Q: What's the energy usage and energy saving of Tapo smart bulb?

Energy Usage It refers to the instantaneous power consumed by the smart bulb. The update frequency depends on how often Tapo app gets the information from it. Usually a few seconds once. You can view and track the energy consumption anytime you want. Energy Saving The smart bulb reduces energy use without losing quality or brightness, while saving you money. Get to know more details of each function and configuration please go to Download Center to download the manual of your product.

Question 1

What should I do if I fail to configure the Tapo smart bulb?

Accepted Answer

The Tapo app will guide you step by step during the initial configuration, but you may not be able to get through all the steps due to some interference. This FAQ will tell you what to do if you have trouble getting through a certain step.

Case 1: When powering on the smart device

Install your smart bulb and turn on the light. Wait about five seconds. If the smart bulb doesn’t blink three times. Reset the bulb as per QIG/UG.

Case 2: Can’t find your smart device

The phone is looking for the smart device. If you are unable to get through this step, please refer to the following suggestions.

1. Move your phone closer to the smart device.

2. Force to close the Tapo app, and then open it again and try to go through the process again.

3. If the problem persists, restart the Tapo device.

Case 3: Can’t find your Wi-Fi network

If you are unable to find your home Wi-Fi network, please refer to the following suggestions.

1. The signal strength of your home Wi-Fi network is a bit weak, move the smart device closer to your router for a try.

2. Ensure your home Wi-Fi network is a 2.4GHz Wi-Fi network, the Tapo device does not support a 5GHz Wi-Fi connection.

3. If it doesn’t display the Wi-Fi name of the router automatically, please click on “RESCAN” at the upper right corner to refresh the Wi-Fi list.

4. If the router’s SSID is hidden, please choose “Other” to input SSID and password manually.

5. Reset the device as per QIG/UG and go through the process again.

Case 4: Unable to connect your smart device to the Wi-Fi network

If you are unable to get through this step, please refer to the following suggestions.

1. Ensure you have selected the correct home Wi-Fi network and have entered a correct wireless password. If the Wi-Fi network or password is incorrect, click on “Choose a Network” and select the Wi-Fi network again.

2. Make sure your smart device is within the Wi-Fi range of your router.

3. If the problem persists, try to reset the smart device as per UG/QIG, and then set it up again.

Get to know more details of each function and configuration please go to Download Center to download the manual of your product.

Question 2

What's the Default States of Tapo smart bulb?

Accepted Answer

The default state of smart bulb is the state when it is turned on. You can use last “On” state or custom the state as needed.

1. On the home page, tap on your device card. Then tap the gear icon on the top right to go to Device Settings page.

2. On the Device Settings page, you can see the Default States option of this smart bulb. Select the default state and your smart bulb will go to the selected state when turned on.

· Last “ON” States: It is the state when the bulb was last on.

· Custom: Set the default brightness of the bulb when turned on.

Get to know more details of each function and configuration please go to Download Center to download the manual of your product.

Question 3

What's the energy usage and energy saving of Tapo smart bulb?

Accepted Answer

Energy Usage

It refers to the instantaneous power consumed by the smart bulb. The update frequency depends on how often Tapo app gets the information from it. Usually a few seconds once. You can view and track the energy consumption anytime you want.

Energy Saving

The smart bulb reduces energy use without losing quality or brightness, while saving you money.

Get to know more details of each function and configuration please go to Download Center to download the manual of your product.

Question 4

How to set up Tapo smart bulb

Accepted Answer

Tapo smart Wi-Fi light bulb lets you easily control your lights via the Tapo app, no matter where you find yourself.

Follow the steps below to set up your Tapo smart bulb using the Tapo app.

1. Go to Google Play or the Apple App Store or scan the QR code below to download the Tapo app.

2. Open the app and use your TP-Link ID to log in. If you don’t have a TP-Link ID, tap Sign Up to create one and the app will guide you through the rest.

3. Tap the + button in the Tapo app, select your product model. Here we take Tapo L510E as an example.

4. Install your Tapo bulb, power it up and wait about five seconds until the bulb blinks three times. Please note that keep your phone or tablet close to your Tapo bulb throughout the setup.

