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

One of my smartest purchases ever. I bought my first HS100 around Thanksgiving 2017. I got two for $5 each, as bundles with my Echo and Echo Dot. I just added a 3rd (an HS110) for under $20. They are a breeze to set up. just plug in and wait for the light to go from amber to green. Go to setting on your phone and join the TP Kaza wifi (temporary for the setup), and let it prompt you to connect to your home wifi. From there, use the phone app to manage the devices, create schedules, groups of devices, and of course, turn things on or off with Alexa. You can use the Kaza app to set up schedules. I use these on lamps and the Christmas tree, etc. One great thing - these are actually smart - they know if they are off or on. This differs from a simple time which just turns itself back and forth to on and off, without controlling the actual flow of electricity to the timer. The Kasaoutlet knows if it is on or off, so for example if you ask Alexa to turn off the lamp and the Kasa outlet is already off, it will do nothing. You wont get out of sync with on being off and off being on. Scheduling is a breeze, and much easier to do from a smartphone than having to go to an outlet timer, bend down, play with settings, etc. You can schedule on and off functions individual on different days, or set a timer to turn off in say 30 minutes, or set an away schedule to randomly turn lights on to give the appearance you are home. Of course, you can use the app to turn things on and off when you are away from home too. You can also override the schedule with simple commands like Alexa turn on the den lamp. If you prefer a smaller plug, TP-Link does make a smaller version. Coverage seems very good. I have some of these on different floors than my router, and about 60-70 feet away with no issue at all. A couple of notes: 1. These are good size, so in a duplex outlet it is bets to plug it in the top outlet so the bottom outlet remains accessible. I see people complain that the Kasa blocks the whole duplex outlet. I guess it could in some cases, depending how your outlet is mounted, or it what you want to plug into the other outlet is large. In general though, plug into the top outlet on a duplex, and you are good to go. 2. These are grounded and have 3 prongs so if you have an old style outlet, thats an issue. The HS110 comes with energy monitoring which the HS100 does not. The HS100 still shows you hours of usage, averages, etc.so I would go with whichever is the best price on the day you buy it.

Very upset that this will not work with my 5.2 router. Why was the product info not clearer that it will only work with 2.4??? Is there one available that WILL work with my router. After 3 kindles and my echo this is the first Amazon product I haver been upset about. I am not smart enough to know how to change my router and am hesitant to do so since I dont want to mess up my computer, my Kindles, my cell phone and two smart tvs. I also have two Dots on order will they work with my current router?? Gosh - I hope so!!!!! Since I am disabled I was really looking forward to telling Alexa to turn on my lamp. Is there another device that will work with my router? How do I go about returning the tp-link. I have the original box but I will have to pay someone to take it to the UPS office. , This is the only product from Amazon that I have ever been disappointed in. I have had 3 Kindles and words cannot express how much I LOVE my ECHO. Since I live alone and have no friends or family anywhere near, it is nice to hear another voice. I learn something new every day to use it for. I am not smart enough to know how to change my router and am hesitant to do so since I dont want to mess up my computer, my Kindles, my cell phone and two smart tvs. I also have two Dots on order will they work with my current router?? Gosh - I hope so!!!!! Since I am disabled I was really looking forward to telling Alexa to turn on my lamp. Is there another device that will work with my router? How do I go about returning the tp-link. I have the original box but I will have to pay someone to take it to the UPS office. , This is the only product from Amazon that I have ever been disappointed in. I have had 3 Kindles and words cannot express how much I LOVE my ECHO. Since I live alone and have no friends or family anywhere near, it is nice to hear another voice. I learn something new every day to use it for. I am not smart enough to know how to change my router and am hesitant to do so since I dont want to mess up my computer, my Kindles, my cell phone and two smart tvs. I also have two Dots on order will they work with my current router?? Gosh - I hope so!!!!! Since I am disabled I was really looking forward to telling Alexa to turn on my lamp. Is there another device that will work with my router? How do I go about returning the tp-link. I have the original box but I will have to pay someone to take it to the UPS office. , This is the only product from Amazon that I have ever been disappointed in. I have had 3 Kindles and words cannot express how much I LOVE my ECHO. Since I live alone and have no friends or family anywhere near, it