The best remote control outlets

Plenty of rooms have a lamp in a corner and no switch anywhere near the door. You walk in, cross a dark room, and reach behind a shade for a tiny switch. A remote outlet fixes that for about the price of a bulb: the adapter goes between the lamp and the socket, and the remote goes wherever the switch should have been.

Compared with the alternatives, it is the least clever and most reliable option. A smart plug needs Wi-Fi, an account and an app. A wireless wall remote for smart bulbs needs the bulbs. These kits need a battery in a handset and nothing else.

They also come in fives, which is the real unlock: one remote in the hall switching three lamps in a room with no ceiling light at all.

1. Published load rating, from the maker. 10A/1200W is the category norm; one of these is rated 15A/1875W resistive, which changes what you can plug in.
2. Safety listing. ETL or UL is a meaningful difference from FCC alone, and one pick here is FCC only.
3. Range, as published. All three say 100 feet; the wording about walls versus line of sight differs.
4. Behavior after a power cut. Published by two of the three.
5. Kit size and pairing flexibility. Five outlets and two remotes is the standard bundle; being able to pair any remote to any outlet is not universal.

BN-LINK ES1513 kit - the pick. Five outlets and two remotes, ETL and FCC certified, rated 120V/10A/1200W on BN-LINK's own page, with a published 100 ft line-of-sight range and outlets that stay off after a power cut. It is the kit with a manufacturer page behind the numbers.
Cons: on/off only; the Amazon page contradicts the maker on load, showing 1250W in one block against 1200W in the bullets; indoor only; and BN-LINK publishes no warranty term.

DEWENWILS HRS205M - for heavier loads. Rated 125V, 15A, 1875W resistive - half as much again as the others - with a published 100 ft range through walls and doors and a one-year warranty. If the outlet has to run a heater or a space-heating appliance rather than a lamp, this is the only one of the three rated for it.
Cons: FCC listed, not ETL or UL, and the ETL badges elsewhere on its Amazon page belong to other products; the rating is resistive only, which leaves motor loads unstated; and behavior after a power cut is not published.

Syantek BHC1801 - the one that tells you its frequency. 433.92 MHz, published - which matters if you already own remotes and want to know whether two systems will collide. ETL listed, batteries included, and any remote can run any outlet.
Cons: on/off only; the listing contradicts itself on outdoor use, with bullets saying indoor and the A+ content saying indoor and outdoor; no manufacturer site and no published warranty.

Mount the remote where the switch should be. Most kits include a screw or adhesive cradle. A remote in a cradle by the door is a light switch; a remote on the coffee table is lost by Thursday.

Label the buttons. Five outlets and two remotes becomes guesswork fast. A strip of tape on the back of the handset saves more frustration than any feature on the box.

Mind the socket depth. These adapters are chunky, and in a duplex outlet they often block the second socket. That is the practical cost of the tidiness.

Renting? This is one of the few control upgrades that leaves no trace at all. The wider set of options is in renter-friendly light switch controls.