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

I have a water well and one year the outdoor plumbing from it froze. We had no water pressure when that happened because the part that froze was a 2 inch section of pipe that had the pressure sensor on it. You cant buy heat tape for a 2 pipe! The well tech said to insulate that pipe and place a heat lamp near that pipe, turning it on when it gets close to freezing. That involves clamping a heat lamp near the pipe and running an extension cord from the well head to my house, turning it on when it gets cold. It rarely stays cold enough during the day here, but it could happen. But what would I do if I was not home? This WiFi smart plug will hopefully be the answer. Basically, this is a WiFi relay/switch. You download the app, plug in the device to a wall outlet and the app connects the plug to your home network after you supply your routers WEP code. You next specify when the device will turn on. Generally, accessing the device turns it on. The icon on your smartphone Kasa app will turn green. You can have it turn on and off at a certain time on a specified day of the week but not on a specific date on the calendar. By doing so, it acts like setting a smartphone alarm. It asks for your location for sunrise/sunset information and can turn on the device at sunset, etc. There is an option to turn on the device for a low temperature situation, which I assume means outdoor temperature, but there is no setting for what that temperature is when it will turn the device on or at what subsequent temperature will it then turn it off. What if there are conflicts between the set schedule and the temperature? I will have to ask the company about that. In the meantime, I can check the weather and turn it on an off remotely. How long does it take for the smart plug to turn on or off when using the app? It is almost instantaneous. How far away is the smart plug from my Comcast router? About 80 feet.

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Oh my god, it was like buttah! setting the TP-Link up with the Amazon Echo. Thank you so much TP-Link Support for responding to another persons review, because that made me more inclined to purchase this! I along with my mother - who is on the other side of Texas - have been having weird problems with the Wemo plug and Echo, where it only works when it wants to. The times you need the Wemo, it wouldnt work and I would have to go into the Alex app and have to discover the Wemo plug again - it wouldnt be discovered if I simply asked Alexa to do it. Seems that that lots of people started having this problem starting @ 4-6 weeks ago. So the TP-Link was at the top of my list, but I didnt know if it worked with the Amazon Echo. After seeing a reply from TP-Link support regarding the echo and saying it now works, I thought I would give it a try. I set up the TP-Link Kasa for iPhone on my iPad, signed up, followed instructions, and the app itself was breeze - especially compared to the Wemo app. Remeber, you have to start in the TP-Link Kasa app and be signed in. Follow instructions. When it tells you to leave the app, that means that you then go to your settings for wifi and then select the TP-Link device as your wifi. Then, go back to the TP-Link Kasa app to finish. After you are done in the Kasa app, go into the Alexa app. In the Alexa App, go to the menu and select Smart Home, then go to Device Links - find and select Link with TP-Link Kasa. This will bring up a menu where you put in your TP-Link Kasa email & password. When you are done with that, go back to Smart Home in the Alexa app, then Devices, where you will then select Discover Devices. Let Alexa discover the TP-Link and Viola, youre done!!!

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.

The TP-Link Smart Plug is a good product. It works well, and was easy to set up. TP-Link smart plugs are also 100% compatible with Google Home (Yes, I know most here probably use Echo. It works with it too!) The only drawback of this product is its size. This thing is BULKY, and on a powerstrip will likely take up the space of two outlets. If you have the space to spare, not a big deal. If space is a concern Id say go with the TP-Link mini. Youll spend a little more, but the space saving will be worth it. Im using one on my air conditioner which is amazing! At home I can say Hey Google, turn on the air conditioner and she does it. Out of the home, I can use the TP-Link Kasa app on my phone to turn the unit on or off. OR I can set up an IFTTT action to turn the AC on when I am within a predefined radius of my home. Welcome to the future, and for the price? Holy cow! You need this in your life. Oh, one last thing. Dont make my mistake. I bought two of these. One was going to control my TV. Learned quick that turning off a smart tv and powering off a smart tv are two very different things. Basically, if I use the plug, I have to wait for my TV to reboot every time I turn it back on. Dont buy one of these for your television.

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 (

These things are great- Ive got 3 of them, and will probably get more once I can get my hands on an amazon dot for the other rooms in my house. I have them set to different names, and you can group them as well- for example, my three lights are all in the living room, but sometimes I just want to have the corner light on when watching a movie. I can say turn on the living room lights and all 3 will turn on- or I can specify which light to turn on or off via my Amazon Echo (the corner light, the hall light, etc) Even guests have no problem getting it, as its fairly intuitive as long as your labels make sense. Its simple to set up, and I havent had any connectivity issues and have even lost power a few times (just for a few minutes at a time) and havent had to reset anything. The Kasa app works wonderfully- as sometimes Ive forgotten to turn off a light, and while in bed I can grab my phone and turn off the lights without yelling and hoping that Alexa will hear me. (Please, Amazon Dot, come back!) The one drawback to these plugs is their size- they will take up both slots on your outlets, so it might not be entirely suitable for all areas, given the aesthetics of the bulky device. I have mine hooked up with 1 foot extensions to get around this. I considered taking a star off for having to use these extra cords to make this work for me, but given that these devices have worked so flawlessly otherwise, theyre keeping the star.

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 short version.....these work great and these should be your choice in Smart Plugs. Longer Version: When I started out with the home automation stuff, after purchasing an Echo, my first purchases were the Wemo plugs......that was a mistake. I have written a review on those and they have only gotten worse since I wrote it, due to Wemo updates which have only served to make both the plugs and App less usable. As far as the TP-Link plugs (and I have also purchased and installed TP-Link Switches), these work great and, while the App could be a little more user friendly, thus only 4 Stars, they so far out-distance the Wemo stuff that the decision on which to buy is, in my opinion, a no-brainer. The set-up process is, I guess, standard for these types of devices, but it worked flawlessly with each of the 4 plugs and 5 switches I have purchased. They are reliable and I have had absolutely no issues with them as far as function and reliability. As I said, the App is a bit clunky and could be more usable, but it is not THAT bad and, again, completely blows away Wemos in functionality. They also all work flawlessly with my Amazon Echo with minimal delay. As a matter of fact, I have made the decision to replace the 3 original Wemo plugs I bought with TP-Link plugs because the Wemos have become unusable in 80% of their function and completely unusable for a lot of uses for which I purchased them. I apologize if this seems more like a comparison report, but I figure that if you are reading the reviews, you are trying to decide which Smart Plug brand to purchase. TP-Links would be my very clear recommendation.

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.