iDevices Outdoor Switch

Update 2017-07I've updated my rating from 2 to 4 stars. After firmware and app updates, my iDevices are now robust. The outdoor switches have weathered many storms and are all still working (to name a couple: hurricane Matthew, and a lightning storm that took out some of my other network gear).--- Previous Review ---After wasting several hours troubleshooting, customer service informed me that their devices can only connect to one WAP. So, for example, if your iPhone is connected to one wap on your network and your Idevice is connected to another (this is more common than you might think), then your Idevice won't set up - and (and this is the real frustrating part) it won't tell you why. Or if you set a device up on one WAP, then move it to another (all on your same network, by the way), well nope.Frustrating to waste your customers time by not - at the very least - giving them a helpful error message.Even after getting a few set up (5 to be exact), all of them lose their network connection roughly daily and have to be unplugged then re-plugged. I threw the 6th one in the road and drove over it in frustration. (I felt a slight wave of relief).Idevices emailed me that they have a firmware upgrade coming out that should address this. I'm skeptical. They've got a bit of work to do on the firmware and the app to make it reduce the amount of my time it wastes.The app is clunky - for example you have to swipe sideways through rooms. Why not just list them vertically so we can see all devices in one scroll (like viewing a web page).Scenes are hidden in the menu rather than front and center, so the most common way to actually use the app - by invoking scenes - always takes extra clicks.And, rather than just automatically upgrading the firmware behind the scenes, we have to choose one device at a time, notice the little 'upgrade available' text, click it, then not use your phone while the app upgrades in the foreground.The app seems to be written so developers can test it, not for people to use it in real live situations.Sorry to be so hard on iDevices, but honesty is the best way I know to spark improvement. The idea is fantastic, and HomeKit is changing the entire home automation industry for the better. iDevices just needs more attention to the user experience. I'll come back when I see it.

There are apparently known issues with this product when being used in larger Apple HomeKit installations.I purchased the switch to control an irrigation pump for some roof deck plants by turning the power to the pump on for a couple minutes a few times a day with a recurring schedule.I found the iDevice switch easy to set up and program however after a few days the device would become unavailable on both the iDevices app and the Apple HomeKit app.I verified that the Device Outdoor Switch was still connected to my WiFi as I was able to view it as solidly connected from my network router’s control panel and I was also able to ping its IP address from within my network.I was only able to reestablish connection only by clearing the device and reconnecting it as a new unit. This also involved re-entering all of the scheduling. This would be necessary every several days when the device would become unavailable.I must say that the iDevice support staff was very responsive to my email support inquiries but the bottom line is that i’m stuck with a $45 paperweight as I am beyond the Amazon return window.After much back and forth and trying a variety of things the iDevices customer service rep spoke with their engineering department and I was advised that there can be issues with the device becoming unavailable if there are multiple Apple products that can act as a HomeKit Hub on the network (Apple TV’s, HomePods, Etc.). My network has 4 Apple TV’s and 5 HomePods. They offered some suggestions to make changes to my network and HomeKit infrastructure which I deemed un-reasonable as I have numerous other devices working flawlessly with the current configuration. (Schlage Automated Lock, Ecobee Thermostat, Hunter Douglas Shades, Lutron Caseta Light Dimmers and Fan Control, Samsung and LG Smart TV’s, Samsung and Sub Zero Smart Kitchen appliances, etc.)I would expect the complexity of my network with Apple TVs, HomePods, and smart devices is not an unusual scenario for the type of purchaser of this product. As a consumer of “smart home” technology I would expect products advertised for these type of applications should be able to be installed and work trouble free in this type of a multi-device home automation environment.I’ll go on to say in all fairness to this product, after the iDevices outdoor switched proved itself unusable for my application I tried the iHome Outdoor Smart Plug and experienced similar issues with the device becoming unavailable after a few days on both the iHome product app and on HomeKit. Therefore I conclude that there does in fact seem to be an issue between the interface of these type of HomeKit compatible products and larger HomeKit installations. Fortunately I as was able to quickly return the iHome product for a refund without spending weeks trying to troubleshoot it.Perhaps these devices would work fine in installations using other control platforms or in Apple HomeKit installations that have fewer potential “Hubs”?My solution which has been working great now for a few weeks is the Maxcio WiFi Outdoor switch. It does not interface with HomeKit but it does allow me to control the switch through their iOS app and easily set-up recurring schedules. HomeKit compatibility would be nice but trouble free operation wins out.

