Kasa Smart HS100 WiFi Smart Plug, Classic 1-Pack, White
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Judi Fryer
> 3 dayThis review is more about the provider than the Plug. Purchased this item in December 2016 shortly after obtaining my first of 3 Amazon Dots/1 Amazon Flex. Installed the KASA plug shortly after receiving it. It was a little complicated, but then AI in general was new to me. Plug has worked FLAWLESSLY. I upgraded my internet somewhere in between 2106 and now. The gentleman from the internet service helped me update the few AI devices I had at that time. All were a piece of cake for him, except the KASA plug. It took him longer to get that one updated than all the others combined. I recently upgraded my modem and router when increasing my internet speed. The provider installed the new modem/router. I upgraded all of the 12 devices I currently have as peripherals for the Alexa Dots. Absolutely NO PROBLEM with my phone, thermostat, multiple Alexa plugs, Roku, TV, etc. etc. I checked with Amazon/Alexa department if they had any information about how to update the address info on the KASA HS100 plug. Unfortunately they did not, but they did provide an telephone number for the KASA Company. After being disconnected three times following long hold sessions to reach an a representative, I finally was on the phone with someone at KASA. Explained my need for instructions to reconnect the plug so it could be recognized by Alexa. After being given multiple. serially changing directions, 49 minutes on the floor under my desk in order to have plug within less than 1 of the modem, the plug was still not connected. The representative said that since I seemed to be confused he was going to send me an e-mail with written instructions. I asked two questions: If I couldnt follow directions with an expert talking me through the procedure, was it likely I could follow written ones? He ignored that question. I also asked more than once; how, since at no time during your fluid directions did we do ANYTHING that included providing the plug with my new wifi name/password, could we expect this to be a successful effort; which surprisingly he ignored every time I asked. I had successfully added a KASA app on my phone and opened what appeared to be a new KASA account during this time; neither of which helped with my problem. The second sentence of the e-mailed directions told me (without any directions as to how to do so) to create a cloud account. I have successfully avoided having a cloud account for years and years and alas thus didnt have a clue, nor understand the need since the plug has worked for years without the presence of one. I called back to the KASA Company and received a new representative who from direction #1 gave me an ENTIRELY DIFFERENT SET OF DIRECTIONS THROUGH THE ENSUING 50 more minutes under my desk. (Did I mention Ill be 79 next month?). One of the directions the 2nd fellow gave me this time was to enter the new WIFI name/password into the plugs memory. Hallelujah! I was optimistic. He also had me touching, pushing, holding etc entirely different parts of the plug this time. Another hopeful indication. He then told me we had added the plug to the KASA list. But what about Amazons list I asked. Not necessary he replied. I asked him to please give me 3 more minutes of his time while I toted the newly updated plug to the room where it was going to be used to see if it would communicate with Alexa. He said we didnt need to do that. It was added to KASA and it was going to work and could he help me in any other way. I am thinking I dont need to tell you that Alexa still could not recognize a link to a foyer lamp, though she dutifully kept asking me did I mean couch light. I quickly received an e-mail Survey regarding my satisfaction. I responded pretty much as above. One question was do I still need to be contacted. YES was the reply. Today I received another e-mail asking why I had not replied to the first one and was I satisfied. They did not receive my Survey response and apparently cant receive my response from today either. They wont let you respond via your regular e-mail, they provided an alternate system which obviously I also havent mastered. Ive only worked at a job for 23 years using a computer 12 hours a day for anywhere from 4-7 days a week. And I have used a home computer, sometimes two at a time, for 39 years more days than I probably should have. So it is understandable I suppose that I dont have a Degree in technology, and apparently only have a passing ability to follow directions that even a child would recognize as not going to be successful as provided. I am going to send the KASA Plug back to the company and buy yet another Alexa plug. To get them connected and working you need about 5 minutes tops and NO PHD in Technology. I recommend if you need workable, easy to use, understand, set up, and connect plugs to for Alexa to communicate with you START from Day 1 with only ALEXA Plugs. I have multiple ones connected to multiple items around my home and they NEVER fail and when you update you ALEXA WIFI information, it covers all your specific devices, all your plugs, etc. Separate items like Roku boxes, speakers, TV, etc are pretty easy on their own. Please save your self much grief, aggravation, and possibly a near serious brush with a stroke and buy ONLY ALEXA plugs. Alexa will appreciate you and so will your blood pressure.
