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

I got this in 2017 as part of the combo with the echo dot, 2nd gen. I ended up getting another one shortly thereafter because I loved this thing so much. It literally changes all electrical things into Alexa-enabled, with voice or app control. We actually used it for our Christmas tree lights, and would tell Alexa to turn on and off the Christmas lights. It worked wonderfully, because our kids were able to partake in controlling the turning on and off of the Christmas lights. Although there is recommendation to turn on and off appliances, theres always a fear of having appliances turn on without proper supervision, with little kids in the house that can accidentally turn them on via voice control. The only device that would make plausible sense would be the coffee maker, which would require leaving fresh coffee grinds in the pot, and voice control every morning when you wake up to turn the coffee pot on so as to heat up the water in the coffee. Beside that, we have been only using our second TP smart plug to turn on and off a plug-in light in our daughters room. This would work very well with any types of plug-in lights, such as lamps, but because we have built-in ceiling lights, or daughters room is the only place with an additional plug-in light to use the smart plug for. This means we have let one of the two smart plugs sit around, waiting for Christmas again to be in use. The thing is, this smart plug was great when not everything is app or voice accessible, so literally a great purchase in 2017 and maybe through 2018. However, in 2021, if I were to buy an appliance or anything electrical today, there are already options for these devices to have already built-in Alexa-enabled ability. As such, the smart plugs are no longer as versatile or as useful as they were once when they were first introduced.

The new Echo compatibility works very well and allows grouping controllers under a single group name. I just set up three controllers and now I can say Alexa, turn on the living room lights and viola, theyre on! Much easier than finding each lamps on/off switch on a cord behind a piece of furniture. I can also schedule them to turn on and off when were away from home. Go to the TP-LINK support site for full instructions and to the Alexa app if youre using an Echo to control the switches. The set up was mostly straight forward once I read the TP-LINK full instructions, but below is an more detailed hint for part of the instructions that werent clear to me at first. I spent about 30 minutes puzzling this out, but the rest was fast and easy. The controllers can be configured with Kasa to be local or remote connected. To be controlled by Echo each individual controller must be set to Remote Control ON, in the Device Settings menu. That menu is accessed in Kasa with this process after the controller is initially set up: From Kasas home page tap the device name; a screen for that device appears, with selections for Schedule, Away, Timer, an off/on button and at the top right corner an icon that looks like three little sliders. Tap that icon to open the Device Settings screen and then slide the Remote Control slider icon to the right so that it lights green. Do that for all controllers you want to be controlled through Echo.

I just finished up setting up the TP-Link Smart Plug so that it would control a bright sun simulating lamp in my living room using my Amazon Dot and Alexa to control it by voice. Since the set up is very fresh in my mind I thought Id write a quick review. I will update this review later if I have any problems with the switch. The process is a little bit tedious. First you plug the TP Link Smart plug into an outlet. Then you must go to your android or iOS phone and download the Kasa app. This app is about 30 MB on an android phone. Next you go through a set up procedure which in my case failed the first time because I had entered the wrong Wi-Fi password for my home network which was completely my fault. When I corrected the error the switch connected with my phone. New problem. For some reason the App refused to allow me to set the device for remote control, which is absolutely necessary in order to use Alexa. It kept thinking that I hadnt verified my email, even though I had. Finally, after trying several things unsuccessfully, I logged out of the app, and I logged back in. This fixed the remote control setting problem. Now I was able to go to the Alexa app on my phone, and add the Kasa skill. Next I went to SmartHome section in Alexa app, and ran Discover Devices, and the Alexa app was able to find the TP-Link Switch. I added the Switch to one of my groups, and now Alexa turns on the Daylight light when I say Alexa, Turn on Sunlight. Nice!!! I may end up moving the switch to my coffee maker, so in the morning I can say Alexa, turn on Coffee in order to make coffee. So in conclusion I gave this four stars because I knocked off one star for the slightly tedious set up. Also, if I hadnt logged out and logged back in, Im pretty confident that the App never would have allowed me to set the switch for remote control. This should be better documented. We will see how the switch works over time. Ive owned previous Wemo smart switches which constantly forgot their programming so I am hoping that this one will be stable over time.

