I only had two wires inside my switch box. A black and white wire are connected to my outside porch and garage lights. I tried the home depot brand and it failed miserably. I called all the home improvement stores and no one could help as all the brands have 4 wires and all I needed was 2 wires. This amazing switch has 4 wires but the instructions show you how to use them in a 2 wire configuration. I had it working in less then 5 minutes. Even my wife said "that was fast" then I felt like I finally accomplished a simple task and my hours of dealing with those other brands was over. <<<Power Tools>>>
Functionality:
I was totally surprised by the Solar automatic Sunset/Sunrise feature of the timer. All you do is set the time and date then tell it to turn on at Sunset and off at Sunrise. It shows exactly what time that will happen everyday. Pure genius and intelligence when into the software design. The quality and hardware is excellent as well.
Programing:
One challenge with only having three buttons on the front is making the software work-flow easy. Go very slow reading the instructions. It actually took me a lot longer to program it then install it but once I was done I felt like a million dollars. This product is worth every penny and I will recommend this to everyone.Aube ti071
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
excellent appearance and functionality
Appearance: The switch is very distinct. It grabs your attention with it's appealing blue back light, but it is not overdone (especially when the light is set to low). The bottom two buttons and main button are both very nice and do not make the switch seem overly complicated as with others. Overall a very classic look.
Functionality: The switch has worked perfectly as stated by the manufacturer. The time and day of the week on the display are a nice addition and being this switch is installed at my front door it's nice when leaving the house to get a quick glance of the time. I also find myself frequently using the bottom two buttons to check dusk/dawn times. The main button for overriding the program is very easy to use. The programming menu is straight forward and simple to navigate.
Ease of install: I didn't not have any issues installing. The corrections seemed clear for both installation and programming.
Overall: Easily 5 stars. After purchasing my first switch I bought a 2nd one and like them so much I look for another use to buy a 3rd or more. I've considered some of the automated lighting technologies available, but as easy as these switches are to install and use I will likely buy more.
Functionality: The switch has worked perfectly as stated by the manufacturer. The time and day of the week on the display are a nice addition and being this switch is installed at my front door it's nice when leaving the house to get a quick glance of the time. I also find myself frequently using the bottom two buttons to check dusk/dawn times. The main button for overriding the program is very easy to use. The programming menu is straight forward and simple to navigate.
Ease of install: I didn't not have any issues installing. The corrections seemed clear for both installation and programming.
Overall: Easily 5 stars. After purchasing my first switch I bought a 2nd one and like them so much I look for another use to buy a 3rd or more. I've considered some of the automated lighting technologies available, but as easy as these switches are to install and use I will likely buy more.
Pretty cool...
I bought this timer switch to control two 26 watt florescent lights (connected to the same switch) on my back porch. I was getting tired of having to manually turn them on at night and then remembering to turn them off in the morning (which I would sometimes forget so they'd be on all day!).
I've changed light switches/outlets before but am by no means an experienced electrician and I was able to handle this installation. Please remember to cut the power at the circuit breaker first!! Here was my scenario; the existing switch only had 2 black wires connected. With a little help from my electrician friend I was able to identify which wire was the Load and which was the Line. After that, installation went smoothly. I connected the Load from the house to the Load on the switch then connected the Line from the house to the Line & 3-Way wire on the switch (since mine was a single pole installation, their instructions said to do this). I simply capped the Green wire on the switch. Before shoving the switch back into the wall, I flipped the power back on at the breaker. I made sure that the unit was powered on as expected and there were no fires. Since everything looked good, I cut the power again, pushed the wires into the wall and screwed in the switch & plate. I powered back up and began programming.