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Kindle Customer
21-11-2024Installation was a bit of a nightmare at first. Even though the app loaded just fine on my phone, and even though my phone (a HTC Volt 2) was on the this should work list, the app kept freezing whenever it tried to name the plug. I must have done it over and over 500 times, until I was ready to drop the entire thing into an active volcano. If youre having trouble with setup, forget the helpdesk and try using another phone or tablet. (Once the plug is synced and working, the app on my phone controls it just fine. Setup just has a few bugs in it). I finally used a tablet that has Google play on it to download the Kasa app and install the plug instead of my phone. So setup is kinda hit or miss depending on how the app works with your phone, but once its working, the plug is fantastic! Its way better than Wemo in that it never loses connectivity or needs to be reset. I actually have five of them now that I use with Alexa, and they are all 100% responsive. (Be sure to name the plug something easy for Alexa to understand if you go that route. She sometimes cant tell the difference between Bed and Bath if I mumble or have the TV on, but that isnt the plugs fault). So yes, I highly recommend this smart plug once it is up and running.
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Richard Taft
> 3 dayOverall this like the other KASA products are well made, reliable and easy to use. My application was to control a whole house fan with Alexa. Once it was finally all set up, it worked well. Im using a smartthings hub to integrate everything. Using the KASA app on my tablet was simple to do the initial setup. Once that was done an automatic firmware update was done. That took only 5 min. I then had to go into the SmartThings app to get it to discover the new device. A simple process that went smoothly. Getting it into Alexa was a bit of an issue. If you go into the Alexa app and select add a device and select KASA, it will prompt you to install the KASA Skill. DONE DO THAT if you have SmartThings. You will end up with duplicate devices for everything controlled by KASA that in SmartThings. If you select SmartThings, you will be prompted to install the SmartThings skill, even though its already installed. What you have to do is select OTHER and the app will scan for new devices. You will then be prompted to give the device a name, why it doesnt use the same name as is in SmartThings Ill never know. Not very intuitive at all. Overall Im pleased with the KASA product and will definitely order it again if I have a need.
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Jamurr29
> 3 dayDont 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.
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karlou facherpour
Greater than one weekAfter being a little hesitant about trying home automation things in my house, I decided to buy the amazon echo. It was over from there. I added a few of these smart plugs to the house and they work perfectly. Setup was a breeze. It took less than 5 minutes to be connected to my router and on the home network. It will require you to create a account with TP-Link but these days everything does. The app is simple to use and is designed to work instantaneously when you hit the on and off button. Tons of custom settings if you want to get into timers and other security features. You can keep adding more smart plugs to the same account without any trouble. I wish these smart plugs would shrink in size a little but all in due time. I am glad to see TP-Link is starting to come down in price. Honestly that was the only thing holding me back from more of these guys. Price needs to drop to make a viable option for everything to have a smart plug. After setup and plugged it in and named it and setup it on the app, of course I decided to use it with the Amazon Echo. Discovery on the Alexa app went perfect. It discovered all the smart plugs and that was it. After that using the Echo to control the plugs was as easy as say Alexa turn on family room lights. Works flawlessly, perfectly every time. I wish everything could work perfectly together like these two products. Highly recommended for not on controlling smart plugs with a app but if you have a Echo a must to have.....
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Neoprimal
> 3 dayUPDATE: 7/11/2016 TP Link tried very hard to help me with the issue. I was in the middle of an interstate move so they had to close the case and I was to get back to them. I have not, because I dont need to. I plugged the switch that was giving me hell in my apartment, into an outlet in the home that Ive moved into and by luck or whatever, identical setup, nothing, and I do mean NOTHING in terms of settings have been changed or altered, and it operates fine. Normally the switch might work fine for a day or 2 and then pull its shenanigans and not work after that for no good reason. This is no longer the case. Ive had it going for about a week now and it hasnt faltered. I dont know if the issue could have been wifi interference (apt had many, many, many wifi signals. In my current home, Im only seeing 3 or so that dont belong to me and