Hue smart plug (non-dimmable) not working in C4

Where this came from: this question was asked on c4forums/General Control4 — not here. We answered it there, in public, and this is that answer.

Andrew is right that the Kasa dropouts are more likely network than driver, and I won't rehash that. On the Hue plug, what you're running into isn't a settings problem you can fix in Composer.

The stock Control4 Hue drivers bring bridge devices in on the light proxy. A non-dimmable plug only ever reports on/off back to the bridge, so there's no level for the proxy to hold, and the keypad button LED has nothing to track. That's why you can slide it and it works but the state reads 0 forever. Updating the driver won't change it, because the mismatch is in how the device is being exposed, not in the communication.

You have two ways out. The kludge: leave the keypad button unbound, program the press to toggle the plug, and drive the LED colour yourself in programming off a boolean variable you maintain. It works right up until somebody uses the Hue app or a Hue dimmer switch, and then your variable and the plug disagree and the LED lies to you. On a plug that can also be controlled from a phone, I wouldn't do it. The other way is the third-party driver Andrew mentioned. Chowmain lists the Hue Smart Plug as a supported device (https://chowmain.software/drivers/control4-phillips-hue; OS 3.4.3+, no HC-series controllers, 90-day trial), so the trial will show you how it comes into Composer before you pay.

My actual opinion: I'm wary of putting any app-controlled plug on a keypad button. The Hue plug talks Zigbee to the Hue bridge rather than Wi-Fi, which helps, but anything a phone app can also control can drift out of step with a keypad LED. Anything that gets a hard button in a room needs to report its own state reliably. If there's a way to get a proper relay or a C4-native outlet device in that location instead, that's what I'd spend the money on rather than on driver workarounds. Whether that's practical depends on what the plug is actually running.

If you want a second set of eyes, post or send me your OS version, the Hue bridge generation, the stock driver version, and what the plug shows as in the Hue app (light vs plug vs on/off accessory). I'll tell you whether the paid driver is going to fix it or whether you'd be buying a driver that hits the same wall. No charge for that, and if the answer is that you don't need to buy anything I'll say so.

For disclosure: I'm a Control4 and Lutron dealer and do remote work on these systems.