The smart air-to-air smart plug is perfect for the balcony, not for squares

The smart home market is filled with the edge with semi -functional products. Compared, the smart home TP-Link devices are achieved almost every box. It is usually inexpensive (often sold), it works with Google Assistant and Alexa, and the mobile phone application is well designed with a lot of options. I bought many of their smart clips, and I recently tried the company’s power bar. TP-Link has announced many new smart home appliances in CES, including “Wi-Fi Outdoor Clop”, which exactly what it appears. It is a smart plug with two outlets, designed for outdoor use. Although it works functional, it is not the user as I hope.

Specifications

Goodness

Not very good

design

Smart exterior ingredients look somewhat different from most of the smart ports. Instead of being a box that barely stands out of the power socket, this contains a short cable. At the end of the cable there are two energy taking, each appears in the application (and in Google Home/Alexa) as a separate assistant. The side has energy buttons for each plug, which lights up when the plug is enabled, as well as a Wi-Fi connection index.

It was the first problem I faced with the design when I tried to connect it to the outlet on the front balcony. I cannot talk about other countries, but in America, there are usually two types of external energy outlets – those with individual metal covers for each plug, and those with a plastic cover for the entire plug. My home has the latter, and I couldn’t completely close the cover while connecting the smart plug.

Not the most beautiful thing to be suspended on the front balcony.

Not only the exit wire is very rigid (so I can’t really bend to fit inside the cap), but it does not use the right angle connector. I asked TP-Link why it did not go with the power conductor in the right corner, and the company said it considered the idea, but this design would prevent the lower port. Also, many weather resistance covers contain bumps that do not allow the right corner clothes to fit at all.

Another problem with the Smart Plug design is that it only aims to stick to the wall or any other high position. You cannot leave it lying on the floor, because it is not fully water resistant. It is only classified on IP64, which means dust resistant and protected against water sprays (without immersion). This limits the potential uses of the components, but I think most people will buy this only to make the balcony lamps “smart” – which the components work completely well.

programming

If you have used any smart home TP-Link products, there will be nothing here a surprise. The preparation process is incredibly fast and easy – connect it, open the Kasa application, select the external ingredients from the devices menu, give them a name, and you have finished. If you have not used the TP-Link before, you will need to create an account. The app works well on both iOS and Android, so you don’t have to worry about the presence of one more version (or more problems) from the other.

The external ingredients do not have each imaginative beep and whistle (it lacks monitoring the individual energy owned by the TP-Link), but it contains all the basics. You can set the power and time schedules of the Kasa application, and change the name/symbol for easy reference.

TP-LINK also works on the “smart actions” feature that will merge all its smart home products. When it is broadcast live (supposed in the first half of 2019), you will be able to control the plugs based on the activity of other devices, such as operating the balcony lamps on if the TP-LINK camera sees a person at the door.

To control the components of Google Assistant or Alexa, you just have to connect your TP-Link account in Google Home or Alexa applications, respectively. Google Home Integration works very well – you can even rename the components of the Home app, and the new name is synchronized again with the Kasa app.

Should you buy one?

probably. TP-Link external ingredients are very simple to prepare and use, and they work very well. The mobile phone app has a lot of options, and like all other smart home appliances from TP-LINK, it works without defect with Google Assistant and Alexa.

If you just want to convert the balcony lamps into smart lights, this may be the best way to do this. However, keep in mind that the device may look ugly when hanging from the outlet.

Purchase it if …

You want a smart plug on your balcony (or another covered area).

Do not buy it if …

You don’t want a hanging plug from the outlet outside.

He buys: Amazon, B & H Photo