Wemo and TP-Link are two significant players in the smart home space, and these two brands are always being pitted against each other because they have the same product lines. How does one compare against the other when it comes to smart lights and smart plugs?
Main Differences Between Wemo vs TP-Link
The Main Differences Between Wemo vs TP-Link are:
- Wemo offers smarter features, whereas TP-Link is generally more affordable.
- Wemo has compatibility with Nest and IFTTT recipes, whereas TP-Link doesn’t.
- Wemo works with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, whereas TP-Link is a simpler option to manage.
Smart plugs
With Wemo, you get two main types of smart plugs: one allows you to control your appliances remotely, and the other allows you to control your devices and monitor your energy consumption.
The Wemo Switch Smart Plug allows you to turn your non-smart appliances into smart ones that you can control from anywhere in the world.
You can use your mobile devices to turn your appliances on or off, thus allowing you to save energy. Being able to turn your lamps, fans, heaters, and other appliances off when you are not at home helps reduce your electricity costs.
All you need to do is to plug these non-smart appliances into the Wemo Switch Smart Plug and you are set.
On top of manually and remotely controlling your appliances, you can also schedule when these would turn on or off by themselves. This is especially helpful if you want to turn the lights on a few minutes after you leave from work so you don’t go home to a dark house.
Or if you want your porch lights to turn off by themselves in the morning before you all forget about them as you get ready for a busy day ahead. More importantly, you can set your schedules randomly when you go on vacation, giving would-be burglars the impression that somebody is at home.
The Wemo Switch Smart Plug also works with Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant so that you can use voice commands to turn your appliances on or off.
Wemo Switch Smart Plug also works with your Nest Thermostat. The smart plug uses Nest’s home and away modes to automatically control your appliances. Nest communicates with Wemo when you are away so that the smart plug can turn off your fan or lights to save more energy.
Nest will also signal your Wemo when you are home so that it automatically turns your appliances back on. Additionally, the Wemo Switch Smart Plug works with IFTTT recipes, allowing you to get more out of the smart plug.
The Wemo Switch Smart Plug measures 2.9 inches long, 4.5 inches high, and 2.2 inches deep. There is a smaller version available as well. (Check the latest prices here).
The mini version can do everything that the bigger-sized smart plug does, but it does not take up that much space as the regular-sized version. That means that it will not cover the other sockets near it. The mini version measures 3.8 inches long, 1.4 inches high, and 2.4 inches deep.
Additionally, you have the Wemo Insight Smart Plug. With the Wemo Insight Smart Plug, you do not only gain the ability to control your non-smart appliances remotely, you also get to track your energy costs.
Using your tablet or smartphone, you can check just how much energy you have consumed. The mobile app gives you a real-time update on just how much electricity that particular device is using.
This will tell you which of your old appliances are energy hogs. Like the ordinary Wemo Smart Plug, the Wemo Insight also works with Nest, IFTTT recipes, Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa.
The Wemo Insight Smart Plug (Check the latest prices here) measures 2.9 inches on all sides. It is 2.3 inches deep.
Meanwhile, TP-Link also has two versions of its smart plug: one that allows you to control your appliances even when you are out of the house and another that includes energy monitoring.
No products found.The TP-Link Wi-Fi Smart Plug with Energy Monitoring HS110 allows you to remotely turn any plugged appliance on or off. You will need to download the Kasa app on your mobile device in order to do this.
With the free mobile app, you are also able to schedule when to automatically turn on or off your appliances, helping you save more without sacrificing convenience and safety.
For instance, if you want to have a hot cup of brewed coffee the moment you wake up, you can schedule your TP-Link to turn on your coffeemaker minutes before your alarm clock rings and automatically turn it off after you have had your morning cup of joe.
The HS110 also has an away mode that will automatically turn your devices on or off when you are on vacation, making outsiders think that there is somebody at home. And if you have Amazon Echo Voice Control, you can use voice commands to control the plugged in devices!
The TP-Link Wi-Fi Smart Plug with Energy Monitoring HS110 measures 3.9 inches high, 2.6 inches wide, and 3 inches deep. It weighs 0.29 pounds.
Then you have the TP-Link Wi-Fi Smart Plug HS100, which can do everything the HS110 does except for monitoring your energy use.
The HS100 measures 3.9 inches high, 2.6 inches wide, and 2.5 inches deep. It weighs 0.27 pounds.
The Smart Wi-Fi Plug Mini HS105, on the other hand, has smaller dimensions and is perfect for those who want to keep adjacent outlets free to be used. The mini smart plug measures 2.61 inches high, 1.49 inches wide, and 1.57 inches deep. It weighs 0.2 pounds.
