Does Kasa smart plugs only work if smartphone is connected to same network?

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Does Kasa smart plugs only work if smartphone is connected to same network?

This thread has been locked for further replies. You can start a new thread to share your ideas or ask questions.
Does Kasa smart plugs only work if smartphone is connected to same network?
Does Kasa smart plugs only work if smartphone is connected to same network?
2021-06-21 17:21:52 - last edited 2021-06-21 17:29:45

My router allows me to create a guest network for guests to connect to. I would like to have kasa products connect to the guest network as well. However, my phone is usually connected to the main network. I can have my phone connect to the guest network to set everything up initially, that's fine.But after that, if my phone is generally on the main network, can I still remote control the products if I'm not on the same guest network as the kasa products? Or do I have to connect to the same guest network to control the smart plugs?

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#1
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Re:Does Kasa smart plugs only work if smartphone is connected to same network?
2021-06-26 06:49:18

I would like to know if this is possible as well. I have a home office with high security needs and have to keep my IoT devices on a separate network.

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#2
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Re:Does Kasa smart plugs only work if smartphone is connected to same network?
2021-07-08 21:15:20
Yes, as long as your phone/tablet is on the same overall LAN as the smart devices. The only reason they wouldn’t work is if you have the smart devices on a separate VLAN, but I’m guessing you most likely don’t have that set up as it’s relatively advanced.
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#3
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Re:Does Kasa smart plugs only work if smartphone is connected to same network?
2021-07-09 19:31:00

@Amigo-it does not matter if you are on another network for the KASA App to work. You can be away from home and the app still works. 

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#4
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Re:Does Kasa smart plugs only work if smartphone is connected to same network?
2021-07-09 19:44:03

@B.Will yes I'm aware of that. I believe his question was more so asking if you have two different SSID's, and having smart home devices on say a 2.4 ghz channel, and your phone on a 5ghz channel, as this is very common. Especially because during set up, you are REQUIRED to use a 2.4 ghz network for most smart home devices. 

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#5
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Re:Does Kasa smart plugs only work if smartphone is connected to same network?
2021-07-09 20:17:03
My guest network actually is on a separate VLAN and all devices on the guest network are isolated so they can't communicate with each other. In other words, my phone won't connect to the Kasa device while on that guest SSID. My current workaround is to create a separate SSID just for the Kasa but it's a bit of a hassle for just one device. Is there a better way?
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#6
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Re:Does Kasa smart plugs only work if smartphone is connected to same network?
2021-07-09 21:35:14

@mushimushi yeah that was basically my example from above lol. There's not really a way around it without doing some advance routing. Honestly not worth the hassle for just a small number of devices. Although depending on your hardware, you can probably set static routes and whitelist that particular address. 

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