Aube by Honeywell TI033/U 7-Day Programmable Timer Switch, White

I was looking for a timer to control my outdoor lighting. I was first drawn to this product because of the name Honeywell, which is well known quality proven name in the PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) business. So if Honeywell could make such a great PLC, then their timers should be par excellence. It turned out that some research after my purchase discovered that Aube was a company all of its own which was acquired by Honeywell in 2008. So this product, given the time frame, may have no Honeywell technology at all.It turns out that it works great none the less!NOTE: the key to making this Aube TI033 work in a standard size box with all this wiring is NOT to use the supplied connectors, they may cause the wiring to break and they take up extra space in the already cramped box. Just peal away the ends of the wires to be connected, bind them together by twisting with a pliers and shield the exposed wires with electrical tape - which is flexible and takes up a whole lot less space than connectors!Pros-Backed by Honeywell, a well known, well established PLC brand-The Manual Mode is controlled by the door itself which is also itself a button; push to turn On, push to turn Off. (The On/Off switch shown in one of the pictures behind the door that hides the buttons, turns On/Off the entire device, although it gives the illusion that this is the manual mode switch).-The door button can be used to switch between manual and automatic mode by just holding down the button for 3 seconds.-The door button can be used to temporarily override the automatic mode (the follow the programing mode) to turn On or Off the device and this temporary override remains in effect until either the button is pushed again or the next turn on cycle in the automatic program starts.-To the other reviewers who said this device was too big to fit in a standard size box, I say what standard are you following? I'm using this Aube TI033 to control 3 compact fluorescent lights (CFLs). I took out the triple switch (3 switches in one box), combined the 3 outputs to connect it to the single output of the Aube TI033; then had to run a neutral for the device (that's a lot of wiring in that box!). The box fit, tightly, with all that wiring but it fits well.In short, take one box device out of box, put another into box.-Requires a neutral so that in case of shorts, the danger to you would be diminished, the current would prefer the low resistance path back to your panel box and trip your circuit breaker.-Displays Time (as set by you) in 24hr or 12hr, Day of week, current program running in auto mode and status of output device (On or Off).-The Aube TI033 has up to 7 programs. Which means 7 times On and 7 times Off. Each of these On and Off times can be set individually to Day (Mon - Sun) or everyday and time of day.-Has a built in rechargeable battery which can hold the programing data for up to 30 days! More than enough for even a very severe power outage.-Aube TI033 Can control:2400Watts (20 Amps @ 120V) (P = IV) (Resistive Loads - incandescent lights, halogen lights, block heater or Inductive Loads - fluorescent lights, compact fluorescent lights, sodium lamps, electronic ballasts)1 HP (pool filter pumps, water pumps, ceiling or other fans, any motor up to 1 HP)5 A tungsten (I don't know much about this!)Cons-May not actually have Honeywell tech in it.-Does not have a short timer function in which you can push a button to turn on a device for a set period of time (eg. 5, 10, 15, 30 mins)- Requires a neutral - depending on the wiring and the output device you are connecting the Aube TI033 to, you may not have a neutral. For instance with my wiring, my lighting was done with a simple circuit design so that the switch only breaks the live wire and the neutral is connected directly to the bulb, so in order to make this device work, I had to run an additional neutral wire inside the switch box. It will NOT work without this neutral.- the actual wire than the neutral wiring for the device is made with, is a soft metal so that if the connectors supplied are used and turned a little too tightly, it breaks, as happened with mine and I had to remove it and connect it using a pliers and electrical tape.NOTE: this device will NOT work without this neutral! When I was attempting to use mine with the broken neutral wire, it wouldn't even turn On!There is another theoretical solution, in a simple circuit design mentioned above, where the neutral is connected to the bulb/device, the other end of the wire at the switch is theoretically a neutral so you could bind the neutral and output wires of the Aube TI033 and connect it to the live going to the device. I didn't test this to see if it will work, that's why I said theoretically... the reason why I didn't and why I don't recommend it is because if there is a fault, the fault current would have to pass through your device. In this case with say a filament bulb, the filament would act a fuse and burn under heavy current causing the fault current afterward to find an alternative route which could be through you!!!NOTE: It doesn't come with a faceplate, the one I bought was;Leviton 021-80401-00W Decora 1-Gang Wallplate, WhiteThere was a small color difference but not noticeable from a small distance... say about 8ft away. Fits perfectly with the face of the Aube TI033 and flush with the wall.

I've had this installed since about Dec. 2011 (date of initial review: March 2012); a little over 3months. Compared to the previous 2 in-wall timers, this has been working flawlessly.Here's my scenario for use: primarily or security reasons, and secondarily for power savings (ie. power savings in regards to keeping the porch light on late enough at night, but not have to stay awake to switch it off to save some power). I don't have riches or expensive things in my house, it's just that I'd rather avoid having to pick up broken glass, replace door jambs, or replace/fix any damages caused by a break-in.Previous in-wall timers this is being compared to: (1st) Brinks in wall timer from "Wally-world" and (2nd) Utilitech in-wall timer from Lowe'sLightbulbs: 15w to 25w load CFL'sThe first one I got was a Brinks timer from "Wally-world" for $18. That one flickered all the time, and I had to return it. The box said it worked with CFL's, but obviously not. It was returned within the same day it was installed.The second attempt was a Utilitech timer I found at a Lowe's for about $22. This one was working great. It had a "random" function, whereby it turned on within a 15min threshold before the programmed time. For example, if I programmed it to turn on at 7pm, the light would "randomly" turn on between 6:45 through 7:15pm. This random function provided an extra sense of security, in case someone was casing the house. It even had a lighted siliconed/rubber on/off button to manually switch the light on and off. The lighted button made it easier to find in a dark room. However, the downside is that I started noticing that the light would periodically "go haywire" and reset itself. I would have to get a paperclip and press the "reset" button and reset all the programs again. This would happen randomly once about every 2months, which I did not care about... but, after about 1year later of use, the timer finally died and "reset" button wouldn't work. Because of the intermittent "self-reset" and finally failure of the timer, I was reluctant to buy another. One worthy note is that my sibling has the same timer installed, and he has not experienced any of the issues I have, and he's been running with that switch for about 1year now also - so likely my in wall timer was a dud.Nonetheless, I puchased this Honeywell in wall timer based on the ratings and remarks about functionality and stability of the switch. At the time of my purchase, this was $31. I have no complaints, and for the past 3 or so months, the switch has functioned without any issue.Feature-wise, I still liked the Utilitech switch compared to this Honeywell. Both have the same 7-day/7-program capabilities. The only 2 additional differences I liked on the Utilitech that this Honeywell does not have, is the lighted on/off button to activate the light, and the "random" feature.I gave this 5/5 stars because of it's functionality and lack of issues. Feature's are sufficient enough for me.