3 way Dimmer switch?
Does TP-Link have any plans in the near future to release a 3-way dimmer switch? I have the HS200 and HS220. I would love it if the HS220 had the 3Way capability.
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I'm not sure if I became a beta tester because I signed up for it or because I listed so many issues, but I've been working directly with a developer in China using my installed kits. (@Carl, a "beta" kit or two would be nice, especially since my Amazon return window is about to close.)
I received a new firmware beta on Friday evening - 1.0.9 Build 210930 Rel.150559. It was supposed to fix the "remote nightlight always on" issue (some have reported an always off issue) and the kasa nightlight toggle switch issue. Unfortunately it didn't, but they made some progrees. Both switches' nightlights can be toggled on and off from the app. The switches behave as expected when off - that is, they stay off. However, the remote stays on regardless of the state of the lights when toggled on from the app. This is a very SLOW process since the developers are in China and there's always a 24 hour turnaround with every bit of communication.
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If I had any control over the beta test and products I would gladly make sure you are in there with some cool swag but I don't have any say in that. All I can say is thank you for your assistance and patience. Yes the development team is in China and a national holiday last week didn't help at all. With that all done now and everyone back on shift I can say with confidence that the process will speed up. We also have agents locally working with the developement team off hours that are helping address all of these concerns. With your and everyone here's help we will trun this rocky start around and make sure going forward the KS230 is a solid product that you all desrve.
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Hi Everyone.
I have a new update. This one pertains specifically to the LED light concern. Engineering has developed this Beta firmware to address this particular concern. the release notes provided are:
With the Beta firmware, the satellite's nightlight can be turned off with the option 'LED Off' in the Kasa APP.
The Main and Satellite's LED indicator may have a little difference in this Beta firmware.
With the 'LED Off' enabled, the main KS230's indicator will stay Off while the satellite's indicator will be On when the switch is On and will be Off when the switch is Off.
As for the other concerns as R and D respond I will update you.
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Hi @Carl,
That's the same beta firmware that I was testing last week. Unfortunately, it isn't a complete fix for the nightlight issue as you saw from my previous post. Both lights stay off when the switch is toggled off in the app, but when toggled on, the satellite/remote nightlight stays on regardless of whether the lights are on or off. I tried to convey this unsuccessfully to the developer in China, but he said that was the expected behavior. Is it? Shouldn't the remote work like all of the other kasa dimmers and switches that turn off the nightlight when the lights are on?
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I asked and was given the impression this was a new firmware than the one I shared at the end of September. So I am sorry about that. I will discuss that with them as well. I would assume that is how it should work. I know this satellite unit has no wireless or powered module like the main unit does so I really don't know how that plays into this siutation but I will find out.
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Good morning @Carl,
The last link you gave is for a slightly updated build to v1.09 that I had been testing since last week. I reported that the nightlight functionality was still broken even though you can now turn the nightlight off from the Kasa app. I also asked if the nightlight functionality had changed for the remote satellite switch because when the nightlight is toggled on from the app the remote switch nightlight is ALWAYS on. I found out from the developer that that it has been changed to "fix" the traveler wire interference issue that caused the lights (load) to auto dim and turn off. He says that this doesn't affect the basic function of the KS230 and that this supposed "fix" will allow a user to turn the nightlight off from the app every night (and back on in the morning?) if it affects their sleep. Wow, just wow. I now believe that the KS230 satellite switch (at least v1.0) is a bad hardware design and that there may not be a software solution to truly fix all the issues. Here's part of what the developer emailed me:
This logic change of the Satellite switch's LED is mainly for improving the stability of the KS230.
The Satellite's LED needs to be 'On' when the light is On with the purpose of minimize the interference in the traveler wiring which maybe one of the possible reasons of the auto-dim issue.
With the Beta firmware, the 'LED Off' can take function when the light is Off. So it turns out the Main's LED stays 'Off' while the Satellite's LED On or Off goes with the light's On/Off.
Normally, the LED indicator will not affect the basic function of the KS230.
So as I explained, the beta firmware is mainly for the below typical scenario.
When you go to sleep and don't want the nightlight stays On which may affect your sleep. Then you can enable the 'LED Off' option to turn off the nightlight.
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It bugs me that I'm told that on a smart switch, an On/Off indicator isn't a "basic" function. That couldn't be more wrong. I just wrote this back in response:
I understand now, but this does affect the “basic” functionality of the satellite switch. I have at least three circumstances where the 3-way switches are in locations without any view of the actual lights (load) they are controlling. For example, one circuit allows the lights in my garage to be turned on and off from inside our home. Without a properly functioning nightlight or indicator light, we simply don’t know if the garage lights are on or off without going to the garage. Another circuit controls lights on the outside of the house that also aren’t directly visible. They aren’t even indirectly visible at night because of their location. We’d need to go outside and walk around the house to know if they were on or off. Finally, we have a three way circuit for sidewalk lights that also can’t be directly seen from the switches without going to a window to see if they are on or off – at least we don’t have to go outside to figure it out. 😊 Of course, we could also fumble around for our phones to see if lights are on or off through the Kasa app or Amazon, but as I reported a few weeks ago, the apps often report that the KS230 controlled lights are off when they’re actually on so that’s not an option either.
Here is how the lights should work according to your website:
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I received the same response yesterday. I responded so I am now just waiting for a response. I explained that from a customer standpoint that makes no sense. We adverstise this as a nightlight and an indicator of the status of the circuit so both lights should be operating in the same status based on the circuit. I hope to get a positive response so we will see. As soon as I know I will let you know.
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Thanks @Carl. Our company has worked with developers in India so I know how painful it can be. Many places like China, India and others have a very different perspective of things, perhaps more laid-back. First world issues like a light switch indicator not working the way we think it should can seem irrelevant to them. Communicating how something should work or be fixed can be PAINFUL. His comment that the remote nighlight had to be turned on all the time in order to mitigate interference over the travelor wires has me concerned that many of these issues may be hardware related rather than easy firmware fixes. We'll see. I also noticed that the KS230 pages and the "Comming Soon" message have been removed from the TP-Link website.
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@Carl sorry for the late reply. Yes, it is the same email. Thanks!
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