The programming took me about 20 minutes to complete. Most of the options are pretty easy... backlighting, time/date, latitude, longitude, etc... The part that took the longest was the Automatic time table programming. I decided to go with the Automatic option since I could program exactly what time I want the lights to turn on/off every day of the week. I didn't want the lights to turn on/off at the same time every day since that would suggest to potential burglars that the lights were on a timer. Instead I programmed the lights to turn on between 8pm and 9pm, and turn off between 6am and 7am. For example, Monday the lights will turn on at 8:06pm and turn off Tuesday at 6:22am. Tuesday the lights will turn on at 8:32pm and turn off Wednesday at 6:05am, etc... I thought of using the Random option but it seems weird to have my porch lights turn on and off multiple times during a specific timeframe, I think that option is more for inside lights where you'd be flipping the lights on/off throughout the day to give the appearance of the house being occupied. Anyway, there was a learning curve but after a few minutes of messing around with it you will understand the menus and can easily program whatever you want.
Last night was the first `test' and it worked perfectly. This morning the lights turned off exactly on schedule. So far so good! It's a cool little unit. I'm already planning to get one for my front porch lights. I will add a follow-up review after a few weeks of use.
**Product update 8/30/10: Still love the TI070 switch!! Works perfectly and confirmed that the settings are maintained through a power outage! I also bought/installed the TI071 model switch in another location where I had only 39 watts. This switch was just as easy to install and program. However, I did notice that the TI071 model makes a 'click' noise when the lights are turned on/off, this does not happen with my TI070 switch. Oh well, it's not a big issue jut something I noticed. I've been recommending these products to everyone I know. Love 'em!
I've changed light switches/outlets before but am by no means an experienced electrician and I was able to handle this installation. Please remember to cut the power at the circuit breaker first!! Here was my scenario; the existing switch only had 2 black wires connected. With a little help from my electrician friend I was able to identify which wire was the Load and which was the Line. After that, installation went smoothly. I connected the Load from the house to the Load on the switch then connected the Line from the house to the Line & 3-Way wire on the switch (since mine was a single pole installation, their instructions said to do this). I simply capped the Green wire on the switch. Before shoving the switch back into the wall, I flipped the power back on at the breaker. I made sure that the unit was powered on as expected and there were no fires. Since everything looked good, I cut the power again, pushed the wires into the wall and screwed in the switch & plate. I powered back up and began programming.
The programming took me about 20 minutes to complete. Most of the options are pretty easy... backlighting, time/date, latitude, longitude, etc... The part that took the longest was the Automatic time table programming. I decided to go with the Automatic option since I could program exactly what time I want the lights to turn on/off every day of the week. I didn't want the lights to turn on/off at the same time every day since that would suggest to potential burglars that the lights were on a timer. Instead I programmed the lights to turn on between 8pm and 9pm, and turn off between 6am and 7am. For example, Monday the lights will turn on at 8:06pm and turn off Tuesday at 6:22am. Tuesday the lights will turn on at 8:32pm and turn off Wednesday at 6:05am, etc... I thought of using the Random option but it seems weird to have my porch lights turn on and off multiple times during a specific timeframe, I think that option is more for inside lights where you'd be flipping the lights on/off throughout the day to give the appearance of the house being occupied. Anyway, there was a learning curve but after a few minutes of messing around with it you will understand the menus and can easily program whatever you want.
Last night was the first `test' and it worked perfectly. This morning the lights turned off exactly on schedule. So far so good! It's a cool little unit. I'm already planning to get one for my front porch lights. I will add a follow-up review after a few weeks of use.
**Product update 8/30/10: Still love the TI070 switch!! Works perfectly and confirmed that the settings are maintained through a power outage! I also bought/installed the TI071 model switch in another location where I had only 39 watts. This switch was just as easy to install and program. However, I did notice that the TI071 model makes a 'click' noise when the lights are turned on/off, this does not happen with my TI070 switch. Oh well, it's not a big issue jut something I noticed. I've been recommending these products to everyone I know. Love 'em!
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Work great, just make sure you're buying the right one for your application
Works great. Was pretty easy to install. Only install problem I had was trying to cram it in the small space I had. This programmable switch is much larger (depth) than a standard switch. I actually installed two side by side so it was a bit of a challenge to push all the wires in.
Also, note this model requires a minimum of 40 watts to work. This means you need at least 4 CFL lights for it to work correctly. I had two CFLs at 13 watts each and when the light was in the off position they were constantly flickering. If I turned the switch into the on position everything was normal. I swapped out my CFLs for standard incandecent lights and everything is working great. Amazon sells a different model that doesn't have this 40 watt minimum requirement.
