I need to add a group of smart plugs to my existing system. For a long time I was using the old Kasa plugs, but somewhere along the line I recall they changed their firmware making interoperability challenging with Huibitat, so I have avoided upgrading the firmware and stuck to my old batch of plugs. (I'm using the Kasa Integration - User app). Now that I've run out of extras, I thought I'd check the pulse of what you were using in your systems. It seems that since I've set them up there is a new native integration that should work with the current crop of switches per this post, but before I dump more money into ecosystems, maybe there's something preferable I've overlooked?
Doesn't requires cloud service to operate and may work completely locally (while still having cloud connectivity as an option). Doesn't requires any app for integration. Only a driver is needed. Has few extra fancy features for automation.
The interoperability issue was resolved in 2020 by the company. Essentially, they ceased sending products with the secure KLAP protocol. Only one (no longer available) plug model was ever impacted. Additionally, in Hubitat, there was / is the ability to work around the LOCAL control issue by converting to CLOUD control on a device-by-device basis.
Kasa MATTER devices: Supported by the community integration now. Will expand to the built-in eventually.
TAPO devices. I am working on reinstating the TAPO community integration. I suspended it because TAPO changed the protocol on the bulbs (only) to the KLAP protocol. I am coding that protocol now and should have it out an running withing 3 weeks.
Thanks DImitry-
I wasn't aware that Shelly branched out from their relays into a smart plug.
Now I'm off to find out about the "fancy features for automation"
They have local scripting support (javascript based) with quite a bunch of premade scripts available right from the cloud service (repository). This may play as a distributed automation feature offloading hub from primitive tasks. So in case of hub going offline such automation might continue to work. And hub may focus on more high level managment.
Also a built-in BLE gateway. So BLE buttons and sensors can be bridged (using script)
If you want something cheap I have a few of these, they are zigbee and have worked well for me.
They have no energy consumption capability but if you just want something you can turn on and off they work well. They currently show out of stock on Amazon.
What I use and what I'd recommend are two different things. Because I'm cheap, I've got a plentiful supply of Amazon plugs that I paid 99 cents each for. A virtual switch and an Alexa routine do the trick.
I wouldn't do it this way if I weren't so cheap for two reasons: 1) the Rube Goldberg cloud dependency, and 2) after a power outage, they always come back powered off so anything I really need to be always on, I have to turn on every 10 minutes.
For power monitoring, I still use the kasa plugs with mostly success (EP25 since I have some HomeKit stuff setup in the house, and I have some non-homekit ones I used in the past). For non power monitoring, I use the ThirdReality Zigbee plugs. Pretty happy with the Zigbee plugs. Have a love/hate relationship with the kasa, but that's mainly because my HomeKit setup is constantly having things go offline randomly. (Hence, Hubitat...)
Zooz ZEN04. Z-Wave.
Very customizable via @jtp10181 's great driver. Great support.
I have quite a few.
They've been great.
I have a number of the Sengled E1C-NB7 Zigbee plugs.
One was defective.
I experienced Zigbee radio reboots on my C-8 with four of the plugs installed, no load, no rules-repeating only. I'm now running with three of them...so far so good.
According to the debug log, if a load is connected, they report every 14 seconds with power reporting turned off.
The generic zigbee outlet driver does not tap into all the power reporting capabilities-only power, ie,, least common denominator, hence, 'generic'.
I got the Sengleds to replace Centralites, which also F'ed up on my C-8. My understanding was that newer version of Zigbee would be better.
In my case anything cloud-based is absolutely no go.
I have very good experience with Sengled and Third Reality plugs. Both are Zigbee
with power metering capability and good repeaters.
Great thread gang. Lots of interesting devices here. I plan to order a few since none of them seem particularly expensive, but will probably lean into the Kasa stuff since I know they have local control.
I used to use the Sonoff inline switches with Tasmota, but I found they died after a couple of years.
I wonder if the S31's are any better.
