Kasa Wifi Timer Question

[test.tin]

Hey everyone, just wanted to ask members of the forum that has the kasa wifi timer. Lets say I set the kasa to turn on at 7am. If my internet is not on until 9am, does the kasa still follow through with the programing and turn on at 7am?

I ask this because the last wifi timer I had will not follow the programing if there is no wifi, even though the program is set in the app and presumably stored on the timer.

[Coronal Mass Ejection Carl]

Offline use is supposed to be possible but mine often just stops working because it can't connect to the server (even if my Internet is working).

I don't trust mine. On several occasions it's failed to turn off as scheduled.

[ChrisD]

Just tonight my internet connection was down and one of my Kasas was off. I tried to manually turn it on with the button on the side of the device and it refused to turn on.

I don't get why these devices require an internet connection to work considering that old school timers from the 1990s  or earlier work reliably and even have battery backup not to loose settings if the power goes out.

I wish in the product description on the Aquarium Coop site that they'd mention that not only wifi but an actual internet connection is required for them to work properly.

Edited December 31, 2020 by ChrisD

[test.tin]

11 minutes ago, ChrisD said:

Just tonight my internet connection was down and one of my Kasas was off. I tried to manually turn it on with the button on the side of the device and it refused to turn on.

I don't get why these devices require an internet connection to work considering that old school timers from the 1990s  or earlier work reliably and even have battery backup not to loose settings if the power goes out.

I wish in the product description on the Aquarium Coop site that they'd mention that not only wifi but an actual internet connection is required for them to work properly.

That is weird that it doesn't even let you turn it on manually.

I guess the downfall of my other timer is the same for this one too

[Coronal Mass Ejection Carl]

My house thermostat is the same way. It's controlled by an app and if the server is too busy or something it won't work at all.

I have to go to the thermostat itself to change any settings and its screen's backlight won't come on unless you touch it on one of the small virtual buttons (which are very hard to see without the backlight on). You would think it would light up if you touched any part of the touchscreen but no. Then I have to struggle with the terrible interface to actually change anything.

Who designs these things?

[Andy's Fish Den]

I've stayed with the old school timers for my lights for now, because I have been afraid of issues like all of you have described. I'm out in a pretty rural area, and only have a choice of one internet provider and my internet will go down randomly, sometimes for just a minute or two, others for hours at a time. It was a real fun time this past spring doing virtual learning with my kids.

[AdamTill]

This is why some people in the home automation community flash their devices to use local control. Then you’re internet independent when used in concert with Home Assistant or a similar hub.
 

Not possible with the Kasa to my knowledge, but any TuyaSmart or Tuya clone will do it.I haven’t bothered because my internet is reliable, but the ones I use will at least function manually if the internet is down. I use Teckin plugs (which use Tuya software) and Tp-Link wall switches.

Personally, I’ll never go back to manual timers. It’s too convenient to have a voice command to turn everything off to do a water change, not have to reach under cabinets to access plugs, never worry about time changes etc

Edited December 31, 2020 by AdamTill

[AdamTill]

13 hours ago, Coronal Mass Ejection Carl said:

My house thermostat is the same way. It's controlled by an app and if the server is too busy or something it won't work at all.

I have to go to the thermostat itself to change any settings and its screen's backlight won't come on unless you touch it on one of the small virtual buttons (which are very hard to see without the backlight on). You would think it would light up if you touched any part of the touchscreen but no. Then I have to struggle with the terrible interface to actually change anything.

Who designs these things?

Some are better than others lol. The Nest screen detects motion and turns the back light on when you walk by, and has local memory for internet outages. 

Edited December 31, 2020 by AdamTill

[AdamTill]

14 hours ago, ChrisD said:

I don't get why these devices require an internet connection to work considering that old school timers from the 1990s  or earlier work reliably and even have battery backup not to loose settings if the power goes out.

Well be fair, they can do a LOT more than the old timers could.

but to answer your question, these require a connection because they’re a wifi device as opposed to a Zigbee or ZWave device. Those are the three main communication protocols used in smart devices.

With wifi you get the advantage of not needing a “hub”. The device connects directly to the internet, and not to a server you personally control. Saves the cost of a hub, has the disadvantage of requiring internet. Not having a local control button seems like a flaw with this particular device.

With Zigbee and ZWave you need a hub, but it allows local control of all devices that talk to that hub. The hub itself talks to the web, but the devices don’t. It’s more secure, and has that element of local control. If you control the hub (ie, open source hub like Home Assistant) you have even more security, and you don’t need the web on a daily basis unless you want it (to talk to your house from outside the house etc).

[Coronal Mass Ejection Carl]

Voice control sounds nice but at some point I might get a pet parrot...

[AdamTill]

3 minutes ago, Coronal Mass Ejection Carl said:

Voice control sounds nice but at some point I might get a pet parrot...

That might get dicey, true...