Model: H110 Smart IR & IoT Hub

Firmware: 1.4.4 Build 251031 Rel.111523

App Version (Android): 3.16.185

App Version (iOS): 3.17.103

 

Hello @Solla-topee and @Wayne-TP,

Following my previous post about the UX inconsistency between Smart Plug scheduling and IR scheduling, I would like to highlight a deeper architectural issue that explains why IR scheduling feels so complicated.

 

1. IR Scheduling is built on the Automation Engine

To create a simple ON/OFF timer for an IR‑controlled AC, the user must build a full automation rule:

• Effective Time
• Trigger
• Optional Conditions
• Action
• Create

This is the same engine used for advanced routines (motion triggers, multi‑device actions, conditional logic).

It is not designed for simple, everyday scheduling.

This is why IR scheduling feels buried, technical, and unintuitive.

 

2. This architecture creates unnecessary complexity

Because IR scheduling uses the automation engine, users must:

• Navigate through multiple menus
• Understand “When / If / Then” logic
• Remember to tap “Create” or lose their work
• Open each automation to delete it
• Scroll to the bottom to find the delete button

This is excessive for something as simple as:

“Turn AC on at 5:30.”

 

3. This is not a hardware limitation

The IR blaster itself is not the problem.

The issue is that the app forces IR actions through the automation system instead of giving IR devices their own scheduling interface.

Smart plugs already have a dedicated scheduling engine that is:

• simple
• intuitive
• consistent
• easy to edit
• easy to delete

IR devices should use the same system.

 

4. Why this matters

• It makes IR devices feel like a separate ecosystem inside TAPO
• It increases user error (especially forgetting to press “Create”)
• It makes basic tasks feel advanced
• It breaks consistency across the app
• It discourages users from using IR scheduling at all

A dedicated IR scheduling interface would solve all of this.

 

5. Request

Please forward this to the app development team.

IR scheduling should not rely on the automation engine. IR devices need a dedicated scheduling interface, consistent with the one used for smart plugs.

This would dramatically improve usability and reduce confusion for all users who rely on IR blasters for AC control.

 

Thank you again for your attention.

 

Best regards,

 

John