Kasa Smart HS100 WiFi Smart Plug, Classic 1-Pack, White

Works smoothly with Alexa. After you install the TP-LINK software / app, Alexa is able to link with the cloud based TP-Link app and discovers the devices registered with TP-Link. Alexa will discover the device name(s) given at the TP-Link site. If you want to change the device name, because some may sound similar and Alexa has trouble to understand correctly, youll have to visit TP-Link to change the name and have Alexa possibly re-discover. I have a few of them smart plugs to switch certain lights on / off that dont have a dedicated light switch. If I remember correctly, the plug is rated at 1800 Watt and can switch heavier loads than light bulbs. There are other switches / plugs on the market that may be a little less expensive, but I didnt want to mess around with there link apps for security reasons. TP-LINK is in the business for network devices some time and I trust (hopefully) they made the app reasonably secure against hacker. I believe it is best to keep any of your skills to a minimum (in particular the free with adds), so I just use TP-Link products since they can be controlled by one app / skill. Each device acquires a seat in your router (with DHCP enabled IP-Addressing) also using the embedded MAC (Media Access Control Number) to keep it reasonably safe from intruders. Most routers can assign 255 IPs hence 255 devices. I havent tried, but one could probably run the devices on MAC. As of the time of this review, all is working as intended! Alexa can hear my commands over a distance of a little more than 10 feet, although I have to admit, she is a little shielded from my voice. (Placement for strong router signal) Since I am somewhat lazy, I purchased a second Echo-Dot with a little bluetooth speaker for my Bedroom. This way I tell Alexa to switch off my bedroom light and play some music for a given time. I also, have some difficult to reach light switches e.g. behind doors and replaced them with TP-LINK WiFi light switches.

UPDATE: Because I liked the Smart Plug so much, I decided to buy the smaller TP-Link Smart Plug Mini and love it even more. The mini works just like the standard sized Smart Plug and uses the same app, but the smaller size allows you to access both of your outlet plugs without it blocking anything. You can plug in two Smart Plug Minis into the same outlet! Although its a little more pricey, its well worth the cost. The TP-Link Smart Plug: so good that I ordered a second unit a day later. After receiving an Echo Dot for Christmas, the family and I have been enjoying the many perks Alexa has - voice commanded music, daily weather and news updates, sport score updates, timers that could be set that didnt require me to wash my food prep messy hands...the list goes on. I was fortunate enough to get one Alexa enabled light bulb as a gift as well, but really didnt want to buy more bulbs since I knew once the bulb burned out that it was done. Enter the TP-Link Plug. This unit makes any three pronged outlet one that is Alexa enabled. Anything that can be plugged in can be used with this outlet, but must be able to stay in the on position. For those with newer televisions that will receive power, but not actually turn on when initially plugged in, this wont work for you. This also applies to coffee makers, toaster ovens, and so forth that require you to actually turn it on and cannot stay in a perpetual on position. I used my TP-Link as a switch for a lamp thats in a difficult to access corner of my house. Once the lamp was switched in the on position, it would go on and off depending on whether I commanded Alexa to turn the outlet on or off. In addition to being Alexa enabled, this switch can also be remotely controlled by your cell phone/tablet using the Kasa app. This is really useful when working late - I can turn on my lights on the drive home from work so my house wont be dark when I walk inside. This app also enables me to set my lights on using away timers while Im on vacation. For those who have multiple TP-Link products, you can make customized settings for turning on/off devices in the morning, the evening, for movie nights, and so forth. You can set schedules, on/off timer, and see how long youve left your devices plugged in and running. Installation takes less than five minutes - simply plug the unit in, download and install the Kasa App, then follow the directions on the app to connect to your wifi. Overall, this is a cost effective and clever unit to use if youre looking to control your electric and electronic devices from afar, whether using Alexa or your phone.

The Body: Its 2019 and this plug cannot be used in a wall outlet with other plugs. The bottom of the device is rounded to give a sleek, aesthetic look but prevents any use of the outlet below it. I dont understand why its 2019 and we still have cable/cord manufacturers who cannot design a product or adapter that doesnt hinder the user of adjacent plugs. This device can only be used in one orientation, meaning on a standard US plug, with two outlets, you have to use the top one and because of the extended bottom, you cannot use the second outlet. Wifi: So far, the connection seems alright but the setup in the app required the first plug to update firmware. After waiting, it failed to update. When I found the place to try it again, the device no longer needed a firmware update. I have no idea if the update passed but didnt send the right code for the app to confirm it installed, or what. I guess well never know. Kasa App: During the setup process, youre asked to create an account. It also asks for your location so it can sync the time. You can skip it at that point but you are REQUIRED to enable location services in the app to add a device, with no option to skip. I also dont trust the reason provided for needing the permission as you could allow manual timezone additions. I might return the product just for this fact as theres no reason an app on my device needs location services turned on for a smart plug that wont be moving. If you truly needed the location for time settings then you would let us manually enter the timezone. Conclusion: I have no idea why this has the star count it does. I was frustrated by the design, frustrated by the app, and frustrated by the permissions. I wish electrical cable manufacturers would care about their customers enough to design their products in a way that doesnt prevent the use of adjacent outlets. Either you dont want to or you simply dont care. Based on the design of this product, I can see no reason the bottom of the device had to be the way it is but I guess Ill break out the Dremel and shave off the bottom of the outlet (if I can) so I am not out two different outlets.

