Edimax Wi-Fi Smart Plug with Energy Management (SP-2101W)

An Edimax plug isn't what it seems. At first it seemed to work properly and then, it stopped working. I had to remove the switch and then reapply it only to ask for a password. Believe me I inserted the password correctly many times, but it didn't recognize it. Assuming it is to be the result of a software glitch embedded into the Edimax plug itself(Plugfa8afd3), and I have ordered a replacement assuming that the plug itself is defective. The plugfa8afd works very well so I am quite happy with it But if the replacement plug isn't up to the level of function and with its performance, I will end up having to send the entire item back, with a note explaining the problems. And I will have to find a reliable smart plug somewhere else as soon as more progress is made on the programming issues including some issues regarding a software flaw.

The media could not be loaded. It Will only access local WIFI. It Won't connect at all over 4G/3G cell network. You can not do monitoring outside.Only It works at home .++updated: I can connect the plug outside over 4G/3G now. but I did not do anything to plug or app on my smartphone.It starts to work now. I do not know what happens++updated: I went to vacation. I was different time zone. and It was difficult to access my plugs and finally It was unable to connect again during vacation. and then After coming home, It works only WIFI connection at home again.++updated: I add Plugs in my iPad too. but Connection is unstable. Edi Life app lost connections often. I can olny access Plugs via WIFI at home. I cannot access Plugs from other places via WIFI and 3G/4G.++updated: It is working fine again (WIFI and 3G/4G) and It is also good response my phone and iPad.

Updated on 9-20-16******************************************************************************************************************************************************************It has been almost a year since my original product review below and so I thought I would update my experience with the Edimax after having used them more extensively. The short version is that my review below still holds. Unlike the Wemos that seemed to need tinkering with and rebooting all the time, my 4 Edimax plugs have been very stable. Even the very few times when my most distant/challenging plugs weren't recognized for a little while due to wifi range, the program always kicked in and the plugs ran their program perfectly (it must have a default to an internal clock that runs the last program if it can't connect to wifi). A few months ago I reconfigured my wifi network (an additional access point and relocation of my range extender) and since then I have not had any wifi problems with our thick walls and distant Edimax plug.Based on my extended timeframe with essentially no issues (that were the fault of the plugs) would make me want to upgrade my star count to a 4.5 star rating (if Amazon would allow a person to rate something a 4.5). The only reason I don't give them a 5 is without the automatic sensing of sunrise and sunset I wouldn't yet say the plug is perfect--but it is pretty close.One review below commented on issues with their Android device / operating system so I thought I would mention that I access the Edimax plugs using a Apple 5S and an Apple iPad mini (I have used both a mini 2 and a mini 4).******************************************************************************************************************************************************************I am posting this comparison between the Wemo Insight and the Edimax Smart Plug under both products as I own both and thought it would be helpful to have a comparison (when I was looking for smart plugs I would have appreciated it).I have been a Belkin Wemo Insight owner from when the Insight Switch first came out several years ago as I have places that are hard to get to (specifically my landscape lights) that are controlled from a switch in the crawlspace (for the front) and a detached shed (for the back)—until the Wemos I had manual timers installed which required periodically crawling under the house to reset. I also historically used the Wemos to turn off TVs at certain times so my kids couldn’t watch them too late (yes the plugs are where the kids can’t get them easily without major gymnastics). Over the years I have had issues with the Wemo switches as they periodically lose contact and I have to reset them (I would say this happens on average every other month) or that they temporarily lose contact with my wifi and don’t show up on the Wemo app (this usually happens for the ones in the crawlspace and the detached shed, so I assume it is a wifi range issue). When the Wemos temporarily lose contact they usually fix themselves in several hours, but sometimes this causes the Wemos to not turn on/off in time. They other issue I have had with the Wemos is that they aren’t password protected and so my kids could put the Wemo app on their phone and turn the TVs back on (luckily they hadn’t figured that out yet). I have also experienced (periodically) where the Wemo schedule seems to “detach” and I have to delete the schedules and put them back in to get them to work again. On the positive side the Wemos do have a “sunset” and “sunrise” time feature that ties into our local sunrise/sunset which makes programming the landscape lights a breeze. I would add that I am an “advanced user” for wifi and I have 2 access points and a range extender in our house.Therefore when I saw the Edimax Smart Plugs I thought I would give them a try. I have been running 4 Edimax plugs for about a month now (in place of our 4 Wemos) and have observed the following in comparison to the Wemos: (1) they seem to get better reception and don’t drop like the Wemos do, (2) they are password protected which is very easy to set up from the app, (3) the Edimax’s firmware is updated by logging into the same wifi network that the Edimax plug is on and using Edimax’s firmware update tool. Originally it was hard for me to find this tool on Edimax’s website and I had to do a Google search to be able to find it and download it (hopefully by the time you are reading this Edimax has fixed this). Once I found the firmware update software it was very easy to use. In comparison to the Edimax, the Wemo will tell you periodically if it needs its firmware updated. Although this is a good feature on the Wemo, I have found it to be buggy over the years and sometimes the update wouldn’t take/work easily (requiring resets of the Wemo), (4) they take 2 different approaches to programming. The first level for the Edimax are the days and you have to program each day. The first level for the Wemo is the rule and then you can decide which days to apply it to. If you want to have the same rule run the same on each day, the Wemo is easier/better, but if you want to run different rules on different days the Edimax is easier/better.In summary the comparisons between the Wemo Insights and the Edimax Smart plugs are:- Ease of app use—a tie- Rule programming—a tie, but if the Edimax had a sunrise/sunset feature I would personally give it the advantage- Sunrise / sunset feature—only on the Wemo, advantage Wemo- Password protection—only on the Edimax, advantage Edimax- Stability (e.g. not having to reset the plugs periodically)—so far (1 month), advantage Edimax (as I have had 2 years of buggy Wemo experience)- Size (the Wemo Insight plugs are a bit smaller)—advantage Wemo- Wifi range / connectivity—so far, advantage Edimax- Firmware update—a tie; as the Wemo does it from within the app (e.g. notifies you that it needs to be updated automatically), but is buggy and unstable in my experience; the Edimax update software was hard to find and doesn’t automatically tell you if it needs to be updated- County of manufacture (Wemo: China; Edimax: Taiwan)—advantage Edimax as I have found stuff manufactured in Taiwan to be more predictable on quality- Time synch—advantage Wemo (it is automatic on the Wemo, and on the Edimax it asks you if it should synch with your phone time). This is a small feature difference in my opinion, but if you travel and open the Edimax app you have to make sure not to select synching with your phone time if you are in another time zoneIn summary, the Wemo has been around for a while and still seems to not have been able to produce a stable (not buggy) platform. The Edimax plug has been around for a shorter time and seems to be more stable. I give the Wemo a 3 rating due to its buggy nature with the need for periodic reboots and re-install and lack of password protection (if it would be more stable and have password protection it would get a 5). I give the Edimax a 4 as it lacks a sunrise/sunset feature and is slightly less user friendly to update the firmware (if it had a sunrise/sunset feature I would be torn to give it a 5 and if it at least had a feature to tell you if its firmware needed to be updated I would definitely give it a 5).

