Kasa Smart Light Switch by TP-Link,Single Pole,Needs Neutral Wire,2.4Ghz WiFi Light Switch Works with Alexa and Google Assistant,UL certified, 1-pack(HS200),White
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$12.99
amazon.com
Control your lights, ceiling fans, and other fixtures from anywhere with the Kasa Smart Wi Fi Light Switch. The smart switch replaces any standard light switch, and connects to your home Wi Fi in no time through the free Kasa app. Kasa also lets you manage connected fixtures with your smartphone...
$12.99
$19.99
$21.99
Last price update: 2025-02-09 13:00:45
As advertised. Easy to install and keep in mind it was my first time ever that I had to change or touch a light switch more than turning on/off the light. My main concern was that in my garage I have a 2 gang switch (one switch for the garage lights and the other for the outside lights) and was worried if one of these smart switches will fit next to the regular switch and under the same main original cover....Let me tell you, everything was on point.
I have had this for about a month and really like it. It works consistently both with the app and Alexa. Installation was easy too.The best feature is that it is more energy efficient than competitive switches. I bought a Leviton switch initially (DW15S-1BZ) and found it disconcerting how warm it was. I bought this TP-Link switch and installed it in another room to compare. This switch is cool to the touch. It uses a little bit of power even when the light is off, but not a noticeable amount. The TP-Link Switch is about 8 degrees warmer than the ambient room temperature. In comparison, the Leviton switch was 20 degrees warmer which is warm enough to notice.My biggest compliant is that it requires you to push the lower section to both turn it on and off. When you go to turn it on, you expect to be able to push the top. Nothing happens there though (you can't depress it, so you know something's not right). When you push the lower section, it will toggle on/off. It works great, but isn't as intuitive as the Leviton switch which allows you to use the upper/lower section to turn it on/off. Even so, you adapt quickly. I plan to buy more of these despite this shortcoming.I attached some photos showing temperature measurements on this switch and another one. Both are off. It shows this one is much cooler because it is more energy efficient. Temperatures were taken using a Fluke IR temperature sensor. I also took current and voltage waveforms using a Keithley DMM7510 (see various attached screen hots). I found the power to be about 0.5 W when the switch is off or 1.62 W when the switch is on. This was 3 times less power when the switch was off when compared to the Leviton switch (1.86W whether on or off)
I've spent a lot of money on Smart Home tech lately, buying myriad brands and devices, to include Wink, Hue, Smart+/Lightify, August, Schlage and GE). I've found that, by a huge margin, the Kasa brand has been the most reliable, and caused the least amount of heartburn out of the bunch! They typically respond immediately (nearly imperceptible delay, seriously!) to Echo commands with only the occasional exaggerated delay, none of my other devices respond as fast, nor do they work at their fastest as often as my Kasa devices have. Once installed they are easy to connect, the schedules are easy to program (I've never had one glitch yet, which I can't say about the others), and the app is the absolute quickest to connect and respond when "away" (it might even be faster than when using the Echo).That is why I'm actually sad to only give it 4 stars. What could Kasa possibly do to make themselves worthy of that 5th star, you ask? Simply offer a toggle design instead of only decora/rocker style switches. These simply don't fit the aesthetic of my home and my wife will only let me put them in out-of-sight places (under the cupboards and in the garage so far). I would happily pack up and sell off every other of my myriad devices to replace them with a Kasa offering of equal ability and a "rustic" design, but that's not an option, and since I'm sure that's not going to ever happen, I'll have to stick with the GE toggles until I can convince my wife "Rustic Futuristic" is a thing.
