General Questions about Kasa Geofencing

Kasa Geofencing is a location-based service that creates a virtual boundary around a specific geographic area. When a mobile device enters or exits this virtual boundary, it triggers a pre-defined action or event that can be used in Smart Actions.

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Q1: How to set up Kasa Geofencing

For the specific configuration steps, please refer to FAQ:

How to set up Kasa Geofencing

Q2: What’s the classic usage scenario of Geofencing Smart Action?

Q3: Why is my actual location is Wrong/Unavailable/Delayed on the map of "Choose Location" page?

1. Turn on Precise Location and allow all the time location permission for the Kasa App: https://www.tp-link.com/us/support/faq/3576/
2. Tap the black dot icon that focuses the screen on the current location, zoom in/out the map, and drag the pin to the location you want. Ensure that Your “Effective Radius” is set the way you would like.

You may also manually enter the specific place name in the search bar.

3. (Only for Android Devices) Go to: “Me” > ”Kasa Lab” > ”Geofencing” > ”Enhanced Location” > Turn on ”Enhanced Location” > Set Accuracy to High and Frequency to 1s.

4. Clear the cached data of the Kasa App and Reboot your phone.

5. Ensure your mobile device is receiving a strong GPS signal, it’s better go to outdoors with a clear view of the sky while troubleshooting. Note the following cases where the GPS signal can get lost:

• Atmospheric and Magnetic Field Signals while in Elevators, Basements, Tall Buildings, and Remote Places 

• Slow Updates to Location Due to Performance of Phone or Tablet Processor

• The device is Moving at High Speeds, such as in a car

• The GPS Antennae on the Device is being blocked

• Obstructed view of satellites caused by an oncoming storm.

6. Turn off the power-saving and data-saving modes on your mobile device. If your mobile device is in power-saving mode, apps using GPS signals may not provide data in real-time.

7. If the Kasa App has been added to the Sleeping Apps list on smartphone, remove it. This is often found in your power or battery settings on your phone.

8. Turn off the Mock Location may be created by a third-party App, such as a VPN, or through your phone’s Developer Options.

Q4: What should I do if my Geofencing Smart Actions stop working?

Check and confirm that the Following Settings are Properly Configured.

1. Enable the ‘Always-On’ Location permission on your Phone/ Tablet.
2. Enable the Geofencing function in Kasa Lab.
3. Enable "This Phone/Tablet" in the Smart action rule.
4. Check the map on the “Choose Location” page and correct the map coordinates and the Effective Radius.
5. Ensure your actual location is precise on the map, if not, please refer to Q1 for troubleshooting.
6. Ensure you have arrived/left the virtual boundary to trigger the Geofencing smart action. Smart Actions will not constantly check for a device’s location, rather will only trigger the action when crossing the threshold.

Q5: If I have multiple mobile devices logged in Kasa App with the same account simultaneously, can each device arriving/leaving the associated location trigger the Geofencing Smart Action?

Yes, Geofencing Smart Action will be triggered by each terminal arriving/leaving the associated location.

It is possible to create smart actions from multiple devices. However, the smart action must be configured on the device that will trigger the Smart Action. When viewing the Smart Action on another device, you will see a note indicating that Geofencing is not enabled for this device. This only relates to that device/phone and the Smart Action is still operating in the cloud based on the location of your other phone. It is not currently possible to manage or edit Geolocation Triggers created on another device.

Q6: Is it necessary to keep the Kasa App running for Geofencing Smart Action (SA) to work?

• If the Kasa app is running in the background, your Smart Action WILL take effect.
• If you exit the Kasa app and kill the background process, your Smart Action WILL take effect.
• If you uninstall the Kasa App, your Smart Action WILL NOT take effect.
• If your Kasa App disconnects from the Internet, your Smart Action WILL NOT take effect.

Q7: Does Kasa Geofencing invade my data security or privacy?

You have nothing to worry about. We care about your data security and privacy. Kasa will not keep track of your geographic location but will only send basic notification information to execute your Smart Actions when you arrive or leave home. We will not store any events you report nor share them with any third parties.

Refer to the below link for more information about Kasa’s Privacy Policy: https://www.tp-link.com/us/about-us/kasa-privacy/

Q8: Is there any delay in Geofencing when it works as a trigger of smart actions?

Theoretically, it can be triggered instantly, or you can customize the delay action to do delayed triggering, the delay time range is 1s-24h.

Q9: What are the benefits of turning on Enhanced Location on Android Devices?

The Enhanced Location setting is only for Android devices. Enabling the feature will allow the Kasa app to ask your device for more accurate location data at a higher frequency. Please Note that enabling Enhanced Location may consume more power.

Q10: Does Power-Saving Mode on a Phone Affect the Geofencing Feature?

Yes, the feature may limit the obtaining requests from the Kasa App to the terminal for location data, thus affecting the normal use of Geofencing. You may consider removing the Kasa App from the list of devices affected by your power-saving feature; however, your location may still be slow to update.

Q11: What is the Range of Effective Radius? What is the Maximum Area Size That Can Be Used

You can choose an Effective Radius from 100m (328 ft) to 2000m (1.24 mile)

Q12: Is the phone/tablet used to determine the location based on GPS only or both GPS, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi?

The location service relies only on the GPS service.