tp-link smart wi-fi light switch review
tp-link smart light switch booth at CES 2019
Installing a tp-link smart wi-fi light switch is a great investment for any home and once you've installed one you'll wonder how you lived without smart light switches.
With a tp-link smart wi-fi light switch you can control your light switches from your phone or using voice commands with smart voice assistants like Alexa and Google Home. You can also set schedules, create lighting scenes and setup your smart light switches to work with other smart home devices. l
I think my favorite feature of Tp link smart light switches is connecting them to Alexa so I can control them with my voice.
There's nothing better than laying in bed at the end of a long day and telling Alexa to turn off your smart lights using voice commands like. "Alexa, turn off bedroom lights."
In this post we will review all variations of the tp-link smart wi-fi light switch so you can understand how each light tp-link light switch works and where to use them in your home.
tp-link booth at CES
What's great about the tp-link smart wi-fi light switches is that they don't require any smart home hub. They connect directly to your wifi router to allow you smart home control of your lighting. You can control the light switches from inside your home or when your on the go from your phone.
It should be noted that all tp-link smart switches are compatible with Apple and Android devices. Tp-link smart switches will also work with Alexa and Google Home voice commands, but are not compatible with HomeKit. If you are interested in light switches compatible with Homekit we've listed those in another post.
#1 TP Link Smart Dimmer
TP-Link is a well known smart home brand that has been around for a long time making both smart home light switches and smart home plugs. These smart home home dimmer switches from TP-Link work with Alexa to offer full smart home voice control functionality.
They will also work with Google Home for voice control and the TP-Link app allows you to control the light switches remotely for on/off control, dimming adjustment, and settings schedules. The smart light switches can be controlled from iPhone or Android devices and both apps provide great functionality.
You press the large paddle on the switch to turn on and off the light switch and there are two smaller buttons on the top of the light switch that allow for dimming adjustment.
There is a back lit LED light that shows the current dimming level of the TP-link smart light switch. The TP-Link dimmer offers full range dimming and will work with both LED and incandescent light bulbs.
These smart light switches do require a neutral wire but were easy to install and setup with Alexa. It's important to know if you have a neutral wire and our smart light switch guide teaches you how to determine if you have a neutral wire.
It should be noted that these smart switches will only work for single switch configurations and will not work in a 3 way switch configuration where you have two lights switches controlling the same set of lights. However TP-Link does make a smart light switch that works in 3 way configurations which we will cover below.
#2 TP-Link Kasa Smart Plug
While this isn't a built in wall light switch the TP-Link Kasa smart plug can be used to control lamps and lights that plug into an outlet.
What sets these smart plugs apart is that the outlets are placed on each end of the smart plug so that you can easily plug in multiple devices without interfering with others. It turns each in wall outlet into two separate plugs that can each be controlled individually.
tp-link smart wi-fi light switches
The TP link smart plugs also have a slim profile that allows you to plug in two smart plugs next to each other one on top of the other, so you can turn your 2 in wall outlets into 4 smart outlets with these smart plugs.
Installation of the TP link smart plugs is simple, just plug in, follow the instructions on the app and then add the devices to your home. On Once the smart devices are set up with the app they can be added to Alexa or Google Home they are easy to use and work great with voice commands.
#3 TP Link Wifi Smart 3 Way Switch
I like these smart switches because they serve a special niche in the smart switch space. These smart switches are designed to work as 3 way switches so you can use them in places where you have 2 switches that control the same set of lights.
These smart light switches are on/off smart switches and don't offer dimming but are still packed with tons of functionality.
The 3 way smart light switches can be controlled from your phone and are compatible with Google Home and Alexa. You can set schedules with these light switches and connect them to your wifi network for full control of your smart home lighting. They have access to all of the same app features as the other TP-link devices.
The most common use for these 3 way smart switches is at stairways where you have a switch at the top and bottom of the stairs that controls the same light.
It should be noted that these 3 way smart light switches require a neutral wire and a traveler wire for proper function.
#4 TP - Link On/Off Light Switches
These smart light switches are standard on off wifi light switches that allow you to control your light switches with your phone or using voice commands. They look just like the 3 way on off smart switches but can are designed to be used as single pole only light switches. These switches are not 3 way compatible. You must get the 3 way compatible TP link switches if you need to control the same set of lights from 2 locations.
These work on the same app as the other TP link smart light switches and offer the same compatibility and control. They are compatible with Alexa and Google Home.
It should be noted that these smart light switches like all TP-link smart light switches require a neutral wire.
tp-link smart wi-fi light switch review: Summary
TP-Link is a reliable brand with a long standing reputation for quality in the smart light switch market. It's great that they have a full ecosystem of smart light switches and smart plugs that can used in your home for smart lighting control.
What I like most about these smart switches is that they connect directly to your wifi system for simple setup and they don't require a smart home hub. They are also compatible with Alexa and Google Home voice assistants which covers the bases for voice control of your smart lighting.
If find that I use voice commands more than anything when controlling my smart lighting because it's so easy to do. I'll often turn on my lights with my voice when I enter my home at night and love being able to turn them off while I'm watching TV or laying in bed.
I highly recommend adding smart light switches to your home as it's a smart home upgrade you won't regret.