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

I cant imagine life without this plug. It brings the future and the present together and I live in a world where Benjamin Franklin would be so jealous. I can start off by telling you why I purchase this. The main reasons are because it integrates with Alexa and its smart. Does it work well with Alexa? 95% of the time yes. Is it smart? If I take advantage of the mobile apps capability then yes. This device only works if you can manage to leave the the device you want to plug in always on. For example, leave the switch on for a lamp to be able to control its power with the smart plug. This is a pretty fat plug that is going to cover up two of your regular outlets. One way around this is to purchase a small surge protector and plug this smart plug into one of the surge protectors outlet. This way you can still have a couple of free outlets. Of course after you find an outlet for this smart plug, you also need the mobile application on iOS and Android to set up the plug. Set up is very easy and takes up to a minute. After you finish setting up, prepare for a new beginning to a better life. The plug has an easy to reach button thats fun to click to decide whether to provide power or not to the plug. Its easier to click this button rather than finding the switch on your lamp. Another feature is to be able to turn the power on or off using the mobile app. It only takes a few simple presses to find your smart plug in the app and then click the power button. Theres also a scheduler and a timer to have even more control over the plug using time. The plug can also periodically turn on and off to trick people into thinking youre home. I mean how else are you supposed to sneak away without fooling that crazy friend of yours? I cant talk about the smart plug without talking about its friends, the app and Alexa. The app is very easy to use and designed very nicely. It takes up to a minute to learn where everything is located in the app such as where are the features. And Alexa... She plays well with this plug. Theres a couple of need to know commands and those are turn on device name and turn off device name. Thats it! Easy to use. What do I use it for though? I mostly use it for light control. I have a lamp hooked up to the plug and I dont even bother using my ceiling lights anymore. Thats too much work to get up out of my cozy office chair, walk probably 6 feet, and smack the switch to turn on/off the ceiling lights. Nahhhh this is the 21st century and we need to enjoy it. I use my voice to command my servant if I need light. I use my app to command my servant if I need light. That lamp doesnt own me anymore. I dont go to the lamp and ask it for light. I tell that lamp I want light. I tell it to turn on. I tell it to turn off. This is my house and that lamp works for me! Thats how you use the plug!

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:

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In my opinion, critical thing here is these are UL certified which is important if you dont want to burn your house down if trying to use with high-current device. I have a space heater in my home office which is in a kinda remote place in my house and I wanted to control it from google home. The heater has 1500 watt capacity which at 120 volts is in the neighborhood of ~12 amps (more to that calculation than I know) so theres not a tremendous amount of wiggle room in order to stay a decent amount below capacity, which I prefer. The UL certification gives me a substantial amount of peace of mind over not being certified and that is why I chose to buy this socket over other ones. On top of all of that, TP-Link has been doing a tremendously good job at integrating all of their devices and improving their user interfaces in ways I havent seen their competitors do in my anecdotal experience. I just coincidentally have a TP-Link mesh wifi network for my house. If TP-Link didnt have a UL certified plug and a competitor did, I would have bought that. But it happened to be TP-Link too. If or when my TP-Link account becomes relevant, I already have it set up. 1 account, all devices, and they are for the (arguably) best consumer (vs prosumer) devices available for sale. Bought to go buy some stock...

During the month of December I purchased three of these items. Two were hardware version 2.0. One of them was hardware version 1.0. Supposedly, according to TP-Link, the only difference between the two versions is the newer logo. I beg to differ. Both items that are hardware version 2.0 work perfectly with no issues. The one that is hardware version 1.0 works terribly. Its hard to connect to my network. It falls off my network all the time. And its nearly impossible to get it back on my network when it falls off. The plug is literally 10 feet away from my wireless router. The other two that work properly are farther away from the router. If I had purchased only one item and it was hardware version 1.0, I would have concluded these plugs suck in performance. If I had received only one plug that was hardware version 2.0 I would be offering nothing but praise. But, because I received two hardware version 2.0 plugs and one hardware version 1.0 plug, it was easy to conclude there was a tremendous difference between the two hardware versions. You can determine the hardware version in the app used to control the devices. If you have a hardware version 1.0 plug and are having problems with it, I highly encourage you to return it and get the hardware version 2.0. I can only hope the replacement in transit to me right now will be hardware version 2.0. If not its going right back to Amazon.

