Manufacturer | TP-LINK Canada |
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Place of Business | Richmond Hill, ON L4B 1J5, CA |
Part Number | HS100 |
Product Dimensions | 7.62 x 6.6 x 9.91 cm; 181.44 Grams |
Batteries | 1 Lithium Ion batteries required. |
Item model number | HS100 |
Is discontinued by manufacturer | No |
Size | 1-Pack |
Colour | white |
Style | Smart Plug |
Material | other-materials |
Voltage | 120 Volts |
Item Package Quantity | 1 |
Number of Pieces | 1 |
Mounting Type | Plug In Mount |
Switch Style | Remote |
Included Components | Smart Plug HS100, Quick Start Guide |
Batteries Included? | No |
Batteries Required? | No |
Battery Cell Type | Lithium Ion |
Warranty Description | 2 years |
Item Weight | 181 g |
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TP-Link Smart Plug (1-Pack) -- No Hub Required, Wi-Fi, Control your Devices from Anywhere, Works with Alexa and Google Assistant (HS100)
Purchase options and add-ons
Brand | Kasa Smart |
Colour | white |
Voltage | 120 Volts |
Material | other-materials |
Connector type | Plug In |
Amperage | 15 Amps |
About this item
- Turn electronics on or off from anywhere with your tablet or smartphone using the free Kasa app (iOS, Android)
- Use Away-Mode to turn devices on and off at different times to give the appearance that someone is home while you are away
- Check on devices remotely, create schedules, and set timers.
- Conserve Energy and Save and save money on your next bill
- Add voice control to electronic devices by pairing with Amazon Echo (sold separately).
Customer ratings by feature
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This Item Kasa Smart TP-Link Smart Plug (1-Pack) -- No Hub Required, Wi-Fi, Control your Devices from Anywhere, Works with Alexa and Google Assistant (HS100) | Recommendations | dummy | dummy | dummy | dummy | |
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Price | $55.00$55.00 | $63.07$63.07 | $59.99$59.99 | $46.00$46.00 | -33% $9.99$9.99 List: $14.99 | $62.83$62.83 |
Delivery | Get it by Sunday, Mar 31 | Get it by Friday, Mar 29 | Get it by Sunday, Mar 31 | Get it by Sunday, Mar 31 | — | FREE Delivery |
Customer ratings | ||||||
Easy to use | 4.2 | — | — | 4.2 | 4.4 | — |
Easy to install | 4.1 | — | — | 4.3 | 4.4 | — |
Remote Control | — | — | 5.0 | 4.6 | 4.5 | — |
Alexa integration | — | — | 5.0 | 4.4 | 4.4 | — |
Timer function | — | — | 4.2 | 4.5 | 4.4 | — |
Sold by | Trust Source Solutions | Amazon.ca | Fire Glamour | Meritum Shop | Amazon.ca | JBMO Sales (fast shipping) |
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Product guides and documents
Product description
Control electronics from anywhere using your tablet or smartphone with the HS100 Smart Plug. Turn devices on/off, check status, create schedules and set timers using the Kasa App. Gain peace of mind by checking on your devices remotely and always coming home to a well-lit house. Use away-mode to make it look like you are home when you travel, and have lights turn on/off at set times to conserve energy and save on your next bill. Add voice control to any electronic device by pairing with Amazon Echo.
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From the manufacturer
Product Specifications:
- Plugs into any standard wall outlet
- Supports up to 15A of power to devices
- Compatible with Android 4.1 and higher or iOS 9 and higher
- Existing Wi-Fi network required
Save Money by Running the House on Your Schedule
The HS100 allows you to create schedules to automatically power on or off your home electronics and appliances at anytime. You can create a schedule for each device any day of the week, or customize it by a specific time in a day.
Keep energy bills low by effectively managing devices that use the most power. Scheduling allows you to prevent power-hungry devices from being left on longer than needed.
Have your devices run on your schedule, even when you’re not there.
