Kasa Smart Kasa Outdoor Smart Plug, Smart Home Wi-Fi Outlet with 2 Sockets, IP64 Weather Resistance, Compatible with Alexa, Google Home & IFTTT, No Hub Required, ETL Certified(EP40), Black

A smarter way to power the patio

I put the Kasa Outdoor Plug to work on a messy mix of patio string lights, a small fountain pump, and a box fan. After a few weeks through heat, a couple of hard rains, and one short power outage, it settled in as the kind of tool I like: simple to set up, steady in day‑to‑day use, and flexible enough to grow with a backyard setup.

Setup and first run

Getting it online took a few minutes. It only connects to 2.4 GHz Wi‑Fi, so I made sure the SSID was available and avoided any band‑steering quirks from my router. The Kasa app walked me through pairing without fuss. If you run a dual‑band mesh, consider onboarding on a 2.4 GHz‑only guest network or temporarily disabling 5 GHz during setup—after that, it stays put.

Once connected, the app immediately recognized two independently controllable outlets. I named them “Patio Lights” and “Fountain Pump,” and that naming carried cleanly to voice assistants. Voice control through Alexa and Google Assistant worked as expected with no additional hub. I also linked it to IFTTT for a couple of “arrive home” automations; again, no surprises.

Hardware and weatherworthiness

The housing feels robust, and the attached outlet covers provide decent protection when a socket is unused. It carries an IP64 rating, which in practical terms means it shrugs off dust and rain from any direction but should not be submerged or blasted directly with a pressure washer. I mounted the unit so the outlets face down and created a drip loop in the cord—both good practices to help any outdoor plug shed water. It’s ETL certified, which I always look for on anything that will live outdoors.

The short, thick pigtail is a double‑edged sword. The heavy gauge inspires confidence, but the combination of plug size and stiffness can be awkward under some in‑use covers, especially if your exterior receptacle is horizontally oriented. Plan placement before you drill any mounting clips. The body itself isn’t oversized, so once it’s hanging beneath a weatherproof box, it looks tidy.

Everyday control: schedules that actually stick

Kasa’s scheduling tools are one of the reasons I keep using their gear. The basics—on/off at specific times and countdown timers—are easy to set up. More useful is the sunrise/sunset scheduling with offsets; my string lights kick on 20 minutes after sunset and shut off at a fixed bedtime, while the fountain runs during daytime hours only. In my testing, these schedules execute reliably even when my internet is briefly down, which suggests they’re stored on the device rather than in the cloud.

Grouping with other Kasa devices is handy. I created a “Yard” group that toggles the patio lights on the Outdoor Plug along with a front‑porch smart switch. One tap turns the front and back of the house on together for short backyard visits.

Range and reliability

Wi‑Fi range matters more outdoors than most product pages admit. The Kasa Outdoor Plug includes a built‑in amplifier, and I noticed the difference. In my yard, the plug sat about 70 feet from the nearest access point with two walls in between. It remained connected and responsive, even during a streamed playlist and kids on Wi‑Fi indoors. Latency on commands is near instant on the local network and a second or two over cellular.

After a brief summer storm took power out, the plug reconnected to Wi‑Fi on its own and resumed its schedules without intervention. That “set it and forget it” behavior is exactly what I want from a smart outdoor plug.

Voice and automations

Voice control is straightforward and benefitted from giving each outlet a unique name. “Alexa, turn on Patio Lights” worked without needing to qualify the device with a room name. If you prefer Google Assistant, the behavior is similar. IFTTT support opens the door to light geofencing without relying on the Kasa app’s own routines, and I used a simple “if I arrive home after sunset, turn on Patio Lights” recipe. No hub required.

One nice touch: each outlet can live in different rooms or groups across platforms. You can keep the plug itself near the back door in your app’s layout while assigning “Fountain Pump” to a “Garden” group and “Patio Lights” to “Patio,” making voice and app control feel natural.

Power handling and use cases

Each outlet is rated at 15 A/1,875 W, which covers most outdoor loads such as decorative string lights, small pumps, bug zappers, and space‑saving heaters. Always consider the circuit you’re on and the startup surge of inductive loads like pumps. I ran a 1/6 HP fountain pump and a box fan concurrently with no issues. If you’re thinking pool equipment or high‑draw heaters, check the load plate and stay within spec; you may also need a dedicated circuit.

There’s no energy monitoring, so if you’re trying to track consumption or cost, this isn’t the device for that. For simple on/off control and scheduling, however, it does exactly what it says on the tin.

Safety note: the plug itself isn’t a GFCI device. Outdoor receptacles should already be GFCI protected; make sure yours is compliant.

What could be better

• No 5 GHz or Ethernet fallback: common for smart plugs, but worth noting if your 2.4 GHz network is congested.
• No Matter or HomeKit support: if you’re consolidating on Matter or want native Apple Home support, this model won’t scratch that itch.
• Bulky plug orientation: the fixed, vertical plug can clash with certain in‑use covers, especially on horizontally mounted exterior outlets.
• Short, stiff pigtail: robust but not the most flexible for tight placements.
• No energy monitoring: purely a switch, which will be fine for many but not all.

None of these are deal‑breakers for my use, but they’re the practical tradeoffs to keep in mind.

Tips for a smoother install

• Test Wi‑Fi strength where you plan to mount it. If the signal is marginal, consider moving an access point or adding a mesh node; the built‑in amplifier helps, but it can’t fix a dead zone.
• Mount with outlets facing down and keep it under an in‑use cover or eave when possible.
• Name each outlet clearly during setup; it pays off in voice control.
• Use the sunrise/sunset offset for seasonal lighting—it tracks day length so you don’t have to keep tweaking times.
• Create a drip loop in the cord to prevent water from running toward the plug.

The bottom line

The Kasa Outdoor Plug strikes the right balance of reliability, range, and thoughtful software. Independent control of two full‑power outlets, schedules that run dependably, and strong Wi‑Fi performance make it a great fit for lights, pumps, fans, and seasonal displays. The hardware is genuinely outdoor‑ready, provided you mount it sensibly, and the Kasa app remains one of the better smart‑home experiences in this price range.

I recommend the Kasa Outdoor Plug. It’s a dependable, hub‑free way to bring smart control to common outdoor loads, with real independence between outlets and solid scheduling tools. If you need Matter/HomeKit or energy monitoring, look elsewhere; otherwise, this is the outdoor smart plug I’d buy again for another corner of the yard.