OFF it does nothing
REMOTE the remote is active and works fine
ON it locks the fireplace on
NOTE: if you do NOT have 110 VAC inside your gas fireplace for accessories (blower, etc) then you should consider this unit SkyTech Millivolt On/Off Remote Control which has a battery operated RECEIVER inside the fireplace. Depending on use the batteries will last a year, if you want more use the energizer L91 lithium cells which can outdo alkaline 8 to 1 Energizer L91BP-8 Lithium AA Photo Battery (8-Pack) and you may be able to get 2-5 years. Those batteries have a shelf life of 10 years from purchase to begin with.
Back to this product for 110VAC equipped fireplaces (they both install similarly as explained below except the one linked to above has a fancier remote, needs batteries, has no AC cord, and it has a more complex remote with timer), besides the 110 VAC plug on this unit, there is 18 inches of antenna wire you just unroll and put behind the fireplace with the controller. There are also 2 ea red wires with "3-way" terminals crimped on the end, and are about 2' long. These go "underneath" your existing control switch if any at the milivolt gas valve or can be the only control. On my fireplace the trim has a small on/off switch that runs 2 wires down to the milivolt gas valve. I pulled off the connectors and put the red wires from the remote where the switch used to be, then on the 3rd terminal, I pushed the original switch connectors over them so that switch could still be used. When "ON" the red wires are shorted together just like the on/off switch does which completes the milivolt gas circuit and turns on the gas. When "OFF" the red wires are open circuit but the 3 way terminals allow the original milivolt thermostat or on/off switch to continue to function normally. I'll just mention that gas systems make their own power from the pilot light which is about 3/4 of a volt, hence the name milivolt. It is a fail-SAFE system since if the pilot goes out, the voltage is gone, and the gas valve can not be opened until a pilot is restored. Because the control voltage is so low, thermostats for furnaces with 24V controllers won't work and milivolt controls must make hard switch contacts so when shopping for gas controllers look for the words "milivolt compatible" and you're set.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Because my fireplace has a 110 VAC blower to circulate the air, the contractor installed a 110 VAC metal outlet box with 2 outlets, one was used for the blower, and one was unused which made this an exceptionally easy install. You will need 110 VAC from somewhere to operate this unit only the remote runs on batteries. In my master bedroom I have another gas fireplace without the blower due to the room size. It has no 110VAC so this could not be used on it. To help control it I bought a $30 2-AA cell powered setback thermostat from the hardware store that operates milivolt appliances and connected the "heat" circuit to the gas valve that is a battery powered solution, but not remote controlled. What worked great with it is that my bedroom starts warming up 2 hours before I must get up by the alarm clock and doesn't have a chill in the room when I get out of bed.
Now back to this product before installation, set it to "Remote" if you want it to work normally. It can be confusing if you set it to "on", because your fireplace will be stuck on! If you have access you can switch it "off" when on vacation to prevent accidental starting of your fireplace. You can also just shut off the gas which is the best way, then you can stuff the remote box out of sight.
The photo of the remote is more realistic to what I receieved in the box it has 2 buttons labeled on and off, and it operates from a single A23 12VDC battery Energizer A23 Battery, 12 Volt 2 Pack The A23 battery provides 12V by stacking a bunch of 1.5V button cells to make a battery so it's a small 12V and the nice part is for remote controls it transmits a long ways. On my house I can turn the fireplace on or off in any room of the house.
Finally this product operates in the 303 Mhz garage door opener band and has 65,000 possible combinations to prevent accidental operation of your neighbor's unit or vice versa. The last part included in the box is a special hangar to wall mount so you can hang up the remote. Amazon needs to correct their photo to match the product shipped, and clearly show the 4' long 110 VAC 2-prong plug so visual shoppers like me are not expecting an easy battery operated product. It was sheer luck that since I had a blower unit there was one extra outlet behind my fireplace trim. I bought this on amazon because the contractor quoted me $250 for a remote circuit and never followed up on it. It proved to be an easy DIY project that saved at least $200.
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The Fireplace Remote was very easy to install and activate. It took a little over 3 mintues. The installation instructions were easy to read and follow. Very happy with the quality of the unit and the distance that the receiver operates is more than advertised in the manual! Very nice unit!Keep in mind that you need 120V for the receiving unit. Although I installed my own electric to the fireplace which kept the unit hidden, the receiver came with a long electrical plug and connection wires which would possibly allow the receiver to be plugged into an electrical outlet close to the fireplace.
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Pros: This unit works great and was simple to install. The remote transmitter utilizes a Radio Frequency signal, instead of Infra Red, so the receiving unit can be hidden behind the lower grill on the gas fireplace. It came with a battery for the remote transmitter.Cons: The remote transmitter uses an oddball and probably expensive-to-replace battery.
Honest reviews on Fireplace Remote
I purchased the "so called" battery operated fireplace remote expecting to get just that. Unfortunately, when the package arrived, the battery remote looked nothing like the picture in the description and required being plugged in to a 120 volt outlet to work. Needless to say, I immediately arranged to return the item to Smart Home.On the positive side, the purchase, shipping speed, and return process were all handled expeditiously.
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I replaced the battery operated remote that was 7 years old. I forgot to change out the batteries in the receiving unit in the fireplace and one of them leaked and ....Easy to install as long as you have access to an outlet. Plugged the receiver in and it worked immediately with the remote from about 20 ft.
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