MickS77 Posted September 30, 2020 Share Posted September 30, 2020 I just setup a few these and I couldn't be happier. Very intuitive to use and create schedules. One schedule to turn ON and another to turn OFF. Simple. Also I wanted to share that it will fit in a 4-gang outlet which I was unsure of. I'm using one to control my CO2 solenoid and the others for lights 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rikostan Posted September 30, 2020 Share Posted September 30, 2020 I actually have one already that was included in something I bought off of amazon... I can't even remember what it was, maybe a smart scale. I am struggling to find a use for it though. I have quite a few smart devices in the house already and all my lights on the tanks are either already on timers or are Fluval 3.0s. Since I rarely leave the house these days, I don't really have a need for something remote. I suppose I could just put the lights on it, so I could control them via voice... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Posted September 30, 2020 Share Posted September 30, 2020 34 minutes ago, Rikostan said: I actually have one already that was included in something I bought off of amazon... I can't even remember what it was, maybe a smart scale. I am struggling to find a use for it though. I have quite a few smart devices in the house already and all my lights on the tanks are either already on timers or are Fluval 3.0s. Since I rarely leave the house these days, I don't really have a need for something remote. I suppose I could just put the lights on it, so I could control them via voice... Putting these WiFi timers on aquarium lights is about as good as the invention of sliced bread. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rikostan Posted September 30, 2020 Share Posted September 30, 2020 10 minutes ago, Paul said: Putting these WiFi timers on aquarium lights is about as good as the invention of sliced bread. What benefit do they have over regular non-smart timers for somebody who doesn't really leave the house? And just for the record, I am not a luddite or anything... I was an IT guy for 25 yeas, so I do enjoy using tech, but I am just not really seeing a reason to get any of them. I only have 5 tanks up and running too, maybe they hold more benefit for people with an actual fishroom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Posted September 30, 2020 Share Posted September 30, 2020 (edited) 2 hours ago, Rikostan said: What benefit do they have over regular non-smart timers for somebody who doesn't really leave the house? And just for the record, I am not a luddite or anything... I was an IT guy for 25 yeas, so I do enjoy using tech, but I am just not really seeing a reason to get any of them. I only have 5 tanks up and running too, maybe they hold more benefit for people with an actual fishroom. The biggest benefits are when there’s a time change (DST/STD) or if there’s a power outage the timers automatically reset to the correct time. Also if you have to override your schedule and turn your lights on/off the schedule will automatically resume without you having to crawl around on the floor to get at the timer.I have 5 tanks and all the lights as well as the dreaded Green Killing Machine UV sterilizer are on WiFi timers.. Edited October 1, 2020 by Paul 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rikostan Posted September 30, 2020 Share Posted September 30, 2020 1 minute ago, Paul said: The biggest benefits are when there’s a time change (DST/STD) or if there’s a power outage the timers automatically reset to the correct time. Also if you have to override your schedule and turn your lights on the schedule will automatically resume without you having to crawl around on the floor.I have 5 tanks and all the lights are on WiFi timers as well as the dreaded Green Killing Machine UV sterilizer. Some good points there! I run the Finnex lights on the tanks that don't have the Fluval, so the power switch is right on top, if I need to turn them on or off manually. I also mounted the power strips at the highest point on my stand so I don't have to mess around under it all. I might be old, but I'm lazy too... 🙂 The reset after a power outage might be an issue, but we have a generator, so if I lose power long enough for that to come into play, I have bigger issues. I'm sure they will fit the bill for a lot of other people and I have other KASA products that work great, but for now these just don't do anything for me. That's probably just due to my lack of imagination though. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandy Posted September 30, 2020 Share Posted September 30, 2020 I do just love being able to control them from my phone. I was on a trip and my house had a brief power outage. My kid called in a panic and wanted to know if he had to reprogram everything...I turned lights on and off from my phone, from 3 states away. Felt like something out of the Jetsons. No need to do anything, they auto reset with no issues. Cory was recently describing in a livestream using them on a powerhead for tank filling, not having to run back and forth to the sink to avoid an overflow, sounds great, but like you I just have a few tanks and do things with buckets. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackLabelCarling Posted October 1, 2020 Share Posted October 1, 2020 I've been avoiding redoing my timers. I got two of the Kasa surge protectors and 4 of the individual units on a super Amazon sale (please forgive me Co-op) a while back but I'm dreading rerouting my cords from their current locations which involves crawling on the floor and possibly some swearing. Seeing how happy everyone is with theirs is giving me some motivation to get it done! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
faydout Posted October 1, 2020 Share Posted October 1, 2020 14 hours ago, Rikostan said: What benefit do they have over regular non-smart timers for somebody who doesn't really leave the house? I use one (different brand) on an outlet with my canister and heater. That way I can cut the water flow from my canister without digging around behind the tank at feeding and tank maintenance time (this is why I have my heater plugged in also). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rikostan Posted October 1, 2020 Share Posted October 1, 2020 19 minutes ago, faydout said: I use one (different brand) on an outlet with my canister and heater. That way I can cut the water flow from my canister without digging around behind the tank at feeding and tank maintenance time (this is why I have my heater plugged in also). That's probably pretty handy for those people who hate to see power cables or can't get a power strip into a good position. My tanks are in my home office, so I don't care that much if I see cables, so the power strip is mounted at pretty much eye level. I don't have anything plugged into it that needs to be powered off gracefully, so pulling the plug is all I need to do. I hope it doesn't sound like I am disparaging these devices. I do get why other people like and use them. Hopefully somebody will bring up something I haven't thought of(shouldn't be hard!) that will make me go "Hmmm, that's a great idea!" 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
