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

Was looking for Echo Smart Home compatible smart plugs that didnt need some centralized management unit. The reviews on the HS100s by TP-Link mostly sounded favorable so I bought a couple to try out. The Echo integration works in two steps. First step is to configure the plugs with the TP-Link KASA app which requites setting up a free account and configuring each plug one at a time, naming the plug and joining it to your network. Once thats done, you can control them with your KASA app off your smart phone. The first one configured up fine but my second one had issues which were resolved by doing a rest on it twice and it finally assimilated. In the KASA app you can also setup schedules and calendars for your individual sockets as well, its actually a decent app. The next step is the Echo integration. This involves opening the Echo app and going to Smart Home and learning the KASA TP-Link skills. You will link Echo to your newly created KASA account and then discover devices. The devices will show up as whatever name you gave them in the KASA app. This is also the name you will use when you say Alexa turn <name> on (or off). So setup is fairly easy as long as your follow the correct order of operations and your plugs cooperate. So far Ive had them installed for a couple days and they have not dropped off the network yet. Theyre on my 2.5ghz wifi guest network. The plugs and the rest of your wifi devices dont necessarily need to be on the same wifi network. If youre into security and your router is capable, you could setup a new wifi network just for things and connect your HS100s to that new network. This would get around some of the issues people have with spaces not being support in wifi network names/passwords. As long as everything has open access to the Internet, Echo can control the HS100s just fine on the same network or a different network. From what I can tell, Echo does not directly talk to your plugs. Echo talks to KASA cloud services and KASA in turns talks to your HS100 smart plugs. So far very happy with the HS100s. Will update if anything significant happens positive or negative with them in the future. But I plan on buying more (when theyre on sale again). Update 9/8/16 : These HAD been working flawlessly but for some reason 24 hours ago, they suddenly stopped working. I dont believe that its Alexa, both my plugs still appear in the Alexa app as learned. However when I open the KASA app, it no longer shows the devices so pretty weird how all of a sudden theyve disappeared from the KASA app. I suppose to fix it ill need to start the configuration from scratch again . -1 star for sudden problems with no explanation. Update 12/15/17 : Ive added two more of these to my home thanks to holiday sale promotions with alexa devices. Im using two of them for christmas lights/decorations and have them grouped to come on or off when i ask for Christmas Lights to go on or off. Works great, took like 10 minutes or less to get setup and working, granted Im now pretty experienced with these as all my smart home devices are TP-Link with Alexa. I know what to do when to do it and how to configure it, and it all works great. Will prob be looking at adding some other TP-Link devices in the new year like their cameras. Been very happy with these products. TO follow up on my previous review, once in a while the Kasa servers have a hiccup and voice commands wont operate and the app goes wonkey. When this happens dont do anything just wait it out, use the manual on/off options included. The plugs have on/off buttons for manual override and the light bulbs will go on/off with a light switch. Just flip the light switch off, then on again and the light will come on. When kasa recovers just turn your light on again and wait 30 seconds or so for it to connect and then voice command it to go off.

* 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.

The 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.

At first, I had a lot of trouble getting it to work. Please note: these things do NOT work with custom firmware routers (DD-WRT, OpenWRT, etc.) I had DD-WRT on my router, and I just couldnt get it to work no matter what. It couldnt connect to the router, and I have no clue why. So I flashed my router back to stock firmware, et voila. It worked just as expected. You download the Kasa app, plug in the plug, and go through the on-screen instructions to set it up! Its very simple. It then gives you the ability to turn on and off things you plug into it remotely (I used mine for a space heater). You can also setup a schedule for it to turn on. For me, I have my heater turn on at 630am so its not cold when its time to get out of bed. This is also good for automated lights and other things. PACKAGING: the packaging it comes in is very good, and very nice looking. The instructions are semi-ambiguous, but they can be. The app walks you step by step through setup. This plug is not compatible with 5GHz WiFi networks...so you need to have a 2.4GHz WiFi network in order to use this. Honestly this part is my own mistake, but I only bought the Smart Plug, and not the model with energy monitoring...DO NOT make this mistake. Its literally 4 cents more to get the one with energy monitoring, and it would be well worth it just for some cool extra information about your plug and monitoring it. Currently, you can only see how long its been on...not that useful for much. Anyways, amazing product, very nice and convenient, and glad I purchased. Giving it 4 stars because the headache I had with DD-WRT and because a model without a feature is the same price* as the model with a feature...very unfortunate as I dont want to wait to send this back and forth.