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Control from AnywhereYour Smart Plug can be controlled through your existing Wi-Fi network via the free Kasa app*. Download the app to your smartphone or tablet and have access to turn your home devices on/off, set schedules and appear at home when you're away. The Kasa app allows you to add as many Smart Plugs as you’d like to keep track of multiple appliances, whenever, wherever. *Compatible with Android 4.1 and higher or iOS 9 and higher. |
Appear at Home While You’re AwayHave the Smart Plug work for you when you’re out of town. Connecting a lamp to your smart plug can provide home security benefits. Set it to Away Mode, and the Smart Plug will automatically turn the light on and off to give the appearance that someone is home. |
Never Leave Things RunningThe Smart Plug gives you the peace of mind that you’ll never leave devices running again. With the countdown timer feature, simply set a timer for the Smart Plug to turn off its appliance automatically. Set it and forget it. It’s that simple, giving you one less thing to worry about in your busy life. |
Keep Your Kids on ScheduleWith the scheduling benefits of a Smart Plug, you have better control over your child’s daily activities. Make sure the television is turned off when they should be doing homework, or use a countdown feature to have any lamps shut off right before bedtime. |
Features
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Control with Your VoiceThe Smart Plug works directly with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant to manage your devices through Voice Control. Assign a name to each Smart Plug and communicate with each plug by name when making a voice command. You can also create a group for all your smart devices and control them all with one command. |
One App for AllThe free Kasa app works with all TP-Link smart home devices, allowing you to easily control your home from any Android or iOS device. |
No Hub RequiredThe Smart Plug works with any Wi-Fi router without the need for a separate hub or paid subscription service. |
World’s #1 Consumer Wi-Fi Brand*Nearly half the people in the world who use Wi-Fi networking products use TP-Link. With over 150,000 products shipped daily, substantial investment in research and development, and meticulous in-house design, manufacturing and testing, we’re proud to be the world leader in Wi-Fi. *According to latest published IDC Worldwide Quarterly WLAN Tracker Report, Q3 2016 Final Release. |
HS200 | HS110 | HS100 | HS105 | HS110 KIT (2-Pack) | HS100 KIT (2-Pack) | |
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Customer Reviews |
4.6 out of 5 stars
39,195
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4.3 out of 5 stars
6,610
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4.2 out of 5 stars
21,532
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4.5 out of 5 stars
12,635
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4.7 out of 5 stars
4,576
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4.3 out of 5 stars
6,610
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Control from Anywhere | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
No Hub Design | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Away Mode | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Energy Monitoring | ✓ | ✓ | ||||
Design | In-Wall | Plug-In | Plug-In | Plug-In (Occupies only 1 socket) | Plug-In | Plug-In |
Control Hardwired Appliances | ✓ | |||||
Power on/off Scheduling | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Wi-Fi Enabled | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Alexa Voice Control | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Google Assistant Compatible | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Product information
Technical Details
Additional Information
ASIN | B0178IC734 |
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Customer Reviews |
4.2 out of 5 stars |
Best Sellers Rank | #154,532 in Tools & Home Improvement (See Top 100 in Tools & Home Improvement) #350 in Electric Plugs |
Date First Available | Jan. 1 2016 |
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Top Brand: Kasa Smart
Customer reviews
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Top reviews
Top reviews from Canada
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I like that I can access it remotely and see whether the switch is on or not.
The app also lets you set "scenes" to control multiple switches / plugs simultaneously (such as "Movie" to turn off the main lights and turn on smaller lighting. Setting up the switch and plug in the app was a piece of cake.
Besides Christmas lights you can use it to automatically turn on a coffee maker and have gresh coffee when you get up from bed. Alternatively use it for a standing light that's hard to reach - this is where it will be going after the holidays.
The switch is quite large however - there are smaller ones availble but I didn't see a need for it personally.
The voice control works well through both echo and google. I really like the schedule feature. I can also control through the Kasa app or Amazon Alexa app on the phone.
I found the setup to be straight forward enough. Even when I switched out our home router, it didn't require too much effort to set this device back up again.
I'd prefer if the plug wasn't limited to 16 schedule events. The plug also takes up too much space all around. I considered removing a star for both of these points, but I was already aware of them when I placed the order. I feel it's earned the 5 stars considering how well it has worked out and how much trouble it has saved me.
I especially like the fact that it is possible to configure a schedule 7 days 24 hours with virtually no ON and OFF cycle of limitation. The whole, manage simply and efficiently using a smartphone application.
Communication with the module is done through your wireless network, so kept in mind that it should be positioned in a location or network is available in order to have maximum efficiency.
It is also possible to control the module with the application from outside the network. As long as your smartphone has internet access.
My only negative for this product is that its shape makes it impossible to use 2 units per outlet and can affect the second decision, if the male connector of equipment that may be connected is big.
It happened that the socket has lost connection with my wireless network. Following a power failure or electrical variation. Normally it reconnects itself, if this does not happen, unplug the item, reconnect and press and hold the bigger button , the outlet will re-synchronize.
POS :
- Remote access everywhere
- Full custom schedule
- Manual On / Off button on the unit
CONS :
- May Interfere with the second wall outlet
Its utility is multiple and is an affordable alternative to introduce some automation in our homes without having to invest large sums.
