TP-Link Tapo Smart Light Switch, Matter Compatible, Single Pole, Neutral Wire Required, Voice Control w/Siri, Alexa & Google Assistant, UL Certified, Timer & Schedule, Easy Guided Install, Tapo S505

Works great on my towel rail
I have several Tapo devices switching things on and off at various times and after various events. I believe that somewhere in the specifications it says the Tapo S505D is meant only for controlling lamps. That’s understandable because should someone try to use it, for example to control an inductive load like a motor, it could well fail However, my towel rail is wholly resistive, with a power factor of 1.0 and a current draw of 1.7A, making it even safer to use with this switch than many lamps that have very high in-rush currents and/or strange capacitive voltage droppers.At a measured surface temperature of 152ºF my HEATGENE brand towel rail gets too hot to the touch but I like it too much and spent too much on it to remove it. The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) sets a limit of a maximum skin temperature of 140°F (60°C) after five seconds of exposure. After some experimenting I found that the Tapo S505D when set to 85% kept the rail at a safe and reasonably comfortable 138ºF. I also wanted to program it anyway to come on at a certain time in the morning some 30 minutes before we usually shower and to go off about 30 minutes after we usually finish, so as to dry the towels completely. It does this and also lets me change the on and off times on different days of the week, such as at weekends when our schedules are different to that on week days.

Better settings than the Kasa equivalent
I added this to an existing host of Kasa Switches and Plugs. This looks identical to the Kasa switch and works with the same Tapo app (which is compatible with Tapo and Kasa devices) but it has some added functionality that you can set up in the app which the Kasa is lacking. Not a major update but it was still nice to see that it has some added functionality at a lower price. For example, you can set it up that every time you turn on the switch, it turns itself off after a set time, which is great if you want to use it in a storage room for example, or if you want to use this to control a bathroom exhaust fan so it can turn off automatically after X set time in the app. It also has a delayed shut off option which is great if installed on a light in a very dark area and you need time to walk away before the light goes off.The overall profile is fairly slim which is good if you’re installing it in a cramped box. However, instead of screws typically found on switches, it has pre-installed wire leads which you connect with the supplied wire nuts. To me that’s a con as it adds additional unnecessary bulk in the electrical box. Not a big deal but something worth considering if you’re working with a super cramped box.All in all I’m really pleased with it.

Easy to install, works great with Alexa
From beginning to end – 1/2 hour. Easy to install, the wires are ‘hardwired’ into the switch, so you do need to use the included wire nuts to attach to home wires. If your electrical box is small this might be an issue. Instructions are clear, and with the Tapo App it was easy to connect to my home network and then with the Tapo Skill in Alexa it was easy to integrate the switch to my Alexa Smart Home. I have a camera in my basement that I use to monitor my basement, but when it is nighttime it is very dark in the basement and the camera shows very little detail. With this switch I am able to tell Alexa to turn on my basement lights and then to show the basement camera, in glorious color and detail because the lights are on. I also like it because you can still use the switch ‘manually’, you don’t need to tell anything to turn on the lights, old fashioned ‘flip the switch’ still works perfectly. Also works with ‘standardized’ gang switch plates – see photo.