TV Simulator-Best DIY Home Security Surveillance System-Theft Prevention-Burglar Deterrent-BURGLAR BE GONE TV Simulator Light-Protect Your House From Invasions-With BONUS Tripod-Use as Phone or Camera Stand

I'll start with the good: For the money, you get the simulator, a tripod and a phone holder. Not bad. The simulator looks nice and the 1/4" mount is a very cool addition in my opinion. These are the reasons it's getting three stars instead of two.The problem is the internal logic. This simulator, sadly, was poorly programmed. It will flash a sequence of colors of somewhat varying intensity on a loop. I actually paid close attention to the unit and was able to document that it will cycle through each color every 15 seconds (or was it 12? Anyways, a constant number). It's easy to see, just pick a color (say, green) and count the seconds before it flashes green again. It will flash green again after the same amount of time. Over and over. Pick another color... same result. Does it look like a TV from outside? Yes and no. Yes because the color changes can give that effect. No because the intensity variations are not good enough. If you run this during the month of December, people will think it's a Christmas tree before a TV. I bought a FTV-7-US FakeTV unit at the same time, and while you get less product for more money (it's clearly overpriced in my opinion), the lighting algorithm is well done. The color changes appear to be completely arbitrary, the intensity varies dramatically and it does behave like a TV from outside.I did NOT receive a free or discounted simulator (unlike the majority of the reviewers on here), so take that into consideration as well.

Because I live in a one-level house, I have to use this device in a room with curtains drawn. I was worried that during the day the room would be too dark for the light sensor to work properly. But that part works fine.The only negative I found on opening the box is that the device is mounted to the enclosed mini-tripod with using a standard tripod screw....but the device I got has no threads in the screw hole, so the screw won't go in.... Not a deal-breaker, but a nuisance.However a bigger problem is in the design. Operation involves switching between any of five states: Off, always on, and 4, 6, or 8 hours of operation after the light level gets dark enough for it to switch on. Instead of a rotary switch, you toggle between these states using a push-button and indicator lights. That works fine, until the first momentary power dip. Then the device reverts back to "off" and stays there. So this thing is fine for a night on the town, but for an extended vacation it is chancy. A winter storm or construction work in the neighborhood will cause a power dip that ends all operation until you get home again. This problem would have been easy to avoid by using a real switch or a keep-alive battery.....

UPDATED: After receive an answer from the seller, stating that all 'fake tvs' sold on Amazon are like this, and simply need a 'timer' in-line to keep it going in the event of a power failure, I've decided to return the device, and reduce my initial 3-star, to a 1-star. When this device loses power (either due to an external timer that the seller insists is necessary) or through a utility failure - the device WILL NOT TURN ON AGAIN WITHOUT USER INTERVENTION. That is a defective design on a product intended to work in a vacant home.I'm hoping to catch the seller/manufacturer's eye with this review. My intention is to leave this thing running in a 2nd/vacation home to thwart would-be intruders. I like the random color and intensity change, and it looks like it will serve its purpose well.There is a single mode-selection button that cycles between off, 2 hr, 4 hr, 6 hr, and infinite (ON). When the unit is first plugged in, it is OFF. If I choose any mode, it stays on UNTIL I power cycle it - at which point the mode selected is once again OFF. Thus, if you put this in a vacant home, if the power cycles at all, the thing will shut down permanently. Unless you have someone who can visit the site to turn it back on again, it's useless.The only option is to use a battery backup - which is what I will end up doing (I have several extras) - but on a device that is intended to give the appearance of someone being home WHEN THEY ARE ACTUALLY NOT HOME, this is a terrible oversight. The device ought to have non-volatile memory, or physical/mechanical multi-position switch which can be used to permanently assign a mode.I'm tempted to return this, but am holding out to get answers to this post, or my the question I've asked in the question section.

No hard feelings, this unit DOES glitter like a "real tv." Really, it does.That being said ... here's why I got it, and how it worked out. And, why I gave it 2 stars ...I needed something that pretended to be at home, when I was not at home.Got some timers, so stuff would start to happen when it usually happened ... when I got home, as I watched tv late into the night, etc.I wanted a little thing that could pretend to be my tv ... to turn on using the timer when I would normally turn it on .. and off.While this DOES flicker like a tv, here's the things ...1) Does not recognize any kind of timer on the power supply ...can't "turn it on" and have it start up when the timer says so2) In my case .. the light sensor does not work, so it can't even start up when the sun goes downIt's so inexpensive, my time is worth more than it would take to return it (but, I can write this note fast enough to make it worthwhile!)Bottom line ... with a broke-down-and-busted unit like the one I got .. poke the button and set it for 4 hours of fake television flickering while you go out to dinner, then get home and unplug it, or .. get something that can work on a timer, or take the time to return your unit for one with a functioning light sensor.Enjoy!