I've been kind of reading about smart power strips, the kind where you have 4-5 switched outlets, 3-4 always-on outlets and one control outlet. Whatever appliance is plugged into the control outlet decides if the switched outlets get power or not. The idea is you plug in your main A/V component (for example the TV) in the control outlet and secondary equipment (for example a signal receiver) in the switched outlets. When you turn the TV on, the receiver turns on, and when you turn off the TV, the receiver turns off.

Now for the lighting part. Some of you may remember I had trouble with this charging station's switch where I suspect the inrush current of the computer chargers damaged the switch contacts. I have since put in a new switch, fitted it with a LED lamp, and keep it always on. Kind of defeats the purpose, but there you go. Then I thought, if I used a smart power strip for the chargers, and just the switch and lamp in the control outlet, would it work ? If needed, I could use either the LED or go back to incandescent.

Have any of you used smart power strips ? What are your thoughts ?

Thanks in advance.

Too my way of thinking having a smart power strip where you plug the television and your recorders into is a bit pointless, as you need your recorders on standby power to record programmes when your television is off 

Too my way of thinking having a smart power strip where you plug the television and your recorders into is a bit pointless, as you need your recorders on standby power to record programmes when your television is off 

You do, but the manufactures really do need to address the standby power usage, the Motorola cable box I have uses the same 45 watts on or off, and if you actually unplug it, they take like 45 minutes to get the full guide back, it shouldn't take more then about a watt or two to maintain the timer and guide, so needless to say since measuring it's power usage it now never gets turned off unless I'm going away for more then a day, and I just unplug it and there is always KODI for anything it doesn't record..

@ SOL, yes the relays in smart power switches they are pretty much all rated to 15 amps maximum and not designed for larger inrushes so they won't last, it's the make them cheap and sell lots issue and offer next to nothing for warranty and hope people won't stick anything larger then a cable box on them..