Pros: Does not block second outlet
Clean simple product design
Kasa app worked with out any issues
Fairly easy setup, works with ECHO

Cons: ECHO integration is not straight forward as it could be. Instructions provided in the quick setup would be nice adder.

Other Thoughts: Works well, bought this to replace a older mechanical away time. This is my primary use. I did set up the Echo with it just for fun. It works, but is not a smooth process as the Echo has difficulty with voice recognition on the word "Kasa" which you must say in the Alexa voice command to turn the plug on/off. So it is common to need to repeat the command a couple of times. The Kasa app itself woks just fine for switching the plug.

Pros: I was skepticle of the use of something like this when i first received the review option but was curious enough to try it out.

It's basically a remote controlled outlet that works via a cell phone app.

I absolutely love it. It's super useful to be able to turn things on and off remotely from anywhere.

If you have a light that does not have its own switch and is placed somewhere hard to reach this is one of the better things that you could spend thirty dollars on.

Cons: None

For once I really can not come up with any downsides of this product.

Other Thoughts: The app was super simple to configure it took me all of 5 minutes on my cellphone to configure the app and start playing around with the features. It works equally as well on android and ios.

The app has tons of features that allow you to set times for whatever you have plugged into it to turn on and off. You can use it as a simple timer or set a schedule for all the time, certain days, essentially whatever your heart desires.

The flexibility of the app is impressive, it's simple enough to work great for just turning a light on and off but it also lets you schedule more complicated things for the light (or whatever is plugged into this) to turn on and off.

We're considering picking up a couple more of these simply because of how useful it has proven to be around the apartment.

Pros: +
Easy to setup and use.
Kasa App is intuitive and easy to learn.
Remote Access control.
Multiple timers can be set: day and time.
Easily add affordable home automation.
Main menu of Kasa app displays total run time use summary of hours per day/week.

TP-Link designed the Smart Plug to setup without a hassle, simply download the TP-Link Kasa app to your smart phone or tablet. Create a TP-Link Kasa account to access the Smart Plug. Then follow the simple instructions that will guide you through the steps of connecting the Smart Plug to your Wi-Fi

The Kasa app provides the user control of the Smart Plug’s abilities, allows you to configure and control multiple Smart Plugs, each with their own definable control schemes.

The primary functions of the Smart Plug are broken down into four primary categories: Schedule, Away, Timer and On Demand control.

With Schedule mode, you can set a predefined power cycle for any day of the week and any time, you can set as many power cycles per day as there are minutes *I did not test this, and the app probably wouldn’t like that many entries.
One thing that really shines about the Schedule mode is you can define individual days separately, and have varying times fore each day: something that is not possible on most analog timers.

Away mode sets the Smart Plug to power cycle randomly during a predefined schedule to give the appearance that there is activity at home. This would be most useful in the scenario of extended travel where you would want to give the impression that someone is home. Unlike schedule mode, Away mode will cycle power on and off at random intervals in a relaxed natural usage pace.

There is also a Sunrise & Sunset mode (click on either the left or right arrows in the Kasa Schedule or Away mode menu).
This mode is pretty cool as you can configure the device to turn on or off at sunset or sunrise or both.
The app will automatically adjust to your local sunset / sunrise times if you enable location awareness for the Kasa app. If you’re not comfortable with allowing location awareness you can manually type in your latitude and longitude.

One time Timer mode, is just that, a simple one time timer that turns on or off the Smart Plug at a given time, and can be set for any given day of the current week.

The most impressive feature is the remote control of the Smart Plug:
You can use Kasa to remotely cycle the switch to turn on or off your Smart Plug device(s) on demand, from anywhere you have internet connectivity. (no more fumbling in the dark for a light switch)

Cons: -
Only works with analog devices with physical switches or always on devices, so you’re probably not going to use this with your flat panel TV.

The LED indicator is handy to see what state the connectivity is in, I just wish the LED was a little softer. It’s not blinding or too bright, I would prefer a slightly more subtle brightness level.