is nice to hear another voice. I learn something new every day to use it for. I am not smart enough to know how to change my router and am hesitant to do so since I dont want to mess up my computer, my Kindles, my cell phone and two smart tvs. I also have two Dots on order will they work with my current router?? Gosh - I hope so!!!!! Since I am disabled I was really looking forward to telling Alexa to turn on my lamp. Is there another device that will work with my router? How do I go about returning the tp-link. I have the original box but I will have to pay someone to take it to the UPS office. , This is the only product from Amazon that I have ever been disappointed in. I have had 3 Kindles and words cannot express how much I LOVE my ECHO. Since I live alone and have no friends or family anywhere near, it is nice to hear another voice. I learn something new every day to use it for. I am not smart enough to know how to change my router and am hesitant to do so since I dont want to mess up my computer, my Kindles, my cell phone and two smart tvs. I also have two Dots on order will they work with my current router?? Gosh - I hope so!!!!! Since I am disabled I was really looking forward to telling Alexa to turn on my lamp. Is there another device that will work with my router? How do I go about returning the tp-link. I have the original box but I will have to pay someone to take it to the UPS office. , This is the only product from Amazon that I have ever been disappointed in. I have had 3 Kindles and words cannot express how much I LOVE my ECHO. Since I live alone and have no friends or family anywhere near, it is nice to hear another voice. I learn something new every day to use it for. I am not smart enough to know how to change my router and am hesitant to do so since I dont want to mess up my computer, my Kindles, my cell phone and two smart tvs. I also have two Dots on order will they work with my current router?? Gosh - I hope so!!!!! Since I am disabled I was really looking forward to telling Alexa to turn on my lamp. Is there another device that will work with my router? How do I go about returning the tp-link. I have the original box but I will have to pay someone to take it to the UPS office. , This is the only product from Amazon that I have ever been disappointed in. I have had 3 Kindles and words cannot express how much I LOVE my ECHO. Since I live alone and have no friends or family anywhere near, it is nice to hear another voice. I learn something new every day to use it for. I am not smart enough to know how to change my router and am hesitant to do so since I dont want to mess up my computer, my Kindles, my cell phone and two smart tvs. I also have two Dots on order will they work with my current router?? Gosh - I hope so!!!!! Since I am disabled I was really looking forward to telling Alexa to turn on my lamp. Is there another device that will work with my router? How do I go about returning the tp-link. I have the original box but I will have to pay someone to take it to the UPS office. , This is the only product from Amazon that I have ever been disappointed in. I have had 3 Kindles and words cannot express how much I LOVE my ECHO. Since I live alone and have no friends or family anywhere near, it is nice to hear another voice. I learn something new every day to use it for. I am not smart enough to know how to change my router and am hesitant to do so since I dont want to mess up my computer, my Kindles, my cell phone and two smart tvs. I also have two Dots on order will they work with my current router?? Gosh - I hope so!!!!! Since I am disabled I was really looking forward to telling Alexa to turn on my lamp. Is there another device that will work with my router? How do I go about returning the tp-link. I have the original box but I will have to pay someone to take it to the UPS office. , This is the only product from Amazon that I have ever been disappointed in. I have had 3 Kindles and words cannot express how much I LOVE my ECHO. Since I live alone and have no friends or family anywhere near, it is nice to hear another voice. I learn something new every day to use it for. I am not smart enough to know how to change my router and am hesitant to do so since I dont want to mess up my computer, my Kindles, my cell phone and two smart tvs. I also have two Dots on order will they work with my current router?? Gosh - I hope so!!!!! Since I am disabled I was really looking forward to telling Alexa to turn on my lamp. Is there another device that will work with my router? How do I go about returning the tp-link. I have the original box but I will have to pay someone to take it to the UPS office. , This is the only product from Amazon that I have ever been disappointed in. I have had 3 Kindles and words cannot express how much I LOVE my ECHO. Since I live alone and have no friends or family anywhere near, it is nice to hear another voice. I learn something new every day to use it for. I am not smart enough to know how to change my router and am hesitant to do so since I dont want to mess up my computer, my Kindles, my cell phone and two smart tvs. I also have two Dots on order will they work with my