Pros1. Set-up was quick and easy but it did have one strange quirk (see Cons).2. They work as intended. Using the Edimax app I was able to turn these on/off at will while on and off my wifi network. The timers worked as intended (once I figured them out. See Cons).3. The app provides energy management info on how much energy whatever is plugged into them is using. Some may not care much about this but others might find it useful. I think it's a nice feature assuming the info is accurate. In my case it was because bought a Belkin Wemo Insight Switch to compare it to and both provided the same info for my AC units. I prefer the Belkin Wemo Insight overall. See Cons for why.Cons1. Although the set-up was quick via my phone there was an issue that many will find annoying. I bought two of these for two AC units and when setting up both plugs from my Nexus 6p (non-rooted running android 6.0.1) the Edimax app gave me an error that said set-up failed when in fact it didn't. After the app said this I hit the back button and the switches showed up like they should in the app. Perhaps this is a bug Edimax should test for and eliminate with my version of android as other less technically inclined users would probably be discouraged by this and assume the plugs won't work.2. Once I set-up the plugs getting to the timers section just wasn't intuitive. They're kind of buried in the sub-menu for the plugs and once you get to them the app doesn't let you set them up intuitively. This whole menu should be reworked so users can get them faster and the app should provide better feedback so users know they correctly set them up or not. I set-up a timer for one switch and the app would tell me the timer wasn't enabled when I know that it was. Probably another bug for my version of android.3. Size of the Edimax plug is fairly large. Especially compared to competing plugs like the Belkin Wemo Insight Switch which is half the size of the Edimax with more functionality. I can't really use this without it partially covering the other plugs on my wallplates. So basically I have to sacrifice one wall plug slot while using this. For me this is a deal breaker and I have to return these. The Edimax would be almost as good as the Wemo Insight if it were smaller so it doesn't cover both plugs on a wall plate or if the plug somehow rotated.4. I mentioned the Edimax plug lacks some functionality that the Wemo Insight plug has. The Wemo Insight connects with IFTTT and Nest. I wrote a review about the Wemo and it's connectivity with IFTTT (I don't have Nest and couldn't try that with the Wemo). This type of automated connectivity is really nice because with IFTTT you can tell your switches to turn on or off based on the temp outside. Because the Edimax lacks this it's less appealing to me.Overall, the Edimax WiFi Smart Plug works as intended. But the app seems to have bugs with Android 6.0.1 (or android in gengeral) that makes set-up unclear and other app functions unclear. It's lack of connectivity to IFTTT and Nest make it less appealing than competing plugs like the Wemo Insight and the timer menu for the plugs in the app needs reworking to make it more intuitive to use. If you're looking for a smart plug that with no frills that mostly work well try this out. But if you want one that's smaller in size and has better connectivity options with services like IFTTT or Nest try the Wemo Insight instead. It's about $12 more but worth it.