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 Richard Mangum

On first impression I was very impressed with the HS300 Smart Extender. Overall it seems physically well made - has some weight and doesn't slip. The app/UI is quite user-friendly and installation is a breeze. However, I am EXTREMELY dissatisfied with the reliability of this extender software. I bought this add-on solely for the purpose of remotely controlling my drip irrigation system and lighting up my greenhouse full of (expensive) colorful monstera while I'm away from the state for 3 weeks over Christmas. I set up the lighting for the planned grow and planned to manage the drip irrigation myself when the soil moisture drops. 3 days before I left the state everything was perfect. When I was across the country, more than 1,000 miles from home, the Kasa app's remote capabilities completely failed. A "device not available" message was displayed on every outlet on the power strip. I can see on my security cam that the grow lights are on 24/7 now (for 3 weeks) and the drip irrigation is NOT working AT ALL. I called customer service and was told to log out of the app and back in - I found this completely removes the device from my Kasa app. Your only remaining solution is that I have to be "physically near the splitter to set it up again". I'm a computer science student and I've tried everything to solve this problem remotely - VPN, port forwarding, etc. to access and charge the power strip from anywhere in the country. A few days later and to no avail, over $2,000 worth of speckled monsters are now being treated with rays of light to grow 24/7 without water for 3 weeks and I'm furious. If you want a great looking extension that you only need to maintain locally, this is a great product. But if you're looking for a smart power strip that can reliably manage anything valuable remotely, I definitely recommend you think twice. If fixing all software bugs doesn't cost you thousands of dollars, then go for it.