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How to use a remote control extension lead at home

Updated: 23 October 2026

How to use a remote control extension lead depends on which handset you bought. The HBN leads arrive pre-paired. ENER010 has a learning mode. PELB0429 supplies a 23A cell and, in one review, takes a little working out. Prices stay on the [extension lead with remote control comparison](/hub/sockets-and-extension-leads/extension-lead-with-remote-control). This page is the setup and the point where you stop. A purchase through our links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Nothing here was run on a bench. If you are still choosing, the [buying guide](/hub/sockets-and-extension-leads/extension-lead-with-remote-control/sub/extension-lead-with-remote-control-buying-guide) is the label check.

How to use a remote control extension lead depends on which handset you bought. The HBN leads arrive pre-paired. ENER010 has a learning mode. PELB0429 supplies a 23A cell and, in one review, takes a little working out.

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
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Energenie Energenie ENER010

Alternative

Energenie Energenie ENER010
8.4/10about £27.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Before you plug anything valuable in
  2. 2.Pairing, by brand
  3. 3.Where to put it
  4. 4.When a socket stays on

Before you plug anything valuable in

Plug the lead into a wall socket you can switch off, on a dry floor you can still reach. Pull any battery tab first. HBN says the remote is pre-paired, and one buyer had to bend a loose battery contact. ENER010's CR2032 goes in markings down. PRO ELEC includes a 23A cell. Test with a lamp, not a PC or a heater. The lamp should light, and the off button should darken it. ENER010 and both HBN models state all-off. PELB0429's bullets do not. If a socket stays on, unplug at the wall.

Pairing, by brand

HBN's retail copy says the remote arrives pre-paired. Do not copy a pairing sequence from a different HBN plug. If the handset is silent after the tab is out, reseat the cell and check the contact. If it still fails, return it. One dead-on-arrival report sits on the 3-gang's small review sample. ENER010 is the lead with a written learn mode. Plug it in and watch for a red LED flashing about once a second. If it does not, hold the green button for about six seconds, then press an ON button on the handset. The LED flashes faster and then goes out. You can pair the all-on control the same way. The guide says two handsets maximum. A third overwrites the first. Fit the CR2032 before you start. PRO ELEC supplies the 23A cell. These listings do not give a six-second learn sequence you can treat as official for that lead. Follow the leaflet in the carton, and do not invent the Energenie green-button hold. Ofcom treats this class of handset as a licence-exempt short-range device. Do not add an aerial or an amplifier.
HBN HBN 4-socket lead

Testsieger

HBN HBN 4-socket lead
9.2/10about £28.99
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Where to put it

Keep the bar where the flex is slack. HBN prints 2 m. Energenie prints 1.8 m for ENER010. PELB0429's title says 1 m and one bullet says 2 m. Do not join two leads. Electrical Safety First says one extension per wall socket. A UK review lost ENER010's link into a shed about 3 m through a wall, despite a bullet of up to 30 m. None of the four tables prints an IP rating, so the bar stays indoors. Then switch the wall socket off and on with a lamp plugged in. One HBN 4-gang review and one PRO ELEC review say the sockets stay off until you use the remote. An older ENER010 sheet says memory is kept, and the sheets differ. Whether the lead should live behind the sofa is the hard-to-reach sockets page.

When a socket stays on

A socket that stays live when the remote says off is a stop. ENER010 reviews repeat it, including a laptop charger left in socket 1. One PRO ELEC review describes a socket stuck after one to two years. Do not tap the case or open the strip. Unplug at the wall. Electrical Safety First's danger signs are hot plastic, scorch marks, a damaged sheath, or a fuse that blows again. A warm wall socket is a job for a registered electrician. County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue says to use a ready-made lead and not to tape a join.

Common questions

Do I need to pair an HBN lead?
The bullets say it arrives pre-paired. You still remove the battery tab, and one review had to bend a loose contact. If it stays silent after that, return it. Do not copy a pairing sequence from a different HBN plug.
How do I pair ENER010?
Plug it in and look for a red LED flashing about once a second. If it is dark, hold the green button for about six seconds, then press an ON button. The LED should flash faster and go out. The guide allows two handsets. A third overwrites the first. The cell is a CR2032, markings down.
What battery does the handset take?
ENER010 uses a CR2032. PRO ELEC supplies a 23A cell. HBN reviews describe a small cell, and one 4-gang review mentions a 12 V cell without a shop size in the specification table. Buy the named cell when the listing names it, and keep a spare if the lamp is the one you need at night.
Why is one socket stuck on?
Reviews on ENER010 describe a socket that stays live, and one PRO ELEC review describes the same after one to two years. That is a reason to unplug at the wall. It is not a button you have missed, once the other sockets still obey the handset.
Will it remember the sockets after a power cut?
Test it. HBN 4-gang and PRO ELEC reviews say the sockets stay off until you use the remote. An older ENER010 sheet says memory is kept, and the instructions are not identical across sheets. A lamp, ten seconds, and the wall switch will tell you what your unit does.

Related pages

Best remote control extension lead

Extension lead with remote control

Extension lead with remote control UK buying guide

Remote extension lead for hard-to-reach wall sockets

Remote extension lead vs a smart plug: radio or app

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)