At first, I had a lot of trouble getting it to work. Please note: these things do NOT work with custom firmware routers (DD-WRT, OpenWRT, etc.) I had DD-WRT on my router, and I just couldnt get it to work no matter what. It couldnt connect to the router, and I have no clue why. So I flashed my router back to stock firmware, et voila. It worked just as expected. You download the Kasa app, plug in the plug, and go through the on-screen instructions to set it up! Its very simple. It then gives you the ability to turn on and off things you plug into it remotely (I used mine for a space heater). You can also setup a schedule for it to turn on. For me, I have my heater turn on at 630am so its not cold when its time to get out of bed. This is also good for automated lights and other things. PACKAGING: the packaging it comes in is very good, and very nice looking. The instructions are semi-ambiguous, but they can be. The app walks you step by step through setup. This plug is not compatible with 5GHz WiFi networks...so you need to have a 2.4GHz WiFi network in order to use this. Honestly this part is my own mistake, but I only bought the Smart Plug, and not the model with energy monitoring...DO NOT make this mistake. Its literally 4 cents more to get the one with energy monitoring, and it would be well worth it just for some cool extra information about your plug and monitoring it. Currently, you can only see how long its been on...not that useful for much. Anyways, amazing product, very nice and convenient, and glad I purchased. Giving it 4 stars because the headache I had with DD-WRT and because a model without a feature is the same price* as the model with a feature...very unfortunate as I dont want to wait to send this back and forth.

Initially I left a horrible review. Im not ashamed to retract and admit it was my User error. I mixed and matched with Wemo light switch and didnt realize I choose a less expensive TP Link outlet plug. I tried connecting it via Wemo app periodically for 2 days with no sucess. I decided to write a bad review and return it. I began looking for a different brand when I realized the price difference between Wemo and this tp link. It hit me I did pay the lesser of the two, I mixed the two product brands! Duh!!! Immediately I went on YouTube , viewed the directions and set this up in 5 minutes. I linked it to my network and my Alexa. The easiest thing Ive ever done. I purchased this for my young son who was scared to go to the bathroom at night because of the dark. He would wake my wife and I up at night to escort him to the restroom. That started getting old quick. Now he tells Alexa to turn on the lights; no longer afraid and goes on his own. This is an awesome product and made me feel like a great Dad. As a young child I too was afraid of the dark, sometimes still am, lol. My father use to scold me, be a man, there are no monsters. I didnt want to take any chances, so like many kids, I suffered some nights holding it in. As parents, I feel we must be more understanding and not unintentionally traumatize our children by becoming an unsympathetic monster. I am so great full we have this technology. I hope to make my entire house Smart. This is the way of the future, embrace it! I highly recommend this product.

Before we get into what I dont like about this, it should be known that I love this plug. We use it on a bedside lamp combined with an Echo, and Alexa turns our light on and off every morning and evening without fumbling for the pull chain. Its great. I just have seen a few ways it could be better. Software can be a bit finicky - has a tendency to reset with a power loss, but not every power loss. And even then you just need to reintialize - all of the data is still saved about the device name. After initial setup, the next one I use will be much easier (already having an account, having the phone app, etc.). Naming was easy, and the app even comes with little icons to remind you what is plugged into the outlet. Biggest issue, and the only reason were not at 5 stars is the plug covers both wall outlets. The housing is too big on the bottom to allow even an ungrounded connection beneath it. You could get short, grounded extension cables (6 or 12) to overcome this, but it starts to become ridiculous. Fortunately the plug we use only had the lamp on it, but its still annoying. Would also be nice if the plug was actually on one of the sides instead of head-in. Naturally, this unit sticks out from the wall, but then once you have your switched device plugged in, the wires extend pretty far. If the switched device plugged into the side, you could avoid the wires coming out several inches from the wall. Maybe thats another reason to get the short extension cord. So plan for this to be in a hidden location where you only need to have one device plugged in, and its a winner.