current router?? Gosh - I hope so!!!!! Since I am disabled I was really looking forward to telling Alexa to turn on my lamp. Is there another device that will work with my router? How do I go about returning the tp-link. I have the original box but I will have to pay someone to take it to the UPS office. , This is the only product from Amazon that I have ever been disappointed in. I have had 3 Kindles and words cannot express how much I LOVE my ECHO. Since I live alone and have no friends or family anywhere near, it is nice to hear another voice. I learn something new every day to use it for. I am not smart enough to know how to change my router and am hesitant to do so since I dont want to mess up my computer, my Kindles, my cell phone and two smart tvs. I also have two Dots on order will they work with my current router?? Gosh - I hope so!!!!! Since I am disabled I was really looking forward to telling Alexa to turn on my lamp. Is there another device that will work with my router? How do I go about returning the tp-link. I have the original box but I will have to pay someone to take it to the UPS office. , This is the only product from Amazon that I have ever been disappointed in. I have had 3 Kindles and words cannot express how much I LOVE my ECHO. Since I live alone and have no friends or family anywhere near, it is nice to hear another voice. I learn something new every day to use it for. I am not smart enough to know how to change my router and am hesitant to do so since I dont want to mess up my computer, my Kindles, my cell phone and two smart tvs. I also have two Dots on order will they work with my current router?? Gosh - I hope so!!!!! Since I am disabled I was really looking forward to telling Alexa to turn on my lamp. Is there another device that will work with my router? How do I go about returning the tp-link. I have the original box but I will have to pay someone to take it to the UPS office. , This is the only product from Amazon that I have ever been disappointed in. I have had 3 Kindles and words cannot express how much I LOVE my ECHO. Since I live alone and have no friends or family anywhere near, it is nice to hear another voice. I learn something new every day to use it for. I am not smart enough to know how to change my router and am hesitant to do so since I dont want to mess up my computer, my Kindles, my cell phone and two smart tvs. I also have two Dots on order will they work with my current router?? Gosh - I hope so!!!!! Since I am disabled I was really looking forward to telling Alexa to turn on my lamp. Is there another device that will work with my router? How do I go about returning the tp-link. I have the original box but I will have to pay someone to take it to the UPS office. , This is the only product from Amazon that I have ever been disappointed in. I have had 3 Kindles and words cannot express how much I LOVE my ECHO. Since I live alone and have no friends or family anywhere near, it is nice to hear another voice. I learn something new every day to use it for. I am not smart enough to know how to change my router and am hesitant to do so since I dont want to mess up my computer, my Kindles, my cell phone and two smart tvs. I also have two Dots on order will they work with my current router?? Gosh - I hope so!!!!! Since I am disabled I was really looking forward to telling Alexa to turn on my lamp. Is there another device that will work with my router? How do I go about returning the tp-link. I have the original box but I will have to pay someone to take it to the UPS office. , This is the only product from Amazon that I have ever been disappointed in. I have had 3 Kindles and words cannot express how much I LOVE my ECHO. Since I live alone and have no friends or family anywhere near, it is nice to hear another voice. I learn something new every day to use it for. I am not smart enough to know how to change my router and am hesitant to do so since I dont want to mess up my computer, my Kindles, my cell phone and two smart tvs. I also have two Dots on order will they work with my current router?? Gosh - I hope so!!!!! Since I am disabled I was really looking forward to telling Alexa to turn on my lamp. Is there another device that will work with my router? How do I go about returning the tp-link. I have the original box but I will have to pay someone to take it to the UPS office. ,I am not smart enough to know how to change my router and am hesitant to do so since I dont want to mess up my computer, my Kindles, my cell phone and two smart tvs. I also have two Dots on order will they work with my current router?? Gosh - I hope so!!!!! Since I am disabled I was really looking forward to telling Alexa to turn on my lamp. Is there another device that will work with my router? How do I go about returning the tp-link. I have the original box but I will have to pay someone to take it to the UPS office. This is the only product from Amazon that I have ever been disappointed in. I have had 3 Kindles and words cannot express how much I LOVE my ECHO. Since I live alone and have no friends or family anywhere near, it is nice to hear another voice. I learn something new every day to use it for.