faydout Posted October 1, 2020 Share Posted October 1, 2020 No worries, I was just throwing something else against the wall. I guess the other benefit to using it as a kill switch at feeding time is that I set a 10 minute timer on it when I kill power and it turns it back on for me. No more having to worry about turning the filter back on when I'm done (yeah, I've left it off overnight before... ). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisD Posted October 12, 2020 Share Posted October 12, 2020 (edited) My concern about these items is that they require wifi connectivity to work properly. And I suspect it is more than just wifi- it is a working internet connection. Where I live, our cable connection drops quite frequently. Because I leave for work before the aquarium lights and CO2 come on and after they go off many days, I'd always be wondering if they ever even came on for the day. I think I'll have to stick with the more traditional timers for my own sanity. It's a shame cause they are kewl. Edited October 12, 2020 by ChrisD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanR Posted October 12, 2020 Share Posted October 12, 2020 (edited) I don't have the Kasa, but I have 4 or 5 Leviton plugs, because I am invested in the Leviton infrastructure (I have a few of their WIFI switches also), I'm not disappointed in them at all. My lights function even without an internet connection. If internet goes out, they automatically reconnect when it comes back on. It is very nice being able to change the schedule if I need to from one place. Also, another advantage is that you can have multiple schedules for all lights or each one could have a different schedule(weekend and weekday schedules). If the lights are scheduled to be off and I'm home, I can turn on all lights or some lights with one click from my phone. I consider my WIFI timers to be part of the setup costs for new aquariums. Edited October 12, 2020 by RyanR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephenP2003 Posted October 12, 2020 Share Posted October 12, 2020 2 hours ago, ChrisD said: My concern about these items is that they require wifi connectivity to work properly. And I suspect it is more than just wifi- it is a working internet connection. Where I live, our cable connection drops quite frequently. Because I leave for work before the aquarium lights and CO2 come on and after they go off many days, I'd always be wondering if they ever even came on for the day. I think I'll have to stick with the more traditional timers for my own sanity. It's a shame cause they are kewl. I don't have these models in particular, but the ones I have retain the schedule without needing to be wifi connected. I used to have some old school models though, and they would just plain power off when losing a connection. No bueno. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kat_Rigel Posted October 12, 2020 Share Posted October 12, 2020 On 9/30/2020 at 2:11 PM, MickS77 said: I just setup a few these and I couldn't be happier. Very intuitive to use and create schedules. One schedule to turn ON and another to turn OFF. Simple. Also I wanted to share that it will fit in a 4-gang outlet which I was unsure of. I'm using one to control my CO2 solenoid and the others for lights Do you have a power strip plugged in to the Kasa, or do you just plug in the light directly? I am unsure if that would somehow damage the power strip or count as daisy chaining. Since I moved to fishkeeping from reptile keeping, I have been using the Zilla digital power strip: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0012GTRSW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fab_7kmHFbMEPR2SN (was super useful for my bearded dragon.) I realized that I don't really use the nighttime outlets at all. If I can plug in a whole power strip into the Kasa timer, I might switch over. I have a bunch of small tanks with multiple lights. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy's Fish Den Posted October 13, 2020 Share Posted October 13, 2020 18 hours ago, ChrisD said: My concern about these items is that they require wifi connectivity to work properly. And I suspect it is more than just wifi- it is a working internet connection. Where I live, our cable connection drops quite frequently. Because I leave for work before the aquarium lights and CO2 come on and after they go off many days, I'd always be wondering if they ever even came on for the day. I think I'll have to stick with the more traditional timers for my own sanity. It's a shame cause they are kewl. This is my concern and why I haven't gotten any of these wifi timers yet. they seem awesome, and would love to get them, but I live out in the country and only have one option for internet service, and it sucks. My internet will go out for hours, and sometimes even a day or two at a time, which really sucked when my kids were doing the virtual learning this past spring, we would had to go into town several times and sit in a parking lot so they could take a test. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tedrock Posted October 16, 2020 Share Posted October 16, 2020 I am sure some of you have already thought of this but they are great for the kid's tanks in their rooms. They are nice night light. A soothing nature feature to calm them but you can turn them off from your phone regardless what time your child goes to bed. If it is early before the normal shut off time you can do it from down stairs. If you get home late from a weekend thing after normal time it is great too. Now I am not saying don't check on your child before you turn in, I am just saying no more bending over late at night. Easy Peesy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Streetwise Posted October 21, 2020 Share Posted October 21, 2020 I just saw on a Apple tech news site that Wemo (Belkin) now has an outdoor smart plug with HomeKit, Alexa, and Google support, Then in the comments, someone noted that TP-Link has one too, but it doesn't have HomeKit support, just Alexa, and Google. It looks like there are a lot of other competitors too. These could be good for outdoor tubs and ponds. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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