theyre very low; could have been power outlet issues though I tried several outlets and I tried moving the plug close to my router as mentioned below). So, sorry! I cant help anyone having the same or similar issues. I checked the firmware and it hasnt update. Really, nothing has changed except the environment in my case. The apartment I moved out of is a couple hundred square feet smaller too, so its not like I moved into a smaller place and this could be somewhat of an explanation. I cant explain it. Anyway, without any fixing, it seems to be working fine. Fair is fair, Im eating crow and retracting my post below. Ive taken a single star off because I had issues in the first place that were out of my control. This means that this just isnt a 5 star product. Not for me. A 5 star product for me works out of the box, thats when I love a product. Since it didnt work in whatever the scenario, it means that this could potentially occur to someone else. If I could take 1/2 of a star, thats what I would have done. Since I cant, Im giving it 4 stars. In the end, I like the product and I believe that you will too as long as it works as it should. _______________________________________________________________________ Just doesnt work for me. Setup is very simple, the product just doesnt seem to stay connected to my WiFi for some reason. For informational purposes, I own a Netgear X6 Scarab router. 2.4 Ghz wifi is rated at 100% in my bedroom, where I have one of the plugs. I also have a Netgear WNDR4000 which I use as well so that I dont saturate the X6s 2.4 Ghz band. Its also rated at 100% in my bedroom. They are on different channels and I have tried both networks to test the switches. The issue occurs on both. The switch only works at 2.4Ghz. Its a real mystery as to why it doesnt stay connected. Initially, I go through the ropes and set it up and it works perfectly for a day or so and then, randomly at some point after that, the light will go red and nothing can connect to it, not the app and not Alexa, obviously. Ill reboot it and it goes right back to red. I have to actually factory reset and set it up again to get it to work. The idea is great and due to good reviews, I purchased 3 of these. My idea was to put 2 in our bedroom, one for me, one for my wife and link them in a group. When she needs her light, she can just tell Alexa. When I need my light same thing. Sometimes when were both scrambling to get ready in the morning, both lights are on, so I or she can say Alexa, turn bedroom lights off and thats that. Our lights are on tall Chesters beside the bed so wed have to get up to switch them on and off otherwise or use remote wired switches. One of the switches is also in the living room so we can turn a light on from the bedroom before we walk out there if one of us wants to chill out for a while, catching up on some TV late night/early morning (generally me). Ive tried moving the switch to within a foot of the router and it does the same thing. Ive tried a Firmware Update, but there arent any currently. Ive tried rebooting my routers though I refuse to blame them. I mean 1. I can understand 1 router, but Ive tried 2 of them; its highly unlikely that 2 of my routers are at some fault especially when 2. No other product on the network has had any issues whatsoever and I have 25 wireless devices on the network. I would love to assign them a static IP but cant. Either way, I monitor my network and its not like theres anything trying to take their IP addresses. Even after they are reset, they get the same addresses again. Suffice it to say, Im at a loss here and disappointed big time. Ill keep them and hope that a firmware update comes that fixes them, but at this point I will neither endorse nor recommend them to anyone. If anything changes, I will definitely be back. +1 for the feature set, +1 for ease of setup, -3 for just not working.
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Kaibob
> 3 dayI purchased the TP-Link HS100 Smart Plug from Amazon and paid $19.99. This was my first step into home automation and a bit of an experiment to see if it would be helpful to me. Right now, I use the Smart Plug to power on and off a lamp in my bedroom, and I control it with the kasa app on my Android phone and with an Echo Dot. Overall the device works extremely well--both with the kasa app and the Echo Dot. A few miscellaneous notes: * Setting up the Smart Plug to work with my Echo Dot was a little complicated (at least for me), but, once set up, it has worked flawlessly. I will primarily use the Echo Dot to control the Smart Plug but I like having the ability to use the Kasa app when I find that more convenient. * The kasa app is easy to use and has many helpful device management and scheduling features. * The Smart Plug only supports the 2.4GHz WiFi band, and I thought I would have to switch my phone to that frequency. This hasnt been the case. * The maximum power rating is 1.8KW, which is enough to allow me to use it with a moderately-sized Lasko floor heater. Im waiting for the Smart Plug to go on sale again so I can purchase one for this use. Anyways, because of the somewhat complicated setup with my Echo Dot, Ive given the Smart Plug 4 stars rather than 5.