It's awesome.
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Wow quelle belle évolution pour les habitués des minuteries programmable.
Un vrai bijou, configuré et opérationnel en quelques minutes, avec plusieurs options de gestion facile à configurer.
J'aime particulièrement le fait qu'il est possible de configurer un horaire 7 jours sur 24 heures avec pratiquement aucune limitation de cycle ON et OFF. Le tout, gérer simplement et efficacement à l'aide d'une application pour smartphone.
La communication avec le module se fait grâce à votre réseau sans fil, donc gardé en tête qu'il doit être positionné à un endroit ou votre réseau est accessible afin d'avoir un rendement le maximum.
Il est également possible de contrôler le module avec l'application de l'extérieur de votre réseau. Tant que votre smartphone a accès à internet.
Mon seul point négatif pour ce produit est que sa forme rend impossible l'utilisation de 2 unités par prise de courant et peut nuire à la seconde prise, si le connecteur mâle de l'équipement qui pourrait y être branché est gros.
Il m’est arrivé que la prise de courant ait perdu la connexion avec mon réseau sans fil. Suite à une coupure électrique ou variation électrique. Normalement celui-ci se reconnecte de lui-même, dans le cas où cela ne se fait pas, débrancher l’item, rebrancher le et appuyer quelques secondes sur le plus gros bouton, la prise de courant se resynchronisera.
POS :
- Accessible de partout
- Horaire d'utilisation 100% configurable
- Boutton Marche / Arret manuel sur la prise
CONS :
- Peut interférer avec la deuxième prise murale
Son utilité est multiple et est une alternative abordable pour introduire un peu de domotique dans nos résidences sans devoir investir de grosses sommes.
C'est génial.
It was very easy to install. I downloaded the Kasa app from the App store on my iPhone. I then signed up for an account and then selected my product. There were instructions on my Kasa app on how to connect to my local wifi. I just had to use my iPhone and look in the wifi settings and select the Smart Plug. Once it was selected, the blinking amber and green light turned green. I was immediately able to turn my outlet (light plugged in) off and on. I set it up to turn on in the evenings when it starts to get dark.
I did have a minor issue with the scheduling when I first received this Smart Plug. I was able to turn the lamp off and on from the app, but when
I set the timer and the lamp wouldn't turn on. I had to play around with the app to set the time zone. The default was the Pacific time zone, which is 4 hours different than where I live. I had figured it would have synced with my smart phone's time with the app. It took me a bit of time to figure out what was wrong and how to fix it. (Front page of app, blue screen and under settings. Then select location and time.)
I'm looking forward to being able to turn on the lights from the driveway, before I have to come into a dark house. I wouldn't say I am afraid of the dark per-say, but I hate having an armload of groceries and having to fumble for the light switch. I'm really noticing the dark now that summer is over and the days are getting shorter.
I have the TP-Link range extender and am happy to see I can use the same app to control it too. There's nothing worse than having to download a different app for every electronic in the house.
Unlike other reviews, I am able to use both prongs of my outlet with this installed. I just had to plug it into the top and was able to leave my sound system subwoofer plugged into the bottom.
The box has the phone number if you need any warranty help, or if you need technical support. It boasts a 2 year warranty.
I would like to order another one of these to control the lights on my Christmas tree in the winter, and for my LED cherry tree I have in my living room during the rest of the year. I'm so happy with how easy it is to use this product. It literally took 4 minutes to take it out of the box and have it running.
Reviewed in Canada on September 8, 2016
It was very easy to install. I downloaded the Kasa app from the App store on my iPhone. I then signed up for an account and then selected my product. There were instructions on my Kasa app on how to connect to my local wifi. I just had to use my iPhone and look in the wifi settings and select the Smart Plug. Once it was selected, the blinking amber and green light turned green. I was immediately able to turn my outlet (light plugged in) off and on. I set it up to turn on in the evenings when it starts to get dark.
I did have a minor issue with the scheduling when I first received this Smart Plug. I was able to turn the lamp off and on from the app, but when
I set the timer and the lamp wouldn't turn on. I had to play around with the app to set the time zone. The default was the Pacific time zone, which is 4 hours different than where I live. I had figured it would have synced with my smart phone's time with the app. It took me a bit of time to figure out what was wrong and how to fix it. (Front page of app, blue screen and under settings. Then select location and time.)
I'm looking forward to being able to turn on the lights from the driveway, before I have to come into a dark house. I wouldn't say I am afraid of the dark per-say, but I hate having an armload of groceries and having to fumble for the light switch. I'm really noticing the dark now that summer is over and the days are getting shorter.
