You know when you go out for the day and realize you won’t be home until late? The other day, I took my son clothes shopping. He needed a business outfit for his first Model United Nations attendance. The boy is very tall and skinny for his age. What I thought would be a quick run to Target, turned into a four-hour shopping trip. By the time we came home it was dark and the house was pitch black. It’s not a good feeling to come home to a dark house, especially as a single mom. I also felt bad for the dogs who sat in the dark for hours.
One of the things I love about blogging is that I get to try some really cool gadgets I wouldn’t know about otherwise. And then I get to share them with my readers.
I was able to try the TP-Link Smart Wi-Fi Plug and the TP-Link Smart Wi-Fi LED Bulb. Both are amazing!
Here’s what I used to do. On days I knew I wouldn’t get home until dark, I would leave the living room light on all day so I wouldn’t return to a dark home. Needless to say, this was wasting electricity. The Smart Plug lets me control my light with my phone. No longer do I return to a dark home or waste energy. Having the light on also discourages burglars.
I can set a schedule for my lights to turn on and off at specific times. Since it gets dark early now, I have it set to 4 pm so my son doesn’t return from school to a dark home.
I can also monitor how much power is being consumed by my lights. The Smart Plug works with TP-Link Kasa, a free Android and iOS app. Voice commands also work on Amazon Alexa devices (Echo, Echo Dot, Tap). I don’t have these devices but you would say, for example, “Alexa, turn on my kitchen light.” And the light will turn on.
The set up was so easy. I just plugged it in and configured on my iPhone with Kasa. Anyone can get this smart plug working. The smart plug will be perfect for my holiday lights. I can set the timer to switch on and off. Last year, I had to go in my garage to plug in and unplug the holiday lights.
I was also able to try the Smart Bulb. This is my first Wi-Fi enabled LED bulb and I had it working in less than five minutes. The installation involved just screwing the Smart Bulb into a standard light bulb socket (no need to replace fixtures or wiring) and downloading the free Kasa app to my phone. Kasa guided me through an intuitive quick setup. No hubs or additional hardware were required.
The smart bulb is in the overhead light in my son’s room. I can check at work whether he forgot to turn off his light. I can dim the light or make it brighter.
But wait, there’s more. The Smart Bulb has a color changing feature, which means you can match your mood with 16 million color options. My teen LOVES this feature. Just touch a color in your app and your room turns into a beautiful retreat. How cool is that?
As with the smart plug, I can track the day-to-day and historical energy use of my lighting. Plus, the smart bulb uses LEDs to reduce its power usage up to 80% compared to a standard 60-watt light bulb.
It’s fun to convert your home into a smart home. What’s great is that the TP-Link’s line of Smart Home products are affordable.
**This post is sponsored by TP-Link.**
Sylvie
November 20, 2016Waow! You’ve made my day! Each year, the holiday lighting for me is a brain breaker ;)) You’ve just provided me the smartest relief!!! Thank you so much for that and for your entire blog.
A french faithfull follower from Spain xxx
sabines
November 20, 2016Sylvie, I know what you mean. I love having the lights but hated going in my cold garage, climb over stuff, and plug in/ unplug the cable. This is so much easier. You can control the lights from anywhere in the world. Thank you for reading and commenting… it means a lot to me. Happy Holidays!
Paul
November 20, 2016Dear Sabine, This product is really great and your post reminded me of a funny story. A friend of mine decided to renovate his walk-in closet. When he finished it, he and his girlfriend invited me over to see it. I thought, “OK, I have to drive to his house just to tell him he did a nice job on his closet?” When I arrived, they had prepared a full dinner for the three of us to enjoy on a card table set-up in the closet. They had put colorful smart bulb in the ceiling. It was really a fun way to celebrate all of the work he had done and I got to play with the remote. HA HA. Thanks for the coupon.
sabines
November 20, 2016Haha that’s funny. They must love their walk in closet. It’s probably bigger than my entire house. Aren’t the smart bulbs fun? My son has one in his room and thinks he has a disco.