I lived with 54 KASA switches for 18 months. Here's what I think about them.

Рет қаралды 27,198

Жыл бұрын

In this video, I review the KASA HS200, HS210, HS220, KS230, and the HS103 WiFi smart light switches and power plug from TP-Link. I've been using dozens of these devices with Home Assistant in my smart home for over 18 months. This review covers the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Home Assistant KASA integration: • Home Assistant TP-Link...
KASA indoor outlet HS103 (wifi): amzn.to/3XOLVai
KASA single pole dimmer HS220 (wifi): amzn.to/3HgOaft
KASA single pole switch HS200 (wifi): amzn.to/3HHNEsC
KASA three way switch HS210(wifi): amzn.to/3kSZ0ks
KASA three way dimmer KS230 (wifi)" amzn.to/3kQm2s8
If you'd like to support the channel, please consider subscribing, and please like this video if you found it helpful.
This video's t-shirt: amzn.to/3EfNxSO
Some of my favorite home automation things:
Aqara temperature and humidity sensor (zigbee): amzn.to/3X2ubr3
Aqara water leak sensor (zigbee): amzn.to/3JkWH3P
Aqara door & window sensor (zigbee): amzn.to/3Ril7N7
Aqara mini switch (zigbee): amzn.to/3HlmmGK
Aqara motion sensor (zigbee): amzn.to/3kV2eDS
Conbee II Zigbee stick: amzn.to/40pORfx
USB extension for conbee stick: amzn.to/3kR3zvJ
KASA outdoor outlet (wifi): amzn.to/3XOLoFl
KASA indoor outlet HS103 (wifi): amzn.to/3XOLVai
KASA single pole dimmer HS220 (wifi): amzn.to/3HgOaft
KASA single pole switch HS200 (wifi): amzn.to/3HHNEsC
KASA three way switch HS210(wifi): amzn.to/3kSZ0ks
KASA three way dimmer KS230 (wifi)" amzn.to/3kQm2s8
Shelly 2.5 relay switch (wifi): amzn.to/40drGon
Honeywell T9 thermostat (wifi, homekit): amzn.to/3WOVvsD
Honeywell T9 remote zone sensor: amzn.to/3jfr5Sw
Sonoff S31 Lite smart plug (zigbee): amzn.to/3HDsb3U
Sonoff S31 smart plug with power monitoring (zigbee): amzn.to/40fkvMk
Sengled bulbs (zigbee): amzn.to/3JH95vl
MyQ Homebridge for Chamberlain/Liftmaster MyQ garage door openers (wifi, homekit): amzn.to/3DrfxSW
MyQ Chamberlain/Liftmaster garage door controller for non-MyQ openers (wifi): amzn.to/3HIctVm
August 4th generation WiFi smart lock: amzn.to/3ksXZj3
Motorola MoCA Adapters: amzn.to/41h9LxI
My studio gear:
Canon 90D: amzn.to/3WOvmKz
Canon EF 28mm f/1.8 USM: amzn.to/3DkPvAH
Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM: amzn.to/3jinlQk
Canon EF-S 17-55 f/2.8 IS USM: amzn.to/3kRZgQK
Canon AC adapter: amzn.to/3RgogNC
Canon DC coupler: amzn.to/3HcmTuK
Lexar Pro 128GB SDXC cards: amzn.to/3Drg7jA
ProGrade SD card reader: amzn.to/3HmPRYQ
Lowepro ProTactic 450 camera bag: amzn.to/3DoJras
Manfrotto 055 CX Pro tripod: amzn.to/3XOaMei
Manfrotto 055LC leveling center column: amzn.to/40aYm1R
Manfrotto MVH502AH fluid head: amzn.to/40eyOkw
Rode NTG-3B mic: amzn.to/3kGEbIL
Rode SM4-R shockmount: amzn.to/3Y8zo1m
Shure SM7B mic: amzn.to/3wEnX5H
Zoom H4n pro 4-track digital recorder: amzn.to/3Y365x6
Zoom F6 digital field recorder: amzn.to/3ZWxjHa
Cloudlifter: amzn.to/3Z31tqO
GLS balanced XLR cables: amzn.to/3kXb97K
TASCAM DR-10 lav mic: amzn.to/3kRvGLb
windjammer for lav mics: amzn.to/3HFPDNM
Neewer boom arm mic stand: amzn.to/3WH8YCI
Samson MD5 mic stand: amzn.to/3HHP46q
Aputure Amaran 100x lights: amzn.to/40dJqQp
Aputure Light Dome SE: amzn.to/40dJBex
Light stands: amzn.to/3Rethq2
Green screen: amzn.to/3jcOjJ3
Rim light: amzn.to/3RkyzQW