Also, note this model requires a minimum of 40 watts to work. This means you need at least 4 CFL lights for it to work correctly. I had two CFLs at 13 watts each and when the light was in the off position they were constantly flickering. If I turned the switch into the on position everything was normal. I swapped out my CFLs for standard incandecent lights and everything is working great. Amazon sells a different model that doesn't have this 40 watt minimum requirement.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Lov'in it
I did quite a bit of research before purchasing an in wall light switch timer and I got it wrong the first time. I purchased the same model, but it was single pole and not a 3 Way switch. Easy return to Amazon and only paid return shipping.
I have an older house 1960's, so I was a little confused with the wiring, but the installation instructions are very straight forward and simple. Just make sure you are installing the timer according to the correct part of the installation instructions. The "headers": One pole, original 3W and new 3W were a little hard for me to distinguish from at first.
Programming the timer is even simpler. I have it on seven days with individual on/off times and it was super easy to find my longitude and latitude through their site. Over-all very intuitive.
My timer operates one outdoor flood light that has two spots on it. They have two 23 Watt flourescents ( which = 90 Watt standard bulbs ). Combined that is 46 Watts which reaches the timers 40-Watt minimum. The flourescents work perfectly as well as the timers 7 day on and off programming. Flawless.
I love the fact that you can turn off or place the back-lit screen on low. I have it off. When the timer is on ( lights on ) a small blue light in the lower corner is visible which is a great feature and is not distracting.
My only concern is that this particular timer does not have a back up battery or does it? The package says "permanent memory for program and settings." Almost all the other Aube timers in this price range list a back up power battery. For some reason I cannot find that on this one, but permanent should be permanent. I guess I'll find out after a power outage which we get quite often.
I am extremely pleased with this product.
***UPDATE:
Just got hit with the first blizzard of the season. Not surprisingly we lost power. Only for a few hours in the early morning hours, but the unit kept its program and ran perfectly. I am more than Lov'in it now.
I have an older house 1960's, so I was a little confused with the wiring, but the installation instructions are very straight forward and simple. Just make sure you are installing the timer according to the correct part of the installation instructions. The "headers": One pole, original 3W and new 3W were a little hard for me to distinguish from at first.
Programming the timer is even simpler. I have it on seven days with individual on/off times and it was super easy to find my longitude and latitude through their site. Over-all very intuitive.
My timer operates one outdoor flood light that has two spots on it. They have two 23 Watt flourescents ( which = 90 Watt standard bulbs ). Combined that is 46 Watts which reaches the timers 40-Watt minimum. The flourescents work perfectly as well as the timers 7 day on and off programming. Flawless.
I love the fact that you can turn off or place the back-lit screen on low. I have it off. When the timer is on ( lights on ) a small blue light in the lower corner is visible which is a great feature and is not distracting.
My only concern is that this particular timer does not have a back up battery or does it? The package says "permanent memory for program and settings." Almost all the other Aube timers in this price range list a back up power battery. For some reason I cannot find that on this one, but permanent should be permanent. I guess I'll find out after a power outage which we get quite often.
I am extremely pleased with this product.
***UPDATE:
Just got hit with the first blizzard of the season. Not surprisingly we lost power. Only for a few hours in the early morning hours, but the unit kept its program and ran perfectly. I am more than Lov'in it now.
Form and Function
You can have both! I bought this to replace a dead Intermatic that lasted an amazing 5 years. Thanks to Amazon, I found this first -- Aube by Honeywell TI071/U Solar Programmable Timer Switch, White -- but, due to the fact that I have only two wires (no neutral) for my switch, I found this timer, which is made for single pole or 3-way switch applications. It has two black wires (line and load), yellow (3-way) and a green ground wire.
The thing works like a charm and is very easy to install -- with helpful, legible, literate instructions that walk you through the process. They thought this through to the end: it not only comes with caps but the wires are labeled and pre-stripped, to boot.
