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

This has been working well so far, and since its able to interface it with both Alexa and IFTTT, its extremely flexible to automate! I do wish it came with an Ethernet port to set it up though, because for me, the wireless setup was very frustrating! In order to supply your routers credentials to this outlet, setup requires you to connect a wireless device to a temporary Wi-Fi network with the plug. Doesnt sound too difficult, but it took me several dozen attempts to successfully connect to the outlet! After a failed connection, youre given the option to set up manually, which consists of manually switching your network to the one supplied by the outlet. However, my connection kept telling me that I was in fact connected to the device, with no internet connectivity. Great, I wouldnt expect internet, but if Im connected, why does the setup keep telling me that Im not connected. The setup also helpfully states that maybe you should try again while being closer to the outlet. I literally had my phone resting on the device! So, I tried various outlets throughout my home in case I just happened to be trying to set it up in a wireless black hole, but to no avail. The only other wireless device that I have that I could use to set it up is a Kindle Fire tablet. Unfortunately, for some reason, the TP-Link Kasa app, that is used to setup and control the device, doesnt exist on the Amazon marketplace... Just when I reached my limit after dozens of setup attempts and was going to box the outlet back up and return it, it finally allowed me to input my routers credentials and connect it to my home network! Since attaching to my network, Ive had no issues whatsoever with the outlet! So while I like the device itself, and it works great, Im subtracting a star because the setup was beyond frustrating... If this device worked well, I was planning on purchasing some more. At this point, I dont know if Ill do that because while Im satisfied by the way the outlet is working, Im literally dreading trying to set another one up.

I bought one and liked it so much, I went out and bought several more. It was equally easy to set up either using the included Kasa app, which was very intuitive and great for easy scheduling and simply turning on and off. But I really purchased it for the Amazon Echo integration and this was seamless. I admit, I couldnt get it to work at first so I called TP LInk customer support which was excellent and they lead me through the problem very quickly. When I bought more, I again couldnt remember and this time I called Amazon Echo customer support. They too were able to quickly help. Both times the problem was that I forgot to check off that I wanted remote access enabled. I use these on several devices but mainly for my AC units. I didnt think it would work since they are all digital but they do - The AC units (which are all 5 years old and from several different makers including both off-brands and major brand names) are designed to recognize when the power has been cut and will turn back on once the power has been restored, making these smart plugs ideal to use for scheduling purposes. The only con is that they take up both sockets which is problematic. Even on most power strips. The solution for myself was to buy a 10 pack of these short extension cords which were on sale for $13.99 and were great for these and many other devices that take up too much room on a power strip: https://www.amazon.com/Etekcity-Extension-Listed-Upgraded-Version/dp/B00CEJW0WQ

* Edit: updated to add extra stars because TP-Link support has been very helpful and I resolved the issue with them Ive had the same exact problem as Tom happen with mine, it consistently drops off the network. See Toms comment on the link below: http://www.amazon.com/TP-LINK-Amazon-Electronics-Anywhere-HS100/product-reviews/B0178IC734/ref=cm_cr_dp_qt_hist_one?ie=UTF8&filterByStar=one_star&showViewpoints=0 I can watch it on the Kasa app, it will drop off from availability in Kasa something like 70% of the time Im looking at it. Going to try to reinstall the Kasa app like customer support has suggested, but if this doesnt work Id really like to get this working instead of returning it and waiting for another. Here is my situation: - Smart Plug is connected to my 2.4GHz connection. - SSID is hidden but I got Kasa to connect by temporarily showing the network SSID, connecting, then re-hiding the SSID. - This connection is secured by WPA2-AES and is using 802.11 b, g, and n protocols (all of which are supposedly supported by the HS100). - DHCP has more than enough IP address allocation for this device to join the network. - HS100 is plugged in directly below the shelf where the router sits. This means it is about a foot away from the router and rules out any chance that out of range errors are valid. Possible issues: - If any ports need to be opened to allow this traffic through the router, I have not been informed about them (there shouldnt be anyway). - Are the TP-Link servers experiencing connectivity issues on their end? If the plug is unable to reach them because their servers are having problems, that would explain why I keep seeing Local only when I want to use the Remote services. - The app seems to be not quite 100% polished, could there be some flawed logic in it? I did notice a spelling mistake of youre instead of youre, are there other things that need to be fixed in the app? I will continue working with customer support on this, and will change my review if we get it working.