I have the TP-Link range extender and am happy to see I can use the same app to control it too. There's nothing worse than having to download a different app for every electronic in the house.
Unlike other reviews, I am able to use both prongs of my outlet with this installed. I just had to plug it into the top and was able to leave my sound system subwoofer plugged into the bottom.
The box has the phone number if you need any warranty help, or if you need technical support. It boasts a 2 year warranty.
I would like to order another one of these to control the lights on my Christmas tree in the winter, and for my LED cherry tree I have in my living room during the rest of the year. I'm so happy with how easy it is to use this product. It literally took 4 minutes to take it out of the box and have it running.
Top reviews from other countries
Yo lo hice antes de que llegara el paquete, así que cuando llegaron solamente fue conectarlos y agregarlos a la app.
Funcionan muy bien remotamente, se pueden programar horarios y desde su app puedes crear rutinas.
Es compatible con google assistant, pero en lo personal me gustó más la integración que tiene con alexa, ya que automáticamente detectó las rutinas que cree y con google (hasta donde pude observar) necesitaría crear una rutina dentro de la aplicacion de Google Home.
Hasta el momento muy satisfecha con la compra, el único pero o inconveniente sería que si están bastante grandecitos y pueden llegar a obstruir el otro toma corriente.
Reviewed in Mexico on November 22, 2018
Yo lo hice antes de que llegara el paquete, así que cuando llegaron solamente fue conectarlos y agregarlos a la app.
Funcionan muy bien remotamente, se pueden programar horarios y desde su app puedes crear rutinas.
Es compatible con google assistant, pero en lo personal me gustó más la integración que tiene con alexa, ya que automáticamente detectó las rutinas que cree y con google (hasta donde pude observar) necesitaría crear una rutina dentro de la aplicacion de Google Home.
Hasta el momento muy satisfecha con la compra, el único pero o inconveniente sería que si están bastante grandecitos y pueden llegar a obstruir el otro toma corriente.
I've had my first TP Link Smart Plug (see the original post below) for about 6 weeks now, my second for about 4 weeks & they are working flawlessly. As mentioned in my OP, I wanted a unit for my entertainment center & have since received & installed it. Drove my college student (who's home for the summer) nuts as the power was not on in the mornings. For the 4 weeks since having the second unit (I called it 'the TV power'), she could not figure out how to get power to the TV. She finally unplugged the power strip from the smart plug & plugged it directly into the wall below the HS100. So I finally showed the family how to work them (mainly just so they wouldn't keep unplugging & plugging in the power chords).
On another note, I finally received my Amazon Echo (just in time for Fathers day, wahoo!) and so I now have the Smart Plugs hooked up to the World Wide Web, the Internet super highway, the Internet of Things, etc., etc.
I understand the frustrations some people have posted regarding the connection to the Echo & I believe I have figured out why. Amazon's Alexa App is in need of some serious TLC. TP Links Kasa App is doing what it's suppose to do. In my original post, I had a small issue with connectivity of the software to the units which still exists but not near as rough since the latest software update. Still, when you're not connected to your LAN (because you've been away or simply have the WiFi / Data off) & want to adjust something in the schedules or simply turn 'the lamp' on, connecting wirelessly sometimes has a hiccup. Each unit has to ping constantly (every 1.5 to 2 seconds as it was explained to me) to your LAN to let the router know the unit is there. When you connect your phone to the LAN, you may just connect in between those pings in which case the software on the phone may come back & say "There are no connected devices". It does offer a "pre-configured devices" ribbon which you can select to initiate the units connectivity through the smart phone (see the uploaded pics). After selecting the ribbon, you have to select the little plus button on the right of each device until you have the "no unsaved devices" screen, then your units are active for you (5 stars now that I understand the software & realize that most of the frustrations are not the fault of TP Link).
After I finally created an account with TP Link (all you need is an email address & a password, no personal information is required) I went back into the Kasa App & set the first unit to remote.
