MikeP_AutomationManager wrote

Well, no, it's still more than a "normal" switch even without a cloud account. It can still be automated.

You folks (the vendors) are happy to gather and control our data in your cloud servers, but we're using these for *home* automation. We don't need (nor should we want) our data or control of our automation to leave our homes.

Remotely controlling lights is a corner use case. Sure it can be handy if one forgets, but is it worth the privacy risk? Good automation would take care of it anyway.

Turning on lights upon arrival is handy, but that doesn't need a cloud. It needs proximity detection *at home*. There's no need for TP Link to know when I come and go, only my *home* needs that information.

There are a few ways to use TP Link switches for in-home automation, AutomationManager (my app) is one. You need your Kasa cloud account to set up the switch (they're all like that now I believe). But you can use a separate email for setup, when it's running and the firmware is up to date use your router to block the switch reaching the internet. AutomationManager can be driven *directly* from *your* cloud accounts: Alexa, Google, IFTTT, etc, there's no 3rd party service needed to handle your automation.