The iDevices Outdoor Switch is perfect! I have two of these, one for each fountain in my backyard. The out door switch has two outlets, one works perfectly for the fountain pump and the other for the fountain lighting. The set up of this iDevice took about 90 seconds being that I already had my iDevices app set up with other devices. The biggest benefit for me is that one of my fountains is located at the far end of my backyard. Other Home automation systems couldn't quite get a signal that far with their relay box, with iDevices, it uses my homes Wi-Fi signal which easily reaches my entire property. Now I have programmed my fountains on a schedule so they turn off at night and resume first thing in the morning. Living in Phoenix Arizona where we are prone to monsoon storms and unexpected high winds, I'm also able to remotely shut off the fountain for when a storm comes in while I'm at work. There's also an easy override option so when I go out of town, I can override the programmed schedule with about three touches on my phone app to have the fountain say off during the entire time I'm away. I may be a technology junkie, but I'm not overly tech savvy, so the easy set up and simple directions were greatly appreciated. I can see myself ordering a few more of these for holiday lights on the outside of my home!

I reduced the star rating 5, down to 3 and added experience after 2+ years of ownership -last paragraph. This unit controls my backyard outdoor lights. I have it set on command through Apple Homekit to turn on and turn off rather than through a scheduled timer. I let out our dog for a last run about before bedtime and I tell Siri to turn on the back lights so I can scare off or see any rabbits, racoons or skunks that have gained entry even though our yard is fenced. It has worked very well through the winter deep freeze, snow and freezing rain and springtime showers.I recently replaced our router and had to reprogram the switch to reconnect. I brought the unit inside, closer to the new router signal during the reset. The iDevices website instructions and phone app helped with the steps to reset the switch successfully (the phone needs to be connected to the router's 2.4ghz band during this process).2+years later:I added an outdoor electric heater to our gazebo on the adjacent plug shortly after that the unit died (may or may not be a factor?) -no reset or light or any indication of operation. After contact with IDevices they sent a replacement at a reduced price but in US dollars. Shipping was additional. The total cost was only a little cheaper than a brand new purchase.I placed the new unit on a separate circuit and it’s behaving well. Though it works reliably in my home automation, I would expect a device of this cost to have a longer lifespan. I’ve had a non-smart timer switch cost much less than half and last 5 years or more. I hope the engineering, assembly (origin?) and parts (origin?) are now more robust.

Decent product, works as advertised with all 3 assistants (google, Alexa, Siri). Good build quality. However considering the price and that there are outdoor smart switches for almost half the price of this one, I expected it to do one more thing that it turns out it doesn’t. It has 2 plugs and I expected you could control them independently, ie show up as 2 smart plugs and tell the assistants to turn on / off the gazebo lights and / or the string lights. Instead it is just one plug that you can control as on/off.

Excellent outdoor switch. Used it to remotely control power to the pool pump. Every now and then it would lose connectivity, but that's likely because it was 40' from the nearest WiFi router.Four stars because here in Quebec 🇨🇦, power outlets are typically installed ground-pin up. Combination of the design of this device's plug, and the location of my pool outlet, meant it could only be plugged into the lower outlet, with its cord blocking the upper outlet. Buyer beware!

Get the new lutron caseta or wemo product instead.

We use this to control our outdoor pond pump and lights. It works great with our HomeKit app. Only issues was the iDevices app when setting up imported all of our devices from HomeKit and deleted my cameras from the HomeKit app. I’m pretty sure it was a setting feature that I incorrectly tapped but was super inconvenient.