Пікірлер: 122

@jdeidiker 10 ай бұрын

Thanks for thw video. Helped me decide to buy Kasa after 3 of my 5 other smart switches lost the ability to communicate via wifi.

@genelevi1 Жыл бұрын

Yep, I have 6 or 7 Kasa devices and they work great. In addition to switches and dimmers, I have their HS300 6-port power strip that's pretty useful, with 6 individual smart outlets with energy monitoring. Local control sure helps. Not doing the 3-way thing though. I also have a couple of their LED strips that I installed to the bottom of the railing leading upstairs. Paired with a couple of motion sensors, nice to light up the stairs without turning the lights on.

@fasthowto Жыл бұрын

Yeah, overall, I give the brand a solid rating. Just the weird 3-way dimmer issues. Oh well, nobody's perfect I guess. And I am still using them, and have no interest in replacing them, so.. :)

@raphaelhyde-ce1ik 2 ай бұрын

dude, you are hilarious - can you do all reviews and how to videos please!!!! Thank you for helping us save a ton of time

@fasthowto 2 ай бұрын

Thank you for the kind words! I've done a few other reviews. I have some more planned, but since companies don't send me free shit, I only have so much to work with. Lol

@KC_Jimmy_Studio Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the video. I have 52 Kasa switches in my house, so you've got me beat... ha! They all work great and are very responsive to my Home Assistant automations. I will say that you must have a good WIFI network or these switches will jamb up your bandwidth and after a certain number of switches you won't be able to connect more. I learned this the hard way and had to upgrade my WIFI network to dual band so I could have these switches on a dedicated 2.4G band. But, they all now work great.

@fasthowto Жыл бұрын

You're most welcome! Yes, you're definitely right about the networking. I need to do a video about networking at some point.. It's just such a touchy topic since there are a lot of people with "knowledge" of networks, and people tend to be quite defensive about whatever product they bought - even if it's not doing what they need it to do. "My brand x gear is just fine! It worked great until I added these KASA devices. It must be their fault!" "Well how many did you add?" "40" Ermmm... :) Luckily, being an IT nerd, my home network was horribly overbuilt for what it was at the time, but now with all these KASA switches all over the place, it's getting the workout it deserves. LOL What are you using for network gear? Thanks for watching!!

@KC_Jimmy_Studio Жыл бұрын

@@fasthowto I have an Araknis AN-310-RT-4L2W Router with 3 Netgear access points. Probably overkill but I didn't want to take any chances after my previous network didn't cut it. Ha!

@DanielA23 Ай бұрын

@@fasthowto I had a TP-Link AX11000 and it couldnt keep up with my devices. I have 44 Kasa devices currently but was a few less back then. I have since moved to Omada devices with 2 APs and have no issues now. I also have 9 cameras connected wireless among others. I would say if you have more than 60 devices on any consumer grade router you will probably start running into random disconnects or other odd issues.

@fasthowto Ай бұрын

Moral of the story - stop buying shitty networking equipment. :)

@ericwalker2177 7 ай бұрын

I have Kasa all over my house as well including the 3-way switches and one thing not many people know is that even though they only sell the 3-way switches in 2 packs you only need one. I have 2 different 3-way setups in my house and I used one switch for each and left the regular not smart switches at the other end and have had it that way for about 2 years. Never really had any issues with them.

