Review on HBN Smart Plug Mini 15A, WiFi Smart Outlet Works With Alexa, Google Home Assistant, Remote Control With Timer Function, No Hub Required, ETL Certified, 2.4G WiFi Only, 2-Pack by John Collins

Let me start out by saying that all I ever wanted was to be able to tap a button on my G7 Android to be able to turn on or off a lamp without having to fumble around with a switch or knob in the dark or travel back into a room I was just in for the sole purpose of turning off the lights. I assumed I could use my phone's bluetooth to create a direct signal between devices in close proximity the way my phone and bluetooth speakers do without involving any third or external party. It would appear that I was mistaken about that. All the devices that I could find seem to want to force me to use wi-fi or dual wi-fi/bluetooth with Google Home or Alexa. I also learned that some kind of hub, whatever the hell that is, seems to be essential as well. That being established, here's my review. Installation took a few tries. First of all, I had to disable the 5g part of my wi-fi, a PITA in and of itself. This whole 2.4g only situation is just flat out stupid. Kudos and thanks to the reps at Comcast for helping me with this. Then, once I figured out that 'powered off' meant the blue light was on and figured out the difference between between blinking slowly and rapidly as well as discovered the plug has to be removed from the outlet for a few seconds after each unsuccessful installation attempt, I was able to get the wi-fi working but I still don't completely understand how I did it and couldn't really explain it if my life depended upon it. Interestingly enough, once the installation was complete, the plug worked fine when the 5g was re-enabled. Bluetooth, however, was a completely different story. First of all, the bluetooth instructions are vague and seem incomplete. There's something about blinking lights and the HBN app finding BLE devices. It was never able to find the plug. I don't know if the plug was supposed to somehow be switched to bluetooth mode or some kind of hub is required as seems to be the case with Google Home for bluetooth to work, but both the HBN app and Google Home were never able to find the plug using bluetooth. Both work fine with wi-fi which, at the moment, is workable but not preferable. The physical dimentions of this plug limit where it can effectively be used. It can't be used in the bottom section of a typical two-plug outlet without blocking the upper socket. Any sockets directly to the left and right, such as on a power strip, will also be blocked. If anyone can tell me if a bluetooth-only smart plug or bulb that will work with my Android without some kind of third party like a router or hub the way my speakers do exists, I would love to hear about it or an explanation as to why such a beast doesn't.as well as exactly what a hub is and why it's needed. - DruidOfTheFang@yahoo.com