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Extension lead with remote control UK buying guide

Updated: 23 October 2026

The wall socket behind a sofa or a television cabinet is the one you cannot reach without moving the furniture. An extension lead with remote control that UK shoppers want is a trailing socket strip with a flex, a UK 13 A plug and a handheld radio remote. It is a different object from a Wi-Fi strip and from a plug-in adaptor with no flex. The [extension lead with remote control comparison](/hub/sockets-and-extension-leads/extension-lead-with-remote-control) holds the four amazon.co.uk rows, with shelf prices from 19 October 2026 between £25.99 and £31.03. This page is the label checklist. A purchase through our links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you. There is no lab test.

The wall socket behind a sofa or a television cabinet is the one you cannot reach without moving the furniture.

Our top picks

HBN HBN 4-socket lead

Best overall

HBN HBN 4-socket lead
9.2/10about £28.99
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HBN HBN 3-socket lead

Best value

HBN HBN 3-socket lead
9.0/10about £25.99
View offer
Energenie Energenie ENER010

Alternative

Energenie Energenie ENER010
8.4/10about £27.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.What this lead is
  2. 2.Load, flex, and the plug
  3. 3.Remote, USB, and surge
  4. 4.What to do if you need it every day

What this lead is

A radio extension lead takes one wall socket and gives you several outlets you can switch from a handset. The handset does not need your router. The four listings are the HBN 3-gang at £25.99, ENER010 at £27.99, the HBN 4-gang at £28.99 and PELB0429 at £31.03. Reject a title that is only smart, Alexa or 2.4 GHz, and reject plug-in remote sockets that never mention a flex. ENER010 talks to the MiHome app only if you buy a gateway that is not in the box. For a job-by-job pick, use the best remote control extension lead page after the load and the cable.

Load, flex, and the plug

Use the lower of the marked current and any kilowatt cap. Electrical Safety First says some leads are 10 A or less, that you stay under the marked current, and that you use one lead per wall socket. The HBN bullets print 13 A and 3,120 W. ENER010 prints 13 A and 3 kW. PELB0429 prints 13 A and also 2.4 kW, about 10 A at 240 V. London Fire Brigade says kettles should not share an extension. Both HBN listings print 2 m. Energenie prints 1.8 m for ENER010. The amazon.co.uk item-length field of 2 cm is not a flex. PELB0429's title says 1 m and one bullet says 2 m. BEAMA's checklist asks for a BS 1363 plug and a BS 1362 fuse. A Schuko-only plug is the wrong plug for a UK wall. Test every socket on the how to use a remote control extension lead page before a heater goes in.
HBN HBN 4-socket lead

Testsieger

HBN HBN 4-socket lead
9.2/10about £28.99
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Remote, USB, and surge

All four listings switch mains sockets one by one. ENER010 and both HBN leads state an all-off control. PELB0429's bullets do not, so do not assume one button kills the row. On the HBN leads, UK reviews say the USB ports stay powered. Two USB-A and two USB-C ports, 5 V / 3.4 A combined, are not on the remote, so all-off leaves the chargers live. ENER010 has no USB block. Range is a ceiling. ENER010's bullets say up to 30 m through walls. One UK review found the signal weak into a shed about 3 m away. PELB0429 prints up to 30 m in line of sight. The HBN listings print no range. Surge is claimed on all four, and none of the tables gives a joule rating. A review mention of 600 joules is not a field you can compare. PRO ELEC supplies a 23A cell. ENER010 reviews and the user guide name a CR2032. HBN's specification table does not name the cell.

What to do if you need it every day

A radio lead is a fair fix for a short, dry run beside furniture you already have a socket near. If the lead would live there for years, under a rug, or as the only way to run a heater, Electrical Safety First says to have more sockets installed by a registered electrician. Stop if the plastic smells hot or the sheath is damaged. A socket that stays on when the remote says off means unplug at the wall. That pattern is repeated in ENER010 reviews and appears in one PRO ELEC review after one to two years. None of the four tables prints an IP rating. Energenie states indoor use only. Do not amplify the handset.

Common questions

Is 13 A the same as 3,120 W on every lead?
On the HBN listings, 13 A and 3,120 W are printed together, and ENER010 prints 13 A and 3 kW. Those pairs describe one ceiling for the whole strip. PELB0429 prints 13 A and also 2.4 kW. Use the lower figure. Four or five sockets do not mean four or five separate 13 A feeds from the wall.
Why does a 5-gang print 2.4 kW?
The PRO ELEC bullets mark the lead 13 A and cap the maximum load at 2.4 kW. At 240 V that cap is about 10 A. A kettle can already approach it. The extra sockets are for lamps, chargers and similar low loads, checked against the carton length as well, because the title says 1 m.
Do the USB ports switch off?
On the HBN 3-gang and 4-gang, reviewers say the USB ports stay on and the remote switches the mains sockets. The combined USB line is 5 V / 3.4 A. ENER010 and PELB0429 do not offer that USB block, so there is nothing on those two for the handset to leave live.
How long is the cable, really?
HBN prints 2 m. Energenie prints 1.8 m for ENER010, which replaces the amazon item-length field of 2 cm. PELB0429's title and an OnBuy listing say 1 m, while one amazon bullet says 2 m. Measure your run and treat a conflict as unresolved until the carton is in your hand.
Does surge protection have a joule number?
Not in these four specification tables. All four claim surge protection. The HBN listings mention an indicator. A review mention of 600 joules is not a field you can compare. Do not choose among these leads by joules, and do not treat a surge claim as permission to overload the strip.

Related pages

Remote extension lead vs smart plug

Extension lead with remote control

Best remote control extension lead for a stated job

Remote extension lead for hard-to-reach wall sockets

How to use a remote control extension lead at home

Sources

Sources taken from the research digest. Listings were scored on 19 October 2026. This page did not run a lab test.

  1. Electrical Safety First — Extension leads, cable reels and block adaptors (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  2. Electrical Safety First — Overloading sockets (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  3. Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016, regulation 35 (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  4. Plugs and Sockets etc. (Safety) Regulations 1994 (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  5. London Fire Brigade — Cables, fuses and leads (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  6. Ofcom — Short-range devices (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  7. Energenie ENER010 (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  8. Energenie ENER010 instructions (retrieved 19.10.2026)