@fasthowto 7 ай бұрын

Anybody who paid attention while watching this video would know that. ;) Thanks for watching!

@alanmoore2197 8 ай бұрын

I have a similar number (55) of Lutron Caseta - a mix of dimmers switches & pico remotes. I've had most of them installed for >>5 years. I paid no more than $45 each for dimmers & switches - bought carefully on eBay (except for a couple of ELV and high power dimmers). I've had zero issues with any of them in that time, they all work perfectly and quickly every time. Everything also works perfectly fine without the internet (integration w/HA, automations via Lutron & HA) and all but automations/integrations works even with the hub unplugged and WiFi disabled (e.g. basic operation, scenes, multi-way). I'm guessing I paid 2-3x what your equiv. Kasa system was - but I want my home infrastructure to work every time without fail - so to me it was totally worth it. Plus I'm confident Lutron will be around in 20-30 years - something I'm not at all sure about with other smaller companies - I was burned once with that before - never again.

@fasthowto 8 ай бұрын

Well, since I've not had any more issues since making that video, and the issues I previously had were clearly spelled out and explainable, combined with the fact that local control from HA to these switches works just fine, I'm not sure there was any tangible benefit to what you bought - aside from the fact that kasa & many of the other consumer-grade smart switches weren't on the market just yet. So at the time you installed those, it sounds like you made a great choice. Either way - if it makes you happy, then I'm happy for you! Some people simply want what they want, and you shouldn't feel the need to have to justify it to anyone. :) Thanks for watching!

@alanmoore2197 8 ай бұрын

I would certainly do it again today - I see the benefit - that's really all that matters. @@fasthowto

@chrisyerp174 3 ай бұрын

Subbed becuase your awsome and not a paid reviewer pushing lies. Just straight forward

@fasthowto 3 ай бұрын

Thank you! For the record, I don't think that *all* paid reviewers push lies, but I do agree that they may sometimes... "forget" to tell you the bad things about a product. If my channel ever grows big enough that companies would like to sponsor a video for one of their products, I promise I will do my best to put it through the wringer and point out all the flaws, just like I did in this video. :) Thanks for watching, and thanks for the sub!

@chrisyerp174 3 ай бұрын

@fasthowto yea im looking at getting the ks205 thay are 20 a peice on Amazon just trying to learn this stuff just got a 5 gig fiber lines run to my house so iv been watching videos on hubs and devices wifi and routers learning im an electrician by trade but do big power 3 phase 800amp and up so all this low power integration is new to me just wanna walk in the house and say light on and still have a switch that works right now im gathering products got 15 Amazon echo 5s what that elevator music throw my house lol

@fasthowto 3 ай бұрын

@@chrisyerp174 The whole rest of this channel is all about Smart House stuff - more specifically, Home Assistant. Automate EVERYTHING - lights, garage door, locks, home audio, the works. If it can talk to another piece of equipment, or if it can be remote controlled, I've either already done it or I'm working on doing it. LOL Take a look at Home Assistant. It's much more flexible than the competitors - but that means you have to "do" more of the things to make it go. But... Custom doorbell ring notifications, security cameras, object/person detection, lights, door contact sensors, motion detection, water leak, automatic water main shutoff... It's all there if you want to do it!

@antmasrt 3 ай бұрын

I have Kasa everywhere and they work great. I will be installing the 3- way dimmer soon. I'm looking for them to come out with a panel display so I can control many switches in one place. Especially when I leave out the house.

@fasthowto 3 ай бұрын

I use Home Assistant to manage everything in my house, and for a panel I use a cheap, old tablet mounted to the wall in my kitchen. I'm able to control everything from my phone then - lights, garage door, door locks, cameras, the whole works. If you don't have a smart home solution in place yet, you should check out the rest of my videos on the channel; they are all about how to build & configure Home Assistant.

@deborahdean Ай бұрын

I have five Kasa products. Most work well, but I have one that just doesn't want to connect. I'm generally pleased with them though.

