HS220 Rebooting solved

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HS220 Rebooting solved

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HS220 Rebooting solved
HS220 Rebooting solved
2021-09-20 13:25:02 - last edited 2022-08-02 02:54:51
Model: HS220  
Hardware Version: V2
Firmware Version: 1.0.8

I was ready to return my 3 pack of dimmer switches and I even had a return authorization from the TP-Link representative I chatted with.  But I tried once again over the weekend to get them working before I sent them back.

 

The problem:

The two HS220 dimmer switches that I installed were functioning perfectly before I used the Kasa app to connect them to WiFi.

I turned of 5GHz on my WiFi router to make sure it wouldn't interfere, just for the setup.

Adding the switches in the Kasa app failed and left the switches inaccessible.  They did not function manually either.  Factory reset did not work at all no matter what I tried--pressing the left or right bottom buttons for various amounts of time and in various orders.  This meant I could not start over or try anything else because they were in a failed state and could not be factory reset. I was prepared to return them.

 

If you are in this situation, here is how to fix it.

@gotliebk wrote that the factory reset would work if you first turned off the WiFi that the switch was connected to.  In other words, as long as the switch is connected to the WiFi that you entered in Kasa (even though it failed) it would not allow a factory reset by pressing on the left button below the switch for 10 seconds.  The minute I turned off the WiFi, I was able to do a factory reset by long pressing the lsft bottom button. The switch started blinking green and orange again -- setup mode.

 

The firmware needs to be updated and you can't do it through the Kasa app in its broken state.  So you have to do a manual firmware update.  Download beta firmware from this thread, post #11: https://community.tp-link.com/us/smart-home/forum/topic/240976

 

Download the new firmware files and unzip to your computer. In the folder IoT_UpgradeTool_For Windows/Mac, you will find a file called main

 

If you were able to reset the switch to factory default, it should be blinking orange and green.  This means it is putting out a WiFi signal.  Search for the wifi signal with Kasa in the name and connect to it with your computer.

 

Now run main.  Select Scan, and it should find the switch.  Now press update.

 

The update should complete but your computer will reconnect to your normal WiFi as soon as the switch reboots.  The update will seem to fail -- even if you are quick and reconnect to the same Kasa signal.  But it has, in fact, been successful.  You can test this if you want by repeating the firmware upgrade.  This time, when you tell it to update, it will refuse and say the firmware is already up to date.

 

Now you can connect through the Kasa app.  For me the process was now successful.  As soon as the setup in Kasa was complete, it prompted me to upgrade the firmware.  I was apprehensive, thinking that the upgrade might actually put it back in an unresponsive state, but I allowed the firmware upgrade.  This installed version 1.0.8 and it continues to function well.

 

For what it is worth, I activated a guest network on my router and named it Kasa, limiting it to 2.4Ghz.  This is what I connected to.  I would rather not have the switches on a separate network, and it is probable they would have worked on my normal network.  I will probably change this back at some point, and I read that the Kasa app now allows you to change the SSID of the network without having to reset the switch and start over.  When I feel brave again, I will try this.  But for now, all is working, and I am glad I didn't return them.

 

 

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Re:HS220 Rebooting solved-Solution
2021-09-24 08:02:53 - last edited 2022-08-02 02:54:51

Good day@dhigby , 

Really nice sharing! And we appreciate your time for the detailed solution post.

Try to switch off router Wi-Fi if factory reset could not be done successfully on smart switches, this sounds very helpful, we will also share these tips in the Kasa Devices reboot summary thread : https://community.tp-link.com/en/smart-home/forum/edit/topic/262328

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Re:HS220 Rebooting solved-Solution
2021-09-24 08:02:53 - last edited 2022-08-02 02:54:51

Good day@dhigby , 

Really nice sharing! And we appreciate your time for the detailed solution post.

Try to switch off router Wi-Fi if factory reset could not be done successfully on smart switches, this sounds very helpful, we will also share these tips in the Kasa Devices reboot summary thread : https://community.tp-link.com/en/smart-home/forum/edit/topic/262328

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Re:HS220 Rebooting solved
2021-12-06 17:32:06
POTENTIAL (ALTERNATIVE) SOLUTION Hello, I recently had the same issue. I had 4 smart dimmers (HS220) and a power switch (HS300) that started to give me a lot of problems. They were never "available" on the app and constantly looking for the connection, blinking green. Basically they could not be used. I looked quite a bit online and I found several posts here on the forum with similar problems (I posted this in a couple of different threads to reach more people). The common solution I found was to update the firmware to the beta version provided, using the tool linked in those pages (procedure in the original post). Unfortunately for me the upgrade never worked and I was stucked with the situation. After playing around a lot with both the devices and the network, the conclusion was the problem was the network and not the devices. Playing more (wifi analyzers, static IPs, optimal channels, etc.)  eventually led me to the solution (for me at least). I realized that my phone was causing the problem (Samsung S20). When I moved my phone to the 5Ghz only (leaving all the Kasa devices on the 2.4Ghz), all the devices connected quickly and worked perfectly. Then my wife got home, and as soon as she got in, the switches started to flash the green light. I moved her phone to the 5Ghz network too, but the problem remained. Then I noticed on her phone (iphone) that under the connection settings, there is an option for "private (MAC) address" selected. Deactivating that option, restored all the devices to a perfect working conditions. Sorry for the long story, but I wanted to share with other a simple potential solution that doesn't involve flashing new (beta) firmware. I don't know why this trick makes them working properly, but it does. I woulf like to ask peoplento try and let us know. Thanks SOLUTION: - keep all the phones on the 5Ghz network (with different SSID) - on iPhones, deselect the "provate address" option under the wifi settings
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