GTrusted

After installing the Amazon Alexa App in a previous review when setting up the Amazon Tap, we then proceeded to set up the TP-LINK Smart Wi-Fi LED Bulb which we had purchased at an Amazon pop-up store. Amazon Alexa App has a Smart Home section which you can use to discover new devices. When we selected Discover Devices in the Your Devices Section of the Smart Home screen, the Alexa App couldn't find the TP-LINK Smart Wi-Fi LED Bulb.

  

We could also perform a search on the Smart Home screen for TP-LINK, but all that we did was to allow us to link Amazon Alexa to your TP-LINK  account which it assumes that you already have.  

  

Unlike Apple HomeKit which conveniently allows you to add a device directly from the Apple Home App, we needed to install TP-LINK's Kasa App to set up the TP-LINK Smart Wi-Fi LED Bulb.  

  

After downloading and installing the Kasa App from the Google Play Store, we needed to create a new Kasa account.

   

  

With the account now set up, we could then proceed to add the device, and select Smart Bulb.

  

We then physically installed the TP-LINK Smart Wi-Fi LED Bulb and after turning on the light switch, the bulb blinked three times to show it was broadcasting over Wi-Fi. The Kasa App then proceeded to connect to the TP-LINK Smart Wi-Fi LED Bulb, allowing us to set it up.

  

We could then continue to choose the name of the device, icon, and local network to join.

   

After the setup was completed, we could see the TP-LINK Smart Wi-Fi LED Bulb in the Kasa App.

   

We then returned to the Amazon Alexa App and went back to the Smart Home section to select Discover New Devices again. We could now log in with the same Kasa account information that we just set up, and the Alexa App could link to the TP-LINK Kasa App.

   

Once the Kasa App was linked, we could then use the Amazon Alexa App to discover the TP-LINK Smart Wi-Fi LED Bulb.

  

Even though you can use Amazon Alexa for voice control and automate control of various Alexa enabled devices, the Kasa App gives the best control to change the bulb's color and intensity, as well as monitor energy usage. Using Amazon Alexa for voice control of the TP-LINK Smart Wi-Fi LED Bulb while fun for the first few minutes, soon shows its limitations due to the delay involved between when you speak the command, have Amazon Alexa process your voice in the cloud, and then send the interpreted command to the bulb. We also weren't able to change the color of the light through Amazon Alexa.

   

However, we found a lot of problems with the TP-LINK Smart Wi-Fi LED Bulb after a few days usage. The TP-LINK Smart Wi-Fi LED Bulb would frequently lose connection to the network and could not be controlled using Amazon Alexa. Even the Kasa App would often not be able to connect to the TP-LINK Smart Wi-Fi LED Bulb, making something which used to be so simple as a light bulb into a frustrating hassle. Eventually we returned the TP-LINK Smart Wi-Fi LED Bulb and purchased the Philips Hue Starter Kit to see if we had better luck with a company with a long history in lighting.