Review on 🔌 Kasa Smart Plug Power Strip HS300: Surge Protector with 6 Individually Controlled Outlets and 3 USB Ports, Works with Alexa & Google Home – No Hub Required by Athenasby Whitney

I bought this power strip to control my offline energy consumption. I would not recommend it for this purpose. First, the monitoring capabilities are minimal. You can track each socket individually, but you'll only see three numbers at a time: how much is currently being used, how much is being used per day, and how much is being used on average (but over what timeframe is unclear). . With no historical data available, you can't evaluate usage patterns or identify spikes without constantly monitoring the app on your phone. The other downside probably should have been obvious, but I didn't think about it before buying it. Namely that the power strip itself consumes electricity, even if nothing is connected. I didn't measure exactly how much it draws, but it was enough for the power strip to feel quite warm to the touch just plugged into the outlet when idle. In. It wasn't exactly uncomfortable to hold, but let's just say it worked great as a hand warmer. If you think about it, it makes sense because there's a Wi-Fi radio that works all the time. If you're in a normal network situation, this probably isn't a big deal, but if you're counting your kWh, you don't want your monitoring devices adding overhead. Internet connected Wi-Fi router to connect. It is absolutely mandatory to install the thing. This was strange because when I first plugged in the extender, it showed up on my phone as available WiFi and you can successfully connect to it. However, this connection is not sufficient for the application to work. It cannot find the extension even though it is connected directly to the extension. I then tried activating a hotspot for my phone and plugging an extension cord into it, but that didn't work either. You and the splitter must be connected to a third party Wi-Fi network for the app to work as expected. However, this was mainly because I was using this item for something other than what it was designed for, so I can't fault the manufacturer for that. In general this is a very solid device, very high quality, with a good thick cable and assembly. The app is well designed and easy to use. This is a large power strip, probably 25% larger than your regular, average, non-smart power strip, meaning there's plenty of room between the plugs for a large adapter or block. Plug. One thing that is poorly designed is the mounting holes on the back. It has two holes that are typical keyhole style and made so you can mount the extender either horizontally or vertically which is nice. However, there is a design flaw as the screw will not fit into the narrow part no matter how you try to insert it. There is a small piece in the corner that prevents the screw from entering the slot in any way. This is an unfortunate flaw in a perfectly designed device.