I have Alexa upstairs and downstairs and she controls the same set of patio lights, if Im on the balcony or the patio with ease.

I so much wanted this dimmer to work with my LED string patio lights. I didnt even care if the Alexa integration worked or not...I just wanted a manual dimmer. After I plugged the string lights into the unit, I pressed the button to turn them on and everything seemed to work. The dimming range was very limited but acceptable. The problem I had was that the wall outlet I have to use for the string lights is on the same circuit as some can lights that are operated by a wall switch, which also has a dimmer. I found out that turning on the wall switch not only turns on the can lights that are directly connected to it, it also turns on the string lights that are plugged into the wall outlet. By the way, the wall outlet is definitely not connected to the can light switch. Both outlets on the duplex wall outlet are hot all the time regardless of the on-off position of the wall switch; they are merely on the same breaker circuit from by power panel. So, I took the Treatlife dimmer out of the connection so the string lights were plugged directly into the wall outlet. With that configuration, the can light switch has no effect on the string lights. I have to plug the string lights in to turn them on and unplug them to turn them off...or course I cant dim them but they work as expected. I then plugged the Treatlife dimmer back into the wall outlet and plugged the string lights into the Treatlife dimmer. Back to the problem of the can light wall switch turning on the string lights. Even worse, when I use the can light dimmer to dim the can lights, the Treatlife dimmer responds by quickly pulsing the string lights from off to on, off to on, etc. This problem seems bizarre to me but I dont have any option but to return the unit and look for a different dimmer for the string lights. Maybe this problem is unique to me because of my wiring configuration but you may have the same problem if you use other dimmers on the same circuit breaker. UPDATE: April 9, 2021 - Treatlife immediately responded to my review by offering to send me a newer version of the dimmer at no charge to see if it will work in my circuit. Im hopeful it will but think the company deserves five stars for excellent customer support. UPDATE: April 12, 2021 - Treatlife sent the new dimmer via expedited shipping, which deserves five stars for customer support. However, the “updated” dimmer was the exact same model I initially received. The replacement dimmer did not solve my problem. Other dimmer switches on the same breaker circuit that do not control the duplex outlet I am using for the Treatlife dimmer still turn the Treatlife dimmer on/off and dim and pulse the lights connected to the Treatlife dimmer. So, my initial caution still applies...be careful if you plan to use this dimmer on a circuit that has other dimmer switches.

So I had this Treatlife Smart Dimmer plug for a few weeks, controlling my outdoor patio lights. Synced very fast with Alexa and life was good. Then one day it stopped working, the light turned on once and then off. So I tried a hailmary and reached out to the seller. Guess what they shipped a replacement two days after I emailed them. Now thats service and just like before quick and easy sync with Alexa and now we have smart lights once again on the patio. Great item and even better seller.

Ok, lets start with the good. It definitely works with SmartThings It definitely works with Google Assistant Now that I have it installed and have my patio covered in string lights, I love it. Now the bad: Last night when I was trying to get it working with SmartThings, I was not loving it... at all. It you have SmartThings and want to use this Treatlife outdoor dimmer, read this first. Setup an account with Smart Life first, download the app. It looks like a little house with a blue background and two waves on the roof. This is the first hurdle, it is in the app store from Volcano Technology. I kept looking for it under Tuya, thats who used to make the app. Add the device as a dimmer switch wifi. The picture wont match the device, plug in the adapter to an a/c outlet, the light should blink. Now let the app search for it, now it will add a device that looks like what you are trying to use. Now go into SmartThings and add the device, search by brand for Smart Life (two words), then choose outlet. Youll see a message compatible but not certified in United States click on the Smart Life icon, select your location and room. It will all you for your account info, this is why you set up the account earlier, you cant do it here. If everything goes ok, it should say successfully connected to Smart Life. Now the device can be configured in SmartThings, and used like any other device. If you have SmartThings linked to Google, have Google update devices and it should show up in the Google home app. I hope this saves you the hours I spent putting these pieces together.