I have several of the HS100, with the oldest now having been in use for over 14 months. They work well with my Amazon Echo units, although there are the occasional hiccups, the most frequent I expect are on the Amazon side. In order of frequency, the most common problem is telling the Echo to turn on or off a switch, and it responds with OK, but the switch doesnt take the appropriate action. Given my experience with the Echo and a couple of other smart devices, it seems the Echo simply sends the command without confirming it was received at the other end. As the app for the product gives clear feedback on the status of a switch, it is clear this should be possible, but either the Alexa API doesnt implement such a function or 3 different vendors have chosen not to utilize it. A less frequent, but perhaps more annoying problem Ive encountered lately is that when going from the living room the the bathroom, I tell my Echo, turn on bathroom (which is using a TP-Link wall switch) followed by turn off lamp as I approach the bathroom. For some reason it sometimes turns off the bathroom instead of the lamp in the living room, despite lamp and bathroom not sounding similar. While that issue is clearly on the Amazon Alexa side, it bears mentioned, as many buyers of this product will be using it with an Echo. The least frequent issue is the dreaded TP-Link is not responding. Thankfully, this happens rarely, although Ive noticed the single HS110 seems to be more prone to it than the other units, despite being only 8 feet from my router. I suspect that unit might have a defect, however, as it also sometimes has an issue with a device Ive just turned off coming back on (and sometimes then switching back off again after a bit, and sometimes repeating the cycle for a while). Although I have limited experience with it, the app seems to be quite reliable for control. As noted earlier, it gives feedback as to the current status of a switch. I also confirmed that unlike some apps (like the one for a couple of Voltson smart switches sold on Amazon by Etekcity), the Kasa app for the TP-Link switches works even without an internet connection. If you have an outlet in a location that is inconvenient to access, this benefit is not to be underestimated. On the matter of accessing the outlet, that highlights one of the benefits of the TP-Link vs. many other smart outlets: The manual switch is easy to see and access. In comparison to the other type smart switch I use (mentioned in the previous paragraph) which has a small unlighted button the same color as the body of the switch and located below the plug, the TP-Links lighted switch placed above is easy to find even in the dark and easy to access. The biggest downside of the TP-Link is its size. In standard outlet, even when placed in the upper socket, plugging anything into the lower one is problematic. I found I could plug in some standard plugs, but only if I pulled the TP-Link out at least slightly while doing so, and again while removing the plug. (The TP-Link could be fully plugged in while the plug was in place). I strongly suggest anyone using a TP-Link HS100 or HS110 consider investing in either of these outlet expanders:

UPDATE: I left my original review as written below, but the issue described there that caused my initial 1-star rating has been corrected. I now have 5 of these and they work very well with my Echo, without the annoying middle man. I can now glad,y recommend them. Bought this in order to control my TV and streaming stick with Echo, and now I am returning it. It did not function well with Alexa, and I do not want a bunch of devices I have to control independently with 3rd party apps. This device turns Alexa into an extraneous middle-man. Here is the breakdown of how this product performed for me: Pro: - Unit appears to be decent quality and arrived well packaged. - Unit set up easily enough; instructions were simple to follow Con: - Unit requires the 3rd party Kasa app - Because the device is run by the Kasa app, not Echo directly, it turns Alexa into a middle-man; Echo becomes a silly extra step. - Echo could find the device to turn it on, but then could not recognize the name to turn it off: The whole process felt passive-aggressive. You cant say, Alexa, turn on the TV. You have to say, Alexa, ask Kasa to turn on the TV. Its like sitting around the table and saying, Sweetie, ask your father to pass the salt... Honey, ask your mother why she couldnt ask for the salt herself. It was ridiculous. In fairness, most of the extra skills for Echo currently work this way. Alexa ask for this, Alexa ask for that. For this very reason I find myself not using many of those extra functions. It takes away from the conversational, direct-control feel of the Echo, and Im hoping that this is corrected with future software updates. The problem seems to be that Echo has trouble recognizing the word Kasa. When you give Alexa a command, she searches around your profile for a device or group with the name she heard you say. She is no doubt looking for the word Casa in your lists, but its not there because the manufacturer named this Kasa with a K, which is not actually a word. Oddly enough, Alexa could turn the device on about 1 out of 5 tries. She could never turn it off. Alexa, ask Kasa to turn the TV on, (and tell dad to pass mom the salt)....The TV comes on, sometimes. Immediately after that, Alexa, ask Kasa to turn the TV off,.... Im sorry. I cannot find a device or group with that name in your profile. Every. Single. Time. Sure I can keep the Smart Plug and control my TV/streaming stick with my phone, but that defeats the purpose. The point is voice command control through 1 master device (Echo). If I have to pick up my phone and use a 3rd-party app to turn on the TV, I might as well just use the TV remote.