Note: If the bulb does not blink as described, tap My Smart Bulb didn’t blink.

5. Go to your phone’s Wi-Fi settings and connect to your Tapo bulb’s network Tapo_Bulb_XXXX. Then return to this app.

6. Choose your network and enter its password. You can tap the eye icon to double-check if you have entered the correct password. Then tap Next to add your Tapo bulb to your home network.

7. Give your Tapo bulb a name, set the location and custom its icon for you to identify it easily.

8. After setting it up, you can check for the latest firmware for optimum performance.

9. Done! Now you can manage your Tapo bulb via the app anytime, anywhere.

More things you may want to do

After connecting your Tapo bulb to your home Wi-Fi, you may want to use the Amazon Echo or Google Home to help manage the device. Refer to FAQs below for configuration instruction:

How to connect my Tapo device (smart plug, smart camera, smart bulb) to Google Home.

How to make my Tapo device (smart plug, smart camera, smart bulb) work with Amazon Alexa.

Question 5

How to set up Tapo smart plug

Accepted Answer

Tapo smart plug is a compact home device that turns your typical electrical wall outlet into a controllable, customizable and multi-functional outlet, enabling you to easily control your lights and household electronic devices via the Tapo app, no matter where you find yourself.

Follow the steps below to set up your Tapo smart plug using the Tapo app.

1. Go to Google Play or the Apple App Store or scan the QR code below to download the Tapo app.

2. Open the app and use your TP-Link ID to log in. If you don’t have a TP-Link ID, tap Sign Up to create one and the app will guide you through the rest.

3. Tap the + button in the Tapo app, select your model, here we take Tapo P100 as an example.

4. Plug your Tapo plug into a power outlet and wait until the LED is blinking orange and green. Then tap the ALREADY ORANGE AND GREEN button. Please note that keep your phone or tablet close to your Tapo plug throughout the setup.

Note: If the LED does not blink orange and green, tap I Need Help, or reset the plug as per its user guide.

5. Tapo will search for your device.

6. Choose your network and enter its password. You can tap the eye icon to double-check if you have entered the correct password. Then tap Next to add your Tapo plug to your home network.

7. Give your Tapo plug a name, set the location and custom its icon for you to identify it easily.

8. After setting it up, you can check for the latest firmware for optimum performance.

9. Done! Now you can manage your Tapo plug via the app anytime, anywhere.

More things you may want to do

After connecting your Tapo plug to your home Wi-Fi, you may want to use the Amazon Echo or Google Home to help manage the device. Refer to FAQs below for configuration instruction:

How to connect my Tapo device (smart plug, smart camera, smart bulb) to Google Home.

How to make my Tapo device (smart plug, smart camera, smart bulb) work with Amazon Alexa.

Question 6

How to set up schedule, away mode and timer for Tapo smart devices (smart plug, smart bulb,smart switch)

Accepted Answer

After successfully adding your Tapo smart device to your home network, you can make full use of the smart device to make your home smart.

-Schedule: Use schedules to set your smart device to automatically turn on and off.

-Away Mode: Set a period of time during which the smart device will be randomly turned on and off to make it look like you’re home.

-Timer: Set a countdown timer to automatically turn the smart device on or off after a certain amount of time.

Schedule:

Follow the instructions below to set schedules when to automatically turn on and off your smart device. Here we take Tapo smart plug as an example.

1. Lanuch the Tapo app, go to the Home page, tap the device to enter its device status page, then tap the icon to create a schedule.

2. Tap + to add schedules and you can also pause the schedule manually anytime.

: Schedule is in progress. : Schedule is paused.

Sunrise and Sunset:

Follow the instructions below to set schedules when to automatically turn on and off your smart device at sunrise/sunset or a custom time. Here we take Tapo smart plug as an example.

Away Mode:

Follow the instructions below to set a period of time during which the smart device will be randomly turned on and off. Here we take Tapo smart plug as an example.

1. Lanuch the Tapo app, go to the Home page, tap the device to enter its device status page, then tap the icon to set up Away mode.

2. Select the start time and end time then tap START, and this smart device will be randomly turned on and off. You can stop the away mode anytime.