@MudgettsGuideService 3 ай бұрын

I've been using the Kasa products for about 18 months, and at this point, I couldn't be happier. Had been disappointed by a few pricier options in the past, so I've got nothing but praise for these. Not often do you find something that's cheaper yet more reliable

@fasthowto 3 ай бұрын

#troof Thanks for watching!

@jr42a1 11 ай бұрын

Their stuff really works well and is mega friendly.Ive tried a few others and most didnt work flawless.

@fasthowto 11 ай бұрын

Agreed. Haven't had much in the way of problems with any of it. They look good, and work great! Thanks for watching!

@OverLord-yf3zh 11 күн бұрын

I have a lot of Kasa switches though I had crazy problems with their 3-ways, I tried another brand for those and the wife liked the look of the other brand so I’m half and half, downstairs are all Kasa, upstairs is another brand. Both are working like a dream a year later!

@fasthowto 11 күн бұрын

For me, their regular 3-ways were fine. I only installed one of them, and that was at the end with the neutral (it's not required to have one on both ends). Is that what you did? Now, their 3-way DIMMERS... Well, I addressed those in the video, and it's not gotten any better. LOL What was the other brand that you used? Thanks for watching!!

@gsulliv1 Жыл бұрын

great video and a big help...

@fasthowto Жыл бұрын

Thank you, that's great to hear. Thanks for watching!

@gsulliv1 Жыл бұрын

@@fasthowto just purchased 7 devices. Installed one already and surprised how easy it was. Thanks.

@fasthowto Жыл бұрын

@@gsulliv1 yeah, super easy, right? Enjoy!!

@photolabguy 11 ай бұрын

Just wrapped up replacing 24 out of 25 switches with a variety of kasa smart switches. Switch number 25 is the garbage disposal. No need to smartify that. So far I love them!

@fasthowto 11 ай бұрын

Lol same here. No need for the garbage disposal to be smart at my house, either!

@photolabguy 11 ай бұрын

@@fasthowto I did replace the garbage disposal switch with a flat rocker switch to match everything else. Lol

@Pranilkarki551 8 күн бұрын

I dont like directly connecting to Wifi. Are there any HUB that support these switches?

@beermunder 9 ай бұрын

I have had them for years definitely without a doubt I understand being a Kasa fan! i love that they dont need an internet connection and work on the house local intranet from Kasa phone app. google cant do shit without internet google worthless without Inet. You beat by a few switches ...I totally feel your Kasa love bro!

@vaughanza Жыл бұрын

Great channel thanks, Cheers

@fasthowto Жыл бұрын

Thank you so much for the kind words, and thanks for watching! :)

@YannisFyssas Ай бұрын

Super video - nice work. I have 6 3 way dimmers that I am ripping out(X10 install on the whole main floor of the house) then I would like proper 3 way dimmers that work. (also I wonder if KASA has fixed the issue in 2024) Any advice /update on your setup would be awesome !

@fasthowto Ай бұрын

No change to my setup, it's still the same as it was when I made the video. They still work fine in my dining room, still give me a headache in the kitchen if I turn off the max brightness automation. I haven't updated the firmware on anything though - I'm of the mindset that I don't screw with stuff that currently works. They work "well enough" for me, so I left it alone. Be sure to come back and let me know how your deployment goes, and if you run into any problems!

@rollinsms Жыл бұрын

I have a dozen Kasa switches pretty much the same mixture. I also got them off the tangled web and went local with my Hubitat. I also had 5 switches that had no neutral wire instead of wiring a neutral i bought Lutron dimmers with picos along with the pro hub which you need to communicate with HA or another smart hub. I've never had trouble with any of my Kasa switches and the only complaint I have with the Lutron switches is the main switch only turns on full brightness and you have to dim it every time.

@fasthowto Жыл бұрын

My biggest issue with Lutron is cost. No way I'm spending $5000 on lightswitches. LOL

@rollinsms Жыл бұрын

@@fasthowto I paid $65 for a switch a pico kit. The pro hub was $150. I got around $500 invested with Lutron it would have cost thousands to have neutrals added plus drywall repair which I hate to do lol. I wish Kasa had no neutral switches.