Weve been using this with the Amazon Echo for our living room lights for about a month now. We also have a Wink Hub for lights in the bedrooms. Prior to that we had a Belkin Wemo Starter Kit. We have very basic needs and currently dont do anything sophisticated (e.g., IFTTT). Sometimes we joke that we should have gotten The Clapper instead. The TP-LINK HS100 was relatively inexpensive and was compatible with the Echo. Id also purchased some TP-LINK networking products in the past and had good experiences with the brand. I found the Smart Plug very easy to set up -- it took only one try (about 10 minutes). Once I found the instructions to get it connected to the Echo that was easy too. I had assumed it was going to connect to the Echo in the same way as the Wink Hub, but I was wrong. See Amazons product Q&A or Google for instructions as its not obvious how to do it. I think I spent many hours trying to set up the Wemo on my wi-fi and connected to the light bulbs. It alternated between working and not-working over several weeks and finally completely died. Setting up the TP-LINK was wonderfully smooth in comparison. And we have had no problems with it at all. I found that the Wink Hub didnt have enough range to get to the living room so I needed a plug that wasnt dependent on the Wink. I could have opted for the Wemo Switch which is more integrated with Amazon Echo but is more expensive than the TP-LINK. I also swore I wouldnt get another Wemo product after all the time I wasted with the first one. Initially I was very annoyed by having to say Alexa ask Kasa to turn on lights especially since were used to Alexa turn off lights with the Wink Hub. But weve gotten used to it. We probably turn the lights in the living room on and off only once or twice a day.

* 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.

Dont get me wrong, I have always liked TP Link products, so I bought this over Wemo. HUGE mistake! I have been trying since yesterday to get the Smart Plug 100 connected to my network and my Echo. Either the Kasa software hangs up on my Samsung G4 or it cant find the plug (5 feet away). Getting it onto the network is another nightmare even though I have two routers. Just keep getting the message that network setup failed:null. I have found that the TP Link website is also of little use in trying to resolve the issue. Amazon says it cannot be returned unless damaged or unopened but will try to send it back and see what happens and then order a Wemo. Wont buy TP Link again without a serious think. UPDATE: After 6 attempts, I FINALLY got it to work, but still not sure I will order another TP Link, but hate to think about going through another setup process with another manufacturer. 2ND UPDATE: After a few days of use, I can say that this product works as promised, but admit initial set up was problematic, even for a tech savy person. HOWEVER, I am pleased with how this product works so have change my review from 1 star to 4. I think it would be in TP Links best interest to include better instructions for set up so others wont have to go through what I did.

I am fully satisfied with my Kasa HS100 smart plug. My first smart plugs were Belkin Wemo. I changed to these Kasa plugs because they reconnect to my WiFi *reliably* after a power outage. My Wemo plugs requires usually a unplug/plug cycle with the latest firmware before they connect - very annoying! I have an iPhone so I use the free IOS Kasa app from the iTunes store. Once installed on my phone setup is very easy and the app walks me through the process. I had my switch up and running in just a few minutes. You will need to create a Kasa account and being a bit paranoid I was sure to use a strong password. Happily the IOS app and Alexa skill remember the password so a long/complicated password is no hardship for the typing impaired like me! Getting it voice enabled with Alexa just required enabling the Kasa skill from the smart home settings in the Alexa app, connecting to me Kasa account and discovering devices again just a few minutes. Like my Wemo plugs the HS100 can be connected to IFTTT for more advanced control and can also be scheduled for convenience. I like having these options available, but in my use I pretty much and must telling Alexa to turn on or off the reading light plugged into this switch. Sometimes I turn it on/off from the app or just check if I think I may have left the light on when Ive left home. In conclusion Kasa is very much like the Wemo plugs I started with in terms of function and features. What makes Kasa much better for me is how well it handles recovering after a power outage. When I got mine I wasnt expecting to like it so much. It has exceeded my original expectations and thats a 5 star performance to me. Ive not had a single problem with mine.

I agree with all of the positive reviews on here, so I am writing for a more specific purpose. First, I am currently using 4 of these plugs to control Christmas lights as a group via Kasa and Alexa. It works every time. Alexa, turn on Christmas. More importantly, I am able to use this plug to power on/off an amp, which powers external speakers. Here is the setup: Echo Dot, wired bookshelf speakers, speaker wire, 3.5mm cable, small lepai amp and this plug. I already had all of these items except the plug. I will admit that there are cheaper alternatives to my setup for bluetooth speakers or the dots internal speaker that may work better for most people who just want a little background music in the kitchen rather than wired speakers. When the 3.5mm cable is connected to the Dot, the Dots internal speaker does not work. You can use external speakers, but they must be powered by another source. So, I was stuck turning on and off and amp by hand. This defeats the purpose of voice command until I bought this plug. Now I always leave the amps on/off switch to ON and connect the amps power supply to this plug. I keep the amps volume relatively low to avoid speaker popping when the amp receives power. I control the remaining volume with my voice with Alexa once I turn the amp on. Now, from anywhere on the first floor, I can say Alexa, turn on speaker and the plug will switch the amp on and the speakers are 10 times better than Alexas internal speaker. Alexa, volume 10! A few extra notes: *Even if the speakers are off, I can still use Alexa, but I will not hear her response because the speakers are off and the Dot is still connected to the 3.5mm cable. Hence, the Dots internal speaker is inactive. Its easy to turn the speakers on if I really need to hear Alexa, but my light commands still work very well without the need to always have the external speakers on. *I named the plug Speaker in the Kasa app *The plug normally covers both openings in the outlet. The outlet pictured has a little more space in between because there is a reset button in between the two openings. Fair warning if you are thinking about buying smart devices for the first time: Yes, they are awesome. They are awesome, most are very expensive and adding to your set up is addictive. I cant wait to see what other work-arounds people come up with....

