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TP-Link Smart Wi-Fi LED Bulb Befriends All with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple iPhone Support

TP-LINK made its name in selling inexpensive Wi-Fi routers to consumers, and like other Wi-Fi networking companies, have expanded into the world of IoT and smart automation. Not surprisingly, the TP-LINK Smart Wi-Fi LED Bulb uses 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi instead of Bluetooth, Zigbee, or Thread. Given that the TP-LINK Smart Wi-Fi LED Bulb always has access to a power source, it makes sense for the TP-LINK Smart Wi-Fi LED Bulb to take advantage of Wi-Fi's longer range since it doesn't have to worry about the higher power consumption that battery operated IoT devices are more concerned about.

We purchased the TP-LINK Smart Wi-Fi LED Bulb at the Amazon Pop-Up Store in Westfield Valley Fair Mall in Santa Clara, California. Opening up the TP-LINK Smart Wi-Fi LED Bulb box just reveals the smart bulb and documentation.

One of the main advantages of using Wi-Fi and being IP based is that the TP-LINK Smart Wi-Fi LED Bulb can easily stay connected to the cloud and be controlled by Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. There is also an iPhone App so that you can control the TP-LINK Smart Wi-Fi LED Bulb using TP-Link's Kasa App but it doesn't work with Apple HomeKit and Siri.

Unfortunately, despite the promise, we found the TP-LINK Smart Wi-Fi LED Bulb didn't seem to reliably stay connected to the local Wi-Fi network making something as simple as controlling a light bulb often frustrating.