@fasthowto Жыл бұрын

@@rollinsms $65 * 54 = $3510. :D Adding neutrals, in some cases, isn't as difficult as you'd think. Just like everything else real-estate related, it all comes down to location, location, location. LOL Aqara has no-neutral switches I see. I haven't tried them, but I have a LOT of other Aqara gear, and it's all been rock-solid thus far.

@rkenney9119 3 ай бұрын

great video. I love the Kasa products. I am looking for a smart ceiling fan switch and I don't see that Kasa has one. What would you recomend?

@fasthowto 3 ай бұрын

I guess I'm not sure. What type of switch are you referring to? My ceiling fans operate on normal light switches. What kind does yours use?

@tannert7525 Жыл бұрын

Can these authentic on WPA3 or WPA2 with PMF implemented? Looking at setting up a VLAN with an Apple HomeKit to keep the local commands. That’s a really good point you made with that, and interested to see it in action. Unfortunately no PMF on the network is a no-go for me and their documentation is lacking.

@fasthowto Жыл бұрын

Homekit isn't required, Home Assistant will directly communicate with them. As for the WPA3 question, I don't know the answer to that. They are pretty cheap, and Amazon has an easy return process/policy, maybe order one and test it out? Let me know what you find! Thanks for watching!!

@cheapscotsman 3 ай бұрын

The dimmer was kinda funny on some led's and had to adjust the minimum. As far as the motion they are great as you can can adjust how long they stay on and at what brightness, so the lights don't go off during a shower.

@Nifty-Stuff Ай бұрын

Great video! I'm almost all-in on KASA, but the dimmer issue with your wafer LED's makes me nervous. Would be GREAT if you could figure out the cause, LED model, etc? Thanks!

@fasthowto Ай бұрын

As stated in the video, I've figured out as much as I'm willing to figure out with that issue. The automation was an easy fix, and I've got WAY better things to do with my time than get out a ladder and screw up the paint on my ceiling. LOL

@jasonbailey9139 8 ай бұрын

Bought a Kasa on Prime Day. Liked it enought that I bought four more a few days ago and just installed them today. So, I guess I'm sold. Unfortuately, they don't seems to make a 1 gang switch that contols two dimmers for ceiling fans/light. So I might have t0 buy a couple of those from a different vendor.

@fasthowto 8 ай бұрын

They do not, you're right. Just remove the single gang box and replace it with a 2 gang box. Problem solved! Thanks for watching!

@_Lazare 26 күн бұрын

Well done

@fasthowto 26 күн бұрын

Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed! Thanks for watching!

@TheQuincy1996 7 ай бұрын

Hi Jeff, I’m having issues with my KS220s. I have a smart house that’s ran by Orbi mesh and good strong internet. All of my other devices connect and run with no issues whatsoever on HomeKit and their respective apps. The Kasa HomeKit switch works fine as well. The dimmer however I cannot get past the initial setup sequence. They will not connect via HomeKit or Kasa itself. Any tips?

@fasthowto 7 ай бұрын

No clue, I have zero apple products in my house so I don't own any of their HomeKit switches. The KASA integration in Home Assistant works REALLY well, so I've not seen any need to add yet another layer of complexity by introducing HomeKit. I'd reach out to their support. As I mentioned in the video, they are pretty quick to respond, and it could be something as simple as a firmware update. Sorry I didn't have an answer for you, but thanks for watching!

@kenchilton 5 ай бұрын

This might be too late, but Homekit does not work with mesh networks. I suggest doing what I did - get rid of the Homekit switches. I struggled with them for two years and then ripped them all out and replaced them with the plain non-Homekit Wifi version after the sixth one went totally dead. The firmware was buggy - I must have rebooted them on average at least every month. Now, the plain vanilla WiFi work great, works with Alexa and Google Home, and the automation works flawlessly.