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.

UPDATE 12/11/16: Ive since purchased the mini version for my Christmas tree and it works just as perfectly as its larger siblings. Setting it up and using it is exactly the same as with the larger versions, and the only difference is that this only blocks one power outlet instead of two. I imagine that eventually they will all be this small, as theres really no reason to buy the bigger one unless youre looking for the power monitoring. Anyway, it still works great, was even faster to set up than the originals since I already had Kasa ready to go, and is especially useful for Christmas tree lights instead of bending or hunching down to reach the power. Awesome value, excellent price for the convenience. I still very strongly recommend this product. **************** After finally getting my Hue lights set up and working with Alexa, the next step of my home automation process was to begin to integrate wi-fi smart plugs into the equation. I wanted smart switches for my televisions, fans, air conditioners, air purifiers, and wax burners. What I didnt want was to pay through the nose for it. Ive learned over the years that you generally do get what you pay for, but some of the pricing on these smart gadgets is ridiculous; the Hue ecosystem is insanely overpriced, and while I like it, youre essentially paying for the guarantee that you wont have to deal with the troubles that buying non-brand cheap Chinese electronics brings. Ive purchased other TP-LINK products before (wi-fi adapters), but I was hesitant to get these because all of the other, branded, smart plugs were much more expensive. I thought Id become a victim of the cheap Chinese electronics phenomenon. Im glad I listened to the reviews and chose to buy one, because it works perfectly and does exactly what I wanted. Its well-made and was pretty easy to set up. Id read that before there was direct Alexa integration it was kind of a pain to set these up but now, after theyve added the integration, I found it incredibly simple. Here are some abbreviated directions that Ive streamlined from TP-LINKs two or three setup pages; do it in this order for the easiest setup: 1) Download the TP-LINK Kasa app from your app store of choice. 2) Install and open the Kasa app 3) Create a Kasa cloud account (requires email verification), 4) Allow Kasa to discover your plug 5) Set your plug to remote control on to allow Alexa to control it 6) Name the plug (i.e. Bedroom TV) 7) Exit the Kasa app and enter your Alexa app 8) Swipe down to Learn More Skills and search for Kasa 9) Authorize Kasa in the Alexa app by entering your email and password 10) Go back to the main Alexa screen and discover new devices 11) Once Alexa has found it, assign your plug to whatever group you want it in (Bedroom group for Bedroom TV plug) 12) Enjoy The first one I set up was for my TV in the bedroom. Keep in mind, in order for one of these smart plugs to work with Alexa to turn your TV (or other device) off AND back on, it must have an auto restart after power failure function. If it doesnt youll only be able to turn it off, but have to use the remote to turn it on. I have various groups set up in Alexa in order to achieve various functions. Ive included the TV in the the turn everything off group so that I can turn it off at the same time as my 5 other Hue ambient lights. Ive also got it in the Bedroom group so that I can turn it on and off by itself. The way you do this will depend entirely on how you have your room/house setup. For me, Turn everything off applies only to the bedroom and leaves the rest of the house alone, because this is something I usually only use when Im laying in bed and ready to sleep, and Ive already turned the other stuff off before going to bed. You could use these switches instead of buying smart bulbs, but I find it more convenient to have all the lighting independent of the plug. The normal white light Philips hue smart bulbs, and the other brands, are already less expensive so youre not saving anything. I find this option attractive for controlling non-lighting electronics. Ive since ordered and connected these to my fans, air conditioners, wax burners, and electric fireplace. Anything you want to work completely with these MUST auto restart after power failure, because that is essentially all you are doing when you turn it on and off - removing and supplying a power source. For example, I had to buy a floor fan that had a manual mechanical switch because the one I had with a remote wouldnt function except to turn off. My air conditioner automatically restarts when power returns after the (simulated) power interruption that these plugs create, so I didnt need to replace it even though it is smart and has a remote and no switches. Its not something thats widely discussed, but important for people who are just getting into home automation to know. Until the technology improves to allow deeper integration, youre stuck completely controlling (mostly) dumb devices. All told, this is an excellent bargain for getting into home automation. It works very well, and the build quality is excellent. The only complaint I have is that it covers more than one socket on your outlet, but as I understand it, almost all of these do simply because it is necessary to house the wi-fi components. Expect to have to also buy additional power strips for areas where you plan to use these. They are less expensive than the brand name smart plugs and have excellent compatibility with Alexa. Ive already purchased 6 of them, and will continue to buy more as I expand my home system. Pro tip: you can use one of these to control the power to a power strip, enabling to you to simultaneously connect and control more than one device. Ive successfully done this with this Amazon Basics power strip (