TP-Link is one of those brands that when you run across one of their product lines, you know you can count on it. I’ve used their switches in my home for as long as I can remember, and it’s as rock solid as you’d imagine. They’ve quietly been building out the Kasa product line, and in my experience, they’ve followed the same dependability as the networking hardware. The brand-new Kasa EP40A brings robust HomeKit control to outdoor outlets, giving you more control over how you use your outdoor lights and appliances than ever before.
HomeKit Weekly is a series focused on smart home accessories, automation tips and tricks, and everything to do with Apple’s smart home framework.
Kasa EP40A brings robust HomeKit control to outdoor outlets
Outdoor smart outlets that you can control from your iPhone and Siri are useful because they allow you to easily turn on and off any devices that are plugged into them, without having to go outside and do it manually. This can be especially helpful if you have outdoor lights or decorations that you want to control remotely, or if you want to be able to turn off appliances or other devices when you’re not using them.
Kasa EP40A is the latest addition to TP-Link’s lineup of HomeKit-enabled smart plugs. It delivers robust home automation in a compact design, with two outlets and support for Alexa, Google Assistant, and Samsung SmartThings. The Kasa EP40A features power scheduling, energy monitoring, and real-time viewing of energy usage on an iOS device or Apple Watch. The plug supports 15A/1875W over each outlet, which means it’s perfect for outdoor lights and anything else you can throw at it like a furnace or a pool pump.
The weather-resistant design in the Kasa EP40A lets you use this outdoor outlet indoors as well if you need more outlets in your kitchen or garage. It has an IP64 rating against water and dust, but it’s not designed to lay on the ground directly in water, so it’s ideal to mount it somewhere or at least have it on a covered porch.
Connectivity wise, It has a built-in power amplifier that provides it with a long-range Wi-Fi signal, allowing it to reach up to 300 feet in open areas. This makes it ideal for use in outdoor settings where a strong Wi-Fi signal can often be necessary. It requires a 2.4 GHz network in order to transmit data.
The Kasa app
If you don’t use HomeKit, then the Kasa app can be used to control or automate the device. It’s a nice option if this is our first smart home product as a way to get your feet wet with automating lights, tracking usage, etc. The app provides access to energy monitoring information such as total kWh consumed by the outlet since it was last reset or last connected to Wi-Fi, electricity costs based on current electrical rate; usage history over time; estimated bill savings from using certain devices at specific times of day through Smart Power scheduling options, etc. It also has a beneficial countdown mode where it turns the outlet on for a set number of time and then automatically flips it back off.
While the TP-Link Kasa app offers some nice features (Away mode, scheduling, etc) if you’re all in on the TP-Link ecosystem, I strictly wanted to use it on my side porch with HomeKit to power some Christmas decorations. It takes all of about five minutes from unboxing to have it in your HomeKit environment. Once you scan the QR code on the back of it, you’ll pick a room, and then it’s ready to go. As I mentioned earlier, you’ll have control of each outlet independently, but you can also group them together. One thing I want to note is the HomeKit code is screen printed on the device, so it should stay clear for many years, but I’d still make note of if separately incase you need to re-add it.
Wrap-up on Kasa EP40A
Kasa’s new outdoor smart plug is pretty much what you’d expect from a smart plug. That’s not a bad thing. It has an IP64 weather-resistance rating for outdoor use and features two outlets, helping expand your smart home to the outdoors. If you’re looking to expand your HomeKit system with some outdoor outlets, the Kasa EP40A is a solid choice. It’s compatible with HomeKit, allowing you to control your device using Siri, the Home app, or automatically through HomeKit automations. It’s also weather-resistant for use outdoors and features energy monitoring and scheduling capabilities through its included Kasa app. You can also control it with Amazon Alexa, Samsung SmartThings, or Google Assistant. There’s no word on if TP-Link will offer Matter support, but at this price point, the Kasa EP40A a great HomeKit device.
Overall, the Kasa EP40A is a solid product that brings robust HomeKit control to an otherwise overlooked type of outlet if you’re in search of something that works well with any type of device and has great compatibility across voice assistants. Once you’ve onboarded it into HomeKit, you’ll have full access to create new scenes, automation, or groups devices together.
Check our Kasa’s website for more information. The TP-Link Kasa EP40A can be purchased from Amazon.
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