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Jeff Carter
> 3 dayI got these smart plug outlets so I could get Alexa to cut my nightlights and christmas tree on and off. They work like they say and require no hub however sometimes Alexa wont cut them on even though see says ok after I tell her to cut on kitchen. If this happens you click on the reset button on the smart plug and it fixes the issue. You need the Kasa Phone App to get these to work. You have to set them up there and then for the Alexa you need an amazon echo,tap or dot and you need to get Alexa to discover the smartplug devices in the alexa app. You can plug anything into these for example to test after Alexa discovered the Living Room Plug I plugged a fan into it. Worked like a charm she cut the fan on and off. Update Decided to buy the Smart Switch HS200 to cut my porch lights on and off when Im not home. Dont waste your money on this product. It doesnt work. It says cant be reached and it wont work on my own wifi signal it wants to use its own on Kasa even after setting it up. Alexa cant find these devices either. I got 2 and had an electrician install them for $172. For some reason Amazon has smart switch under my smart plug review. I recommend the smart plugs but the Smart Switches are defective and poorly made. I give them 1 star. Im no better off now then I was before I bought these switches. I just wasted over $300. Switch continues to alternate between orange and green. Update Again I now recommend this product. I put in the wrong password and thats why it wouldnt work. I am now able to tell Alexa to cut my Front and Back Porch lights off and am able to use the Kasa App to cut them on and off. This will hopefully help with my electric bill since Ill no longer have to worry about leaving the porch light on when I go to work. Note Switch must be turned on for the app and alexa to work. When its off you see a white circle. You dont need Alexa though you can turn your devices on and off from the kasa app and dont even need to be home. I recommend unplugging these smart plugs during Thunderstorms because Lightning Strikes arnt covered under the warrenty. The smart plugs are a cheap way to automate your house and you dont need to hire an electrician to install them because you just plug them in. I eventually plan to get the smart switches for my porch lights . On a side note if you unplug these smart plugs and plug them back in they will hook back up to wifi within 5 seconds. When you see the green light your good to go. When you cut devices on or off thru the Kasa App or thru Alexa you hear a click which is normal. Finally this device works with the amazon tap though with the tap you have to mash the button to tell it to cut on kitchen for example or cut off kitchen. I prefer the echo since my voice can activate it without having to mash a button. The smart plugs by the way come nicely packaged and with a quick set up guide. I highly recommend TP Link Smart Plugs. I now have 3 and you cant find these at Lowes or Homedepot so your best bet is amazon and if you have prime shipping is free.
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Dennis Tomlin
> 3 dayThe TP-Link is a nifty device once you get it up and running. I bought it specifically to start using with the Amazon Echo Dot 2nd gen with Alexa. The directions in the box are very simple but not as obvious as they should be with the two important points below. Before I go any further, this device will only work with the 2.4ghz wi-fi signal. It is very important for you to know your current equipment, that would have saved me a lot of frustration. It turns out my AT&T router will emit 2.4 or 5ghz, not both at the same time. After talking with an agent things improved rather quickly. One other important note, when you are trying to connect your phone via the Kasa app, you need to be within 3 feet, 2 is even better. Again, would have been nice to know upfront. If I had known those tidbits upfront, my total time to connect to my phone and using it with the Kasa app, 5 minutes tops. Connecting and voice controlling with Alexa, another 5 minutes tops. I am physically disabled and must admit, I am very thrilled to be independently controlling device. Not knowing how well the TP-Llink would work, I only purchased one at $22 vs regularly $45+. I am regretting that decision now. If it holds up well over time, this will be the first of many more to come. If it was clearer prior to purchasing it about only operating on 2.4ghz and a 2-foot range from my phone during the initial setup, I would have given it a 5 star. After all, I do really like it and it works great with the Amazon Dot 2nd gen with Alexa. It shouldnt be left out, that the Kasa app on the phone has plenty of options for those not interested in voice control. If over time things change, youll be the second to know.
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D. ROBINSON
Greater than one weekArrived well packaged. took about 10 min from the time packaged was received until Alexa was turning my light on and off :) Downloaded the app simple enough..created an account with email and password. Plugged in the smart plug, app found it, left the app, let phone connect to the plug under wifi settings, back into app and added my wifi password, plugged in lamp, added device in the alexa app...and that was it, unbelievably easy to do. currently I am using Alexa on my fireTV..the echo doesnt arrive until next week. its all the same cloud so I am sure it will be no different. I highly recommend this product as I will be buying more here in the future..Only reason I dont have a houseful right now, is that the wife limits what I can spend on my techy stuff...ha ha ha Only thing that remains to be seen is longevity of the plug, but for now..well done TP-link.. its easy and it works! UPDATE: liked the first one so much ordered and received a 2nd one. Setup was even quicker.. Unbox, plug in, open kasa app, finds device, exit app, connect to device in wifi settings on phone. Go back into app, device ready to use. Go into Alexa app, discover new device, add device to the group I previously created and done! Whole process took 5-7 minutes. Alexa can now turn on/off both bedroom lamps or just one lamp at a time. I can also use the kasa app if I wish. NOTE: so it does and does not cover both plugs in a standard socket. A 2 prong (non grounded) plug will work but a 3 prong (grounded) plug will not fit in the same receptacle as this device.