You may want to send a Kasa or Tapo Wi-Fi Power Strip to AstroPeak so you can control the power to your equipment from home. There are a couple options for getting the power strip ready to send.
If You Don't Have a Kasa/Tapo Account Already
Follow the instructions that came with the power strip to download the Kasa or Tapo app and set up an online account to control it. If you are presented with an option to set up two-factor authentication (2FA), you should skip that step. Once you've created the account and paired your power strip with your local network, send it to us and include your login credentials in your install ticket.
If You Already Have a Kasa/Tapo Account
If you previously set up your account, make sure two-factor authentication (2FA) is turned off on that account. You don't necessarily need to pair the power strip with your local network. You can send it to us new right out of the box. Make sure to include the credentials for your Kasa/Tapo account.
Why Do I Have to Turn Off 2FA?
When we try to log into your account at the observatory, it's going to go through the 2FA procedure by sending an email or text to you and we won't be able to log in.
Important: We Need the SSID or MAC Address
When we turn on your power strip and try to pair it to the Wi-Fi network in the observatory, it will be impossible to know which of the 50-60 power strips in the building is yours. So we need you to tell us the SSID or MAC address.
If you pair the power strip to your home network, it will ask you to connect to its Wi-Fi network. The network name (SSID) will look something like TP-LINK-xxxx. We need to know that network name.
Alternately, if you don't pair it with your home network, there's a MAC address on the bottom/back of the power strip. Include the MAC address in your installation ticket if you don't have the network name.
Assigning Devices to Outlets and Naming Your Outlets in the App
When we pair the Kasa/Tapo strip to the AstroPeak network, it will erase any settings you previously configured. If you care what device goes into which outlet, label the outlet so we'll know. In any case, we'll name the outlets in your Kasa/Tapo account so you know what is plugged into each outlet. If you want to edit the names or upload pictures to identify the outlets, you can do that once we're done.