@SimonC. 

Hi, you are using all the switches in the same house, right?

Please check the device info page on the Kasa app, do they have the same time zone, location and device time? Then go to app settings--location and time, do you have the same location and time zone here? 

You can try to change the time zone to another one, then change it back to the correct one. And test the schedule again. 

Besides, if you set up the schedule to turn on/off at a specific time, does it work fine?

What's the switch's firmware version and hardware version?  Do they work fine at the beginning you use them?

Stella.Q wrote

@SimonC. 

Hi, you are using all the switches in the same house, right?

 

Yes, as well. This is why it's so annoying. For example the front exterior lights are turning on like 5 minutes before the rear exterior lights... but it's variable as well. Sometime it's 1 minute, sometime it's 4-5 minutes...

 

Please check the device info page on the Kasa app, do they have the same time zone, location and device time? Then go to app settings--location and time, do you have the same location and time zone here? 

 

Yes, they are all in the same timezone in my Kasa app, which is America/Montreal. I also definined the same location, first by using automatic localization and then also by entering manually my location (longitude, latitude). Same result.

 

You can try to change the time zone to another one, then change it back to the correct one. And test the schedule again. 

 

Will do that soon as post result.

 

Besides, if you set up the schedule to turn on/off at a specific time, does it work fine?

 

Yes, I have another program that use specific time values instead of the "sunrise/sundown" options in the Kasa app and they work perfectly fine, they are turning on/off at the same time or well, 1 second delay.

 

What's the switch's firmware version and hardware version?  Do they work fine at the beginning you use them?

 

As I indicated in my original post, all my HS200 are different hardware version because I have not purchased them at the same time. My front exterior light swith are V1, my rear exterior light switch are V2 and my interior kitchen lights are V3. The V2 and V3 have the same firmware (latest) 1.5.7 and my V1 apparently have a different version (latest also) which is 1.2.5. I have my first HS200 switch for like 2 years ago, however Kasa App integretad the feature of using "sunrise/sundown" variable only a few months ago (under 1y)  but as soon as I start using this new feature, it not working properly. While using specific time before, it worked fine, but as soon as I start using "sunrise/sundown" I immediately noticed this issue. However this feature is sooooooo amazing as it's fully automatic... if it were working properly.

 

@SimonC. 

Hello, I was having the same problem. I have 21 TP-Link Kasa devices now. I have a few smart plugs I use for plant lights, running on the Sunrise on / Sunset off schedule. I also have a switch v3 for my porch light that I wanted to run a Sunrise off / Sunset on schedule. The two plugs work perfectly, but the switch just seems to be random. And I mean by way more than a couple minutes. Sometimes hours off. It seemed like every time I checked it, it was in the wrong mode. (on or off)

My solution was to setup two scenes with all three devices in them. I called one sunrise, the other sunset. I then went to the smart actions tab in the Kasa app and setup up two schedules. As you are guessing by now, I set the first one to activate scene 'sunrise' at sunrise & the second to activate scene 'sunset' at sunset. This works very well. It turns on both my plant lights and turns off my porch light at sunrise. And at sunset does the opposite. All synced together. As far as I know you can setup scenes with as few or as many devices you have. It does work, but, and this is a BIG but, it uses 2 out of 3 smart actions.

If you are using 1 or 0 smart actions now, this should work. But Kasa has a limit on how many smart actions you can have. This is the part that I don't like. Because, if you don't own a smart router made by them you are limited to just 3 smart actions. As my cable/internet company provides a router for me, I'm never going to buy a TP-Link smart router. NEVER. I would like to have a few of my other switches use the Auto-off smart actions, as these switches are advertised to do. But my solution uses 2 out of 3 smart actions, and now I can only use 1 more. I came here to see if I could find an answer, but I see the help is pretty dim. (see what I did there) So hopefully this helps you.

Also, to anybody else, this seems like a better solution to buying a v3 three switch to replace the v1 switch. My switch with this problem is a v3. And I've also gone through all the steps to fix.

@TP-Link & @SimonC. 

OK, I've been looking further at this problem and think I've found another way to do this. Instead of using the limited smart actions in Kasa, you can use the Google Home app to create a routine that can be activated by sunrise, and another routine that can be activated by sunset. When creating these two routines have them 'adjust home devices' and set your corresponding devices to turn on/off as needed in both routines. Leave any devices you don't want to be affected by these routines as 'Don't Change'. You still have to give each of these routines a 'start phrase', which can just be one word. I set up mine to do this last night and the lights worked together at the correct times today. If this keeps working, it will be good for me, because I have three other switches I want to use the auto-off feature from the Kasa smart actions. I still would like the limit of only 3 smart actions removed, or at least drastically increased. Because I'm planning on getting more switches for all my bathroom's lights and their fans.

Apparently, you can use Alexa to do the same thing. I don't have Alexa, but there is findable info about it. That is why I took a closer look at the Google routines setup.

I tried to have the Google routines adjust the Kasa scene with sunrise/sunset but it didn't work, so I tried the above and it is working so far.

One more tip about Google routines. At least for me, if a 'routine' has the same name as the Kasa scene it 'adjust', Google says, tp-link Kasa is not available right now. So, for me, as long as they don't use the same name they work. Maybe unrelated or useless info for you, but it may help somebody. I don't think it is a Kasa issue. I think the Google Home app is at fault here. But giving your scenes a different name from the routine is an easy fix. Unless you've already named them the same, then you have to delete the scene from Kasa and re-create it with a new name. Renaming the scene doesn't seem to work. Still an easy fix.