****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
Based on my experience with this product, I would speculate that any review claiming that the circuit breaker locator randomly beeps and doesn't properly indicate the correct circuit breaker is from someone who didn't read and follow the product's simple instructions. The instructions are included in a short instruction sheet, but are also printed on a nice indelible sticker on the receiver itself. Once you use the product a time or two, and think about what it's doing, you really don't need the instructions, though, in my opinion.The instructions say:"At the breaker box or fuse box, hold the RECEIVER PERPENDICULAR to the breakers. With the power on, scan the rows of breakers from top to bottom (see Figure 3). During this scan, the RECEIVER may beep and flash at several breakers. This is a normal part of the identification process. When you have completed one scan of all the breakers, go back to the first breaker and, WITHOUT TOUCHING THE POWER BUTTON, SCAN THEM ALL A SECOND TIME. When the receiver beeps and the arrow flashes during the second scan, you have correctly identified the circuit."When you turn on the receiver, it begins continuously sniffing out a signal from the transmitter, and gauging the signal strength it is receiving from the transmitter. Anytime it receives a signal of equal strength or stronger than any signal it has received since it was powered on, it beeps and flashes the arrow, and memorizes this new strongest signal strength. The initial scan over the circuit breakers is essentially calibrating the receiver, so that it then knows the strongest received signal strength. During the second scan, the signal strength corresponding to the strongest signal it has received since being powered on occurs only at the breaker supplying power to the wiring into which the transmitter is plugged.Bottom line is, based on my experience with this product, if you follow the directions, ignoring all the beeping and flashing during the initial scan of your breakers, this circuit breaker locator will correctly indicate the correct breaker during the second scan (and all subsequent scans) of the breakers.One nice thing about this locator compared to some other circuit breaker locators is that it will work at voltages all the way up to 280VAC, so if you make yourself an adapter (or purchase one in a kit such as amzn.com/B003U2GNI8), you can use it to locate any 208VAC or 240VAC breakers.The kit in the link above contains, in addition to the adapter for connecting to other than standard 120VAC US NEMA 5-15 receptacles, an adapter for connecting the transmitter to a standard US E26 Edison light bulb socket, so that the locator can be used to easily locate the breaker for lights and light switches (you'll have to be sure to turn the light switch ON to correctly locate the breaker for a light bulb socket); I've not tried to see how well the locator works locating the breaker for a light socket separated from the breaker by a dimmer switch - maybe I'll try that and update the review. If you don't need the whole kit mentioned above, but only want the light bulb socket adapter, you can get that at amzn.com/B001PCVTFC or at a local hardware store. Both the kit and the single light bulb socket adapter were less expensive at my local hardware store than at Amazon.