Other Thoughts: ~
This is home automation made simple, and affordable. Its perfect for those occasions where you get home after dark and no lights are on, and you’re fumbling around in the dark for a light switch. You could set a sunset schedule so you have a light on waiting for you when you get home from a long day.
You could use the Smart Plug with a fan or heater to warm or cool your space before you get there, use with a toaster to toast your bread in the morning. You could illuminate your house plants on a daily timer, turn the light on over your fish tank, turn a radio on. Who knows, maybe you engineered a silhouette to move around a room on a model train and you need a means to remotely control it. The possibilities are many.

I couldn’t find any documentation that stated the maximum number of Smart Plugs that could be used with Kasa, but I would guess that it would work fine with 10+ units on one network.

Overall the TP-Link Smart Plug is a fantastic device that will bring home automation to you with ease at an affordable price. The design aesthetics sports a stylish, modern refined appearance that doesn’t stand out, or draw unwanted attention to the eye.

By far this is an easy recommendation, everyone I have shown this to have said “I want that”.

Pros: If you have a smart phone and know how to use it, you can set this up, no problem.

You can setup the app to only work locally, or you can have it work away from home as well. Great for if you know you're going to be late and want a light on in the house, or you know it's going to be hot/cold and want to turn on a fan/heater a half hour/hour before you get home. Obviously you want to be careful when it comes to a heater, so as to reduce/eliminate any risk of fire.

Also, if you've got a room/porch/patio setup with alternate lighting (LED strips or Christmas Lighting) this is great for making it easy to set the mood before you go out there, without having to hunch over in a corner to switch it on/off or unplug it when you're not using it.

It's a fairly simple product, and it works. There's not much to be said in the way of pros/cons.

Cons: While it's not so bulky that it blocks the second outlet, I kind of would've preferred a two outlet version (with two different power options in the app) or maybe a version with a smaller bottom so you can put a bigger plug on the bottom outlet.

Some people complain about it being limited to 2.4Ghz, but honestly, that's the best place for it to be. 2.4Ghz gives it greater range and isn't eating up a high speed 5Ghz antenna at any point. I consider that to be a good thing.

Other Thoughts: Several people have mentioned it, but it is SHOCKINGLY easy to set this thing up. I plugged it in between a lamp and the wall, downloaded the Kasa app on my phone, and setup an account (literally just put in an email an password). Boom! It found the item without me having to switch WIFI networks or anything. I wish more things (I'm looking at you, WIFI extenders!) were this easy to setup.

It's worth mentioning that there's an HS110 model that tracks energy usage as well, and only costs about $10 more. I could see that being the more useful item in the long run, but I'd like to see the price on these come down a little bit. I'd love to have a house full of these. Honestly, I'd like to see this built into the outlets themselves, so we don't have to have anything in front of them.

Pros: • Ease of Setup. I really think my mom could set this up without calling me.
• Works flawlessly so far.
• If you have a smart phone, you need this.

Cons: • Only one per pack. I need about five. Love it!
• Note to TP-LINK: I suggest you reword the quick start card for step two. Something along the lines of
“Login, or create your account from the app, and it will guide you through connecting your device to your Wi-Fi network.
Currently “Connect mobile device to your Wi-Fi network.” is just too vague.
• Not a con for me, but be advised this will only work on a 2.4 GHz wireless network.

Other Thoughts: The quick Start guide puzzled me for a moment, as it said step 2 was connecting to my Wi-Fi network, but not a clue how to do so.
So I did step 1 and installed the TP-LINK Kasa app on my phone.

I have many TP-LINK devices I use around the house such as routers, extenders, Wi-Fi adapters, so I was surprised that I didn’t have an account with TP-LINK already. The app had me create an account, verify it from my email, go back into the app, and it promptly walked me through the whole setup process. No learning curve at all. I usually have no issues following directions, but it was refreshing to experience such a simple process.

