CES 2022: TP-Link to Launch HomeKit Accessories in U.S. Under 'Tapo' Brand

[MacRumors]

TP-Link today at CES 2022 announced that it will be expanding its Tapo line of smart home accessories from Europe to the United States, and some of the accessories will also be gaining support for Apple's smart home platform HomeKit, allowing the accessories to be controlled with Siri or the Home app on Apple devices.

Some of the HomeKit-enabled accessories will include the Tapo P125 Mini Smart Plug, Tapo S500D Dimmer Switch, and Tapo P306 Wall Power Strip, according to TP-Link. The Verge reported that the Tapo L535E Color Lightbulb and Tapo L930 Light Strip will also be compatible with HomeKit. Pricing has yet to be announced.

The new Tapo accessories are slated for release throughout 2022. The Verge reported that the P125 Mini Smart Plug will be released in the first quarter, followed by the Wall Power Strip, Dimmer Switch, and Light Strip in the second quarter and the Color Lightbulb in the third quarter. None of the accessories require a hub.

TP-Link will continue to sell its Kasa line of smart home accessories alongside the Tapo line in the United States, but a spokesperson for the company informed MacRumors that HomeKit support for the Kasa line is not currently planned.

Article Link: CES 2022: TP-Link to Launch HomeKit Accessories in U.S. Under 'Tapo' Brand

 

[iphonehype]

Finally, the more the better. Loving Meross stuff so far. This is so welcomed, I hope more and more companies start using HomeKit. Does Apple make the integration challenging? Theres so many more Alexa and Google enabled devices. I wonder why?

 

[Return Zero]

Looks OK. I'm generally satisfied with TP-Link stuff... I'm using a deco m9 system for wifi and it's been rock solid, for the most part. I'm still waiting for an affordable HomeKit doorbell that doesn't overheat in direct sunlight. This year, please? Anyone?

 

[w5jck]

I like my TP-Link Kasa lights and smart-plugs. I use them with the Kasa app on iOS devices and Amazon Echos. I will stick with Amazon though when it comes to smart-home stuff as Apple has dragged its feet too long. Amazon has a lot more smart-home devices available to it.

 

[segfaultdotorg]

At least they are branding it better than “Toilet Paper Link.”

 

[PinkyMacGodess]

I remember my first run in with them. Anyone remember 'Thin-Net'? Wow, long time ago...

 

[coolfactor]

The sad thing about all of these "smart" lightbulbs is that they are made with plastics, unlike traditional bulbs that are glass, metal and ceramic. Are these smart bulbs recyclable, or just tossed in the household garbage?

The good thing (at least, I hope) is that these last a LOT longer than traditional bulbs, therefore not being tossed out as often. That should reduce landfill waste.

 

[mrfixer]

The sad thing about all of these "smart" lightbulbs is that they are made with plastics, unlike traditional bulbs that are glass, metal and ceramic. Are these smart bulbs recyclable, or just tossed in the household garbage?

The good thing (at least, I hope) is that these last a LOT longer than traditional bulbs, therefore not being tossed out as often. That should reduce landfill waste.

Traditional bulbs (incandescents) were thrown in the household garbage also so I’m not seeing how these are any more “sad”.

 

[FNH15]

Finally, the more the better. Loving Meross stuff so far. This is so welcomed, I hope more and more companies start using HomeKit. Does Apple make the integration challenging? Theres so many more Alexa and Google enabled devices. I wonder why?

It’s not more challenging per say, but there’s a higher bar required of HomeKit devices - a specific set of security protocols and licensing requirements.

More info here: https://medium.com/@KeenHome/what-it-takes-to-be-homekit-compatible-c253496e79d9

 

[MattG]

Curious if there's anything they can do to make the existing Kasa stuff compatible via an update, or if it's a hardware restriction that would stop the Kasa devices from working with Home app. I have a BUNCH of Kasa devices in my house that I'd love to try it with, but there's no way I'll be swapping out a bunch of switches to do it.

 

[kirbyrun]

Curious if there's anything they can do to make the existing Kasa stuff compatible via an update, or if it's a hardware restriction that would stop the Kasa devices from working with Home app. I have a BUNCH of Kasa devices in my house that I'd love to try it with, but there's no way I'll be swapping out a bunch of switches to do it.

If you’re up to some Terminal tinkering, Homebridge works pretty well with a lot of TP-Link/Kasa stuff.

 

[klemsaba]

Yes, KASA stuff works fine under Homebridge. I have 26 devices in my setup. Easy to try out on the Mac to test. Moving over to a Raspberry Pi if you want to keep using it.

I doubt we'll see a firmware update to make KASA plugs and switches HomeKit compatible.

 

[twistedpixel8]

If you’re up to some Terminal tinkering, Homebridge works pretty well with a lot of TP-Link/Kasa stuff.

I found it a bit unreliable with my Kasa smart plugs and ultimately ended up replacing them with IKEA Tradfri added to Hue hub which have been much more reliable.