In the Alexa App, I had to select the Skills in the menu & do a search for Kasa (there are over 123 PAGES of skills & no file management system in the Alexa App). After getting Kasa as a skill & initiating it, I then had to go to the Smart Home in the menu & select the Kasa skill to find the HS100 Smart Plug. This is where the frustrations started for me. The skill was not there. I know I had found it & selected the skill & initiated it but it was not listed. So I went back to the list & did another search for the Kasa (it's on like page 71 & each time you go into the list, it starts on page 1). After the third time & about an hour plus, I discovered a search box where I could type the name 'Kasa' & search & it would find about half a dozen skills to choose from, duh! What an idiot. Lucky we have the skill's name otherwise it's a page by page search until you find what your looking for. Anyway, I digress. The skill was not showing up in the Alexa's Smart Home directory. I was about to put the phone down & walk away before something got seriously injured when I realized I had a couple updates to finish on my phone. One of these updates was a 34 megabyte update. I've read that if you have a decent size (don't ask me what 'decent size' means, I figured 20 meg or better) update, you should reboot your system after updating. So after my update I rebooted my phone & figured "ok, I'm cooled down a bit, I'll try the Alexa App one more time". Opening the App, I went straight to the Smart Home directory & wha'd'ya'know, the Kasa skill was there. Finally, a step forward. Opening the skill, I can now (finally) have the Kasa skill find the HS100 Smart Plug. Picking the 'find devices' gave me an immediate 'you have no internet connection' message. Then I walked away!
This is a long story but I promise it has a happy ending (well, sort of). A few hours of thinking about it I came back to try again. I figured perhaps because the HS100's connect via 2.4 GHz & the Echo connects to the more active 5 GHz, the two are not communicating. So I purposely connected my phone to the 2.4 GHz, opened the Kasa app & verified I could connect to each of my Smart Plugs. Then while leaving the Kasa app open, I went back into the Amazon Alexa app, into the Smart Home directory, & picked the 'find devices' once again. The 'you have no internet connection' message immediately popped up. So I figured the only way I could find the skill to begin with was to reboot the phone so I rebooted once again. I forgot to connect to the 2.4 GHz & open the Kasa app to verify my units were accessible, I just went straight to the Alexa app and after picking the 'find devices' button it came back with a message, 'searching for devices. This can take up to 20 seconds'. Wahoo! It worked, I found my HS100 named "the Lamp". Now there are three ways of turning the Lamp on. I can say "Alexa, turn on the lamp" and Alexa says, "ok" and the lamp comes on. I can push the power button on the front of the unit and the lamp comes on. And I can wait for the scheduled time and the lamp comes on. These units are AWESOME!!!
Of course I had set only 'the Lamp' to remote in the Kasa app so I had to go back to the Kasa app & change 'the TV power' to remote so I could find it in the Alexa app. I had to go through rebooting the phone a couple more times to get my second unit connected with the Echo but I am now connected & my college kid is happy to say "Alexa, turn on the TV power" so she can watch a movie instead of getting a summer job, ggrrr!
____Original Post____
This is a true product review & I paid full price for the TP Link Smart Plug (HS100, no Energy Monitoring) unit. So with that said, let me tell you my current thoughts on this product after playing with it a mere four days.
I don't yet have an echo (it's on order) but am preparing for its' arrival. So in the mean time I figured I'd try this on my local LAN before submitting my so called 'Smart' house to the wiles of the internet.
The unit itself is easy enough to work with. You can use it as a single outlet power switch & simply push the button to turn it on and off, much like a six outlet power strip with a switch, but this would be a single outlet. But I want a timer control switch that will automatically turn on at a certain time & off at a certain time & I want to (in the future) have that timer & simply override it with a phrase, "Alexa, turn on the lamp". So I needed to connect it to the LAN for starters. After following the instructions for downloading the software (Kasa for Mobile) from Google play I began my assault.
My phone automatically connects to my 5 GHz WiFi so I had to manually change it to the 2.4 GHz as this frequency is the only one this Smart plug will work with currently. Reasons are listed on the website (tp-link.us)
Now there are two buttons on this unit; a small button on the very top with a light grey gear icon on it is for it's configuration (visibility) when connecting to your phone via the local LAN and the other button in the front just above the outlet is a two tone LED light/power button. This is the button you push to simply turn the power strip on/off. This button flashes orange/green when you first plug it in which tells you it's ready to begin the connection phase.
The app found the plug pretty quickly & began asking me the questions needed to control this plug like what to call it (important to name it something unique to the situation). I called it 'the lamp'. What, It's the only lamp in my family room & I don't intend on connecting any other lamps in the house to the Echo so ... 'Alexa, turn on the lamp' will work very nicely. I can go back & change the name of the plug if I need to. The app then asked for the password to my LAN so my phone can connect to the plug. This is where I screwed everything up cause I couldn't remember what the password was. After resetting the plug a couple times (I now know the reset button works) I got the unit setup & the lamp was on.
The software, while easy enough to understand is a bit too simplistic in its presentation which leads to a little frustration in finding what you are searching for. Lemme esplain.