I was expecting to be required to use WPS, and have this set up before being able to use it myself. NOPE! The Kasa app scanned for my network after I set up my account automatically, and I logged in to it, named my device and I was good to go.


Convenient for those things you never know when you need on or off.

• Lights e.g. l had to turn on the overhead light on the way into bedroom, just to find the bed side table’s light switch. No more. Away from home and it gets dark? It’s nice to have the lights on for the cats, or when DW or I arrive. I have my priorities straight!
• Vacations – Vary the light pattern a little with several of these. A TV or radio being on is a good crime deterrent too.


Convenient for those things you regularly need to turn on or off. Seasonal lighting, Space heater for preheating a room, radio, Charging your Surrogate. Use your imagination!

We already use the remote controlled cordless switches (non-wifi) for lamps spread all over the living room and they are such a time saver. This is just a natural evolution of those.

Pros: - Extremely easy setup:

The quick start guide seems very straight-forward:
Download the TP-LINK Kasa app for Android or iOS
Connect mobile device to your wifi network
Launch Kasa app and follow instructions
SEEMS EASY ENOUGH!


Powering up and setting up:
The app (at least in the Google Play store) is called “Kasa for Mobile” by TP-LINK Research America. It also needs access to your device’s Location, Photos / Media / Files, Wi-Fi connection information, and Device ID & call information. The app download is 17.02Mb.

Launch the Kasa app… it immediately asks you to login with an account so you can control your devices while you’re away from your home wifi network. I’m going to skip that for now. From there it ask you what kind of device you’re trying to add. Once smart plug was selected, the app says to plug it in and wait for the wifi indicator to turn amber. Once amber is should start to blink amber / green. From there, you can name your smart plug (mine is called “Office Lamp”). A few seconds later and you are asked to enter your wifi password so the Smart Plug can join the network. A few more seconds and everything is setup! That was very easy.

- Easy to use!

Use:
From the app (and without an account)... select the Smart Plug and power it on or off. It’s that simple once it’s setup.

Also from there you’ve got several options:
Schedule - makes a schedule of times to either turn on or off which can be repeated on individual days.
Away - schedule a “start time” and an “end time” and the smart plug with randomly turn on and off between these two points to make it appear that someone is home.
Timer - either turn the Smart Plug on or off after a given period of time. Minimum amount of time is 30 minutes.

- Manual override power button:

Another reviewer stated that this does not have a manual override button to manually turn the Smart Plug on or off… but it, in fact, DOES! Press the wifi indicator / power button on the front of the Smart Plug… and you can manually toggle it on or off.

Cons: - only compatible with 2.4Ghz networks:

As some have stated… the HS100 is only compatible with 2.4Ghz networks. While this might not be a bother for some… those who have made the switch to 5Ghz only will definitely have an issue.

- bulky in size:

As others have stated… the Smart Plug is very large and will most likely block access to to the other plug on a single gang wall outlet.

Other Thoughts: Packaging and Un-boxing:
Comes in a small cardboard box covered by an outer sleeve. Included is the following:
TP-LINK HS100 Smart Plug
Quick Start Guide
Technical Support info
GNU General Public License Notice

Wrap-Up:
It’s extremely easy to setup… if you know your wifi network’s password (which you SHOULD) you’re already halfway there. It also has great modes like “Schedule”, “Away”, and “Timer”. It’s also very affordable.

I’d get a few of these for lamps around the house and set them all to a schedule. Affordable home automation!

Pros: + It does what it says it does, & works reliably.
+ Able to control it with Apple & Android phones.
+ Able to voice-control it with an Echo!
+ Will only install on password protected wi-fi networks.
+ Kasa app may add new capabilities in the future.

Cons: - only works on 2.4 GHz networks.
- only works (for now) on networks with a broadcast SSID.
- open the box over a table! contents may fall out.