Always wanted some home automation system, but in reading the horror stories of the past always made me back off. Happened across this device here at Amazon. For the reduced price, I took the risk and ordered one. WOW -- what a plug. NO special hub needed. This unit connects directly to your home 2.4 Ghz Wi-Fi router and controlled by the Kasa Android/iOS app that programs and controls your switches. More later. Unboxed and set up my plug. You will need to have an Android or iOS device to perform the set up. If you do not have one, there is NO way to properly install or use this plug. There is NO web site to perform this task. I give fair warning to you and you can continue your search for a different type of connection set-up. Downloaded the Kasa app from the Google Play Store to both my Android devices. Proceeded to register for a TP Link remote access account. An email will be sent to the address you provide. After confirming this is really your email account, set up continues. Since I had only one light switch, programming one name was easy. After the app finds your home network (Wi-Fi) enter your security password. Mine is connected to a WPA2-AES Netgear routed network. With the correct password, my router recognized the TP Link plug right off. Once done, I manually changed the plug IP address in my LAN settings to a static address, so the plug will always connect to the same connection address. Less work for the router to do when a reboot happens. Testing this plug further, I played with a light unplugging and replugging the outlet in different wall sockets in the house. All locations were found and connected to my wireless network. Testing, I was able to turn the light on and off at will. Next up was a remote test off premises and away from my Wi-Fi network. Walked down the the end of my street and turned on the light -- failure. What went wrong? Walked down the street again -- the 4G LTE signal took additional time to connect with the TP Link servers via the Kasa app. The first try failed giving me a message of connection failed, please try again later Tried again a couple seconds later -- success. If you have connections issues, try a second time, this should be successful. Dont lose the installation instruction. There is no replacement instructions for this model plug on the TP Link support web site. Both my wife and I are happy with this plug that we just ordered two more for different devices we have here at the house. The ability to control lights and appliances remotely, in town or away is great. I have to play with this plug more and will supplement this review after a brief time to conduct additional testing under varied conditions. Im pleased with the purchase and this product deserves, rightful so, my 5 star rating. ******* 05/12/2016 - Update I now have three (3) of these wall plugs connected to my home Wi-Fi network. All three (3) with static IP addresses on my LAN network. All having reconnected with my network after one power outage and several plug movements from their originating and paring positions. If you want to use these plug remotely (the very reason you buy them), you have to change the identifying name on your router. The default name is HS-100 and they will show up as HS-100, but the router is confused when the Kasa app is opened (even though the MAC addresses are different for each plug). It will allow for only one switch to work remotely and the other two to be under local Wi-Fi network control. When I changed the names on my router and gave them separate static addresses at the same time, all plugs worked remotely. A helpful tip. Unlike other home security items controlled by remote (like IP cameras), NO need to do any fancy port forwarding and router tricks to make them work. They are plug-n-play after you find them on your network through the Kasa app. Manual turn on provision is the easy part. Programmed time works just as will, programming the plug from the Kasa app. You have to program one separate on time and a second separate off time. I understand that up to 50 separate times can be stored per plug. I have not tried it. One reviewer blasted the security, or the lack thereof these plugs. He brings up several points, but overall, someone has to have some pretty sophisticated hardware and programming skills to catch these plugs passing your Wi-Fi password info across the local network. Nothing is absolutely secure. If somebody really wants that info, they will get it -- plain and simple. The statistical chances of your Wi-Fi network being hacked by these plugs are very remote at best. I would far more worried about a smash and grab theft/robbery of your computer hardware, compromising your network directly, or an armed robbery of your cell phone with the Kasa app than a sniffer outside waiting, waiting, waiting to capture your plugs talking with your network. More paranoia than anything else. Use these plugs in good health. I enjoy knowing that they just work, locally and remotely, with the ability to verify that your lights are working properly and at your programmed times. Nuff said. ******* 05/22/2016 - Update I created a monster! My wife plays with these wall plugs all the time with her Android phone. On, off, on, off. Such small things bring that much pleasure cannot be all bad. Hey, if she uses them like this, Im happy and just confirms that I made the right purchase. ******* 06/15/2016 - Update Just returned from a week long trip out-of-state. Put these plugs through a more thorough test while away from home. Viewing and switching remotely, on both Wifi and 4G LTE from my phone, they worked as represented. I was able to verify this remotely with my IP cams in the house. Changing my pre-programed settings remotely worked also. A nice convenience. Thus far, with over a month of use, these plugs just work. I also understand (with the last Kasa app update), TP-Link is rereleasing a wall switch based upon the same technology as these wall plugs. The model will be the HS-200. No release date has been set as of this time. When they come out, I will upgrade several wall switches for my lights with the HS-200 switches. ******** 09/29/2016 - HS200 wall switch installation Discount Coupon time ($5.00 off), picked one up from Amazon as phase two (2) of operation Home Automation w/o a Hub project continues. Came today and just finished installing it. Unboxed the switch. Nicely packed with foam protection surrounding the face plate. Four (4) wires to connect: * Green for ground * White for neutral * Black (2 wires) for line and load (neither one marked for line or load) * Extra wire nuts were included - a nice touch I have mine connected to a 50 watt Track-Light set up with 5 LED BR30 bulbs. Lower wattage, but there are NO issues with flicker on power up/down. The dark side of my installation: Then the fun began. The wall switch cover (one pole/switch cover) is attached to the mounting tangs of the switch with plastic clasp hooks molded onto the face plate. I have two switches at the installed location so the included face plate had to be removed. The back side face plate hooks snap over the plastic mounting tangs on the switch and are very tough to separate. It took some careful prying to separate the faceplate from the switch so as not to break the plastic mounting tangs on the switch. Remember that when you get your switch. A bad design by TP-Link. Further, the mounting tangs on the wall switch are thicker plastic than a regular metal framed switch, so a standard wall plate may or may not fit. Mine barely fits, but there is a gap around the side edge of the wall plate. I will have to buy a deeper clearance wall plate to close the now obvious gap. Also, the switch plate cover mounting screws (the small ones that are exposed) are NOT drilled to accept the switch plate mounting screws. It took some force to get the screws started into the plastic mounting tangs on the switch. Another issue with this switch and TP-Links bad design. This switch also did something I didnt see with the wall plugs. When I went to add the switch to the Kasa app, it took over my cell phone Wi-Fi connection. Once installation was completely configured, the wall switch released my phone Wi-Fi and let it reset to my home router. A minor distraction and why it happened is beyond me. Normal, but some warning should have been given. Now, it was not all bad. Once installed from my cell phone, other Android devices found this switch and automatically entered it into the Kasa program. All devices work remotely without an issue. Like my wall plugs, I configured this switch to a static IP address on my LAN. Reconfiguration was painless and it works just fine. All 4 plugs and switched play nice on the Kasa app. I knocked off one star for the plastic construction of the wall tangs, mounting points and packaging of the wall plate cover. The mounting tangs should have been metal and the wall plate should have rested on top of the switch, not mounted to it. NO note in the box of how to take the wall plate off the switch -- an oversight by some engineer, but not to the end user. I plan to purchase a couple more wall switches. Even with the flaws I described, they work as intended and my wife continues to play with them every day. ******* 01/02/2017 - Update I am now up to two (2) HS-200 wall switches and three (3) HS-100 wall plugs. All are connected to a second Linksys AP router (more in a minute). The switches and wall plugs continue to work flawlessly. I also have an