@caricruzrodriguez6801 7 ай бұрын

I'm in the process of replacing my control4 light switches. I don't want to have to be at the mercy of my distributor if I have any issues.. They use Zigbee

@melanieklarofficial 15 күн бұрын

Can you do a basics video and explain things like what is the difference between kasa smart dimmer switches that are apple kit, matter, smart dimmer, etc…? They look the same… all the vocabulary of all the smart things would be helpful to know.

@fasthowto 15 күн бұрын

They all look the same because they are all the same. All those things are just the protocol that they use to connect to your smart house. If you are using home assistant, wifi is the easiest. If you're only using apple, then you'd buy apple homekit ones. IMO, Matter isn't ready for prime time yet, so I'd hold off on any of those. Lots of empty promises there so far.

@picklerick6561 5 ай бұрын

I subscribed because of your tshirt bro

@fasthowto 5 ай бұрын

That's awesome, thank you! And thank you for watching! :)

@jbell6745 4 ай бұрын

I have 10 tp link kasa switches they all work great and one on a 4 way switch and one on a 3 way and only had to use one three way on each and they work fine. Just put the kasa on the first switch where the first switch that feeds the circuit so that saves you buying two. I have not tried their dimmer switch. I have feit dimmer switches on some light that I waned to dim.

@fasthowto 4 ай бұрын

I'm not sure what you're getting at? Are you referring to the issue described in the video?

@hroge85 6 ай бұрын

KASA fan as well. The only one I have had trouble is I have a light switch that was powering an always HOT and on outlet to plug things into. How do you wire the Kasa that way when it basically is just hit switch. Either giving power or not giving power. So when the ceiling light should turn off everything plugged into the outlet should still be getting power.

@fasthowto 6 ай бұрын

I don't understand what you're trying to explain... But, having said that - I'm not an electrician, and it sounds like you're not either. If there's one thing I've learned, it always pays to call in the experts when you're unsure - especially if we're talking about something that could burn down your house. Electricians aren't as expensive as you might think... Thanks for watching!

@cheapscotsman 3 ай бұрын

I even removed some of my old X-10 switches.

@wookori 11 ай бұрын

Question: I have a room with two light switches in it. One switch is a single with a dimmer, and the other has three switches on it-- one that works the same as the single, and two that control the back porch. I never use the dimming function, so I don't care if that doesn't work anymore, and I don't want to use a smart switch for the porch. I'm trying to figure out if the light will work properly if I only exchange the single switch for a smart switch without a dimmer, and leave the other one as-is?

@fasthowto 11 ай бұрын

If you are uncertain about wiring, your best bet is to contact a licensed electrician.

@kenpachibrown794 Жыл бұрын

I have wulian but i want to change should i use kasa

@Pranilkarki551 8 күн бұрын

I do not like to connect to wifi directly. Are there any HUB or bridge that support these switches?

@josepalacios2255 11 ай бұрын

I have a question can you have regular 4 way switch in between?

@fasthowto 11 ай бұрын

Not with the dimmer, no, but possibly with a regular 3 way at one end of the circuit? Not sure.

@Larry67902 Жыл бұрын

Don't have any kasa devices, all my wall switches are zooz (even have a zooz scene controller (has one big button for the light that's connected to it and 4 smaller buttons to control any other device you have in HA, locks, smart bulbs, etc.). Also have a LOT of smart plus which are zigbee (sengled, nice), and a lot of smart bulbs in lamps (those are zigbee Cree brand). I'll have to try a kasa device the next time i need one.

@fasthowto Жыл бұрын

Nice! All the devices I've tried so far have been great (except that troublesome three way dimmer - but for the added functionality of dimming at both ends I'm willing to overlook the headaches). I just saw KASA released some homekit compatible switches recently as well. Not my cup of tea, but I'm sure there are some folks who might find them a proper fit for their setup.