Other Thoughts: I recommend this if you need to control lights remotely, or program them to behave randomly while you are away. It is indeed a smart switch. But it can only control dumb appliances -- lights, or a heater. It's a power plug; the only thing it can do is turn the power on or off. Eventually I found it most useful controlling a fan in my attic, without having to go up there.

For many, the 2.4 GHz limitation will be fine. Most of my network is now on 5 GHz, so that was a bit of an annoyance. Anytime you install controllable wi-fi devices in your home, you need to think about security. It is good that this switch will not operate on a network that is not password protected. However, it insists that the network have a broadcast SSID. That's a security vulnerability that I hope is cured in a future version of the software (I'm not sure whether it is possible for TP-Link to do that with a revision of the app).

I took off an egg (maybe just half an egg) because, for me, the limitations were frustrating. But if they are not a problem for your setup, you will not be disappointed.

Pros: Simplicity in home automation, easy setup and operation makes this a Smart Switch for everyone. Controllable from Android 4.1 and iOS 8 or higher will allow your control and setup with Cell Phones or tablets. A tap or dial slide controls in the application is simple and easy to use.

Scheduling by the hour, minute and any days of the week. Multi-scheduling across multi Smart Switches offers so many uses.
Away or security mode allows you to make it look like your home or just take care of power needs.
Timer mode for single timed operation to use switched power for your setting up to 24 hours.

Remote access from anywhere you are connected. Even from around the corner to turn on a light so you don’t enter a dark home or just see your way better.

Echo Voice control can control capiable.

Runtime Summary shows Current Runtime, Total Runtime, Daily Average and Total Runtime for the current day, past 7 and 30 days.

Even a button for manual operation right at the switch. There is no doubt that you are connected with the connection indicator.

Cons: Due to the design this can restrict the second outlet connection depending on the bulkiness of the second plug.

This has only one outlet, but staying within the 16 amp limits an extension cord can be used for several connected items.

Like most App's we use, your asked for permissions that has little reason for access to, in relation to the products functionality. No noticeable harm or need to even let it be much of a con. Like other reviews I also wonder why it's asked for.

None of these are deal breakers, this is an awesome product.

Other Thoughts: This is one of those gadgets that you have so many uses for, that I didn’t even realize it until I looked at my options and how it operates. The lamp that’s hard to reach, Holiday (indoor) Lighting, a portable heater, any room, anything you want and an easy way to turn it on or off. 16A Maximum Load covers almost any plug in you might use it for around the home or office.

Initial setup for Wi-Fi connection is easy and the coverage area I find to be great. I have a big home and it’s controlling a lamp at the far end of the house. Operation is easy on your Android 4.1, iOS 8 Phone or Tablet and an On/Off Button right on the unit. The App is tap and use, it’s easy to understand how to setup any of the features. My Smart Plug control works anywhere you are connected. Coming home at night and turning on a light before entering, scheduled operation, an Away mode to turn On/Off when you’re not home, to look like someone is a nice security option. An up to 24hr set and forget timer, you can know it will automatically turn off, right down to you by the minute setting. Away mode offers setting by the hour, minute and daily choices, you are in control. Using Schedule, you can set all the On or Off times you want. Not one off time or failure, this is an awesome product.

When I agreed to review this I thought how fun this project will be. Truly looking for as many optional ways to use this amazed me as to just how many ways there are. At the low price it’s very affordable to have several with the ability for anyone to operate them or set and forget. My wife is happy that she no longer needs a stool to turn on one of two tall lamps, a few more TP-Link HS100 Smart Switches and our life just got a lot easier and home automation, again as simple as it gets. Buy one and you’ll quickly see why there are so many positive Smart Switch reviews. This is definitely a recommend to buy.

