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Fake TV simulator buying guide

Updated: October 2026

You are choosing a first fake-TV light from twelve amazon.co.uk listings, and the pages disagree about plugs, adapters, and box contents. A TV simulator is a small LED that shifts colour so a curtain looks, from the street, a bit like a television left on. This fake TV simulator buying guide takes power first, then the timer, then the lines that contradict each other. The full table is on the [TV simulator comparison](/hub/diy-supplies/tv-simulator). Peter F. used listings saved on 15 October 2026. There was no laboratory test. A qualifying purchase through our amazon.co.uk links can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.

You are choosing a first fake-TV light from twelve amazon.co.uk listings, and the pages disagree about plugs, adapters, and box contents.

Our top picks

Defender Defender plug-in simulated TV

Best overall

Defender Defender plug-in simulated TV
8.6/10about £16.95
View offer
XGHDPBM XGHDPBM USB fake TV light

Preis-Tipp

XGHDPBM XGHDPBM USB fake TV light
7.7/10about £10.49
View offer
YZRDCXM YZRDCXM wall-mount TV light

Alternative

YZRDCXM YZRDCXM wall-mount TV light
5.6/10about £9.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Plug-in, USB, or an unclear box
  2. 2.What the timer actually does
  3. 3.Listing lines that contradict each other
  4. 4.Cost, plugs, and claims

Plug-in, USB, or an unclear box

Start with power. The Defender EL00240 (B0FXMWH1T6) is the only 240 V plug-in with a pass-through socket, at £16.95. USB listings often include a lead and leave out the adapter. That is the XGHDPBM at £10.49 (B0DQ9F4VTJ). A device that plugs straight into a UK socket has to suit BS 1363, under the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016, regulation 35. A 5 V USB head is outside that band, so the wall adapter is the mains part. The saved files do not show a UKCA or CE mark. Defender’s instructions say the front socket stays live with the wall socket.

What the timer actually does

The timer here is not a seven-day clock. The pattern is off or always on, dusk plus about 4 hours, and dusk plus about 7 hours. On the Defender instructions, blue means dusk plus 4 hours and green means dusk plus 7 hours, and the sensor is printed at about 0.5 lux. Miangerrn names a timer and does not print the hour steps. Check placement after you have chosen, in how to set up a fake TV simulator.
Defender Defender plug-in simulated TV

Testsieger

Defender Defender plug-in simulated TV
8.6/10about £16.95
View offer

Listing lines that contradict each other

A clash on one page is a reason to wait. GAOUTO (B0F5H3SXL4, £16.50) says solar in the power field. The bullets describe a 2 W LED and no panel. Behogan B0DWXTSTKL puts 24 LEDs in the title and 12 in the field, at £18.13. YZRDCXM (B0DNZLWCYR, £9.99) says the adapter is not included in the bullets and included in the components field. URJWAN (B0DPWQ1N3N, £36.99) says complete with an adapter in the title and not included in a bullet. Generic B0HJ4S2MBZ (£12.99) lists a 39-inch LED strip in the components line. Who the plug-in is for, after those skips, is on the best fake TV simulator UK page.

Cost, plugs, and claims

Running cost is arithmetic, not a bill. Ofgem’s average Direct Debit unit rate for 1 October to 31 December 2026 is 26.32 pence per kWh in England, Scotland and Wales. At that rate, 2 W for 7 hours is about 0.4 pence, and 5 W for 7 hours is about 0.9 pence. Northern Ireland is outside that average. Do not turn the figure into a saving against a real television. West Yorkshire Police name a fake LED TV simulator next to a timer switch, and they still put locks first. A steady lamp is a different cue, covered in fake TV versus a timer light.

Common questions

Should you buy a plug-in unit or a USB unit?
Buy the plug-in if a UK socket is near the window and you want that socket left usable. In this set that is the Defender EL00240 at £16.95, at 240 V, with a pass-through socket. Buy USB if the unit will sit on a shelf and you can supply the adapter the listing leaves out. The XGHDPBM at £10.49 states that case in one direction. If the page says the adapter is both included and not included, wait.
What is dusk plus 4 hours versus dusk plus 7 hours?
Both modes wait for a light sensor and then run for a fixed length. Four hours is the shorter evening. Seven hours runs later. Defender’s tip treats the short run as the summer choice and the long run as the winter choice. A bright afternoon test often stays off, because 0.5 lux is a dark room. This is not a seven-day timer.
Does a pass-through socket stay on when the LEDs are off?
On the Defender plug-in, the instructions say the front socket stays live with the wall socket. The LEDs follow the mode. The socket follows the wall outlet. The saved listing does not print an amp or watt limit for that front socket, so do not put a heavy load on it from this page. The other ASINs do not claim a pass-through socket. A USB simulator uses the supply you already have.
What if the title says 24 LEDs and the field says 12?
Treat the clash as unresolved. Behogan B0DWXTSTKL puts 24 in the title and 12 in the field, and a France review counts 12. That review is not United Kingdom evidence, and it agrees with the field. Do not pay for 24 LEDs on the title alone. Behogan B0FQMKYD3M prints 24 in both places and then prints corded and cordless together. Agreement on one line does not repair a second clash.
Is a motion title a movement sensor?
Not in this folder. Miangerrn’s title says with motion. The bullets describe a flickering glow, USB power, and a timer. They do not say the unit detects a person. GAOUTO’s switch field says motion while the bullets describe dusk plus 4 or 7 hours. Count a person sensor only when the bullets say the unit reacts to someone moving. Walking past a light sensor will not switch it on.

Related pages

TV simulator for a holiday home

TV simulator

Best fake TV simulator UK if the window socket is free

How to set up a fake TV simulator before you leave

Fake TV vs timer light: the cue someone outside sees

Sources

Public UK sources on occupancy lighting, BS 1363 plugs, product marking, and the Ofgem price cap. Prices are the amazon.co.uk shelf prices for these ASINs on 15 October 2026. They move. Page updated 17 October 2026.

  1. West Yorkshire Police, Easy Street (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  2. Ask the Police, lights or radios on a timer (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  3. Avon and Somerset Police, lighting (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  4. Thurrock Council, while away from home (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  5. Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016, regulation 35 (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  6. GOV.UK, UKCA or CE marking in Great Britain (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  7. Ofgem, price cap 1 October to 31 December 2026 (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  8. Defender plug-in simulated TV instructions (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  9. ERA FakeTV installation notes (retrieved 16 October 2026)