The Good: Setup is a breeze. I had this thing up and running within 5 minutes. I didnt have to deal with port-forwarding from my router or any complicated setup process. If youre not very good with computer or technology, you should still be able to set this up without too much hassle. I did not connect this to an Alexa device, so I cant comment on how complex that process it. Im only using this as a way to remotely turn on/off an electronic device in my bedroom. The Bad: There is no web interface that you can access from a computer. The only way to control this device from via the Kasa app. It appears if you set up any customization, they are stored on Kasa servers. If this is truly the case, then this means if Kasa or your own internet connection are ever offline, so are these functions. Furthermore, because custom settings are stored remotely, the device has also opened up certain ports on your router for you, for communication between the device and the server. While this is good for people who arent technically-savvy, its bad for internet security. Personally, I wish that TP-Link would have made a more secure and less cloud-dependent version of the device. Id be willing to pay an extra $10 for that. As long as my home has a connection to the Kasa servers, though, the device appears to function flawlessly. One thing to note: Sometimes if you turn on the device remotely (via the app), the ON icon displayed in the app may not reflect that. Im not sure why. However, it appears the app pings for the status of the device every 10-15 seconds. So, if you hit ON and you dont see the ON icon on your app turn green, but you know for a fact that device is actually on, give it about 10-15 seconds to refresh and itll turn green.

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....

The plug arrived a day early, which has been pretty standard lately. Id already downloaded the Kasa application and setup a user account so all I had to do was plug the plug in and follow the instructions in the app. The plug showed up and other than being patient while it made the changes to the network configure, saved and then rebooted the plug it was very quick. I then tested the plug using the Kasa app and both my Echo and Touch. It worked without a problem, Id read the instructions and followed them so Id already discovered the device with Alexa. I had my daughter test it remotely, again no problem. I suspect the biggest issue will now be my daughter messing with me by turning the light on and off on me. I then unplugged it, gave it the 10 count and plugged it back in. Oh no, it isnt working, the sky is falling! Ha, remember I mentioned the reboot earlier, be patient, dont start unplugging and plugging it in again and again. I waited and what do you know, its working. So far its worked exactly how I expected it too. The only issue I have with it so far is that it does block both ports on an outlet. Id expected this as well however, Id done my homework and read the reviews so as you can see from the picture I had an extension cord ready. I did knock a star off for this however, this day and age with everything requiring power blocking an unused outlet port is unacceptable IMHO. I like that I dont need a separate hub for the TP-Link Smart Plug. Now to see how it handles everyday life, will it hold up, will my wife finally allow me to bring the Echo out of the man-cave? Only time will tell.

Purchased this item simply because the price was right and I like new gadgets. After getting it set up and using it, I truly love this item and have since bought two additional units. I am using these SmartPlugs with a Google Home Mini, although it is not required for the plugs to work. If you do not have a central controller such as Google Home or Echo, these plugs work perfectly right out of the box using the TP Link Kasa app on your smart phone. I went one step further to start creating a Smart Home environment. To do this, first you need to download the Kasa app and create a TP Link account. Once this is completed, you will need the Google Home app and a Google Account. When you launch the Google Home app, you can go to Home Control and link your TP Link account within the app. Once that is complete, you can import your TP Link devices into Google Home, and control them without the need to the launch the Kasa app again. Once imported, you can give the devices their nicknames to identify them when using your voice controls. For testing, I had a Blue Light and an Orange Light, so I named them that way. Once the nicknames were set, I can simply say hey google wait for the LED to come on, and then say turn on blue light upon which the light will turn on (or off). Sometimes there is a slight delay in the actual device switching states, this could be a network issue (devices communicate via your home wifi) or could be a processing power issue within the actual Google Home device. Overall, these plugs are made very well, inregrate easily into Google Home (once accounts are created) and work very well. I intend on buying several more and will also be picking up some of the light switches and any other devices that are introduced. Nothing more convenient that being able to control your home from the comfort of your couch either via voice commands or an easy to use app. 5 stars from me!

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.