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I have been looking at the Kasa Smart WiFi Light Switch on Amazon for some time (almost a year), hoping the price would drop (it was retailing for around $50 last year – now approx. $25).
I was hoping to install and use it to turn on my designated outside plug/outlet meant for the Christmas lights. We have snow on the ground and it’s a good reminder that Christmas lights should be ready to go.
However, I have been using an outdoor timer for the lights on the tree, and a physical switch to power on a plug for the lights in the house.
I’m going to use the Kasa Smart Plug Mini which I just installed for the indoor Christmas tree. Make it a Christmas automation set.
What’s the benefit of installing a Smart Wi-Fi Light Switch? Will it actually improve anything in my home? We’ll talk about the cost-benefit of having a Smart Light Switch below.
I have to tell you that even thinking about buying a ‘smart switch created some trepidation within me. What if the smart light switch didn’t fit within my light socket? What if I was missing a ‘neutral’ wire? What is the ‘neutral’ wire anyway?
Fiddling around with electrical wires keeps me on high alert. Maybe it’s a caution for you too. Now that I have installed the Kasa Smart WiFi Light Switch, I can tell you that it’s easy to install, built really well, and very intuitive to use.
Kasa Smart WiFi Light Switch works with Alexa, Google Home, and Cortana – No Hub Required
TP-Link says that you don’t need a Hub to operate the Kasa Smart WiFi Light Switch. It will work with Alexa, Google Home, SmartThings, and Cortana, IFTTT.
Speaking of IFTTT, I have given a quick rundown of their services in this article. Check it out!
That’s a really good deal considering that you can save some money buying a hub to operate your smart WiFi light switch.
You will need to use the Kasa Smart app to get started. You can then sync your device with the smart home ecosystem of your choice – whether through Alexa, Google Home, SmartThings, IFTTT, or Cortana.
The Kasa Smart App can also help you to schedule when you would like to light your Christmas lights (or whatever light), even have them turn on randomly when you’re away.
I have mentioned it before; I get excited about the power usage and runtime information you get from the device as well. Looks like TP-Link has developed another great product!
Kasa Smart WiFi Light Switch- Schedule and Away Mode
Kasa Smart WiFi Light Switch Schedule
I think that it’s great that TP-Link provides you with the opportunity to schedule your Smart WiFi Light Switch.
Now I can use the Kasa Smart App to schedule the Christmas lights to turn on when it gets dark (it gets dark earlier and earlier once it’s winter – as early as 4:30 pm here) and turn off first thing in the morning.
I don’t have to worry about it. If for some reason I needed to turn it off, I can just press the switch. I think there are going to be some more smart light switches installed in the house to control the outdoor lights pretty soon.
Kasa Smart WiFi Light Switch Away Mode
The Kasa Smart App also gives you the opportunity to set up a Vacation or Away mode for your Smart Light Switch.
You can set up a window of time (Start Time and End Time) for the switch to power on and off. The Kasa Smart WiFi Light Switch will then power on and off at random times within the window of time you set.
However, I don’t think you would want to do this with outdoor Christmas lights per se. Setting up the schedule as stated above would suffice. If you have indoor lights setup, this would be an amazing home security feature to confuse burglars.
Kasa Smart WiFi Light Switch – Power Monitor
If I had the main lights in my house connected to the Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Light Switch, I could figure out how often the lights are powered, how much electricity is being used, and finally determine how much money I’m spending every day on one area of the house.
The Kasa Smart App Runtime feature will give you the current and total runtime each day and provide you the daily average and total runtime for a period of 7 and 30 days.
Kasa Smart WiFi Light Switch [HS200] Specifications
The Kasa Smart WiFi Light Switch comes in a pretty sturdy box. The components of the light switch are well-made and fit within standard light switch enclosures.
It comes with a really nice plate to fit around the light switch that snaps nicely in place. It seems that TP-Link thought about the simplicity of the installation here.
The actual light switch comes with a ‘Live’, ‘Load’, ‘Ground’, and ‘Neutral’ Wire, well-labeled and well-organized. Note: It’s a Single-Pole Electrical device. The components are clean and aesthetically pleasing. TP-Link is trying to make it really simple to use.
As mentioned, The Kasa Smart WiFi Light Switch by TP-Link fits within standard enclosures. You will have to make sure that you are able to fold the solid wires properly behind the smart switch into the enclosure.
If anything this is probably the most difficult step or thing to understand when installing the light switch. Its dimensions are 1.5″ wide by 3.3″ deep by 5.5 tall. It fits just right within standard light switch enclosures. There is no interference. The Kasa Smart WiFi Light Switch weighs 4.8 ounces. It’s a good weight considering the safety and smarts within the light switch body.
The Kasa Smart Light Switch by TP-Link is a WiFi device and can be powered on and off with the Kasa Smart App, integrated with Google Home, Alexa, Samsung SmartThings, Microsoft Cortana, and IFTTT, or by simply pressing the switch.
The switch also comes with a reset button and status light. The device is meant for a maximum of 15 amps, so it should power most lighting circuits.
If you’re up for trying other smart home devices, check out my recommendations in the video below!
The Kasa Smart WiFi Light Switch [HS200] by TP-Link
The Kasa Smart WiFi Light Switch is one of Amazon’s best sellers in electrical light switches. The LightSwitch is well made and is built within the standards of United Laboratories.
You can take it to heart that you’re installing a safe electrical device in your light switch enclosure. The installation took around 30 minutes, which is pretty quick considering you’re doing it yourself.
You can set schedules, and scenes, and set up for vacation. I really enjoy tracking power usage information. I’m going to see how much money this device will save me over the Christmas lighting season.
How much will the Kasa Smart WiFi Light Switch save me?
Please understand that there are assumptions made here and these numbers are approx. However, it’s enough for me to understand that with schedules, I can save approximately $12.00 in power costs per year.
That’s significant considering that in 2 years the cost of ownership is taken paid for by the electrical savings. I’d say that’s pretty exciting!
| Time (hr) | Power (W) | kWh/day | 6 months @ 9.5c/kWh | Cost of Switch | 1 yr | 2 yr | |
| KASA [HS200] | 12 | 57.60 | 0.69 | $12 | $22 | $34 | $46 |
| Light Switch | 24 | 57.60 | 1.38 | $24 | $24 | $47 |
See the images below for your reference on installing the smart switch.
Conclusion
Installing the Kasa Smart WiFi Light Switch is pretty easy. Integrating this smart WiFi switch into your smart home automation is a wise idea.
You can have the Kasa WiFi Light Switch installed in a few minutes and you’ll be off to enjoy the features of this wonderful device. Also, they’re really efficient with energy which means you don’t have to worry about consumption that much.
Let us know what you think about this intuitive smart device!