@Larry67902 Жыл бұрын

@@fasthowto I have a ecobee thermostat and their is a API you can install and use but it is cloud based and painfully slow. However the thermostat also supports homekit which HA has a home kit controller integration which allows LOCAL control of those devices. I was able to pair it to HA through the homekit integration and now its pretty much instant and local control means ecobee servers can have problems and i can still remotely control the thermostat through HA. So homekit devices does have its advantages even in HA.

@fasthowto Жыл бұрын

@Tiger52524949 yeah, I know. My honeywell T9 is homekit as well. My point was simply that there's already a kasa integration, and the wifi switches are $7 less expensive than the homekit switches - which use wifi anyway - so IMO, the target market is relatively limited to people who only use Apple devices with no other legitimate smart home gear on their network - home assistant or otherwise. Especially with matter right on the horizon, it seems a poor time to be releasing a homekit product.

@Flienlow Жыл бұрын

I need dimmable smart motion for under cabs. I also need a remote switch like the pico. Can this be done with TP lInk?

@fasthowto Жыл бұрын

Depends what you mean by "with TP link"?

@Flienlow Жыл бұрын

@@fasthowto I thought these were made by TP link?

@fasthowto Жыл бұрын

@@Flienlow pico is lutron, AFAIK, so... ?

@user-nx1ds6lp9d 17 күн бұрын

What do I do when there are four switches that control my great room lights?

@fasthowto 16 күн бұрын

It is best to consult an electrician if you're unsure about electrical wiring.

@Alex-ob7op 11 ай бұрын

Sweet t-shirt

@fasthowto 11 ай бұрын

Thanks, and thank you for watching!

@skyeemery2240 5 ай бұрын

Do these switches work well with ceiling fans? As basically every room in my house has one.

@fasthowto 5 ай бұрын

They are a lightswitch, and can control anything a lightswitch can control.

@fizz872 7 ай бұрын

Chapters for your videos would be appreciated.

@fasthowto 7 ай бұрын

Not sure how I feel about that. Seems like people would just skip around and watch bits and pieces of videos then. I put a LOT of work into my videos, and if people don't want to watch them, then just don't. Only watching bits and pieces, and then asking me questions which were already answered in the video is far too annoying given the number of hours it takes to create a video. Thanks for watching!

@wardelldye1564 Жыл бұрын

I am using a TP-link Motion activated dimmer switch KS220M, ES20M in my bathroom. I would like to set up a routine using my Alexa Voice activation to communicate through the switch using the word “shower”. What I would like the routine to do is when I am ready to take a shower, I would like for the light to stay on for at least 15 minutes or longer. When I'm in the shower the light keeps going out after one minute, and I must constantly wave my hands to trigger the motion detector to get the light to turn back on while I am in the shower. Is there a way that I can create a routine to trigger the light for the light to stay on while I am in the shower for at least 15 minutes or longer. I am also using a Smart Things controller as well as Alexa.

@fasthowto Жыл бұрын

Home Assistant could definitely handle all that for you, but it doesn't sound like you use it.

@mwahlert Жыл бұрын

Can the output of the smart switch be latched so smart bulbs can be powered continuously, such that the press of the switch button will instead send an instruction to the bulb itself via an automation?

@fasthowto Жыл бұрын

To my knowledge, the switch itself does not offer a feature like that. To be honest, I've never understood that application anyway. If you have a bulb that is controlled by a physical switch, why does the bulb need to be smart? Use a regular bulb, they are cheaper. I've always found smart bulbs are more useful for things that don't have wall switches, such as a lamp. Perhaps you could help me understand the application you're thinking of?

@mwahlert Жыл бұрын

@@fasthowto "Follow the sun" color temperature control is my main reason for using "smart" bulbs.

@fasthowto Жыл бұрын

@@mwahlert Ok, sure. Wouldn't it be just as easy to just write an automation so that whenever someone turns on the switch you send a color change to the bulb as required? Or does that not work for some reason that I'm currently not thinking of? LOL

@mwahlert Жыл бұрын

@@fasthowto It is possible but it is rather slow and clunky, especially when using WiFi bulbs. From the moment you power the bulb up to the time it has joined the network, received an IP address, and is ready to take commands is often several seconds alone.

