Smart plugs and your Wi-Fi
Cheap, plentiful, and 2.4 GHz only.
What this kit needs from a network
The simplest Wi-Fi client in the house, and the fussiest about which network it can see.
- Bands
- 2.4 GHz only on most models. It will not see a Wi-Fi name that is 5 GHz only, and setup fails silently if your phone is on the 5 GHz half of a split network.
- How it's found on the network
- Cloud for control; local discovery for the app to find it during setup.
- Background discovery traffic
- Moderate during setup, low afterwards.
- Guest networks
- Setup fails on guest networks.
- Separate IoT network (VLAN)
- The best candidate in the house for a separate IoT network.
Setting it up
- • Plug it in near the router first.
- • Your phone must be on 2.4 GHz for setup on most brands.
- • Stand next to your router while you set it up, then move the gadget to where it lives.
- • Put your phone on the 2.4 GHz network name for the setup, or use one name for both bands so the phone can follow.
- • If your router splits bands into two names, turn the 5 GHz one off for five minutes rather than fighting it.
- • Turn mobile data off on your phone during setup — some apps quietly use it and never find the gadget.
Mesh considerations
- • Plugs behind a fridge or washing machine sit in a metal shadow. Move the plug, not the mesh.
Router requirements
- • A visible 2.4 GHz name
- • Room in the address pool — twenty plugs use twenty addresses
The kit we've checked
- TP-Link Tapo smart plug 54/100
Cheap and useful, but 2.4 GHz only — which trips up anyone with a single combined Wi-Fi name.
Most common complaint: "Won't connect during setup" because the phone is sitting on the faster 5 GHz band.
Problem guides on this shelf
- Why won't my TP-Link Tapo smart plug work on the guest network?
- Why won't my TP-Link Tapo smart plug join my 5 GHz Wi-Fi?
- Does the EE router cause problems with a TP-Link Tapo smart plug?
- Does the Sky router cause problems with a TP-Link Tapo smart plug?
- Why does my TP-Link Tapo smart plug disappear from the app?
Still not right?
Tell us what's happening in your own words — speak it, type it or send a photo.