3 way Dimmer switch?

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3 way Dimmer switch?

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Re:3 way Dimmer switch?
2021-11-22 19:10:58

@ChrisNorthNJ You must be new here....Timely updates? I was post #6 on here 2.5 years ago. The only thing Carl gave us for the first year and a half was, they are looking into it and developing something. He may have responded but it wasn't like Kasa was all over this and gave him anything to work with. I will admit you don't typically see that many responses in a chat board either, unless you constantly email the company. So kudos to Carl for that and he is at the engineers whim.

 

However, two and a half years and they roll out an apparently bad product from the start. Seems their partner testing program would have ferreted out these issues but I'm guessing they didn't even bother to beta test it. I signed up for the partner program maybe over a year ago and had one invite, which I apparently didn't make the cut. How do you roll out a products that is firmly in you wheelhouse, this late and this poorly working?? Just looking forward to when google/Amazon get more into this game. Can't stand either of them as a company but when they put their mind to it, they come out with some pretty good tech. I've stopped putting Kasa products in. I have plenty already but won't be expanding with their platform any more for the immediate future until I see something that works properly or some actual innovation. But here is to some decent competition soon from someonw else.

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#579
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You've got to be kidding me!
2021-11-24 14:54:32

Hi @Wolfpack98,

 

It looks like TP-Link has already fixed the Amazon debacle.  The Kasa switch kits are listed and rated separately as they should be.  As one would expect, the dismal reviews are slowly turning more positive as they fix the many bugs and issues.  The KS230 was released prematurely and without any apparent beta testing.  The hardware and design are subpar and really need to be re-engineered, but trying to obfuscate the bad reviews with the large number of good HS210 reviews was a seriously bad PR move and I'm glad to see that TP-Link has quickly rethought that decision.  The Kasa line is otherwise excellent and a great value.  They just missed the mark with the KS230 kit.

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#580
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Re:3 way Dimmer switch?
2021-11-24 15:11:19

Hi @Carl, it seems to me that one way to "fix" the KS230 kit would be to simply allow the use of the main switch without the remote satellite switch.  In other words, allow the main dimmer to work as a standalone 3-way switch with an existing mechanical 3-way switch in a circuit like the Amazon, Lutron, and other 3-way dimmer switches.  The main switch worked great before the engineers disabled the double-click feature along with other features to mitigate the issues with the remote.  I'd rather pay less for fully functioning dimmer switches without remotes and add remote switches only where I need them.

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#581
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Re:3 way Dimmer switch?
2021-11-24 17:19:23 - last edited 2021-11-24 17:19:51

That sounds totally acceptable.  If the Kasa switch could do that with existing 3 way switch circuits assuming that it would sence the change in on/off status so the automation would be supported this would be excellent.  It also answers any issues where installation has a need for multiple mid circuit remote switches.

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#582
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You've got to be kidding me!
2021-11-24 17:36:06

Connu wrote

It looks like TP-Link has already fixed the Amazon debacle.  The Kasa switch kits are listed and rated separately as they should be. 

...

 

FWIW, not yet fixed on Amazon Canada. The KS230KIT has a 4.6 rating due to piggybacking on the very successful HS210 KIT.

 

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#583
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Re:3 way Dimmer switch?
2021-11-24 18:17:30

@Wolfpack98 New? No, not exactly.  But congratulations for your... longevity... I guess? Nobody's suggesting the wait for the product to exist wasn't way too long, or that the release itself wasn't extremely rough, to say the least.  I'm simply acknowledging that Carl has kept us in the loop as TPLink has done their thing.  I don't think an individual employee of any consumer electronics company has ever gone to the trouble to respond so directly and transparently to customer outreach in my recent memory without resorting to scripted customer service nonsense. 

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#584
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Re:3 way Dimmer switch?
2021-11-27 00:03:30

Just bought this kit off Amazon and installed it. I have the night light issue. Am I understanding correctly that the issue can't be fixed without replacement hardware?

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#585
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Re:3 way Dimmer switch?
2021-11-27 01:07:33

 

TimKasa wrote

Just bought this kit off Amazon and installed it. I have the night light issue. Am I understanding correctly that the issue can't be fixed without replacement hardware?

@TimKasa That's my understanding. Anyone with this version of the hardware is SOL w.r.t. the satellite switch night light issue.

 

What I'm currently unclear on is whether that's the one remaining issue, or are there still more. At one time there was quite a list of issues.

[Note that I don't own a KS230 kit]

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#586
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Re:3 way Dimmer switch?
2021-11-27 16:45:21 - last edited 2021-11-27 18:59:58

Hi @TimKasa,

 

Happy Thanksgiving!  It's my understanding form @Carl and one of the engineers I'm working with that the original stability issues, including the light turning off randomly, were mitigated by disabling the double-click feature and forcing the nightlight to always be on and ignore the Kasa app setting. A few other issues are mostly cosmetic, including the extra bright nightlight that is much brighter than all the other switches in the Kasa line.  Carl has said that TP-Link will RMA the v1 hardware when a new version comes out, but that could be quite a wait.  In the meantime, the KS230 kit is stable (WiFi and random shutting off seems to have been fixed) and mostly works for me and automatically turns on and off with Alexa routines.  I almost never touch the switch.  The one exception is when I want to go full bright, but the double-click function is broken and the nightlight indicator doesn't let me know if the lights on the house are on or off since the the indicator light is always on.   Here's a list of remaining issues.  The fourth item is definitely a hardware issue.

 

1. The round indicator nightlight is always on (or off for other forum users) regardless of whether the lights are on or off.

 

2. Double Tapping the switch doesn't work (by design to get v1.10 stability improvements out the door) and behaves like a single tap to turn the lights on or off. (I miss going to full bright on a double-click!)

 

3. The dim level LEDs on the main switch don't all light up to the left like all the other Kasa switches with the v1.09 or v1.10 updates installed.  Just sloppy.

 

4. The remote round nightlight is much brighter than other Kasa switches including the main switch.  This is a hardware manufacturing flaw on all 4 KS230 remote switches I've tested. 

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#587
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Re:3 way Dimmer switch?
2021-11-28 18:33:51

@Aerich N

 

Ok, this was my mistake.  Not being an electrician.  Working with support - i swapped Traveller 1 and 2 on both switches and this corrected the problem.  Not sure if it is common, but one of my Travellers is Red and one is Black.  Seemed intuitive to me, that i should put the Red Traveler on the Red screw.....Nope.  Black Traveler to red screw......

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#588
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