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Easily create your Tapo connected home

By teodora.petrea

Have you ever wanted to switch to home automation, but ultimately it's just an idea because you find it very expensive and complex to buy technical inventions and replace old stuff at home.

Contrary to what one might think, obtaining a functional and personalized Connected Home does not necessarily imply a complex or complete transformation and excessive costs!

In this guide, we will see all the steps to transform your home into a connected home thanks to the products of the TP-Link Tapo range - which includes security cameras, bulbs and plugs - very easy to use, integrated in one app and at really affordable costs!

What does connected home mean and what are its advantages

The connected home refers to a house where there are devices connected to the Internet (Internet of Things) that communicate with each other to create an integrated home system, make your life easier and optimize energy consumption.

In fact, in a connected home, you can create   scenarios   or   habits   that automate various actions, such as turning on the coffee machine at dawn, starting the irrigation system at night, and turning off the lights and turning on the security cameras. simultaneously at night.

The advantages of a connected home over a traditional home are many, and although smart speakers and security systems are the most demanded needs today, the Internet of Things affects many aspects of everyday life. 

In addition to the main advantages that we certainly find: the possibility of controlling your devices and the lighting system even remotely, monitoring your home and being alerted in case of suspicious movements, you can also benefit from energy savings with a consequent reduction in costs, in the bills.

The advantages of a smart home:

  • Automation and convenience
  • Energy saving
  • Security
  • Customization
  • Full control of your home 

Easily create your connected home in 3 steps 

The first step is definitely to optimize the network connection. In fact, without stable and wide wireless coverage in home environments, it will not be possible to use smart devices, which need good signal to communicate with internet and home network system.

Second, you will need to  install all the smart devices you need to create connected environments.

Finally, you must manage your connected home in a simple and intuitive way, to have full control of your home wherever you are.

These operations do not involve complex or complete replacement and excessive costs as one might think. In fact, TP-Link offers a range of practical products that are easy to install and manage, and integrated into a single application, which will allow you to turn your home into a smart home with very little professional and economical effort.

This is the Tapo range, which includes security cameras, bulbs and smart plugs.

So let's analyze in detail the 3 steps to get a connected home: optimize the Internet connection, install smart devices and manage everything from a centralized, simple and intuitive control platform.

1. Optimize your connection

You will need to check if the WiFi signal of your Box is sufficient to cover all the rooms in the house or if it is necessary to extend the WiFi coverage via a Powerline,  Range Extender  or a  Mesh System.

2. Install your connected devices

Among the essential devices to create your smart home, we recommend security cameras, light bulbs and smart plugs. Home network security is at the top of most users' needs when entering the world of IoT. Tapo WiFi cameras are the easiest and cheapest way to monitor your home from anywhere. The Tapo bulbs allow you to customize your home with lighting the most suitable for each scenario. In addition, many objects in the house can be turned into smart devices, simply by plugging them into a Tapo smart  socket.

So let's find out about the functions and benefits of all these smart devices.

Tapo WiFi cameras

It is essential above all to consider monitoring your home for security reasons, especially when you are away from home. It is also useful for watching over pets or small children when we need to temporarily move away from the room.

The features offered by TP-Link WiFi security cameras are numerous:

  • Full HD shooting with night vision
  • Video storage on MicroSD card up to 128 GB
  • Live view and share recorded movies via the app
  • Sound and motion detection with real-time push notifications
  • Integrated sound and light alarm to discourage unwanted visitors
  • Two-way audio to communicate with anyone near the camera
  • Voice control thanks to compatibility with major smart home speakers

The Tapo range offers two models with a Full HD resolution to choose from:Tapo C100 with fixed framing and Tapo C200 with Pan and Tilt movement which allows you to rotate the camera 360 ° horizontally and 114 ° vertically. The installation is very simple: just connect the Tapo camera to the power outlet and your home WiFi, and you can control directly from your smartphone through the Tapo app, or by voice commands if you are working with a smart speaker.

Tapo WiFi bulbs

The LED bulbs connected WiFi allow you to create the atmosphere that suits you in defining several parameters such as brightness, temperature, and - in the most advanced models - even the color of the light and other interesting features accessible via 'app or voice commands.

The main features of smart WiFi bulbs are:

  • the adjustment of the schedule to turn on or turn off the lights at certain hours
  • the away mode to turn lights on and off at random intervals to simulate the presence of someone in the house
  • the remote control lights via the application
  • the voice control lights (when combined with an intelligent speaker)

Installing the TP-Link smart bulbs is very simple: just screw them onto the lamp holder and connect them to your home WiFi by following the instructions in the app. The Tapo L510E dimmable bulb and the Tapo L530E multicolor version also allow you to keep energy consumption under control thanks to the reports available on the Tapo app.

Tapo WiFi sockets

 

Smart plugs allow you to have full control, even when you're away from home, over connected devices. You can check that everything is off (or on) wherever you are or set the programming of your devices remotely.

TP-Link smart plugs include cool features accessible via app or voice commands:

  • the setting of the time you can turn on / off at specific times (eg to turn the dehumidifier connected to the smart taken every day at 18:00)
  • the off mode turns on and off the outlet at random intervals to simulate the presence of someone in the house (e.g., turns on and off a lamp connected to the intelligent socket to discourage thieves)
  • the timer allows you to switch off the programmed smart plug after a certain period of time (for example to switch off the smartphone charger 2 hours after its connection).
  • the remote control sockets and connecting devices via the application

The installation of TP-Link smart plugs is very simple: just plug them into the electrical outlet and connect them to your home WiFi by following the instructions directly through the app. There are many choices of applications and the only limit will be your imagination. Here are some examples of devices that can be connected to a smart plug:

  • lamps
  • irrigation system 
  • hair straightener
  • fan
  • charger
  • dehumidifier / air freshener

TP-Link offers several models of smart plugs to choose from, including the very compact Tapo P100 which, in addition to having an unbeatable price, is available as a 4-piece kit, very useful for intelligently your home in an instant.

3. Control your connected home from a single Tapo app

Among the benefits of choosing a single ecosystem for your home, the first should be the ability to manage your entire connected home from a single app. The TP-Link Tapo app, available for iOS and Android, allows you to monitor and control all Tapo range devices installed in your home. In addition, it will soon be possible to create a series of automation actions in a scenario integrating the functionalities of several devices in the range. For example, by selecting the “good night” scenario, it will be possible to turn off all the smart lights in the house, activate the security cameras at the same time.

Some features of the Tapo application:

  • step-by-step instructions for installing the devices
  • remote monitoring and management of smart devices
  • firmware updates
  • share smart device management with family members
  • ability to create scenarios
  • pairing devices with voice assistants
  • download the Tapo app for Android or iOS  

 

DISCOVER THE ENTIRE TAPO RANGE

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