Timer:

Follow the instructions below to set a countdown timer to automatically turn the smart device on or off after a certain amount of time. Here we take Tapo smart plug as an example.

1. Lanuch the Tapo app, go to the Home page, tap the device to enter its device status page, then tap the icon to set a countdown timer.

2. Set a countdown timer, toggle on or off the smart device then tap START. You can stop the timer anytime. As the following example shown, we set a timer to automatically turn off the smart device after 30 minutes.

Note: If internet fails, Schedule, Away and Timer mode will continue to run as programmed.

Question 7

What can I do if I forget my password of the cloud account (Tapo smart plug, smart camera, smart bulb)

Accepted Answer

If you have forgotten the password of the cloud account, you can refer to the following steps to create a new password so that you can log in to the Tapo app to control the Tapo devices.

Step 1 On the “Log In” page, click on “Forgot Password”.

Step 2 Input your cloud account, then click on “SEND”.

Step 3 Open the email, click on “Click to Reset Password”, it will lead you to a reset password page on the cloud website.

Step 4. Input the new password for your cloud account and confirm the password, then click on “Save”.

Step 5. Now you have finished password reset steps. Please go back to Tapo app, click on “PASSWORD IS RESET”, then you can log into your Tapo app with your new password.

If you don’t receive the reset email within 60 seconds, please click on “Resend” on the app, and please ensure you have entered the correct email address.

Question 8

What can I do if the Tapo app is not working properly (smart plug, smart camera, smart bulb)?

Accepted Answer

If there’s something wrong with the Tapo app, please try to do the below troubleshooting based on the problem you have.

Q1: Can’t install the Tapo app successfully

Tapo app requires Android 4.4 or higher/iOS 9.0 or higher OS version on your mobile device. If you encounter any installation problems, please kindly check and update the OS version on your mobile device.

Q2: Tapo app has a crash issue

1. Uninstall the Tapo app, then reinstall the latest app on your phone.

2. Install the Tapo app on another phone for a try.

Q3: Fail to login with TP-Link ID

1. Open a browser and search something on the mobile device, make sure it has internet access.

2. Connect the mobile device to another Wi-Fi network for a try.

3. Uninstall and reinstall the latest Tapo app, then open the app and log in.

4. Use a different mobile deivce to download and install the Tapo app, then try to log into the app again.

Question 9

How to create an automation or a shortcut of my Tapo device (smart bulb, smart plug, smart camera)

Accepted Answer

Option 1: Edit based on the featured actions

1. Go to the Smart Actions page and you will see the Featured Actions (Shortcut or Automation).

2. Tap on a featured action. Tap EDIT to change the settings as needed and tap APPLY to save changes.

Option 2: Create your own actions

1. Go to My Actions page. Tap Å on the top right to add a simple and smart action.

2. Name the new action. Tap + to add conditions like the trigger time, and tap + to add tasks like turning on the smart bulb. Then tap Done to save all the settings.

If there are more than 2 conditions added, you can decide when to perform the action. Tap When Any Condition is Met, and select “Any Condition is Met” or “All Conditions Are Met”.

Note: Tapo smart cameras still don't support, but the support will be added soon. Please stay tuned for the software updates.

Question 10

What're the automation and shortcut of my Tapo device (smart bulb, smart plug, smart camera)?

Accepted Answer

Shortcut

Shortcut lets you achieve an action with a simple tap. For example, when you are ready for bed, you can turn off your smart devices for safety and dim your lights for better sleep with one simple tap.

There are 3 featured shortcuts in the Tapo app, including Leave Home, Arrive Home and Go to Bed. You can edit based on the featured shortcut or create your own shortcut.

Automation

Automation allows you to set interactions between your smart devices by adding triggers and actions. For example, if the smart camera detects a motion (which is a trigger), then the living room light will come on (which is an action).

There is a featured automation in the Tapo app, which helps automatically turn on the lights in your home at sunset. You can edit based on the featured automation or create your own automation.

Note: Only Tapo smart bulbs support this feature currently. For Tapo smart plugs and smart cameras, the support will be added soon. Please stay tuned for the software updates.

All FAQ