This product works as intended

This dimmer plug works perfectly as expected and paired with our i phones easily. We purchased one and it quit working after just a week, contacted the manufacturer and they quickly assessed our issue and sent another one out without question. It arrived only one day later. Great customer service!!

I love the functionality of the smart switch. I had an issue with one of the units I bought and contacted customer service and they addressed my issue quickly and efficiently. I would definitely buy more of these smart switches.

Dimming of outdoor string lights is essential to control the outdoor vibe, especially with multiple strings that can be bright and harsh. I was using a tabletop lamp dimmer duct-taped into a baggie and tucked under an eve. Definitely not optimal and potentially dangerous. It was time to find an outdoor-rated dimmer. I didnt think I needed any smart home functionality, I mean, its just a dimmer, right? But man is this thing fun! Alexa integration works great. Name the plug anything you want eg terrace, patio, pool, etc.) and say Alexa, turn on patio. Alexa, set patio to 55 percent. And the like. But really, the app is even better! After all, youll be outside with your phone while youre enjoying the lighting. The apps home page is simple, just an on/off button and a dim level slider that will dim in real time (lights dim as you move the slider, not after you stop moving it) in increments of 1%. Within the app you also have the option to set upper and lower dim range limits in case you have dimmable LEDs that tend to flicker when too dim. When you turn off the lights the dimmer does a soft off quick fade. Awesome addition to our outdoor hangout area. IMPORTANT TIP: When pairing and setting up the dimmer, follow the PRINTED INSTRUCTIONS that come in the box, NOT the steps in the app. The app is more generic to all of Treatlifes products and does not contain critical steps specific to this plug. Setup is very easy but you will not get it on the network without the printed steps.

On the plus side, this was the only dimmer which could handle enough wattage for my application, worked with LEDs, and had some means of remote control. Minus number 1: The ONLY way to control it is through the phone app. It MUST be connected to your WiFi; therefore it has access to the entirety of your LAN, unless you hook it up to a Guest WiFI (recommended for security). The privacy policy notes that it will share whatever data it can glean with law enforcement, which, since the company is in China, means the Chinese Communist Party. It notes specifically that the laws under which it operates are not the same as those of your own country. Minus number 2: Although it claims to connect with Alexa and Google Home (I have neither, so I have not tested it), there is no way to integrate it with other home control devices. I specifically asked their tech support if there was an API, and they said there wasnt. I tried to http to its address on my LAN, but it did not respond (at least on port 80). It does integrate with IFTTT, and I have used this successfully to implement a schedule. But I cant sense its state, or control it with my home control system (Indigo on a Mac). Minus number 3: It looses much of its state if unplugged, in a power failure, or if it is otherwise powered down. It forgets its dim range setting and dim mode (there are 3 of them, which are not explained in the manual; the only way to see if one works is to experiment blindly without advance knowledge of how it will affect the load) and resets them to its default values. Fortunately it remembers your WiFi name and password. Minus number 4: The group settings dont synchronize properly. One can establish, say, a group of 2 dimmers. One then has 3 members in the app user interface; lets call them Dimmer1, Dimmer2, and Group. If one turns both Dinmer1 and Dimmer2 on, Group may still display as OFF. If one turns Group on, then IFTTT turns Group off, Group may still display as ON in the app. There are other examples of this lack of consistency, but I cant remember them and they may not even be reproducible. I havent done extensive testing.

The design and function is perfect so far. Using this to control the decorative string lights for our backyard. We needed something remote control because the only suitable plug to use is behind some bushes near the A/C unit. I wish I could have found a good outdoor zigbee or z-wave unit, but wifi is unfortunately becoming all too popular for smart home controls. That being said, my biggest complaint about this unit is that I had to create an account just to setup a plug. This is the only product from Treatlife that I own, but I have a real issue with creating an account just to tell a device my home network SSID and password. Not very secure or private to me. Even my multiple wifi cameras have ability to setup over ethernet or wifi through a web browser and do not require an account even if the app is used. Not sure what the permissions were, but all the info is there such as location, IP address, SSID, password. Seems like a security risk. Without providing any other info to sign up they already know exactly where your house is, your address, and network credentials.