@fasthowto Жыл бұрын

@@mwahlert ah, I can see that. I use all zigbee bulbs for smart applications, so I guess I didn't consider the speed of the wifi ones. Hrmmm.. I know there are switches out there that do what you're asking. In fact, I *think* you can accomplish that with Shelly relays?

@kcsmith7379 4 ай бұрын

Really wish you would have gone up the ladder to get the bulb information to see if that was the problem. Who settles for partially and then makes a video about it 😂

@fasthowto 4 ай бұрын

Like I said, it's plenty bright enough. And I'm not repainting my ceiling to satisfy some lazy tech support staff's curiosity. Lol

@joeblaylock87 6 ай бұрын

If for some reason wifi is down, do these still just act like regular switches when pushed manually?

@fasthowto 6 ай бұрын

Yep, sure do!

@jdeidiker 10 ай бұрын

Do these switches work with a ceiling fan with a light?

@fasthowto 10 ай бұрын

Depends how it's wired, but I use several for lights with fans without issue.

@marinepoof 6 ай бұрын

Need a dimmer that works with 4 way switches.

@fasthowto 6 ай бұрын

Well, they can't even get their 3-way dimmer working 100%, so...... ;)

@lovewinson3 4 ай бұрын

If i use alexa to voice control my switches, will there be a delay without the home assistant?

@fasthowto 4 ай бұрын

Everything is delayed using that product, which is one of the big reasons why I don't.

@lovewinson3 4 ай бұрын

@@fasthowto what would be an alternative?

@fasthowto 4 ай бұрын

@lovewinson3 I actually don't do any voice control, but if I did I'd use the local voice control built into home assistant. Faster, and no eavesdropping going out to the corporate overlords.

@lovewinson3 4 ай бұрын

@@fasthowto thanks

@nothingelse1520 Жыл бұрын

I have a "3 gang" its 3 light switches crammed inside one fixture. I see Kasa doesn't have a 3 gang, just 1 switch. How can I wire this 3 gang with Kasa light switches?

@fasthowto Жыл бұрын

If I'm understanding correctly, you have 3 switches in a single gang box? You'll need to remove that single gang box, cut some drywall and install a 3 gang box, then put in 3 switches.

@nothingelse1520 Жыл бұрын

@@fasthowto I live in an apartment not a house so cutting drywall isn't going to happen. I have 3 switches in a row. They are covered by one plate. So Kasa only sells single switches, some other smart companies sell the 3 gangs. I just don't know if it's compatible.

@luckydl7650 10 ай бұрын

@@nothingelse1520 You can use the 3 gang plate just pop off the Kasa plates on each of the switches.

@gaylewoodle1670 Ай бұрын

I was a huge fan of TP-Link Kasa, have 3 power strips and 4 lightbulbs, but they blocked me from using the app until I agreed to their new policy of monitoring my every move. Nope, natta, not doing it.

@fasthowto Ай бұрын

Why would you use their app? Home Assistant can do local control of kasa items. I only open the app to do initial configuration of new devices.

@calebjpryor Жыл бұрын

Firmware firmware firmware... I've had happy wifi switches that stopped working after 6 months since a firmware update. Each vendor I've dealt with won't allow downgrades and the wife isn't going to wait for them to build a fix or troubleshoot over email. I skipped to flashing all of my switches with open source firmware. Tasmota and esphome. Have never looked back and enjoy the crap out of them.

@fasthowto Жыл бұрын

Can you do that to the kasa switches, or are you using a different brand? I purposely have not updated the firmware on any switches since install, and the vlan they are on also has no internet access. So far, so good. But I'd be interested to hear more about your experience with flashing. I haven't done that yet - with anything. Read quite a bit about it in the forums, but it's a road I haven't needed to venture down (yet!).

@calebjpryor Жыл бұрын

@@fasthowto just depends on the chip inside. Mine are typically esp chips or bekken. Then you can put stuff like openbekken or Tasmota on them