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No app or web service for Microsoft Windows 10 devices

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No app or web service for Microsoft Windows 10 devices

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No app or web service for Microsoft Windows 10 devices
No app or web service for Microsoft Windows 10 devices
2017-03-06 07:26:37
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There are over 400 million Windows 10 devices in the world. Unlike the Ring corporation, TP-Link seems to assume that no one wants access to their Smart Home devices from a Windows 10 computing device in some form factor. Ring offers both an app and a web service interface for Windows 10 but TP-Link does neither. In fact, if you're using your PC or your 2-in-1 device (Surface Pro) or your laptop or your Windows 10 tablet or your Windows Phone, no can do. You have to find your Android or iOS smartphone, activate it if it's sleeping or off, and launch the Kasa app to connect to your Smart Home device. I would like to suggest that TP-Link at least offer a web service that we could log onto with our TP-Link company account information to communicate with our TP-Link devices. If TP-Link is concerned about security, they could offer or require 2-factor authentication for access to the Smart Home web service.

There are several people who've provided programmatic ways in Internet blogs for a Windows 10 user to at least access a TP-Link Smart Home device over one's LAN. Rather than try to extend these approaches to the Internet where I might compromise the security of my home network, I'd rather have TP-Link provide a way for Windows users to at least send ON or OFF commands to their devices and just check, ON? or OFF?. Why not offer an API that allows us to use its functionality through a secure logon via a verified TP-Link company account and restricts us to devices we have registered and are confirmed to be at a GPS location that corresponds to the address associated with our account/credit card information or what not.

BTW, I do have two Android devices. My wife is an iPhone 6 user. We also have an Amazon Echo Dot. But outside the house, I don't want to have to count on my wife or my Android devices, which I don't normally use, if I want to turn on the outside garage lights via my HS200 switch as I'm coming up the driveway. :(
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#1
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21 Reply
Re:No app or web service for Microsoft Windows 10 devices
2019-06-23 14:04:29
Absolutly agree. Find it amazing that what I would think would be a relatively simple web-browser interface does not exist.
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#2
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Re:No app or web service for Microsoft Windows 10 devices
2019-06-30 15:08:10

I agree! PLEASE!!

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#3
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Re:No app or web service for Microsoft Windows 10 devices
2019-07-19 01:44:08

Um, yes, of course!  I am stunned to find my new camera is only usable on my iPhone 8...what is the point of 1080 video if I can't view it on my Surface and its connected monitor?

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#4
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Re:No app or web service for Microsoft Windows 10 devices
2019-07-25 00:45:05

Hello,

 

Its a lot more complicated than you think.  TP-Link Kasa Cameras are not just Wi-Fi cameras.  They are cloud based cameras.  This means that the access to videos and the cameras themself are via a cloud account.  You are not simply logging into a Wi-Fi device dirrectly.  You are accessing a cloud account that the devices are associated with.  Any interaction outside the Kasa ecosphere requires the cloud account to be linked to that platform.  This requires coding and compatiblity, and sometimes that is not possible.  Comparing these to other camreas isn't really proper as every product is programed differently.  How they do something may not be how we do something.  We do have interactions with Amazon Alexa and Google Home, this includes their streaming based devices like the firesitck and Chromecast as well as video based such as the Echo spot and Nest Hub.   

Check out the Latest: Recent Smart Home Features and Updates for Tapo and Kasa Securing Your TP-Link ID with 2FA:Deco and Tether | Smart Home Splash into a Smarter Summer with Sub-G Sensors, Matter, and Apple Home!
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#5
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Re:Re:No app or web service for Microsoft Windows 10 devices
2019-07-25 15:14:14

I appreciate the courtesy of a reply.  I realize that support for Windows 10 would require some coding.  I am just appalled to find out this important user community is being ignored...and to find out AFTER buying the camera.  Feels like a bait-and-switch.  I simply never conceived that a company would offer such a product without begin very clear about this limitation.

 

I encourage you to put in the effort.

 

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#6
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Re:Re:Re:No app or web service for Microsoft Windows 10 devices
2019-07-31 20:44:31

I understand, but I have to say i really don't see how it could be a bait and switch. We never advertized compatiblity with windows, and all products list their system requirments on the package.  I just don't want people to have the miscoception that we are misleading them in some way.  We will however voice your intrest to the design team and see if they have plans to introduce Web based monitoring in the future.  Due to the design and intent for Kasa devices i do not think we will though.

 

 

One thing you could try that might work though is use an Android emulator.  There are several out there that allow users to emulate a android phone on their PC.  Could try that out if you want, though i can't speak on if it will be successful or not. 

Check out the Latest: Recent Smart Home Features and Updates for Tapo and Kasa Securing Your TP-Link ID with 2FA:Deco and Tether | Smart Home Splash into a Smarter Summer with Sub-G Sensors, Matter, and Apple Home!
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#7
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Re:No app or web service for Microsoft Windows 10 devices
2019-08-01 16:28:05

I didn't read the fine print, agreed.  Probably somewhere you say you ignore the Windows users of the world.  I understand, once you make a poor software architecture decision, it is hard to get out of it.

 

BUT:  It is a very likely default assumption that someone searching for a web camera would expect it to work on standard browser interfaces.  If it doesn't...marketing information should be clear on that, not hidden on the fine print.

 

Please stop trying to convince me that your corporate decision is reasonable...instead, invest resources in serving this community better.

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#8
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Re:No app or web service for Microsoft Windows 10 devices
2020-01-09 07:39:40

@Jim Lewis I have Bluestacks (Android emulator) installed on Windows 10, logged into my google account.  Download the Kasa app and you can stream it through there no problems.

 

Its not a pretty solution but it works well.

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#9
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Re:No app or web service for Microsoft Windows 10 devices
2020-02-19 07:06:05

@Yourevilness 

It works flawlessly. Thanks!

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#10
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Re:No app or web service for Microsoft Windows 10 devices
2020-05-23 21:13:44

This is good to know.

 

I just bought a HS100 smart plug and started thinking I might go this way with cameras, which I'll be getting in the next 2 months.

 

But knowing this... No thanks.

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