REVIEW FOR TP-LINK SMART PLUG (HS100) A FEW FRUSTRATING MOMENTS SETTING UP, BUT WORKS GREAT ONE I FIGURED OUT THE APP. USAGE: Replacement for manual Christmas tree timer. It took me a while to set these up, more than I care to admit. However, once I understood how the android app worked, it was OK. I can’t tell you exactly when it clicked how the interface worked. Once the device is found and connected, you click on the device (nothing seems to happen), but there is a “settings icon” that appears in the upper right corner. That is where you go to rename the device, change the icon, set up the stand alone timer schedule. I assumed it was app settings, not device settings. After that realization everything was fine. PRO’s: - Affordable ~ $20 on sale. - Quick to react to commands - Easy to use after learning curve - No problems with Alexa compatibility at all. - Can set up a schedule (from the phone app) that is stored locally in the unit so it does not require a hub to manage the schedule. - No Hub Required. CON’s: - Big (covers both plugs no way around it) - Only supports 2Ghz WiFi (I had to re-enable it on my router just for these plugs) - Does not Dim, but I knew that going in. SIDE NOTE: - After a power outage it does not automatically figure out the state it is supposed to be in. It waits until the next scheduled event. So if the power was out when it was supposed to turn on the lights, and it missed that event, then they just don’t come on until next time. As Christmas wraps up, I plan to repurpose these for use on some table lamps where I just want on/off and not dimming. One thing to keep in mind is that the manual on/off is on the plug so if you put a lamp on a schedule but you want to override the schedule then you need to use an app or Alexa to turn it back on, or climb around the floor to hit the manual switch. So I won’t widely deploy these for every day usage. For my normal house lights I’ll use Lutron. Why 5 stars ? Well in general, they just seem to work as expected and for the price point they do exactly what I wanted. (A modern replacement for an ancient mechanical light timer). Anything else I can get them to do (such as Alexa integration, etc) is just a bonus in my mind. I will also use the random schedule feature when I travel from home.

Sometimes we clearly invest in tech that does NOT make our lives easier. Im in the 1% demo for tech savvy - in short 2 comp sci degrees, Crestron Smart Home - 1 full GHz broadband - you get the picture. If your home has more than (1) SSID - i.e. guest network or any private networks for anything from a NAS, Print Server, Airplay - and so on - this may not be the right choice. 1st only 2.4ghz - know that up front. So if youre using a 5 ghz network solely (or as much as possible) - no dice. Plus what do you get with a device that is typically place very low on the wall and has the most picky reception ever - connectivity issues. If I spent one more minute configuring or reconfiguring these plugs - I will throw them in the lake! Not saying only 2.4ghz is a new thing - many devices such as smart thermostats and more will only use it due to range - 2.4 flat out goes through walls better - I get it! But many of us have dual band (or beyond) routers right - so if sitting here wasting time on a Friday Night messing with these plugs is not your idea of fun - skip this one! Oh wait instead of getting up to turn something off I will jump from my preferred iPhone Network (5ghz) cause its f a s t e r - and skip over to the 2.4ghz and to make sitting on my butt for 4 minutes monkeying around with these plugs my preference over getting up! One solution is to find the brand of old school A/C on and off plug adapters here on Amazon (best seller starting with E) with the simple white remote with number 1-5. Guess what when you kill power to them - #1 they kill the nominal drain to your appliance super well and #2 I read they had a 100 line of sight range.... But it wasnt until I purchased it that I realized they are low cost RF Remotes. That means radio-frequency - or dont have to point like a sharpshooter or worry if the plug adapter is low on your wall or behind a piece of furniture - imagine that! Basically if you are in the largest room (and beyond) of your home and the plug is hidden - no problem! Further the plugs (bought the 5 plug adapter kit for $29 here - yes (5) of them for the cost of one TP-Link - and some person whose actually done customer service actually printed numbers 1-5 on them and the small convenient remote (they gave 2 with purchase) has one vertical row 1-5 for ON and beside it one vertical row of OFF numbered 1-5. No configuring - no jumping wifi networks - and no muttering four letter words to yourself because youre gonna have to sit through the TP-Link app wizard or find your phone to reconfigure these. If