Works as advertised. Set up was easy and painless. Usage is pretty straightforward. I do like that I can use Google Assistant with it, too. Being able to tell Google Assistant to turn on the porch/garage light without having to touch my phone as I drive up to the house or to say turn everything off when going to bed is super convenient. That said, I do have a few gripes: 1. The plug is rather large and will block the other outlet in a duplex outlet. I guess the solution is to get the (slightly_more_expensive) mini version of this. 2. These can only be controlled via mobile app. A desktop app or browser plugin would be great. 3. (Android) The app widget takes up a 4x2 space and contains 4 *scenes. While you can resize the widget to be bigger (as big as the screen, if you wish), theres really no point because it doesnt add more scenes despite the extra space. Its limited to 4. No more, no less. This makes no sense. For me, I only really need one scene and currently theres no way to make the widget smaller with less than 4 scenes. 4. Scenes cannot enable an auto-timer (or, for smart bulbs, do complex behaviors such as scrolling through bulb colors. A sleep timer that ends with a gradual dimming would be amazing). You also cannot schedule scenes, if you want scheduling, you need to do it for each plug/bulb individually. Gripes aside, Im actually very pleased with the line of TP-Links smart products. I just hope Ill see issues 2-4 mentioned above resolved in a future update. *Scenes are programmable switches that can turn on/off TP-Link Smart Plugs and/or TP-Link Smart Bulbs for particular situations. For example, if you come home at night, you can have a scene to turn on your garage and patio lights, dim the lights (eg: 15%) for watching a movie, or just turn everything off when you go to bed. You can do any combination of plugs or bulbs. Scenes for smart plugs are limited to on/off actions only. Scenes for smart bulbs can do on/off and brightness level/color temp/color (depending on your bulb model).

I have several of the HS100, with the oldest now having been in use for over 14 months. They work well with my Amazon Echo units, although there are the occasional hiccups, the most frequent I expect are on the Amazon side. In order of frequency, the most common problem is telling the Echo to turn on or off a switch, and it responds with OK, but the switch doesnt take the appropriate action. Given my experience with the Echo and a couple of other smart devices, it seems the Echo simply sends the command without confirming it was received at the other end. As the app for the product gives clear feedback on the status of a switch, it is clear this should be possible, but either the Alexa API doesnt implement such a function or 3 different vendors have chosen not to utilize it. A less frequent, but perhaps more annoying problem Ive encountered lately is that when going from the living room the the bathroom, I tell my Echo, turn on bathroom (which is using a TP-Link wall switch) followed by turn off lamp as I approach the bathroom. For some reason it sometimes turns off the bathroom instead of the lamp in the living room, despite lamp and bathroom not sounding similar. While that issue is clearly on the Amazon Alexa side, it bears mentioned, as many buyers of this product will be using it with an Echo. The least frequent issue is the dreaded TP-Link is not responding. Thankfully, this happens rarely, although Ive noticed the single HS110 seems to be more prone to it than the other units, despite being only 8 feet from my router. I suspect that unit might have a defect, however, as it also sometimes has an issue with a device Ive just turned off coming back on (and sometimes then switching back off again after a bit, and sometimes repeating the cycle for a while). Although I have limited experience with it, the app seems to be quite reliable for control. As noted earlier, it gives feedback as to the current status of a switch. I also confirmed that unlike some apps (like the one for a couple of Voltson smart switches sold on Amazon by Etekcity), the Kasa app for the TP-Link switches works even without an internet connection. If you have an outlet in a location that is inconvenient to access, this benefit is not to be underestimated. On the matter of accessing the outlet, that highlights one of the benefits of the TP-Link vs. many other smart outlets: The manual switch is easy to see and access. In comparison to the other type smart switch I use (mentioned in the previous paragraph) which has a small unlighted button the same color as the body of the switch and located below the plug, the TP-Links lighted switch placed above is easy to find even in the dark and easy to access. The biggest downside of the TP-Link is its size. In standard outlet, even when placed in the upper socket, plugging anything into the lower one is problematic. I found I could plug in some standard plugs, but only if I pulled the TP-Link out at least slightly while doing so, and again while removing the plug. (The TP-Link could be fully plugged in while the plug was in place). I strongly suggest anyone using a TP-Link HS100 or HS110 consider investing in either of these outlet expanders:

Update 03.27.17 From 5 stars to 1 star and now at 4stars. After the fix provided by Customer Service all seems well but time will tell. The Fix: You can download the upgrade tool here: http://static.tp-link.com/iotUpgradeTool_V1.0.zip Please note the upgrade tool is currently compatible with Windows systems only, and the computer must be on the same network as the smart device(s). After downloading the tool, extract the compressed folder using a decompression utility such as 7zip or WinRAR, and run the main executable file. Please allow firewall access if prompted by Windows. Once the program is open, click Scan, then select the smart device you want to update, and click Upgrade. If you have more than one smart device that needs updating, simply repeat these steps for each one. Once the update is completed, your smart device may need to be re-configured. If so, please use the Kasa app to re-configure the smart device. Update 03.20.17 Worst purchase ever from Tp-Link besides the new smart bulls. They are both horrible if you lose service for more than a few hours. I had to have my modem/router replaced and once all was said and done all of my original smart plugs were back online and communicating with Echo. However, after several resets, following Tp-Links instructions, my three (3) smart bulbs and my one (1) mini smart plug are still not responsive. Well, not entirely true, they are responsive after the initial reset but if I turn my phone off or leave the house, nothing. Of course they are visible on the app but unreachable. The smaller size of the new smart plugs is great but they are not worth the hassle. If this was a one-time thing maybe but I happened to live in an area that losing power for hours if not days during storms and I can’t see going through this frustration after each incident. For now I am only out a little over $100 and I am thankful this happened now before invested any more money in these products. The convenience of the smaller sized of the mini plugs and the no plug needed bulbs was sop great I naturally wanted more of them. Now, if youre wondering why my others devices worked with my new router instantly, the cable guy replaced the name or something on the new router with the name and password of my old router so I wouldnt have to reset everything. He did mention if I had a hub I would only have to redo the hub but that would still leave all of other devices, i.e. echoes, dot, thermostat, Kuna lights and everything else that runs off Wi-Fi. I know this review has crossed over between the mini plugs and the smart bulbs but since they responded the same way to my outage I thought it appropriate. However, I will be updating my review for the bulbs as well if I left one if not, I will be leaving one. I love these plugs. Set up was easy. I ordered one, then two, and now I am on my third. Having the app is great and the ability to work around my scheduled settings has proven to be a much needed asset. Im sure there may be at least one more in my future, maybe two :). And how could I forget to mention these plugs work with my Echo, even better. My house may be old but she is smart!

I continue to love these units. Originally, I had a problem remembering that my beds headboard light was on a smartplug, but eventually, that problem disappeared because I decided to make it a non-smart light. (It is now my power-failure security light, the only light I can turn on when the power fails, plugged into a UPS). I love being able to ask Alexa (my Echo device) to turn lights on and off while Im in bed. I have four of these units and two of their smart lightbulbs. I have * my bedroom ceiling (smartbulb) * living room ceiling (smartbulb) * my office recliner (smart plug) which has a second normal light. * bathroom hanging light (smart plug) * christmas tree (smart plug) which will go back to controlling a different light in January) * security camera (smart plug) Two of the lights I have set to random on-and-off times so that when Im not home, the lights are going on and off. Unfortunately, the random vacation mode does not appear to be a choice for the lightbulbs) but I have them on a fixed schedule. Finally, I also have some of the lights grouped as Everything so I can turn a bunch of things off at once. That is a great feature. I can turn things on and off by group name or by item name, and all the names are things that I defined. When I do decide to use a smart plug in a different place, its easy to rename it on my smartphone, then Alexa figures it out without my having to tell her anything. I love these units, especially the fact that I dont need to have a special controller to use them, and I dont have to use contorted commands, like Alexa ask whatever to do whatever that is required by some remote control devices. (I dont use another device that requires such contortion).

OK, my error in not reading the reviews before I ordered this. I needed another DOT and fell the the promotion to purchase a smart plug at the same time for $35. Since the Dot is $30, the plug was only $5 so I thought I would give it a try. Bad move. If you are thinking on purchasing any TP LInk product check out their forums page first and you will see frustrated people trying to get this thing to work on their network. Since I cant post the forum link directly, try searching for tp-link forum and you should find it. Ive tried restarting the setup process several times, clearing things, changing settings, etc. and nothing seems to make this plug work on my network. You must enable remote control for the device in order for Alexa to recognize the plug. The problem is, I cannot turn on the remote control setting. The app keeps telling me the plug has no internet connection. The problem seems to be getting the smart plug to work with my router. I see several messages about people buying a new router to get this plug to work properly. Then I see instructions for fooling around with router settings etc. etc. etc. Im not about to purchase a new router because this device cannot work properly with the one I have (only a couple of years old). Ill probably not return this as it does work with the phone app, but that is not what I wanted (I wanted it to work with Alexa). At this point I am completely turned off on these smart plugs. Ill do some searching to see if there are other devices that work properly, but you would think that something that is marketed by Amazon as working with Alexa would actually work but I guess not. UPDATE OK, I opened the package at 11 am this morning. It is now 7:45 pm and I just got this device to work with Alexa. I figure I have spent at least 5 hours searching for the solution, which I found on the forum website. Maybe you will have better luck with the setup of this so-called smart plug but dont count on it. The problem is definitely related to the router that is in use. If you have the wrong one, then you are going to have problems. Because of the setup issues I still leave the rating as 1 star. UPDATE 2 days later OK, I would now give this device minus 5 stars as it stopped working with Alexa today and back to the old problem. No new equipment installed, I havent changed any settings on Alexa, Router or the device. It just decided to give up on its own. UPDATE 12 days later I pretty much gave up getting Alexa to control this device. Sometimes it worked and sometimes it didnt. The problem is, Alexa would frequently not tell you if it was successful or not when asking to turn off the plug. I wanted the plug to control my stereo so I wouldnt have to turn it off manually. It got to the point where I had to go check to see if it turned off. Now, what good is that? As I stated before, it works fine with my phone but having Alexa CONSISTENTLY control this device is impossible as it keeps loosing its integration with Alexa. I did receive a nice email from Amazon with suggestions on how to set it up. Of course, I have already gone through those procedures too many times to bother trying them again. These devices remind me of the bad old days when trying to setup a PC. Seems that companies continue to make the same errors over and over again.

