GE Lighting CYNC Indoor Smart Plug, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi Smart Outlet Socket, Works with Alexa and Google Home, Voice Control Outlet

I have been trying to find a smart plug for nearly six months, but kept running onto the issue of them only working with the 2.4 routers. This one I just plugged in and Alexa actually acknowledged it, no damn apps, no third party Chinese Spyware to download.

Unable to get unit to connect to internet thus far.

After returning cheaper plugs that we couldnt connect, we opted for this one (we already have a Cync dimmer). Once we could get it to go into discover mode (had to call support cause u have to hold the button for 15 secs which isnt stated anywhere in the instructions), it worked great and easily paired with Alexa and Google.

These do work, but the app is buggy and timers/set up times dont really work. The instructions are not accurate, but there arent many other options like this so go for it.

These work well with the Cync app, easy to set up, but do not work with Alexa well. Mine work about half the time with Alexa. Returning them.

These plugs include WiF, Bluetooth and internal memory to store routines. I purchased these to reliably reboot my modem and mesh network devices. The stored routines work without wifi and if there is a problem and my network devices remain off, I can connect locally through Bluetooth to interact with the set. These is a must have item for home networking.

I bought these plugs to help manage interior lights (put them on a schedule) and also to charge devices during overnight hours when electricity rates drop but Im typically asleep. They work for all those purposes, but I have to downgrade the product on overall usability. To manage the schedule you have to use the Cync app on your smart phone, and this is where the problems start. The app is beautiful looking but not easy to use, and in general seems over-designed and under-thought. Its arrangement might make sense for a complicated home setup with multiple smart lights and other similar devices, maybe integrate them with an Alexa, but all I want is to put plugs on a timer. To do this, I had to choose names and for some reason images for each plug and each room the plugs were in. More than half of the setup seems completely unnecessary. Only when all this was completed was I allowed to program a schedule (alternatively you can program a scene, though it isnt ever explained what scenes are for or why youd want to use one). Once youve done that, the plug name and the room name each have an unlabeled slider button - one of them (I think) arms the schedule - or perhaps the scene - and one of them (I think) turns the plug on/off manually. After 3 days of using them Im still uncertain of their function. Probably if I was using this every day Id eventually figure it out and retain that information, but Id prefer to set it up once and then not think about it. Labeling the slider buttons (e.g. Manual On/Off, Arm/Disarm Schedule) would have solved that problem, but perhaps wouldnt be as aesthetically pleasing? I cant explain why they dont label their controls, its baffling. Each plug comes with a small set of instructions which is not detailed enough to answer questions; theres a toll-free support number, but I feel I shouldnt have to talk to customer support just to put an outlet on a timer - the analog timers I can get at any hardware store are intuitive and easy to use. I almost always have things Id rather do than spend 20 minutes talking to tech support. Bottom line, the app looks great but is hard to figure out; its frustrating to see overly clever user interface design get in the way of using a product for a simple purpose. The app prompts me to turn on Bluetooth and WiFi on my phone whenever I open the app, but once the plugs are programmed, there appears to be no reason to need either one (Bluetooth or WiFi). Maybe Im misunderstanding the point of enabling Bluetooth and WiFi, but here again those features arent explained in the instructions and Im not going to call tech support to find out. Since initially programming the plugs and entering the WiFi network info into the app, I can now use the app to turn plugs on & off manually, or adjust their schedules, all without having either Bluetooth or WiFi on. Thats handy, but it tells me that the app uses cellular data to communicate with an external host of some kind that then communicates with the plugs via the Internet and my home WiFi. This seems more complicated and prone to privacy/security problems than it needs to be. Id prefer to have to use Bluetooth or WiFi to communicate with the plugs directly from my phone, and cut out the middleman and any security risk that entails, but my guess is these devices are intended to gather data about their users so there is no ability to use them without connecting them to the Internet. Something I liked about the app was its ability to reference a program schedule to sunrise and/or sunset. This allows you to turn lights off based on sunrise, or turn them on based on sunset. My analog timers wont do that. On/off times can be adjusted from sunrise/sunset by minutes or hours, which is nice.

I don’t know if it’s me, because every time I use it to control the light on my phone it creates a “click” sound. Originally, I bought it because my friend has similar stuff at home, i thought it’s convenient. I didn’t hear a click at his house at that time. I really don’t like the sound.

The setup was easier than the Amazon smart plug. All we did was plug it in to the outlet and the Alexa app picked it up. Works great......no issues.

I was very skeptical because I had just had a very frustrating experience with the Kasa Smart plugs and their app. I was pleasantly surprised. The Cync app was easy to use and my Christmas lights were plugged in ,synced and scheduled for use in only 10 minutes. I would recommend.