Kasa Smart Plug Mini 15A, Smart Home Wi-Fi Outlet Works with Alexa, Google Home & IFTTT, No Hub Required, UL Certified, 2.4G WiFi Only, 4-Pack(EP10P4) , White

As a software engineer and home automation enthusiast, its rare that I find an electronic gadget that does exactly what I want. When I do, I buy a few, even having no immediate plans for them, because I never know when theyll be discontinued and replaced by a newer version that just doesnt work as well. This Kasa smart outlet from TP-Link is one such diamond in the rough. After putting one into operation, I have purchased four more just to have on hand. The deciding factor? Total local control. I hate IoT gadgets that depend on The Cloud for part or all of their functionality, as their usefulness diminishes or disappears when their manufacturers eventually go under, get acquired, or simply decide they no longer want to support their older product lines. These Kasa smart outlets work without needing to phone home. In fact, I blocked my units MAC address in my routers firewall so that it *cant* reach the Internet, as I have security concerns about IoT gadgets, and its still completely usable via a local protocol over my LAN. Of course, cloud-based integrations wont work in this configuration, but that doesnt bother me. I especially appreciate that the energy monitor features of the KP115 are accessible over the local protocol, too. The only feature that might not work without giving the unit Internet access is the scheduling feature, as the unit cant set its internal clock without Internet access. (I havent investigated whether theres a local command to set the clock.) [UPDATE 2021-09-07: The device does have a command that allows setting its internal clock. Once the clock is set, the device starts saving per-day and per-month energy usage statistics, which are retrievable via the local protocol.] But I wouldnt do scheduling on the device itself anyway; Id do it in home automation software. I only need the device to switch on and off when commanded and to do so reliably, and to that end the KP115 works a treat, especially for the price. You cant buy a Kill-A-Watt meter for this price, and those dont have Wi-Fi or switching capability. Moreover, the readings of voltage, current, power, and energy have greater precision than on the Kill-A-Watt. Only disadvantage, if you could call it that, is that the Kasa doesnt have a display; you have to read the meters via Wi-Fi. No big deal for me. The energy consumption meter *does* survive loss of power. There is a local command to reset it to zero. Aside from the local control aspect, the physical unit is attractive and sleek. It does not block the other receptacle in a duplex outlet. The blue power indicator LED, which lights when the switch is closed, can be disabled if you find it distracting. The mechanical switch does make a click when toggled, but its not too loud. The switch remains in its current state when the unit loses power and will remain in that state when power is again applied, and no click is heard at either point. I take this to mean that the switch is not a simple relay and is in fact a bi-stable mechanism, probably one that consumes essentially no power except when transitioning between states. The contacts are rated for 15A. So, in summary, the Kasa KP115 is an EXCELLENT smart outlet if you, like me, are wary of giving closed-source (unauditable) devices access to the Internet in your home or simply dont want the devices you buy today to become landfill when the companies that made them give up on supporting them. As long as 2.4GHz 802.11n continues to be implemented by home Wi-Fi networks, these KP115 smart outlets should continue to do their job admirably.

The setup for these took literally less than a minute and they havent needed to be re connected once since i got them. the user interface is smooth, intuitive, and easy to understand even for people who are less tech savvy. an added plus i didnt consider in the beginning is how they dont stick out a bunch. They do add about 2 inches to the plug so using these behind a dresser or most furniture is going to be difficult but i can live with it.

Exactly how i needed them to work. Have them connected to hotspot only when programming. Sunset has even been working in schedules.

I use these with Google, and they work flawlessly. I previously had a bunch of the Cync (or C By GE) plugs, and they caused me endless grief with Google. Ive had absolutely zero such problems with these Kasa ones. I have 16 of these things and will get more as the need arises. Plus theyre skinny enough they they dont obstruct multiple outlets.