StatusDusk to Dawn Sensor Timer Switch | Daylight Sensor Switch | White UK Plug | SHT1PK6

I am a mechanical engineer by profession and was an expert for BBC Watchdog and sworn to honesty. I tend to research a product drilling down into the quality and value of the item before I buy. I am not paid for my reviews and have no personal gain from them.Purchased this to time a lamp as shown so that it comes on and off whilst we are not around and to also save us turning it on and off. There is an important security aspect as well because it makes the house look lived in while you are not about. It arrived well packaged and in good time. The instructions are easy enough to follow and there are many functions to the device, many that I will not use. You can time a light to come on and off on a particular day of the week or multiple days or for the whole week, multiple times per day etc. You can press a button to select on, auto or off. The clock is easy to adjust, as are the timers once you get the hang of it. It comes with a rechargable battery fitted which is charged from the socket it sits in, keep it's socket turned on and it will always retain a charge. The timing is precise unlike those hit and miss timers you have to lift plastic pegs on. This timer is so good I purchased another. The unit is well engineered and constructed from plastic but is very sturdy. Personally I think it's awesome value and it also handles induction lighting to a certain power limit, most cheap timers do not. What's not to like. Good compact size, good value, easy to use. I recommend this timer. Go buy

We purchased this for our fish tank and it's brilliant couldn't fault it. Easy to set up, perfect timing, reliable and easy to fit in the area we wanted. Would defiantly buy again!

As the photograph demonstrates, I've purchased several of these timers recently!To be clear, I also use smart plugs to control and automate lamps around the house, but I find that the digital timers are much more reliable and robust in certain uses. They're also very easy to set up and operate and I've never had one that failed.The timer can be set up to switch on and off several times each day, and it can be set to do different things on different days, or run different programmes depending on whether it's the weekend, or a week day. There's also a 'random' setting, so the timer gives a better impression of an occupied property, rather than just a predictable on / off pattern.This is not a 'smart' plug, so it can't be controlled remotely and it doesn't have the ability to monitor sunrise or sunset timings, but it does have the advantage of being able to operate reliably without a wifi signal. I regularly use mine outdoors, particularly at Christmas, and provided they are kept dry they have never let me down no matter what the temperature - the old 'clock' timers have a habit of failing in frosty conditions but it's never been a problem with these digital timers.To be fair, the screen on these timers is small and it is not easy to read in low light, but the solid construction and reliability outweigh this minor issue. £7.00 a pop at time of purchase is also a very reasonable price compared with many of the more sophisticated but temperamental 'smart' timers out there.

Simple to programme & no problems, whatsoever.

Mostly works OK, but occasionally turns off, and doesn't turn back on again.My use case was on 95% of the time, and off briefly once per day. Every few weeks I found it would turn off and not come on again.So it's not for me, but for occasional use where it's not that important, it does generally work.

Works well - not much else to say really :)

DANGEROUSLY UNRELIABLE TIMERI bought this specifically because it was compact and had a flat front, and being electronic would be silent, unlike 24 mechanical timers which can be a little noisy.It was reset and then programmed with one setting: on @ 21:00 then off @ 07:00. It's switching a couple of small tubular heaters, total load <200W.NIGHT 1It came on at 21:00, but didn't switch off until 08:00.NIGHT 2 (after reset and re-program)It came on at 21:00 but went off at 22:00. I used the status button to pass through 'on' and left it at 'auto' as according to the instructions this would leave it on (yes) and then it would switch off at the next 'off' command.So it switched itself off half an hour later at 22:30.NIGHT 3 (after reset and re-program)It came on at 21:00, and was still on at 08:10.NIGHT 4 (after reset and re-program)It came on at 21:00, and was still on at 07:35.In all instances, the clock was still correct, and the on/off settings hadn't changed.If this device can't cope with going past midnight from one day to the next, then it's completely unfit for purpose and should never have been created.So, to summarise, it's actually less than useless as it's so unreliable as to be completely untrustworthy, and any potential user would be better off with a manual in-line switch.

These timers are very easy to use and I have purchased two more today to add to others I have had for years. However, from previous experience, these timers are not without their quirks.First, as the leaflet says, don't try to use them straightaway out of the box, even though they look ready to go. Plug them into a mains socket for half a day to let everything charge up.Then test them before you rely on them. There are ten possible on/off switched times, so I set one minute on & one minute off for all ten timers to light a lamp. One of the two was perfect, but the second worked only for timers 1 to 6, but timers 7 to 10 did not switch at all. So I can manage with this as I just want to turn a trickle-charger on twice a day for a stand-by battery.Overall, they are easy to use and very sensibly priced, but do be aware of their quirks