Couldn't contact smartplug when cable modem dropped
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Purchased your smartplugs (P125m) to perform a task for me. Only after setup, I determined it won't work as implemented.
I needed the ability to reset my cable modem (MB8611) from afar. What I found was that the router (RT-AC86U) no longer functioned properly when the cable modem stopped. As such, I couldn't trigger the restart via iOS Home app (presumably due to communication occuring via WiFi).
Would Thread support have done the trick?
Sorry, I got the cable modem problem fixed by Xfinity soon after and can no longer replicate the MB8611's boot block issue.
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So if you were on the same network and were unable to control the device, it is a result of the controller on your network. After speaking with our product testing team, it appears that the controllers from the primary smart home platforms, Alexa, Google and Apple Home, all require an active internet connection to send commands through their hub.
This is one of the reasons that the Matter Protocol allows for the device to be controlled by multiple controllers, as you would then be able to set up a local-only matter network using another system, such as HomeAssistant, while keeping your voice assistant/home kit control.
I will pass the feedback regarding a restart to our development teams, but I would also recommend creating a feature request post specifically for the request. Our teams can properly track the requests in these threads, see the community's support for the feature, and provide updates if we hear anything.
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The Matter Plugs, while no longer reliant on a TP-Link Cloud connection, are still reliant on a controller that is connected to your network. This controller usually is in the form of a smart home hub, however these still require an active connection to the internet.
Thread is simply a protocol that allows on the same wi-fi network to communicate with each other, and only pertains to how they are connected in your home.
No matter what smart home device or protocol you are using there still needs to be a router for outgoing and incoming internet traffic if you want to control the device remotely. The matter portion of the plug simply makes it so that the device can still be controlled without an internet connection, IF you are connected to the same network as the device. If you wanted to be able to access a smart plug while your modem is down, you would need some sort of failover internet connection such as a mobile hotspot or 4G router.
For what you need, I would recommend looking into the automation that matter-supported platforms can take advantage of. For example, using a device that offers a "device offline" trigger in a platform such as smartthings which can trigger the P125M to automatically power cycle when a connection is lost.
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> The Matter Plugs, while no longer reliant on a TP-Link Cloud connection, are still reliant on a controller that is connected to your network.
> This controller usually is in the form of a smart home hub, however these still require an active connection to the internet.
Well, both plug and router had an active connection to the intraNET; not understanding why they would need more.
Both are on opposite ends of the house, with everything on a 192.168.. network (sadly) using the same SSID.
> Thread is simply a protocol that allows on the same wi-fi network to communicate with each other, and only pertains to how they are connected in your home.
> [snip]
Thought it was a mesh solution utilizing the 802.15.4 wireless (like WiFi is 802.11); as such, shouldn't my Homepod mini
have sufficed as its border router? I still think I should have been able to disable the cable modem since the router was
never turned off; it couldn't have communicated on the internet, but I don't think it need have.
> For what you need, I would recommend looking into the automation that matter-supported platforms can take advantage of.
> For example, using a device that offers a "device offline" trigger in a platform such as smartthings which can trigger the
> P125M to automatically power cycle when a connection is lost.
Can't see adding yet another platform to the mix to solve this though -- don't own any Samsung anything.
Too bad your smartplugs don't just come with a restart-after-delay capability.
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You're not wrong in that the devices are connected to the network and that your homepods would work as a border router, the problem is this only gives control of the device when your phone is connected to the same Wi-Fi as the smart plugs and the controller. To control the devices remotely, there still needs to be a method for the commands from your phone or app to enter the network and be delivered to the devices.
If your modem goes down, then all the traffic to and from your house will stop, this means that your home pods are also unable to communicate with Apple's servers. The only real fix for being able to actively control the plug in this situation is to have multiple lines run to your house or to take advantage of mobile hotspots/FWA to provide failover connections.
What were you looking for with a restart after delay feature? I would be more than happy to forward this request to our development team for consideration.
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> You're not wrong in that the devices are connected to the network and that your homepod would work as a border router,
> the problem is this only gives control of the device when your phone is connected to the same Wi-Fi as the smart plugs
> and the controller. To control the devices remotely, there still needs to be a method for the commands from your phone
> or app to enter the network and be delivered to the devices.
>
> If your modem goes down, then all the traffic to and from your house will stop, this means that your homepod [is] also
> unable to communicate with Apple's servers. The only real fix for being able to actively control the plug in this situation is
> to have multiple lines run to your house or to take advantage of mobile hotspots/FWA to provide failover connections.
Sorry I didn't specify when I wrote -- my iPhone *was* connected to the same WiFi network. Thus, in my mind, all my
commands were local-only. iPhone (Home app) sends "off" command via WiFi to Asus router (192.168.x.1). Router redirects
to smartplug which then turns itself off [which in turn would turn Motorola cable modem off]. After some time, same thing
manually occurs, this time iPhone (Home app) sends the "on" command culminated by a cable modem restart.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ISP <-> MODEM <-> ROUTER <-> LAN
[MODEM plugs into PLUG]
PLUG <- ROUTER <- iPHONE (WiFi via Home app)
[MODEM off]
PLUG <- ROUTER <- iPHONE (WiFi via Home app)
[MODEM restarts]
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Your Thread mention did not give me the feeling that would have fixed my issue either, only trading 802.11 issues for
802.15.4 ones. Unfortunate.
I'm perfectly happy to be wrong, but I'm not following the apparent flaw in my logic. Since my router never turned off
and no command (should) have needed to leave my house, where did it all go wrong since it never even disabled? ELI5
> What were you looking for with a restart after delay feature? I would be more than happy to forward this request to
> our development team for consideration.
Would seem a simple FW change to enable smartplug to restart after a delay. I assume the plug already provides a
previous state. Turning plug "off" would start a countdown [using either #seconds or some default value (e.g., 10secs)
gotten from Tapo app]. When T-0 reached, plug would turn itself back on. While I don't need the capability [now], I can
also see the need for its opposite as well.
Allow this on smartplug itself or on some trivial plug adapter. There are hundreds of posted entries from people on the
internet who need access to a timer of sorts. But the iOS-provided Home app automations don't seem appropriate to
the scenario I gave above.
Thanks for your time -- it's much appreciated and hopefully gives others insight into these type issues.
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So if you were on the same network and were unable to control the device, it is a result of the controller on your network. After speaking with our product testing team, it appears that the controllers from the primary smart home platforms, Alexa, Google and Apple Home, all require an active internet connection to send commands through their hub.
This is one of the reasons that the Matter Protocol allows for the device to be controlled by multiple controllers, as you would then be able to set up a local-only matter network using another system, such as HomeAssistant, while keeping your voice assistant/home kit control.
I will pass the feedback regarding a restart to our development teams, but I would also recommend creating a feature request post specifically for the request. Our teams can properly track the requests in these threads, see the community's support for the feature, and provide updates if we hear anything.
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