I'm using this timer to control a 120-watt PAR38 driveway flood light, so my requirements are just for sunrise and sunset adjustments, but you can also set specific times to turn it on and off for different days. And it has a random mode, as well, I guess to fool potential burglars. You program sunrise and sunset via entering your city's longitude and attitude -- if it's not listed in the instructions just go to [...] to find where you are. And by the way, it's quite accurate and even has bias settings in case you want it to turn on later or off earlier, when it may still be light out or not quite dark yet (very cool).
I've had it a week now and it hasn't missed a beat -- no flickering or anything amiss to report. Long-term, we'll see. But based on its design, I feel pretty good about its reliability.
The one caveat about this device is that it needs the bulb in place to create the circuit, meaning that when the bulb burns out you need to pull out a tab from beneath the timer to cut the circuit before you change the bulb. (The directions state you should do this to avoid possibly shorting the timer out.) I tried it and it's easy enough to do when installed; no need to take the switch plate off or anything.
There really aren't too many timers like this out there, which I don't quite understand, since they are incredibly useful. And this one definitely is: useful, convenient, well engineered and really nice to look at. It goes without saying but highly recommended.
The thing works like a charm and is very easy to install -- with helpful, legible, literate instructions that walk you through the process. They thought this through to the end: it not only comes with caps but the wires are labeled and pre-stripped, to boot.
I'm using this timer to control a 120-watt PAR38 driveway flood light, so my requirements are just for sunrise and sunset adjustments, but you can also set specific times to turn it on and off for different days. And it has a random mode, as well, I guess to fool potential burglars. You program sunrise and sunset via entering your city's longitude and attitude -- if it's not listed in the instructions just go to [...] to find where you are. And by the way, it's quite accurate and even has bias settings in case you want it to turn on later or off earlier, when it may still be light out or not quite dark yet (very cool).
I've had it a week now and it hasn't missed a beat -- no flickering or anything amiss to report. Long-term, we'll see. But based on its design, I feel pretty good about its reliability.
The one caveat about this device is that it needs the bulb in place to create the circuit, meaning that when the bulb burns out you need to pull out a tab from beneath the timer to cut the circuit before you change the bulb. (The directions state you should do this to avoid possibly shorting the timer out.) I tried it and it's easy enough to do when installed; no need to take the switch plate off or anything.
There really aren't too many timers like this out there, which I don't quite understand, since they are incredibly useful. And this one definitely is: useful, convenient, well engineered and really nice to look at. It goes without saying but highly recommended.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
The best light timer by far
As far as I know, there is nothing even close to this on the market.
I have had a few of these for many years. None have ever failed. Setup is straightforward and programming is reasonable.
Having the lights automatically adjust for sunrise/sunset is great. If we leave the house at 4pm and come back at 9pm, the front lights are on.
There is a little bug in the programming (TI034). It screws up if it is programmed to turn on before midnight and turn off after midnight. I forget now how it screws up, because I changed mine to turn off just before midnight. I think it just stayed on.
I would like more flexible programming, but that usually comes with complexity. There isn't much space there for a display.
1. Be able to set an offset (sunset +/- nn minutes).
2. A random feature where it would vary the actual on/off times by +/- nn minutes. This is a minor point, because it already vary some because of changing sunset/sunrise times.
3. Automatic adjustment for daylight savings. That may be a problem, because they could change the cutover date, so maybe it's better as it is.
This also allows me to synch the clock twice a year. The timer does not keep perfect time, which is surprising. I would think it could use the 60 Hz from the grid to stay perfectly in time. Maybe an upgraded model could include a received for the time signal from Colorado? :-)
This is one of my favorite gadgets. It used to be very hard to find. I am glad that Amazon is now carrying it. I often give them away as gifts.
07/30/10 Update: Aube makes quite a few models. It took me awhile to figure out the differences and I bought one wrong model. Some of them are designed for more heavy-duty work and controlling motors (033 & 035). I see that they now have a few new models with more programming options and higher wattage ratings. Most of mine are the 034. These are fine for porch lights. Our front porch light is also wired in with the front outside plug so it can control external Christmas lights. The 500 watt max for the 034 is limiting. I may get the new 071 or 072 to replace that one.