I wanted the plug as a timer so I needed to get a schedule setup. You need to tap on 'the lamp' on the left side of the apps screen as the right side is the power switch for controlling the plug via phone. Then you have to pic the three little dots to open a menu so you can pic the schedule selection button. I suppose this is necessary cause if you have several plugs, you will need to determine which one you are working with and there are a few options in menu as well.
So I set the schedule for an early morning on & mid morning off, Monday thru Friday. Then created a second schedule for Sunset on & late evening off, Monday thru Sunday. Now mind you this is connected to the local LAN which means if you want a current Sunset time, you have to have your phone connected to the unit to get it as the current Sunset changes daily & the unit needs a connection to the Internet to get that time. Duh! No wonder the lamp was coming on early, the Sunset time was current when I programmed it but is now later than when the lamp comes on as my phone is not connected to the LAN to feed the unit the current Sunset time. :-P
A bit of a frustration is when you have a cloudy or stormy afternoon & it gets dark well before sunset. So I wanted to override the current setting & turn the lamp on. Well low & behold when I opened the app, it said there were "no current devices configured, would you like to configure one now?" Then a little popup display said "You have had a previous unit configured which you can access after setting up a new device".
After several minutes of getting out of the app, going back in, getting out, disconnecting the phone from the LAN, reconnecting, disconnecting, rebooting the phone, reconnecting, I was ready to unplug the unit & plug the lamp into the wall socket. I thought, "All I want to do is turn on the lamp. How lazy am I that I can't reach up and turn the knob, I have to have a 'Smart Plug'." BUT, I wanted the Smart Plug for the timer function. So I was going to Add Device for the fourth time. After picking the Smart Plug icon & giving it a name (the lamp, how original) the app found my previous device & the schedule I was able to turn on the lamp (losing 1 star for this). Haven't had an issue with it since but it's been a mere four days.
On another note, I want to comment on others posts regarding this unit.
There is a question/post about why it will not turn on a TV. Unless you have one of those old tube style TV's with a manual toggle switch that you can keep in the ON position, this will not turn on a TV. This Smart Plug is designed to simply deliver power to the TV. As I mentioned earlier, in its most basic form this unit is a one outlet power strip, that is all.
The specifications of this unit are for a 100-120 Volt AC outlet with a 15amp load maximum. I have not overloaded this unit to see what would happen but my current wiring for my entertainment system (TV, DVD Player, Wii, etc) are all on one six outlet power strip on a 15amp breaker & they have not tripped the breaker yet. With that said, there is a lot of residual power being leaked by these devices while in a dormant state. I plan to order another TP-Link Smart Plug and schedule a time for these devices to receive power so they can be used. They will be off during the night & when I'm away from the home, powered when I am home so I can use them.
Another post or two or four mentions this unit is large & covers both wall outlets. While technically this is true, this is also technically not true. This unit has a lip on the back side where the prongs plug into the wall. A standard two prong plug can fit nicely under this unit & both seat perfectly (see the pics I loaded) while anything larger will not. You just have to plug the two prong plug into the bottom outlet first, then plug this unit into the top outlet. In the pics, I have my iClever 6 port charging station plugged into the bottom outlet (need constant power to a charging station) & 'the lamp' via the Smart Plug in the top outlet.
Reviewed in the United States on May 10, 2016
I've had my first TP Link Smart Plug (see the original post below) for about 6 weeks now, my second for about 4 weeks & they are working flawlessly. As mentioned in my OP, I wanted a unit for my entertainment center & have since received & installed it. Drove my college student (who's home for the summer) nuts as the power was not on in the mornings. For the 4 weeks since having the second unit (I called it 'the TV power'), she could not figure out how to get power to the TV. She finally unplugged the power strip from the smart plug & plugged it directly into the wall below the HS100. So I finally showed the family how to work them (mainly just so they wouldn't keep unplugging & plugging in the power chords).
On another note, I finally received my Amazon Echo (just in time for Fathers day, wahoo!) and so I now have the Smart Plugs hooked up to the World Wide Web, the Internet super highway, the Internet of Things, etc., etc.