Pros: Setting up this device was much easier than I expected. After installing "Kasa for Mobile" from Apple's app store or Google Play, you just press and hold the button on the device for a few seconds until the status LED alternates amber and green. The Kasa app then walks you through the setup, which mainly consists of selecting an available wifi network, entering the wifi password, and optionally creating a TP-Link account to enable remote control. You can also choose a name for the device (e.g. "Studio light") and set the device's location so it can look up the proper sunrise and sunset times for use in scheduling. All of this was presented in a way that would be comfortable for non-technical users.

The Kasa app is straightforward with a pleasant, simple interface. The home screen shows your configured devices, their status (on or off), and allows you to switch a power outlet on or off with a single tap.

Creating a schedule is also simple and straightforward. For each device, you can create up to 32 events, where an event consists of a time (which could be sunrise or sunset), the day(s) of the week, and whether to turn the outlet on or off at this time. I verified that the scheduled events occurred as expected while my phone was powered off, and that the schedule persisted after the device was unplugged and reconnected to power. The scheduled events occur in the local time zone, even if a scheduled event is created remotely in another time zone.

There is an "Away Mode" which adds randomization to simulate occupancy, but it is very limited compared to the scheduler. Away Mode has only one start time, one end time, the option to repeat on specified day(s) of the week, and that's it. Also, the start and end times must be in the same day (per the user manual, "Away Mode cannot run past midnight.") There's no information provided about how often the device is turned on or off in this mode. When I tried it, the outlet was turned on for 15 to 30 minutes, then off for a smaller interval, repeating.

There is also a countdown timer, which lets you turn the outlet on or off after some period of time (e.g. turn this light off after 30 minutes).

I used this for two weeks which included travel between the US mainland and Hawaii. It was completely reliable during this time. While traveling I used it to control a light, both on a schedule and remotely, which I verified with a webcam.

It's rated to switch loads up to 15A. It uses a relay (you can hear a soft click when the outlet is switched on or off) so it works with any kind of load.

Wifi range was comparable to other small devices such as webcams or range extenders.

Cons: TP-Link should update the "Kasa for Mobile" app description to explain how the required permissions are used. For example, I was initially put off by the request for location data, until I realized this was used during setup so the app can determine the proper sunrise and sunset times for the device's location. I am still not sure why it requires access to USB storage or identity, however.

It would be nice if scheduled events could be set for a time offset from sunrise or sunset. There is presently no way to create a schedule that turns an outlet on for, say, 3 hours following sunset.

The device is physically large and blocks both power outlets of a standard double outlet. I ended up plugging it into an upper corner of a 6-outlet wall-mount surge protector in order to have other outlets available, which looks a little awkward. They could have designed it so the outlet is closer to the edge and less centered.

Unlike most light timers, there is no override switch on the device itself, which means there is no way to turn the outlet on or off without launching the Kasa app. A simple push-button on the front of the device to manually turn the outlet on or off would be a great improvement.

Other Thoughts: The label says the device can consume up to 0.1A (that's 12W at 120V) but I measured 1W or less. It stays very cool to the touch with just a hint of warmth toward the top.

Pros: - The plug arrived at my house very quickly. The plug was well packaged and arrived undamaged.
- The smart plug allows to remotely turn the power on and off to a connected device. Maximum load 16 Amps.
- The plug pairs with existing Wi-Fi with minimal effort.
- Once you pair the plug with your home Wi-Fi and you download “kasa” app on your smartphone/tablet, you gain the ability to control the plug remotely. Your smartphone/tablet does not have to be on the same network as the plug. “kasa” app will work over cellular connection too.
- “Kasa” app allows the control of the smart plug in several ways. The plug can be turned on and off remotely. The plug can be set on timer. The plug can automatically turn on and off based on preset schedule.
- 2-year warranty, and 24 / 7 unlimited technical support.

Cons: - One outlet only.
- The plug is bit bulky and it will block the second outlet.

Other Thoughts: I have used the plug for about a month now. I find this device reliable. The plug never disconnected from my Wi-Fi. I was always able to turn it on and off remotely. If you need a reliable smart plug, the TP-Link HS100 will not disappoint you.