at least for the first day of use. The product arrived quickly, and all the pieces were there and in good condition. It came by US Mail in a padded envelop. My first issue was with the description. The product picture shows wires attached, which I did not need. I could not locate info in the description about these. It turns out that they are attached at the rear of the black box via set screws, and so they are removable. That IS what I wanted. My application is to remove an existing wall switch for the fireplace (the millivolt lines that control the gas valve). The second issue was with the installation. The description does indicate the size of the black box, and says to measure your electrical box first. My box was a standard plastic box, as used in the US, BUT the product black box does NOT fit in it. It looks like it would, but the strain relief labs and structures in the back of the electrical box keeps the black box from sliding in the whole way (see pictures). I did get around this problem by removing the structures at the back of the box that were interfering. They are just plastic, and easy to work with. Also, since this is a low voltage application, the structures that are there for line voltage use are not needed - but check you own electrical codes first. With the electric box modified, things were ready to be installed. I removed the two black wires from the black box. The set screws are VERY small and cheaply made, I think. You will need a very small Phillips screwdriver, or perhaps even a jewelers screw driver. A better product would have had much larger set screws that were easier to work with, and less likely to have their heads damaged during installation. I removed the wires from the existing switch, and inserted them into the back of the black box, and tightened the set screws. Very easy. Install the batteries (included) into the black box, and the remote. Before attaching the front plate, you need to make sure the slide switch on the black box is in the "off" position. Okay, this is not too hard, but the switch is also very cheaply made, and does not have strong detents in its three positions. But its workable. The front plate attached easily. The slide button also went on okay. But with that plastic slide button handle in place, the slide switch became really difficult to operate. Once again, the detents were not very useful. Once you get the slide switch into the "off" position, the pairing of the remote with the black box worked just as described. I buttoned up the installation and tried it out. It worked just fine, just as you would expect. I can turn the fire on and off with the remote as you would expect. The remote has a temperature monitor as well. I just tried it out by adjusting the desired temperature to a high level, and the first did come one. I suspect that it works pretty well, but I will need to use it for a while to check it out. I didn't test the timer function at all. Overall, I like this product. The biggest issue for the casual user is the installation in an existing electrical box, if that is what you plan to do. You WILL probably need to modify the existing box. Luckily, mine was easy to remove. If your's is nailed to a stud, you may have a real problem. It would probably be easiest to give up on that box, and install a new box, modified as needed, for this product. The set screws and slide switch are really cheaply made, and could fail mechanically if one is not careful. A few extra cents in the manufacture of this product would have made it much better, I think. Four stars. Recommended. Works as hoped, and no big downsides.
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