A Closer Look at the TP-Link Tapo S505: Unbeatable Features for Your Smart Home Lighting Needs

Key Takeaways

• The Tapo S505 Smart Wi-Fi Light Switch is an inexpensive smart switch that offers various cutting-edge features, making it a great choice for your smart home.
• The setup process for the Tapo S505 is easy, making it accessible to even those who know very little about electricity. The intuitive app and voice support further enhance its user-friendly experience.
• While the Tapo S505 has received rave reviews, there have been occasional instances where the switch has gone offline. However, these issues seem to resolve themselves and shouldn’t deter you from considering this low-cost smart switch.

The TP-Link Tapo S505 Smart Wi-Fi Light Switch is a stylish electrical switch that promises smart home features like voice control, Matter support, and more. The well-designed product has much going for it and could be one of the best smart switches. It’s also available at a relatively low price, which is always a nice touch.

Tapo S505 Smart Wi-Fi Light Switch

9/ 10

$13 $25 Save $12

An inexpensive smart switch that offers various cutting-edge features, the Tap S505 Smart Wi-Fi Light Switch is something worth considering. With an easy setup, it’s an excellent choice for your smart home.

Matter support

Matter certified

Voice

Amazon Alexa, Apple Siri, and Google Assistant.

Remote control

Yes

Scheduling

Time, on-off, away mode

Sensor support

Yes

Pros

• Voice support, Siri, Google. Alexa
• Easy setup
• Intuitive app
• Matter, HomeKit, SmartThings support

Cons

• Goes offline sometimes

$13 at Amazon $24.99 at Best Buy

Price and Availability

The TP-Link Tapo S505 Smart Wi-Fi Light Switch is available in white only. It’s offered in a one- or two-pack at retailers like Amazon and Best Buy and through the TP-Link website. A dimmer version (Tapo S505D) is also available and nearly identical.

Jutoh is an ebook creator for Epub, Kindle and more. It’s fast, runs on Windows, Mac, and Linux, comes with a cover design editor, and allows book variations to be created with alternate text, style sheets and cover designs.

Installation: Breezy and Quick Even If You’re a Novice

Bryan M. Wolfe / How-To Geek

Smart switches like this one are designed to replace dumb switches already in a home. The installation process was relatively simple; even someone who knows very little about electricity, like me, was able to do it. To get started, you’ll first need to turn off your home circuit breaker, then remove the old wall plate using a screwdriver. From there, you must connect the wires to the smart switch according to TP-Link’s directions. Your existing setup must have a negative wire, or the switch won’t work. The product includes a wall plate, two screws, four wire nuts, wire labels, and a quick start guide.

When in doubt, you should consult with an electrician. If you’re a renter, you’ll need to make sure you have permission before installing the smart switch.

Design: It’s the Little Things

Bryan M. Wolfe / How-To Geek

The Tapo S505 Smart Wi-Fi Light Switch looks modern and includes three onboard controls. The main button looks like a vertical toggle, but only the bottom portion is functional as it acts as a traditional on or off switch. When the switch isn’t on, a circular LED is visible, making it easy to find the switch in the dark. Otherwise, the switch isn’t lit. At the bottom of the power button are two tinier ones for restarting and resetting the switch. These are difficult to see, which was a deliberate design move since you won’t need to use these that often.

Overall, I like the look of the Tapo S505 Smart Wi-Fi Light Switch. However, it’s only available in white, which might be a turn-off for some. At the minimum, TP-Link should have offered one in a cream color, maybe even one in black, but it did not.

The App: So Much to See and Do

Close

After installing the switch, you need to download the official TP-Link Tapo app for Android or iPhone . The app is required for the smart setup of any TP-Link Tapo product. Once the app is downloaded, follow a few directions inside the app to pair the switch with your mobile device. Your home must have a 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi installation, and your device must support Bluetooth 4.2 or later.

After pairing the switch with the Tapo app, you can take the next step and pair it with any of the four supported smart home platforms. These include Apple Home, Alexa, Google Assistant, and Samsung SmartThings.

I use Apple Home, so I paired the switch with this service. I tested the setup process with Google Assistant and Alexa too. All three setups worked as expected. Once this is finished, you can use your service’s voice commands to turn the switch on and off.

When paired with the switch, the Tapo app serves various purposes. You can limit this to simply turning the switch on or off with your mobile device. You can go further, however, and use the app to schedule times when the switch should turn on and off automatically. You can also assign a timer to the switch so that it will turn off after a set period.

There’s an away mode you can activate so that the switch (assuming it’s connected to a light) turns on to make it look like you’re home. Through the app, you can assign others in your home as “members.” That way, they can also run the switch using the app.

The Tapo app is one of the best smart home apps I’ve seen. Similar apps are often too difficult to understand or don’t work. This one offers a simple set-up process for each accessory and also features a beautiful design. TP-Link currently offers anything from indoor and outdoor cameras to doorbells and robot vacuums. Each, when added to your home, works with the Tapo app.

No Smart Home is Perfect

I’ve been using smart home devices for many years. Generally, I believe they add great value to a home. Unfortunately, as with all technology, they don’t always work as expected.

The only difficulty I had with the Tapo S505 Smart Wi-Fi Light Switch was a couple of times when it went offline. This always corrected itself, and honestly, I don’t know if the issue was with the switch itself, my home network, or something else. During testing, the switch went offline twice. Both times, the problem resolved itself without input on my part.

This snafu shouldn’t be a reason not to buy this product. As I said above, problems with technology do happen.

Should You Buy the Tapo S505 Smart Wi-Fi Light Switch?

Bryan M. Wolfe / How-To Geek

The TP-Link Tapo S505 Smart Wi-Fi Light Switch comes at a great price, retailing at $25. With a quick installation on both the hardware and software side, it’s a smart product that doesn’t require a lot of prep to get started. It works with all major smart home services, such as Apple Home and Samsung SmartThings. It also works with Android and iPhone, which makes it usable by anyone with a Wi-Fi connection. This is one to consider if you’re in the market for a low-cost smart switch.

Tapo S505 Smart Wi-Fi Light Switch

9/ 10

$13 $25 Save $12

An inexpensive smart switch that offers various cutting-edge features, the Tap S505 Smart Wi-Fi Light Switch is something worth considering. With an easy setup, it’s an excellent choice for your smart home.

$13 at Amazon $24.99 at Best Buy