TP-Link's Kasa Smart Plug Mini Won't Support HomeKit After All

It’s childish, but I laughed out loud when I read the article title and then saw the plug’s ‘shocked’ expression!

Typical.

Same rules as always apply: don’t buy anything that promises future HomeKit support. Wait until it’s released.

I love decoding corporate speak. “Due to changes in our roadmap” makes it sound like something happened to them, but that really it means nothing other than “we decided not to do it”.

Is HomeKit somehow harder to implement, or more expensive to license? Why do so many devices automatically support Alexa and Google, but HomeKit is a side project? After Apple removed the hardware restriction, it just baffles me that every product supporting Google and Alexa do not support HomeKit as well.

Is HomeKit somehow harder to implement, or more expensive to license? Why do so many devices automatically support Alexa and Google, but HomeKit is a side project? After Apple removed the hardware restriction, it just baffles me that every product supporting Google and Alexa do not support HomeKit as well.

when the decision makers look at these devices they look at smart speakers as being the controller. In this market Apple is still way behind on market share. In sure Apple also charges a premium to license as well as most likely being more involved coding wise to implement due to the higher security standards. You also have to look at the global market. The US is the main country using newer iOS devices. I was always struck when I’d go to Europe to see the majority of iPhones you see on the street are 3-4 year old models.

The 47 people who use home kit are infuriated I’m sure!

Grab yourself a Raspberry Pi and set it up with Homebridge. Took me less than an hour, and it works perfectly with my HS100s with the right plugin.

Man I’m looking for a HomeKit smart plug. Are there any good ones out there? I want to start “smartifying” my home before taking a deep dive on the more expensive products.

The IKEA TRÅDFRI range is excellent. While their smart plugs didn't launch with HomeKit compatibility, it was something they promised and ultimately delivered. They're also pretty cheap too, at £12 in the UK. They're not the smallest of gear, but they've been super reliable (not dropping out) and they respond really quickly.

One thing to note, you'll need a driver and bridge to run them, but once you have one of each, it's easy to add more to them. Their bulbs are great too, I've replaced all of my lamp bulbs with IKEA ones.

Man I’m looking for a HomeKit smart plug. Are there any good ones out there? I want to start “smartifying” my home before taking a deep dive on the more expensive products.

I’m not sure how you feel about this company, but I purchased a Wemo Mini that is compatible with HomeKit. I set it up to turn my fan on and off through Automations and it works perfectly aside from a few hiccups. I may purchase a few more if Belkin makes some that are even more compact.

Question, could you get your money back if you bought this plug after they promised Homekit support, they lied to you so I guess it should, but then again, this is the US, unlike in Europe customers have a lot more protection.

I had an email exchange with their support a few weeks ago and they had a path for refunds. Unfortunately, I paid cash for mine at Target and didn’t keep the receipts so I’m SOL. I was able to sell them locally for a little less than I paid so it worked out.

Man I’m looking for a HomeKit smart plug. Are there any good ones out there? I want to start “smartifying” my home before taking a deep dive on the more expensive products.

I’ve gone with Lutron products. The plug itself is about 2x the cost of this TP-Link option and it requires a hub(which is an additional cost as well). However, it offers dimming and the hub allows the smart devices to operate on their own dedicated wireless network instead of on the crowded 2.4GHz band.