I understand the frustrations some people have posted regarding the connection to the Echo & I believe I have figured out why. Amazon's Alexa App is in need of some serious TLC. TP Links Kasa App is doing what it's suppose to do. In my original post, I had a small issue with connectivity of the software to the units which still exists but not near as rough since the latest software update. Still, when you're not connected to your LAN (because you've been away or simply have the WiFi / Data off) & want to adjust something in the schedules or simply turn 'the lamp' on, connecting wirelessly sometimes has a hiccup. Each unit has to ping constantly (every 1.5 to 2 seconds as it was explained to me) to your LAN to let the router know the unit is there. When you connect your phone to the LAN, you may just connect in between those pings in which case the software on the phone may come back & say "There are no connected devices". It does offer a "pre-configured devices" ribbon which you can select to initiate the units connectivity through the smart phone (see the uploaded pics). After selecting the ribbon, you have to select the little plus button on the right of each device until you have the "no unsaved devices" screen, then your units are active for you (5 stars now that I understand the software & realize that most of the frustrations are not the fault of TP Link).
After I finally created an account with TP Link (all you need is an email address & a password, no personal information is required) I went back into the Kasa App & set the first unit to remote.
In the Alexa App, I had to select the Skills in the menu & do a search for Kasa (there are over 123 PAGES of skills & no file management system in the Alexa App). After getting Kasa as a skill & initiating it, I then had to go to the Smart Home in the menu & select the Kasa skill to find the HS100 Smart Plug. This is where the frustrations started for me. The skill was not there. I know I had found it & selected the skill & initiated it but it was not listed. So I went back to the list & did another search for the Kasa (it's on like page 71 & each time you go into the list, it starts on page 1). After the third time & about an hour plus, I discovered a search box where I could type the name 'Kasa' & search & it would find about half a dozen skills to choose from, duh! What an idiot. Lucky we have the skill's name otherwise it's a page by page search until you find what your looking for. Anyway, I digress. The skill was not showing up in the Alexa's Smart Home directory. I was about to put the phone down & walk away before something got seriously injured when I realized I had a couple updates to finish on my phone. One of these updates was a 34 megabyte update. I've read that if you have a decent size (don't ask me what 'decent size' means, I figured 20 meg or better) update, you should reboot your system after updating. So after my update I rebooted my phone & figured "ok, I'm cooled down a bit, I'll try the Alexa App one more time". Opening the App, I went straight to the Smart Home directory & wha'd'ya'know, the Kasa skill was there. Finally, a step forward. Opening the skill, I can now (finally) have the Kasa skill find the HS100 Smart Plug. Picking the 'find devices' gave me an immediate 'you have no internet connection' message. Then I walked away!
This is a long story but I promise it has a happy ending (well, sort of). A few hours of thinking about it I came back to try again. I figured perhaps because the HS100's connect via 2.4 GHz & the Echo connects to the more active 5 GHz, the two are not communicating. So I purposely connected my phone to the 2.4 GHz, opened the Kasa app & verified I could connect to each of my Smart Plugs. Then while leaving the Kasa app open, I went back into the Amazon Alexa app, into the Smart Home directory, & picked the 'find devices' once again. The 'you have no internet connection' message immediately popped up. So I figured the only way I could find the skill to begin with was to reboot the phone so I rebooted once again. I forgot to connect to the 2.4 GHz & open the Kasa app to verify my units were accessible, I just went straight to the Alexa app and after picking the 'find devices' button it came back with a message, 'searching for devices. This can take up to 20 seconds'. Wahoo! It worked, I found my HS100 named "the Lamp". Now there are three ways of turning the Lamp on. I can say "Alexa, turn on the lamp" and Alexa says, "ok" and the lamp comes on. I can push the power button on the front of the unit and the lamp comes on. And I can wait for the scheduled time and the lamp comes on. These units are AWESOME!!!
Of course I had set only 'the Lamp' to remote in the Kasa app so I had to go back to the Kasa app & change 'the TV power' to remote so I could find it in the Alexa app. I had to go through rebooting the phone a couple more times to get my second unit connected with the Echo but I am now connected & my college kid is happy to say "Alexa, turn on the TV power" so she can watch a movie instead of getting a summer job, ggrrr!
____Original Post____
This is a true product review & I paid full price for the TP Link Smart Plug (HS100, no Energy Monitoring) unit. So with that said, let me tell you my current thoughts on this product after playing with it a mere four days.
I don't yet have an echo (it's on order) but am preparing for its' arrival. So in the mean time I figured I'd try this on my local LAN before submitting my so called 'Smart' house to the wiles of the internet.
The unit itself is easy enough to work with. You can use it as a single outlet power switch & simply push the button to turn it on and off, much like a six outlet power strip with a switch, but this would be a single outlet. But I want a timer control switch that will automatically turn on at a certain time & off at a certain time & I want to (in the future) have that timer & simply override it with a phrase, "Alexa, turn on the lamp". So I needed to connect it to the LAN for starters. After following the instructions for downloading the software (Kasa for Mobile) from Google play I began my assault.
