BN-LINK Smart WiFi Heavy Duty Outdoor Outlet, Timer and Countdown Function, No Hub Required for Outdoor Lights, Compatible with Alexa and Google Assistant (Outdoor) 2.4 GHz Network only

EZ setup. I got two of these in the mail today. The package is straightforward, with instructions and a nicely printed comment card. br>br>When you plug them in, they work right away. Three lamps were tested at the same time in both, and all of them worked. br>br>It's a bit of a chore to get the WiFi turned on. br>br>First and foremost, you will require the application. It's easiest to just scan the QR code in the instructions to get it for your phone OS of choice; we have all iOS devices and it was a simple download. The app must then be registered. br>br> You don't need to give the app any permissions at this point, but it doesn't appear to ask for them again, so if you don't do it now, you'll have to do it later manually. Smart Life will attempt to detect these by default using an "EZ Mode. " That is not the way to go about it. It'll irritate you to the point where you'll believe they're broken. The AP Mode instructions should be followed. It works like this: br>br>1) Select Socket (WiFi) from the "Electrician" drop-down menubr>2) Type in your 2. 4GHz (B/G/N) wireless password, which will be sent to the device. br>3) On the next screen, look for EZ Mode in the upper right corner. Switch to AP Mode by tapping it. br>4) The instructions on the paper say to unplug/re-plug at this point. When you've plugged in the device, hold the power button down for 7 seconds, or until the LED on the outlet begins to SLOW blink (2sec blink). If it's blinking rapidly, turn it off, then on again, holding the power for 7 seconds. br>5) When the indicator is slowly blinking, click next until you see " Confirm indicator slowly blink ". br>6) In your phone's WiFi settings, switch your WiFi to the device right now. SmartLife-xxxx is the name that will be given to it. br>7) Return to the Smart Life app and continue after you've connected to the device. It will take another five minutes. br>br> Smart Life is a popular app among Chinese smart device manufacturers. It takes 10 seconds to finish setting up the device. br>br> It enables them to make use of a previously prepared template. Instead of having to create their own platform, they can use an existing one. This app is also being used by a smart fan that is coming in. br>br>Now, I've already set mine up on Alexa, and it's pretty straightforward. The "Smart Life" skill must be added. Use the "smartlife" skill instead, as it is unique and will not work. Make sure there's a space between Smart and Life, because you'll be linking it with the same information you used to register. br>br>In general, these are simple smart devices. Adding them to Alexa (or Google Home, if that's what you're looking for) gives you more options. If you're an advanced IoT user, you can also use IFTTT (though with their new pricing structure, you might want to stick with Alexa or Google instead). br>br>These would get 5 stars if the app setup was easier. I have a lot of these and know which ones work best, but not everyone is tech savvy. You can find more user-friendly platforms if you're willing to pay a higher price. These are perfect if you don't mind a little extra work. br>br>We'll use them for Halloween and Christmas. I'll make sure to update this review if anything changes after that.

Makenna Maxwell

| Jan 19, 2021

However, there is one design flaw, in my opinion. Set- Getting started was not easy. br>The instructions are, in my opinion, poorly written, beginning with an accordion-style manual with two pages per page that are not sequential. I'm getting off track here. br>Once you've got it figured out- up, the app's features to not only turn it on and off, but also to set a timer and/or a schedule (on/off) are actually pretty cool. br>We're using this to control an outdoor fountain because we're tired of having to walk outside every morning to plug it in or every night to unplug it, especially when it's running at 1 a. m. I'll get back to you on that. br>Now I can program it to shut down at 10 p. m. if we forget. br>I also like how mainstream the app is, and how it integrates with "almost" all of the integration tools available. IFTTT, Google Home, and other similar services are all available. Apple Homekit is the only thing that's missing (and to me, it's the most important). br>However, there is one design flaw in my opinion - Because this is an outdoor device, the plug would have been better if it was flat; as one of the other customer review photos shows, plugging it into a covered outlet causes the outlet cover/lid to stick open too much - This could have been mostly resolved with a flat plug.

Bellamy Riddle

| May 17, 2021

I'm annoyed. The product was infected with malware. By acting as a proxy server, I was able to increase the amount of data I had access to.

Karson Fritz

| Apr 27, 2021

Well, this is a bummer. I was looking forward to using an outdoor wifi outlet because they are available in all locations and you can connect up to three devices to them. Well, I first tried to connect to my home wifi, but it kept telling me that my router was not 2. It's not quite 4 GHz, but it's close. And there are two apps called century and smart life that you can use through your phone. I followed the instructions exactly, but it would not connect.

Deandre Fletcher

| Jul 14, 2021

This Heavy Duty Outdoor Outlet was installed in my backyard and used to connect two sets of string lights, and it works perfectly. Alexa tells me to turn on/off my backyard lights, and they do so. It's a great feature to have because we can pick up everything and come inside the house with the lights on and turn them off from the Echo Dot during the summer when we're at the pool until late. Because I use an Eero whole-home mesh system as my WiFi router, I have a very long WiFi range. I don't have any dead spots in my house or on the perimeter of my property, so this outlet is ideal for Alexa. In contrast to other users who complain that it doesn't work, it could be due to their internet configuration. I have an Eero beacon that is about 60 feet away from this outlet and it still works perfectly, so I highly recommend it.

Wesley Mullins

| Mar 15, 2021

This smart wifi plug for the garden is fantastic. This is what I bought this year to be able to control my outdoor Christmas lights with my voice, and it works great. I already had a set of indoor wifi plugs, and the software I use to control them also works with this wifi plug, so there's no need to download multiple apps to control multiple smart plugs! I also enabled the sunrise/sunset feature for this smart plug through Alexa, so Alexa now turns on and off my outdoor Christmas lights as the sun rises and sets. I deducted one star because you can't control each individual outlet, which would have been a very useful feature. br>br>In Chicago, we've already had our first significant snowfall. My Christmas lights are still working, indicating that this outdoor plug lives up to its claims of being suitable for outdoor use. Overall, it's a good product that does the job well and at a reasonable cost.

Baylor Kaiser

| Dec 17, 2021