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Review on 🏠 Kasa Smart Light Switch HS200 - Single Pole, Neutral Wire Required, 2.4GHz Wi-Fi Compatible with Alexa and Google Home, UL Certified, No Hub Necessary - White by Todd Winter

Revainrating 4 out of 5

What you should pay attention to before you buy!

Things to check before you buy:β–‘1. Your existing light switch "box" (in the wall) has a "neutral" wire, not just a (switchable) "live" wire. In older homes and some other installations, there may be only one "live" wire running through the wall box. Because this switch has active electronics, it requires both to function.β–‘2. Preferably, your existing light switch box has a ground connection. I got this to work without grounding, but for safety reasons you might find this inconvenient.β–‘3. Your existing light switch "box" (inside the wall) is WIDE and quite DEEP. The in-wall portion of the switch is MUCH larger than the simple mechanical switch it replaces. With not-so-flexible cables routed through the wall, it _barely_ fits in my modern design wall box. An older building may require serious digging.β–‘4. Finally, make sure YOU are happy with: (β–‘a) Electrical installation - wiring, insulation, etc. Neither the product nor the online manual download includes wiring diagrams (!); Technical support did NOT help. If not, arrange for professional installation by an electrician. This can get expensive. (β–‘b) Setting up Alexa requires several non-trivial steps: (1) finding, downloading and installing the TP-Link Kasa app on your smartphone, (2) setting up a Kasa account; (3) Verify your email for your Kasa account, (4) Set up your Switch with your Kasa account: Find your device, set up WiFi and name your Switch with a name Alexa will recognize (5) Add a Kasa skill in Alexa app (6 ) Link your Kasa account to Alexa app and Revain account. Easy. NOT.KIDS WARNING: Each echo/touch/dot in your account controls the toggle. The Dot in the Nursery can and is used to turn on the lights in your bedroom at 2am with a simple voice command. I think it's funny. ALEXA TIP: If you have multiple Revain Home accounts, the account your Echo/Tap/Dot is on MUST match the account linked to the Kasa app. If you ticked βœ“ in all the β–‘ boxes above, you will love it. The product itself is a solid 5 star, well made and good quality (I deducted a star for lack of tech support).

Pros
  • Excellent overall performance
Cons
  • Protection