 

[kirbyrun]

I found it a bit unreliable with my Kasa smart plugs and ultimately ended up replacing them with IKEA Tradfri added to Hue hub which have been much more reliable.

Huh! It's been rock-solid for me, but then again, I'm only running two plugs from Kasa.

It's funny 'cause the IKEA stuff is less reliable for me. Running the shortcut button through a Conbee2 and I have to push it a couple of times to get it to activate. ?‍♂️

 

[twistedpixel8]

Huh! It's been rock-solid for me, but then again, I'm only running two plugs from Kasa.

It's funny 'cause the IKEA stuff is less reliable for me. Running the shortcut button through a Conbee2 and I have to push it a couple of times to get it to activate. ?‍♂️

Ah I don’t use buttons with the IKEA plugs, just scenes and Siri. Maybe more reliable when done that way.

Yeah it was unfortunate because I had the Kasa ones that also showed power usage but they would just constantly go offline, all 5 of them randomly. Most days 1 or 2 would just “no response” and I’d have to manually switch off/on.

Also could have been the plug-in I used as there tends to be several plugins for each platform in HomeBridge. Maybe the one I used just sucked!

 

[chamkila]

Ah I don’t use buttons with the IKEA plugs, just scenes and Siri. Maybe more reliable when done that way.

Yeah it was unfortunate because I had the Kasa ones that also showed power usage but they would just constantly go offline, all 5 of them randomly. Most days 1 or 2 would just “no response” and I’d have to manually switch off/on.

Also could have been the plug-in I used as there tends to be several plugins for each platform in HomeBridge. Maybe the one I used just sucked!

Kasa is rock solid for me as well. Works perfectly with the home bridge. No issues at all for all switches and plugs.

 

[kirbyrun]

Ah I don’t use buttons with the IKEA plugs, just scenes and Siri. Maybe more reliable when done that way.

Yeah it was unfortunate because I had the Kasa ones that also showed power usage but they would just constantly go offline, all 5 of them randomly. Most days 1 or 2 would just “no response” and I’d have to manually switch off/on.

Also could have been the plug-in I used as there tends to be several plugins for each platform in HomeBridge. Maybe the one I used just sucked!

Well, if you ever decide to give it a try again, the plugin I've been using is this one: homebridge-tplink-smarthome.

 

[twistedpixel8]

Kasa is rock solid for me as well. Works perfectly with the home bridge. No issues at all for all switches and plugs.

Well, if you ever decide to give it a try again, the plugin I've been using is this one: homebridge-tplink-smarthome.

The other issue for me was that there was a lot of buzz around their Kasa platform having some major vulnerabilities allowing attackers to take complete control of the devices. It wasn’t just a single article either, it was pretty well publicized. I don’t mean to worry you but I sincerely hope they responded and redesigned their security.

 

[BlueCreek]

Curious if there's anything they can do to make the existing Kasa stuff compatible via an update, or if it's a hardware restriction that would stop the Kasa devices from working with Home app. I have a BUNCH of Kasa devices in my house that I'd love to try it with, but there's no way I'll be swapping out a bunch of switches to do it.

Not sure if this is what you are after, but I use the Watt app to enable my Kasa/Tapo devices, although they don’t work in the Home app, I can create shortcuts and active them with Siri this way.

 

[svish]

HomeKit support is very welcome. TP-Link makes good products.

 

[PinkyMacGodess]

The sad thing about all of these "smart" lightbulbs is that they are made with plastics, unlike traditional bulbs that are glass, metal and ceramic. Are these smart bulbs recyclable, or just tossed in the household garbage?

The good thing (at least, I hope) is that these last a LOT longer than traditional bulbs, therefore not being tossed out as often. That should reduce landfill waste.

I've run in to quite a few LED bulbs with glass envelopes. I had one shatter after a really short fall. *SMASH* and sprayed shards everywhere. Like it was actually under pressure, or a lot of stress...

 

[PinkyMacGodess]

Traditional bulbs (incandescents) were thrown in the household garbage also so I’m not seeing how these are any more “sad”.

Sad but true story. I was yelled at at a local tree-hugger meeting a decade ago after saying that CFL bulbs should be outlawed. Oh I hit a nerve. My logic was that billions of them were pumped out by Walmart, and all the other sources, and that the very high vast majority of them ended up in the trash, potentially turning lanfills into seeping mercury toxic waste dumps. I was yelled out of order, and called insane by a couple of them. 'But there are recycling boxes everywhere to take them back' Has anyone ever seen them? I remember a store I briefly worked at had a battery recycling box. The manager said that the box was 'crap' because someone was supposed to collect the boxes, and no one ever had. He admitted that when the box got full, he just threw out the contents, and put the box back up. Obviously that works so well for recycling and keeping them out of landfills. *sigh*

Oh, and in the ancient days, the power companies would exchange dead bulbs for new ones, if you saved them. It was epic for recycling, but no one knew where those dead ones went, but it worked out very well to keep them out of local landfills. My grand-mother in law had huge boxes of dead light bulbs, convinced that the power company would restart their exchange policy any day now. (BOXES of dead bulbs!)