As with nearly every Amazon purchase Ive made, this arrived timely. I was able to install the Kasa app on my Samsung Galaxy S5 without any trouble, but activating the plug wasnt frustration-free. Following the instructions on my Samsung, I was able to complete all but the last installation step. After three unsuccessful attempts to connect the plug, I contacted customer service. The recording assured me I was number one in line for a representative but I still waited a few moments for someone to speak with me. I clearly explained my difficulty (unable to connect to Wi-Fi) and the steps Id taken. The rep asked me to reset the plug, and then I was met with silence. After six minutes, I disconnected and called back (hallelujah! I was number one in line again!), and repeated what had happened on my first call. The rep dug through some instruction sheets, had me repeat the same steps for the fourth time, then said that my best option was to return the plug for a replacement. I persisted on my own and found a tip: link the smart plug while its in an outlet near your Wi-Fi router, then move it to your desired location. I did that, and voila! installation complete. Next step: go into the Alexa app, select Smart Home and then your device links and enable the plug. No problems there, either. Absolutely yes, it works with the Echo device. So why four stars and not five? First, customer service was not helpful. I easily found the tip that resulted in success, it seems that customer service could have done the same instead of suggesting I exchange the plug. And second, regardless of the March 10 comment from Kasa (see Earthlings review), the smart plug DOES block the second outlet. As much as Id enjoy having the majority of my electrical devices on a smart plug, I dont like the idea of blocking two outlets with one device.

I bought this since I liked the idea of automating my home using the existing Wi-Fi network without the need to set up some expensive hub or system. We did not start out on the right foot, however. The electronic outlets in my apartment are placed two in a row, i.e. horizontally instead of vertically - the Smart Plug is so bulky that I can only use one Smart Plug per plate, and I can only squeeze in a smaller plug for the second outlet. Not great at all, particularly since I am already using outlet taps to maximize the number of electric equipment I can use for each outlet. I ended up using these Smart Plugs on extension cords to get around the issue. Another problem I then have is that the Smart Plugs cannot connect to hidden networks. I have one known (password protected) network, and a second hidden network. The hidden network is intended for my equipment, whereas the known network is for friends and visitors. I have to use the known network for the Smart Plugs, and put my phone onto the known network as well for this to work. I can live with it, but not cool. Having said that, once I got past these issues (and I actually started a return before I decided to try it one more time), the Smart Plugs are great. I like the fact that I can switch on a number of lights at once that I would otherwise have to switch on individually. I also like the fact that I can set this to a schedule especially when I am traveling. Already I am thinking that I can link this up to the fan, more lights in other rooms of the apartment and perhaps even my humidifier. Theres a lot of potential in this and overall, Im glad I got these! I got these when they went on sale for around $19.99 each (they are currently $29.99 each), and Ill get more when theres a sale again!

UPDATE 10/22/16 Recently I wanted to do more things with my Smart plugs. I wanted things like a geo-fence, so my lights and stereo would come on when I arrive home, allowing me to walk into a welcoming home. What I discovered is that without a hub or IFTTT, this is impossible right now. So I looked into hubs, only to discover that the TP-Link products do not work with ANY hub! I was shocked. For such a great product to be incompatible with any popular hub on the market is inconceivable to me. The same story with IFTTT. So as much as I enjoy my 5 TP-Link Plugs, I may have to replace them to achieve a better smart home. CAVEAT EMPTOR!. I have written the company asking for them to upgrade the firmware to be HUB compatible. ORIGINAL REVIEW: I have only had this for a few weeks, but I absolutely love it. I currently have two of these and I am looking to buy more. This is incredibly easy to set up using the Kasa app on your phone. Once youve accomplished that, the next step is connecting it to Amazon Echo, which is just as easy. Just open Echos app on your phone, tap on Smart home, then Discover, and youre off to the races! The final step is to create a group in the Amazon echo app so that you turn multiple items on or off. I only wish it could change the channel on my TV! LOL. This is a definite recommended product to anyone, and if you have Amazon echo its a no-brainer. Especially since no hub is required for it to work with Echo.

Got this device with an Echo Dot during Black Friday. Thought that since it was wifi-enabled, it would work via device discovery like Belkin WeMo devices however this was not the case. First I have to download an app, create an account, then provide your Amazon account credentials to TP-Link/Kasa (who Ive never heard of until now). NOPE. Ive got a Wink setup here and all I had to do was allow Amazon to talk to Wink, not the other way around. Had I known that Id be required to set up yet another account AND provide Amazon credentials to a third party Kasa, I would not have bothered installing it and getting it set up and would have gone with a Z-wave appliance controller that just requires simple pairing. Ehh, at least it was free. Ill find a use for it Id imagine or give it away to someone else. EDIT as of 6/30/19: My security concerns about TP-Links Kasa have been resolved. You authenticate via the Alexa app, not via the TP-Link app. Oauth is set up correctly so your Amazon credentials are safe with Amazon. Now that Ive setup the pairing, the device works well. I can direct Alexa to turn the device on and off by whatever name Ive given it in the Kasa app. I have the app but its only for configuration checking now as my primary use is via Alexa. Changing my review to 5 stars as the security issue has been addressed!