TP-Link Tapo S220 Smart Light Switch: Turn dumb lights smart

Verdict

Neat, easy to suit and simple to make use of, TP-Link’s Tapo S220 Smart Light Change provides smart management to a lighting circuit. It’s a good way to combine non-smart and specialist bulbs into lighting and different automation situations, however it does have some limitations – mainly that it’s no use for two-way wiring reminiscent of on the steps. Nonetheless, at this value it’s an excellent addition to an current smart setup.

Introduction

Smart bulbs are getting extra assorted, however you may’t but discover one for each becoming or utility. Step ahead TP-Link’s S220, a two-gang smart mild swap to switch a single standard one.

The S220’s two switches can toggle the ability to 2 separate lighting circuits, or you may management them manually or robotically by way of the Tapo app.

The S220 ought to match the prevailing backbox behind most traditional fashionable mild switches. There’s additionally a single swap model, the S210. Every circuit can deal with as much as 600 watts of lighting, or a ceiling fan of as much as 50W.

Whereas most Tapo units join on to your current Wi-Fi community, the S220 and S210 require both the H100 or H200 hub. You should purchase the previous for round £15.

Design and options

• Smart, slimline design
• Bodily, app and voice management
• On and off, however no dimming

The TP-Link Tapo S220 Smart Light Change has a contemporary, fuss-free design. Fairly than two small switches on a big backplate, it’s all switches – you merely press both aspect gently to toggle the ability on and off.

Unlock the entrance plate, pull it off and you’ll match and alter the batteries with out going close to any dwell wiring.

In lots of circumstances, the S220 is a simple substitute for a traditional mild swap, however there are some necessities and limitations. First, it makes use of low-energy 868MHz wi-fi communications, so that you’ll want both the Tapo H100 or H200 hub to attach it to your community and get smart management of it.

Second, this and the single-gang S210 are each one-way switches, that means their energy is both on or off, fairly than switched between two doable outputs. This implies you may’t use them the place you at present have two switches controlling a single mild circuit, reminiscent of on the steps.

Supplied you’ve received an acceptable swap to improve, it shouldn’t be too exhausting to suit the S220. As a result of it’s battery powered you may add it by way of the Tapo app and get it configured earlier than bodily connecting it. After turning off the related lighting circuit (or the entire home if you wish to be extra cautious) out of your fuse field, you may unscrew the prevailing becoming, be aware of its wiring configuration and take away it.

The Tapo app reveals you find out how to wire the S220 up, and I discovered the method pretty easy, however we at all times advocate you seek the advice of an electrician when you’re in any doubt.

The one challenge I encountered was that the S220 is kind of deep, and my backbox incorporates fairly a mass of wires – I needed to tease the swap into place earlier than I might get it to suit flush.

There’s not rather more to the S220. The app presents it as two separate lighting switches, fairly than a single two-gang swap, which makes extra sense relating to creating automations. You would, for instance, add each circuits to a ‘bedtime’ routine that turns them each off, or to a ‘film night time’ routine that turns a eating space mild off and the TV space mild on.

The Tapo app is suitable with Alexa and Google Assistant, so it’s also possible to management both swap together with your voice, or add them to Google House routines. The one actual omission is that the switches are on/off solely – if you’d like dimming management you’ll want to purchase the Tapo S200D dimmer swap, which is single-gang solely. Reassuringly, the S220’s bodily switches nonetheless work even when the Tapo hub or your web connection are down – they’ll fail if the batteries are flat, although.

This brings me to my solely different criticism. Being battery-powered means there’s no mains energy consumption, however it might imply battery waste. Luckily, the S220 labored effective once I tried it with a pair of rechargeable AAA batteries.

Newest offers