Tapo H100 SmartHub with Chime, Work with TapoSmart Switch, Button and Sensor,Whole-Home Coverage,Connect Up to 64Devices,19 Ringtones,Energy-Efficient,Wireless, Quick and Easy Setup,Packaging may vary

So this is a requirement for the IoT things (yes, things things) made by TP-Link under the Tapo brand, like sensors and switches, it's not required if you just use the cameras, plugs, and lighting products.It is however very useful, it can actually like the doorbell chime for your Tapo doorbell, as well as being the central hub for your temperature sensors, smart switches, proximity sensors and even a water leak sensor allowing you to integrate those into the Tapo app and set them to perform tasks based on buttons being pressed could turn a light or plug on and off, a temperature sensor could activate a plug with a heater or fan or both etc, and it makes integration of Tapo smart home tech very easy. It even works with the Raspberry Pi smarthome distro.Also, the range is pretty decent, I've got sensors at the far reaches of my house and they work just fine.

Works well and doubles up as a chime for my newly acquired video door bell. All these Tapo products are so well made with great user instructions

Update 31/01/24:TP-Link have recently made some great software/firmware updates to much of the Tapo product line.Firstly some degree of local automation is now available, when an automation is created in the Tapo app it will be identified whether or not it will continue to function without an internet connection.Even better news for some, Matter compatibility is now available on the H100 Smart Hub allowing most of the sub-devices to be connected to a Matter controller. This function is still in beta however I have found it to be working well through Home Assistant (where Matter is also still in beta). For those HA users who have been using the Tapo HACS integration I strongly recommend switching to Matter as the polling lag experienced by the Tapo HACS integration does not exist using Matter and it also works entirely locally with no need to connect to TP-Link’s servers. As Matter is still rather new buttons and the water leak sensor currently aren’t supported, but I suspect this is only a matter of time.Original review:The Tapo H100 smart hub is required if you wish to use any Tapo sensors/buttons/switches as these battery powered devices communicate over a ~868MHz connection not WiFi (2.4/5GHz). It is not required if you only have Tapo WiFi plugs, bulbs, cameras etc. The H100 is cheaper (at £15) than many hubs/bridges/gateways but as you would expect from TP-Link is a quality item and easy to setup via the Tapo app.Whether this hub and associated devices will work for you will really depend on what you’re trying to achieve. Automation options in the Tapo app are somewhat limited and are certainly less customisable than other ecosystems. For instance phone notifications cannot be setup for all sub-devices; sensors yes, buttons no.For those using Alexa once the Tapo skill has been installed the sub devices connected become available as triggers which opens up far more possibilities and the capability to control devices across other ecosystems. I tested using the motion sensor (T100) and smart button (S200B) to control some Philips Hue lights and both worked fine, albeit with occasionally a little delay.For those using Home Assistant the Tapo integration currently cannot access any sub devices connected to this hub.Unlike most systems that utilise a hub/bridge/gateway, any buttons or sensors connected to the Smart Hub will entirely cease to function if the internet connection is lost. There is no good reason for this and in my opinion is a very poor decision by TP-Link, local functionality is an absolute necessity for a reliable smart home. Light switches or security sensors not functioning because of a lost internet connection is a really dumb problem to introduce.Curiously this device fails badly with two of the main advertised features; smart doorbell and burglar alarm/deterrent. At the loudest setting the doorbell chime cannot be heard through more than two closed doors in silence, let alone with any background noise. Additionally the smart button does not permit phone notifications meaning you can’t be alerted that way either (this can be achieved via Alexa). The idea of using this in conjunction with some sensors as a burglar alarm is also sadly farcical. It is not loud enough to scare off anyone plus can be easily unplugged by a burglar.It is tricky to rate the H100, if the available sub-devices and automations meet your requirements then this is a good quality and well priced device. However if you were to rate it against some of the headline advertised features it would rate quite low. I’ve been generous as I mostly wanted this as a stand alone system in conjunction with a motion sensor (T100) to notify me by phone and keep a log, which it does well enough.

A flexible friend! Have used tapo a lot and this is invaluable as an unexpensive hub for lights, sensors etc. After needing a little patience with initial set up, it has been 100% effective. Recommended

I cannot recommend the Tapo brand enough. I have two disabled sons and a toddler and all the products are amazing. The chime allows me to connect to window and door sensors which then connect to an app which shows you the date and time. Amazing.

The Tapo Smart IoT Hub with Chime has been a fantastic addition to my smart home setup. It’s incredibly easy to set up – no wiring required, which is always a plus. I love how it seamlessly connects with all my Tapo devices, allowing me to control switches, buttons, and sensors from one central hub. The ability to connect up to 64 devices is brilliant and future-proofs my setup as I add more smart gadgets over time.The chime feature is handy, and the sound quality is decent for a small device. However, while it boasts 19 ringtones, I found a few of them a bit generic. It would be nice to have a few more unique or customisable options for different alerts.That said, it’s a reliable hub that’s simplified my smart home experience, making it an excellent choice for anyone looking to expand their Tapo ecosystem without the fuss of complex wiring.

Whilst it was easy to pair this hub with a Tapo T110 remote sensor and set up a few rules and so on, the RF range was nowhere near as good as I had hoped . The claim from support chat said that"upon checking our [internal, not yet published] resources the Tapo H100 belongs to our sub-G products means the maximum range is within 500ft"which is true in that I failed to connect over an outdoor range of 20 m through one double-brick wall in a house and into a kitchen where the H100 hub was fitted ...yes, range was indeed within 500ft !The idea of sub-G transmissions occupying a narrow band width at commensurately low datarates should have provided comms distances of hundreds of feet but it didn't work for me. I'm in a rural area with no in-band interference so it was pretty frustrating to have failed.I hope Tapo will be doing some range tests and publishing the results; I might try again if there are revisions to the system but, for the moment, it did not perform as expected.

Good product many thanks