Here's a summary of the model from the Aube website (aubetech dot com). Please excuse the (. . .). That's the only way I could find to make a table.
. . Model . . . . . . . . . . . Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Programs
. TI032-3W . . . 500 W @ 120 V, 40 W minimum . . 7 manual
. TI032-3W-5 . .500 W @ 120 V, 40 W minimum . . 7 manual
. TI034-3W . . . 500 W @ 120 V, 40 W minimum . . Sunset/sunrise
. TI070-3W . . . 500 W @ 120 V, 40 W minimum . . 7 manual + Sunset/sunrise
. TI073-3W . . . 500 W @ 120 V, 40 W minimum . . 21 manual + Sunset/sunrise
. TI033 . . . . . . 2400 W max., 1 HP @ 120 V . . . . 7 manual
. TI035 . . . . . . 2400 W max., 1 HP @ 120 V . . . . Sunset/sunrise
. TI071 . . . . . . 1800 W @ 120 V, 0 W minimum . . 7 manual + Sunset/sunrise
. TI072-3W . . . 1800 W @ 120 V, 0 W minimum . . 21 manual + Sunset/sunrise
The 3W means 3-way. The -5 is almond color.
I have had a few of these for many years. None have ever failed. Setup is straightforward and programming is reasonable.
Having the lights automatically adjust for sunrise/sunset is great. If we leave the house at 4pm and come back at 9pm, the front lights are on.
There is a little bug in the programming (TI034). It screws up if it is programmed to turn on before midnight and turn off after midnight. I forget now how it screws up, because I changed mine to turn off just before midnight. I think it just stayed on.
I would like more flexible programming, but that usually comes with complexity. There isn't much space there for a display.
1. Be able to set an offset (sunset +/- nn minutes).
2. A random feature where it would vary the actual on/off times by +/- nn minutes. This is a minor point, because it already vary some because of changing sunset/sunrise times.
3. Automatic adjustment for daylight savings. That may be a problem, because they could change the cutover date, so maybe it's better as it is.
This also allows me to synch the clock twice a year. The timer does not keep perfect time, which is surprising. I would think it could use the 60 Hz from the grid to stay perfectly in time. Maybe an upgraded model could include a received for the time signal from Colorado? :-)
This is one of my favorite gadgets. It used to be very hard to find. I am glad that Amazon is now carrying it. I often give them away as gifts.
07/30/10 Update: Aube makes quite a few models. It took me awhile to figure out the differences and I bought one wrong model. Some of them are designed for more heavy-duty work and controlling motors (033 & 035). I see that they now have a few new models with more programming options and higher wattage ratings. Most of mine are the 034. These are fine for porch lights. Our front porch light is also wired in with the front outside plug so it can control external Christmas lights. The 500 watt max for the 034 is limiting. I may get the new 071 or 072 to replace that one.
Here's a summary of the model from the Aube website (aubetech dot com). Please excuse the (. . .). That's the only way I could find to make a table.
. . Model . . . . . . . . . . . Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Programs
. TI032-3W . . . 500 W @ 120 V, 40 W minimum . . 7 manual
. TI032-3W-5 . .500 W @ 120 V, 40 W minimum . . 7 manual
. TI034-3W . . . 500 W @ 120 V, 40 W minimum . . Sunset/sunrise
. TI070-3W . . . 500 W @ 120 V, 40 W minimum . . 7 manual + Sunset/sunrise
. TI073-3W . . . 500 W @ 120 V, 40 W minimum . . 21 manual + Sunset/sunrise
. TI033 . . . . . . 2400 W max., 1 HP @ 120 V . . . . 7 manual
. TI035 . . . . . . 2400 W max., 1 HP @ 120 V . . . . Sunset/sunrise
. TI071 . . . . . . 1800 W @ 120 V, 0 W minimum . . 7 manual + Sunset/sunrise
. TI072-3W . . . 1800 W @ 120 V, 0 W minimum . . 21 manual + Sunset/sunrise
The 3W means 3-way. The -5 is almond color.
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