OK, here is the scoop from a non-technical person. This is a great little gizmo although I think it is a bit expensive. The price I pay for being an early adopter of technology I suppose. It arrived packed well from Amazon. The product packaging is mostly recyclable cardboard and easy to open. The instructions are a bit vague, but with a little trial and error I got it working in about 10 minutes. Here are a few helpful bits of information. Yes, you have to download the KASA app to your phone. No, the KASA app is not available in the Amazon app store (shame on you Amazon); you must go to one of those other 2 app stores. Yes you have to create an account with KASA using your e-mail address, but so far I havent gotten any SPAM from them. Yes, you need your Wi-Fi password. Yes, it has to be 2.4 not 5.0. If you have X-finity (Comcast) you probably have both. Getting the outlet to work with my phone was really easy. Getting it to work with Alexa (Amazon Echo) was a bit confusing. There are all kinds of posts saying you no longer needed to enable the KASA skill. That is all wrong, you do. Once I figured out that was the issue, everything was easy. Problem for me was that I pushed the button to try and connect to Alexa and that restarted the discovery in the KASA app. No way out so I had to delete and redo. Not a big deal: hit the button, give it a name, pick an icon, done. HINT: Use a simple name when setting up the outlet. I named mine the lights. Now when I walk onto the room I simply say Alexa, turn on the lights. And like magic, the lights come on. If I had named it the northwest corner outlet then it wouldnt be nearly as much fun. As I get more of these, I may have to be a bit more clever in the names, but since I have just one, it all works out. As an aside, names are not lifelong commitments. If I ever want to change the name I can just push the button and pick a new name. What I thought was really cool was that I never had to tell Alexa the name. I enabled the KASA skill. I opened the Alexa app. From the home screen I opened the menu (the three lines in front of the word HOME) and then tapped Smart Home. It gives 3 choices, I picked discover devices. It asked me for the e-mail and password I created in the KASA app. Alexa took care of the rest. The usage data in the app is interesting, I guess. Like I said, I have a lamp plugged into it. It is kind of interesting to know how long the light was on, but I am having a hard time convincing myself I care. I also have not used any -f the timers or other features in the app. My main goal was to have a fairly cheap, easy way to use Alexa to turn lights on/off. And, although I think it is still a bit expensive, at least I didnt have to invest in any other hardware to make it work..

I own three of these plugs, the oldest is about a year old, and they work very well. They are very easy to connect to setup and the Kasa app is simple to use, and has a lot of great features. I use these to control some lights, fans and space heaters, so I can have them on timers to turn on in the morning/evening. Its also really nice to be able to turn on your space heater when youre away from home, say if youre returning from a trip and want the house to be warm when you get back. It also integrates with IFTTT. So for example, I have a Wifi Security camera that can detect smoke alarm sounds. I have it set up so that if the camera detects the smoke alarm going off, it will automatically turn off my smart outlets so any fans or heaters I have connected can turn off. You can easily set it up so that something turns on when you get home, and turns off when you leave, etc. The away mode feature is really nice, just set the time that you will be away and it can randomly turn on and off a light to make it look like you are home. There are a few missing features that other smart plugs offer. One is an energy monitor, this plug will tell you how long something has been on, but not how much energy its drawing. Also, the away mode instructions are bit confusing. It seems to indicate that you cant run away mode past midnight, into the next day. I.e., you can set up away mode from 5:30PM to 11:59PM. But you cant set it to run from 5:30PM to 6AM, so its not all that useful if youre actually gone all night. The instructions in the app are confusing in this regard, thats really the only major downside.