My phone automatically connects to my 5 GHz WiFi so I had to manually change it to the 2.4 GHz as this frequency is the only one this Smart plug will work with currently. Reasons are listed on the website (tp-link.us)
Now there are two buttons on this unit; a small button on the very top with a light grey gear icon on it is for it's configuration (visibility) when connecting to your phone via the local LAN and the other button in the front just above the outlet is a two tone LED light/power button. This is the button you push to simply turn the power strip on/off. This button flashes orange/green when you first plug it in which tells you it's ready to begin the connection phase.
The app found the plug pretty quickly & began asking me the questions needed to control this plug like what to call it (important to name it something unique to the situation). I called it 'the lamp'. What, It's the only lamp in my family room & I don't intend on connecting any other lamps in the house to the Echo so ... 'Alexa, turn on the lamp' will work very nicely. I can go back & change the name of the plug if I need to. The app then asked for the password to my LAN so my phone can connect to the plug. This is where I screwed everything up cause I couldn't remember what the password was. After resetting the plug a couple times (I now know the reset button works) I got the unit setup & the lamp was on.
The software, while easy enough to understand is a bit too simplistic in its presentation which leads to a little frustration in finding what you are searching for. Lemme esplain.
I wanted the plug as a timer so I needed to get a schedule setup. You need to tap on 'the lamp' on the left side of the apps screen as the right side is the power switch for controlling the plug via phone. Then you have to pic the three little dots to open a menu so you can pic the schedule selection button. I suppose this is necessary cause if you have several plugs, you will need to determine which one you are working with and there are a few options in menu as well.
So I set the schedule for an early morning on & mid morning off, Monday thru Friday. Then created a second schedule for Sunset on & late evening off, Monday thru Sunday. Now mind you this is connected to the local LAN which means if you want a current Sunset time, you have to have your phone connected to the unit to get it as the current Sunset changes daily & the unit needs a connection to the Internet to get that time. Duh! No wonder the lamp was coming on early, the Sunset time was current when I programmed it but is now later than when the lamp comes on as my phone is not connected to the LAN to feed the unit the current Sunset time. :-P
A bit of a frustration is when you have a cloudy or stormy afternoon & it gets dark well before sunset. So I wanted to override the current setting & turn the lamp on. Well low & behold when I opened the app, it said there were "no current devices configured, would you like to configure one now?" Then a little popup display said "You have had a previous unit configured which you can access after setting up a new device".
After several minutes of getting out of the app, going back in, getting out, disconnecting the phone from the LAN, reconnecting, disconnecting, rebooting the phone, reconnecting, I was ready to unplug the unit & plug the lamp into the wall socket. I thought, "All I want to do is turn on the lamp. How lazy am I that I can't reach up and turn the knob, I have to have a 'Smart Plug'." BUT, I wanted the Smart Plug for the timer function. So I was going to Add Device for the fourth time. After picking the Smart Plug icon & giving it a name (the lamp, how original) the app found my previous device & the schedule I was able to turn on the lamp (losing 1 star for this). Haven't had an issue with it since but it's been a mere four days.
On another note, I want to comment on others posts regarding this unit.
There is a question/post about why it will not turn on a TV. Unless you have one of those old tube style TV's with a manual toggle switch that you can keep in the ON position, this will not turn on a TV. This Smart Plug is designed to simply deliver power to the TV. As I mentioned earlier, in its most basic form this unit is a one outlet power strip, that is all.
The specifications of this unit are for a 100-120 Volt AC outlet with a 15amp load maximum. I have not overloaded this unit to see what would happen but my current wiring for my entertainment system (TV, DVD Player, Wii, etc) are all on one six outlet power strip on a 15amp breaker & they have not tripped the breaker yet. With that said, there is a lot of residual power being leaked by these devices while in a dormant state. I plan to order another TP-Link Smart Plug and schedule a time for these devices to receive power so they can be used. They will be off during the night & when I'm away from the home, powered when I am home so I can use them.
Another post or two or four mentions this unit is large & covers both wall outlets. While technically this is true, this is also technically not true. This unit has a lip on the back side where the prongs plug into the wall. A standard two prong plug can fit nicely under this unit & both seat perfectly (see the pics I loaded) while anything larger will not. You just have to plug the two prong plug into the bottom outlet first, then plug this unit into the top outlet. In the pics, I have my iClever 6 port charging station plugged into the bottom outlet (need constant power to a charging station) & 'the lamp' via the Smart Plug in the top outlet.
Very easy to set up.