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.

This item worked well for years with minimal problems. But when my modem died and I had to change the network I found out that you cant change the plug. They advise me to set up the new network with the same network ID and password as the old network. Since Id already set up the network and many many devices in my house I ended up just ordering a different plug. From Amazon of course. I will get it tomorrow

I purchased the Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Plug (not the mini) to power a hot water recirculating pump in my basement. I received it in one day with Amazon Prime in a very sturdy box. The Kasa smart plug came with a quick start guide card with very clear, straightforward instructions. I downloaded the Kasa iPhone app (which has outstanding reviews) and I set up the smart plug in my office only a few feet away from my Verizon 2.4 GHz router. The app walks you thought the set-up process quickly and without a hitch. During set-up you will name the smart plug for future identification. I used a night light plugged into the smart plug to test it out. There is a button in the app that you touch to turn the smart plug on or off and it worked the first time. Then I moved the smart plug to the basement where I was going to use it. The new location was one level down and approximately 50 feet away from the router. After plugging in the smart plug into the basement outlet, the smart plug blinked several time and then turned green and worked the first time. Next, I launched my Google Home app on my iPhone. In the upper left hand corner of the home page there are three horizontal lines. Tapping those lines bring up a menu. Tap on the Devices in the menu and follow the directions to add a new device. Google Home identifies this smart plug as TP-Link Kasa so scroll down until you see this device. Once set-up I simply said Hey Google turn on <smart plug name given during set-up> Google Home turned on the smart plug and confirmed that it was turned on. There are other nice features on the TP-link app that allows you to set-up a schedule for on-off and a timer that will turn off the smart plug after the count down. So far, I am extremely happy with my new smart plug on my first day of use. Should anything change, I will update my review.

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.

<Update 6.20.2016> I love these units & cannot wait (though Im going to have to anyway) for the HS200 TP Link Smart Switch (In-wall light switch) to come to the market per their latest software update note under the Whats New. Ive 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 (whos 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 wouldnt 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. Amazons Alexa App is in need of some serious TLC. TP Links Kasa App is doing what its 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 youre not connected to your LAN (because youve 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 (its 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 skills name otherwise its a page by page search until you find what your looking for. Anyway, I digress. The skill was not showing up in the Alexas 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. Ive read that if you have a decent size (dont 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, Im cooled down a bit, Ill try the Alexa App one more time. Opening the App, I went straight to the Smart Home directory & whadyaknow, 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 HS100s 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 dont yet have an echo (its on order) but am preparing for its arrival. So in the mean time I figured Id 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 its 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 its 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, Its the only lamp in my family room & I dont 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 couldnt 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 cant 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). Havent had an issue with it since but its 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 TVs 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 Im 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.