Side by side comparison of TP-Link and Wemo smart plugs
 | Wemo Switch Smart Plug | Wemo Insight Smart Plug | TP-Link HS110 | TP-Link HS100 |
Price | Mid-range (For the latest prices check here) | Most expensive (For the latest prices check here) | Mid-range (For the latest prices check here) | Least expensive (For the latest prices check here) |
Dimensions (LxHxD, inches) | 2.9 x 4.5 x 2.2 | 2.9 x 2.9 x 2.3 | 3.9 x 2.6 x 3.0 | 3.9 x 2.6 x 2.5 |
Control your devices remotely | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Monitors your energy usage | No | Yes | Yes | No |
Mini version available | Yes | No | No | Yes |
Works with Amazon Alexa | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Works with Google Assistant | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Scheduling | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Works with Nest | Yes | Yes | No | No |
Works with IFTTT recipes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
When it comes to smart plugs, both Wemo and TP-Link have smart plugs that can control the plugged in devices. Both brands also give you the option to choose a plug that can help you monitor your energy usage.
Wemo, however, offers more smart features, such as the compatibility with Nest and IFTTT recipes. But it does come with a more expensive price tag.
TP-Link, meanwhile, gives you more affordable options, but does not work with IFTTT, nor can it communicate with your Nest devices to help ensure that you save more by turning off everything when you are not home.
Winner: Wemo. TP-Link might give you the cheaper option and it does present a good alternative if you do not have the Nest Thermostat. However, TP-Link loses out when it chose to ignore adding IFTTT and Nest compatibility.
Some people may say that these functionalities are not necessary because you can schedule the TP-Link smart plug as well as use voice commands to operate it. But having integration with Nest and IFTTT can really extend your Wemo smart plugs’ functionality.
Smart light switch
TP-Link currently offers one smart switch: the Smart Wi-Fi Light Switch HS200, which allows you to remotely access your lights. With the Kasa app, you can also schedule when your lights go on or off.
With the app, you can automatically turn the lights off as soon as the sun starts to show, and turn it on when it starts to get dark. As a result, you get to reduce energy costs and save money.
The smart light switch can also turn lights on or off randomly, giving the appearance that somebody is home when your entire family is away on a vacation.
The TP-Link HS200 also works with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, allowing you to control the lights using only voice commands. Plus, it adds a LED indicator, making it easier to find the light switch in the dark.
(For a very affordable price), the HS200 measures 5 inches high, 3.3 inches wide, and 1.5 inches thick.
Meanwhile, the Wemo Wi-Fi Smart Light Switch is a bit pricier For the latest prices check here). Wemo’s smart light switch also allows you to turn your lights on or off even when you are not home.
You can also set schedules that will automatically turn your lights on or off, as well as set your lights to go on or off at random times while in Away mode. It also works with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, as well as Nest devices.
Your Wemo Wi-Fi Smart Light Switch talks to your Nest and see if it is in home or away mode, allowing it to turn your light on or off accordingly. You can also use IFTTT recipes with your Wemo Smart Light Switch.
With IFTTT recipes, you can, for example, turn your lights on when it gets dark even if you do not create a schedule for it. Or you can call your smartphone just by long-pressing the light switch.
You can also use an IFTTT recipe that will send you e-mails when something happens with your Wemo smart light switch. These are just some of the things that you can do with IFTTT and your Wemo light switch.
The Wemo Wi-Fi Smart Light Switch measures 3.3 inches long, 5.1 inches high, and 1.7 inches thick.
Winner: With the same current prices, it is very clear that the Wemo Wi-Fi Smart LightSwitch is the better choice over the TP-Link HS200. This is because of its compatibility with Nest and IFTTT recipes.
Final say
Wemo’s smart plugs and light switches are more or less pricier than TP-Link’s. However, Wemo gives you more integration options. It is compatible with Nest and IFTTT, which helps justify its higher price and which gives you more functionality and features.
Nevertheless, if your aim is just to be able to control your appliances while you are away and gain the peace of mind from knowing that your devices are off, then both TP-Link and Wemo can meet your requirements.
Major issues with WEMO-
#1. There is no way to migrate it to a new iphone/ipad. It must be setup by being on premise.
#2. WEMO does not allow multiple locations. This means ALL devices must have the same network.
Due to #1 and #2 I will have to migrate my heavy investment of Wemo to TPLink (kasa)
This article should be updated. TP-Link does support IFTTT, but only as an action, not as a trigger. See FAQ here:
https://www.tp-link.com/us/support/faq/2426/
Hi Craig, thanks for the reference. I’ll try to update it asap.