HS220 slow coming on
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Is there a way to make the HS220 turn on faster when physically pressing the switch? Currently it takes about 2 seconds to start turning on, plus the fade time. I set it to instant on in my app, which doesn't seem to affect anything, as it still fades on and has the additional delay before that.
This is a safety issue, because a light switch needs to turn on instantly when pressed, period. They figured this out in, what, the late 1800s? So why is this switch so slow to turn on? This is the case with both of my dimmer HS220s. My regular non-dimming Kasa switches seem to turn on instantly.
If there is no way to fix this, I think these should be recalled because, again, it's a safety issue. If there is an emergency, nobody has time to play around with the switch to figure out how to get it on. Also, in the dark, elderly (and really anyone) are more likely to trip on things because the light didn't come on as expected.
Also, I'd like for TP-Link to provide an explaination as to why the switch was designed this way and why people's safety is less important than...wait, why doesn't it just turn on, for gods sake?
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Hello @jyg , thank you for your valuable feedback, as double-checked with our team, good news is that we have a plan to optimize the Double tap-None in the future firmware to make in 'Double Tap-None' state turning on switch will not have delay.
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Update on March 31, 2023.
Hey everyone,
We appreciate your feedback and advice in regard to the HS220 dimmer switch which helps to improve our product. Here is a summary for this topic that may help clear up the possible confusion for users newly coming here in the community:
Q: Why there is a small delay to light up when clicking the HS220's physical button manually?
A: HS220 has the function of single-click and double-click, so the action cannot be executed immediately after the single-click. It has to wait for a period of time to confirm that the user would not double-click before the action of single-clicking is executed. So when the user clicks the button, there will be a little delay.
Workaround (allows 'Instant ON' via double-tap through APP) : set the 'Instant On' for the 'Double Tap' so that the switch will be on instantly with a double click
Solution/ Fix :
HS220 V3: Please update the firmware to the latest one via the Kasa app, and below is the instruction. The current official firmware version(1.0.8 Build 220826) or later firmware has optimized the performance of the HS220.
How to update firmware of Kasa smart devices
Beta firmware for HS220 V2: https://static.tp-link.com/upload/beta/2021/202111/20211102/Upgrade_Instruction.zip
Beta firmware for HS220 V1: Upgrade_Instruction_HS220_V1_Optimized_smart_dimmer
Note:1. Ensure you have reviewed the Terms and Conditions for TP-Link Beta Firmware before trying this beta firmware:
2. please identify the device hardware version (Kasa app Device -> settings) before updating the beta, beta is for HS220 V1 and V2 only.
3. MAC computer users may have trouble installing the beta. It is recommended to try on a Windows computer or wait for the HS220 official firmware (ETA not confirmed). If Upgrade Tool reports any error on Windows, you may temporarily turn Windows firewall or security software off.
Feel free to let us know for any further feedback, thank you!
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Hi @Solla-topee this is great news and I'm excited to update. Unfortunately I am unable to install the beta software myself due to technical issues but I trust that others will test it. I will wait for the public release.
Something important I would like to clarify:
"Workaround (allows 'Instant ON' via double-tap through APP) : set the 'Instant On' for the 'Double Tap' so that the switch will be on instantly with a double click"
While this workaround does turn the light on instantly, it also sets the brightness to 100% which is unwanted.
"Solution/ Fix (allows 'Instant ON' via single- tap through APP or physical switch). The above beta allows ' instant ON' when set up 'Double tap' as 'None ' for dimmer switch."
I'm concerned that the new firmware works the same way as the workaround by setting brightness to 100%. Can you confirm that this solution/fix removes the delay but does NOT change the brightness level like the workaround does?
Thank you!
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I've attempted to run from a Mac and it doesn't even start. First I had to change the permission on various files to allow them to be executable (this is after telling the system Privacy & Security to permit unidentified vendor software to run.). Eventually it complains that "Python" is broken and refuses to continue. I'd like to help with testing, but this doesn't work. I'm on an x86_64 i7, not M1. MacOS 10.15.7, 2018 MBP.
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Hello @Park_29487 Thank you for your further feedback!
1. For the workaround, this has been approved by some forum users, and we did not meet similar situation as you mentioned during test either. Make sure you have not set up settings like Smart Action / Schedule with 100% brightness that possibly cause that. Please check the Note part in this guide, make sure your bulb supports the dimming type that HS220 supports : What should I do if the HS220 cannot dim the light properly?
2. We got some positive feedback with the beta before, feel free to give it a try.
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@jyg Thank you for kindness to help test it, the issue sounds unusual and may need some further test, we would like to have a specialist look into this further via email, please check your inbox, thank you. You could also try a Windows computer to update the beta if that is possible.
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Really trying to upgrade here on Windows but the upgrade continues to fail. Last message I get is "Download status is 6." I know your instructions say failure is okay and to check anyway, but the firmware for my switch isn't matching the version number of the included .bin file.
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@Solla-topee HS220 V2 only? My app says Hardware Version 1.0. How do you identify V2, besides in the app? I do not see any for sale that are identified as V2. When I go to the Kasa Smart website and click the Buy Now: 3-Pack link, I am directed to the same HS220 dimmer switches that I bought less than a year ago from Amazon. These are V1 switches. I would use more of these switches, but I want a single click to turn on the lights instantly. It is dangerous and annoying to walk into a dark room that is not lit until you are several steps inside. I am still using my Wemo dimmers because of this programming flaw. Yes, I understand the switch is waiting for the possibility of a second click, but the app should have an option to assign the function of a single click.
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On MacOS 10.14.6 I just get a blank UI when running the tool. See attached....
I pressed what should be the "scan" button anyways and it says "0 devices found", though I am on the same wifi network, with no other network devices enabled on the computer. I wish there were a way to enable beta firmwares in the Kasa app instead.
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👋🏼 Just wanted to say that I too am unhappy and quite annoyed with the delay of turning the switch on. From a usability standpoint, it seems like there wasn't much thought given to the user experience. Did some product designers think it would be a good idea to bring over gestures from mobile touch screens to differentiate the TP-LINK Kasa switches?
It's a light switch. People expect that the switch operates like a non-smart switch. That is, the primary function of the switch is to turn a light on or off. Compromising this to support additional functionality is a key mistake, in my opinion. While I understand the explanation of why this is happening (I have worked in embedded software, and mobile applications for 15 years), there seems to be a huge gap between the company and its customers.
I have never wanted to double tap, or long press a light switch. If it were a small touch screen panel, then, sure, maybe I could learn to do that.
While I applaud that there is new firmware being tested right now, releasing it to end users as pre-compiled Windows and macOS binaries is crazy. Not only did I have the same experience as @jyg on my Mac, I hesitated for a long time before trying to execute a random, unsigned binary on my laptop. For what it's worth, I have a MacBook Air (2020) running macOS 11.6 (Big Sur). I also fiddled with permissions on the start.command, the main, and the Python binary, before giving up.
Why not fully test this in-house, and then make the updated firmware available to everyone via the mobile app? Why rush to release it via a support forum?
As for the suggestion to try it on a Windows computer if it doesn't work on a Mac, at least pretend to understand that not everyone has more than one computer just lying around.
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