I have a small selection of smart sockets dating back to before Alexa was a glint in Jeff Bezos' eye, inlcuding the Belkin Wemo sockets which I have always been a fan of.
A few years ago I bought a TP Link Kasa socket and was so impressed with how simple and quick it is to configure these units and how user friendly their App is to work.
Now we have half a dozen of these dotted around at both home and work all sitting happily in the same app.
Adding a device is simple, the wizard on the smartphone app guides you though, allows you to name the socket and add an icon so you know what it's controlling.
You can easily set a schedule for on and/or off times, timers and runtimes. The only thing I preferred the Wemo schedule for was the ability to select sunset or sunrise +/- time... for example if you want your table lamp to come on 30 mins before sunset every day which TP Link didn't have, but now they have that too, so it's my preferred smart socket now!
Integration with Amazon Echo/Alexa is flawless - as soon as you've added your Kasa device Alexa picks it up and adds it to her inventory of your devices and is available for integrating into Routines and control using Alexa.
I picked these up on a Lightning Deal for around £12 each, which is an absolute bargain for something that works flawlessly.
I've heard that the alternative TP Link smart sockets (not branded as Kasa) are not as good and you cannot control them using the Kasa app - so if you just want something simple, powerful and excellent value I would not hesitate in grabbing these.
| Number of poles | 2 |
|---|---|
| No. of wires | 2 |
| Plug type | Type G |
| Specification met | CE |
| Manufacturer | TP-Link |
| Global Trade Identification Number | 06935364084646 |
| Product Dimensions | 6.63 x 6.96 x 10.03 cm; 130 g |
| Batteries | 1 Product Specific batteries required. |
| Item model number | HS100(2nd Generation) |
| Series | HS100(2nd Generation) |
| Connectivity Type | 2.4_ghz_radio_frequency |
| Wireless Type | 2.4 GHz Radio Frequency |
| Are Batteries Included | No |
| Lithium Battery Energy Content | 4.9 Watt Hours |
| Lithium Battery Packaging | Batteries contained in equipment |
| Lithium Battery Weight | 0.85 g |
| Item Weight | 130 g |
| Guaranteed software updates until | unknown |