youve read this far - Im amazed - so for you - YES they are Amazon Echo Compatible - oh joy! got me with that too - in for three of them for about $100. So when youre sitting there repeating the name of the device to Echo or you hear it tell you one more time that I cant find the device wrong name that Echo reiterates like it need to spell or have Ivy League Phonetics on Adams Network or Sorry Im having trouble right now, what is the name of the device youre looking for - and ps - Echo was still at volume 8 - because its best as your alarm clock - or youre scrambling for another remote so Echo can understand you which interrupts your game or movie. Ugggggh - honestly Im writing this narrative to save you the pain of spending your money to have these oversized disasters not work consistently or easily. PS - its not joy to maybe find a 2nd plug that can squeeze to the point of breaking something just to share a 2-outlet space for this near baseball sized adapter. If its not ungrounded (2-prong) or takes any liberties deviating from the smallest footprint possible - this big guy is the only thing that your 2-outlet space is gonna host! Ive wasted 15 minute chunks regularly over a few months before I spent $29 bucks for the 5 adapter E-brand with 100 radio frequency remote with zero programming, zero wifi and zero BS....... I submit this knowing I sound like a serious hater - but I know that some Amazonions will thank me!

I got this as part of the Black Friday promo for purchasing an Echo Dot. Like the other TP-Link products I have purchased, the set-up is pretty easy from the TP-Link Kasa app. I think some people might get stuck when they attempt to connect to their own wi-fi network. For what ever reason, I notice that the TP-Link products always list my neighbors network first instead of mine. I solved that by clicking the option below the listed network to find my own. As for the product I have had no problems connecting or loss of signal. My plug is on the second floor of my home about twenty feet in distance from the wi-fi router. Not bad considering all the flooring and walls. My only complaint is that the smart plug covers the entire outlet. Not a problem for the room I am using as it only had one lamp running to that wall outlet. All the same, I cannot plug anything else into that wall outlet. My suggestion is that you might want to use this smart plug for a single appliance like a fan or Christmas lights. If you want to have smart features for a lamp, I would suggest purchasing a smart light bulb (see my review for the TP-Link Smart Wi-Fi Light Switch HS200) which is likely to have more features and allow you to keep full access to your wall outlet.

<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.

This has been working well so far, and since its able to interface it with both Alexa and IFTTT, its extremely flexible to automate! I do wish it came with an Ethernet port to set it up though, because for me, the wireless setup was very frustrating! In order to supply your routers credentials to this outlet, setup requires you to connect a wireless device to a temporary Wi-Fi network with the plug. Doesnt sound too difficult, but it took me several dozen attempts to successfully connect to the outlet! After a failed connection, youre given the option to set up manually, which consists of manually switching your network to the one supplied by the outlet. However, my connection kept telling me that I was in fact connected to the device, with no internet connectivity. Great, I wouldnt expect internet, but if Im connected, why does the setup keep telling me that Im not connected. The setup also helpfully states that maybe you should try again while being closer to the outlet. I literally had my phone resting on the device! So, I tried various outlets throughout my home in case I just happened to be trying to set it up in a wireless black hole, but to no avail. The only other wireless device that I have that I could use to set it up is a Kindle Fire tablet. Unfortunately, for some reason, the TP-Link Kasa app, that is used to setup and control the device, doesnt exist on the Amazon marketplace... Just when I reached my limit after dozens of setup attempts and was going to box the outlet back up and return it, it finally allowed me to input my routers credentials and connect it to my home network! Since attaching to my network, Ive had no issues whatsoever with the outlet! So while I like the device itself, and it works great, Im subtracting a star because the setup was beyond frustrating... If this device worked well, I was planning on purchasing some more. At this point, I dont know if Ill do that because while Im satisfied by the way the outlet is working, Im literally dreading trying to set another one up.

UPDATE: 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.