So, many complain that the connection process is annoying, does not work, ETC ETC . i had bought initially 4 to test them all out, and they were good, so ended up buying two more for my relatives as gifts and because I have one for which I have not found a use after Christmas is over. Yeah, for first time setting up, ALL plugs you intend to use need to be one meter or max 4 feet away from a wifi access point and it needs to be 2.4 ghz. I believe this is because of speed and data transfer rates and so on. So connect your phone to that network first, then use the smart life app to connect them to the network. When you plug them in, press the button they have for about 5 seconds (they turn off then back on and you hear the clicking noise) Then, use the app to scan for a new plug. These take about 20 to 40 seconds to be scanned and paired up with the local network, so give it time. Then update the firmware for each one. In total I guess it takes about 10 minutes if you buy 4, to get set up.Usage is straightforward and you can create scenes, or everyday routines with scheduled times using smartlife. I connected my google account to that so there is no need to create more accounts on more sites and so on. Also, in the last couple weeks I have been using these, no malfunctions whatsoever, no overheating, no funny things with scheduling even when network is down, they work from several feet (about 50 or so) away from the access point (I guess they use ethernet powerline approaches or the electric circuit on the entire house to communicate with the net) and of course, no spying which is by far the most ridiculous complaint with the cheaper smart plugs.Sometimes if you control them manually they might take more than a second to turn on or off, but then again network and internet does have its lag from time to time with whatever service you might use. ONLY drawback I found is that you cannot use two bulky connectors on a single electrical outlet, these are not as thin and so sometimes you must use one per electrical outlet but you can solve that easily by plugging them into a short extension cord or beside a cable that does not take much space, or as part of a power strip and so on.