Wemo Light Switch, Wi-Fi enabled, control lights from your phone, works with Alexa

Pros: • Minimal packaging • Some recyclable materials • Great instructions for physical instruction • Switch looks modern and stylish • Indicator light on switch is not too bright and easy to identify • Works with Alexa and IFTTT • Scheduling works without any problem – on and off when expected

Cons: • App WiFi setup. Needlessly long and cumbersome. • WiFi – restricted to 2.4GHz band • Must be within range of WiFi, which can pose challenges for some households that don’t have wide-sweeping coverage. • App is average to poor. • No website for remote control.

Overall Review: • Physical installation of the unit took me about 20 minutes. 1. Find circuit breaker, and turn it off. 2. Remove old light switch. 3. Install WeMo light switch, and fit into receptacle, which was a tight fit. • App and WiFi setup took a total of 4 hours. 4 freaking hours! Why, because the WeMo switch would not connect to any of the 3 access points that I have setup. I read numerous posts on the Belkin forums, changed settings, and jumped through many hoops. Finally, I just gave up. One week later, I take a crack at it again, and it magically connects on the first try. Go figure. Very frustrating. • Practicality: Why even have a controllable light switch? It seems that novelty would be one answer. “Hey, I can turn my lights on and off with an app,” grows old very quickly when flipping a normal switch takes seconds. The key practical usage is scheduling, and this is how I use this switch in my home to control an outside light where we routinely let our dog in and out of the house from. I also light to have the light on for the added nighttime security. • Scheduling: I setup the switch to turn on at 4:30pm and off at 6:30pm every day (sunset to sunrise during the winter). This will automate a process I do every day manually when I am home and away. That’s night. What would be GREAT is if it would adjust to daylight changes…and I could just get a sensor switch on the light to control that, and it would be cheaper. • Install note: as per instructions, single pole switch only. OK, that’s not a problem, but it does limit my usage to about 60% of all switches in my house. • Install note: switch receptacle must be large, meaning deep or it will be a tight fit. • Must be within range of WiFi. This is very limiting. You can only remotely control the device if and only if the switch can connect to WiFi. Otherwise, it is just like any other switch, but 20 times more expensive.

Pros: I installed this a couple weeks ago and have been happy with it. The WeMo app works very well, it hasn't once given me an issue. It's pretty simple to install for my home I was able to get this done in about 10 minutes. I put it on a ceiling fan switch which easily controls the fan. I also own a Google Home which has IFTTT support. It's not quite as simple as Alexa makes it if you have that system but getting it working wasn't painstaking and you can control the light on/off this way.

Cons: I have it on a light that supports dimming but the switch doesn't support this feature. It's a little pricey for a light switch but if you want to get into a smart home this'll do it.

Overall Review: The faceplateisn't the highest quality plastic but it works. I would prefer some other options other than white to match other plates I have. I do like the design of it when it's mounted though.

Pros: - Turn anything normally controlled by a switch on-off through wifi or by scheduling. - Very easy to setup and use even for inexperienced people (keep in mind you still are supposed to have a licensed electrician install anything like this). - Is still a manual switch on top of it in case of any wireless issues. - Gets a great signal even though i used a metal based receptacle.

Cons: Price... like seriously its a light switch, it does seem to be very well manufactured and sturdy and not a fire hazard.. but it will always be a wallet hazard at 45$. Says it requires a functioning secondary ground (green) wire. In my opinion forcefully requiring it is still a bit harsh.. (see other)

Overall Review: Though it requires a functioning secondary ground (green) wire some very old homes may not be fully updated or even have a bad ground wire system. You 'could' skip around this by attaching the green secondary ground wire alongside the white primary ground wire since they both generally go to the same place (given you have no other wiring issues it 'should' be fine). Its best if you have absolutely no experience to contact a qualified electrician or someone who has wired/fixed AC outlets before to test them especially if trying that idea. Other than the fact that this review may be pointless now, its still a great product even though its a bit high priced. I think its best usage will be outdoor lights scheduled to come on when your home using the 'if this then that' app related stuff or just to remotely do that.

Pros: - Hardware is not dependent on a bulb or plug. Replaces existing switch. - Nice design and very modern look. - Works with Echo. - App works pretty well.

Cons: - Takes some time to physically install, vs. just buying a WIFI LED bulb. - If you have issues, you have to put your old switch back. - App is a little long to install, or was for me at least. - Pricey - No dimmer!

Overall Review: Having reviewed the pros and cons, I'd probably just stick to WIFI bulbs and switches going forward (which I have many of). But if you don't want to pay for the expensive bulbs, this is your ticket. There's something to be said for having it in the switch I think. At least, I'm sure some people may prefer that. It's a cool gadget, but there are lots now to choose from. Glad I tried it for comparison to other Smart bulbs/switches.

Pros: Pro's +Clean design +Simple installation +It is a smart switch The instructions were pretty good but they were unclear that you had to connect to the WEMO device with the wireless on your phone. I knew I had to do this, because of my wireless Emerson thermostat (Highly recommended). Once I did find a place to install the light switch it worked exactly as advertised, and was a nice addition to a smart network. The app is very simple and easy to setup, so a big kudos for that work! Unfortunately, though there are some obvious shortcoming for this item that I cannot overlook as a home improvement guy.

Cons: Cons -$$$ -No dimmer -No three-way support (even with 2 switches?) The place I wanted to install this item was a no go! It was for a bedroom with an overhead ceiling fan. This was a no go! Because a ceiling fan is considered a 3-way switch. The wiring instructions were actually more confusing than anything. I have wired up plenty of lights and electrical things myself, so I knew how it was supposed to be done. However, if someone was not familiar with how electricity works then, I can see them being completely frustrated. The price is what really gets me here for the limited functionality of the switch. It really needs to be about half this price before I would even consider installing it all over my home, but then again I am not rich. I could not install this switch because it does not support 3-way switches! This was a design choice, I know they could have made it work even with two switches installed and be able to talk to each other. Or even installing a secondary dummy switch, but that is not even an option. Unfortunately for me, the majority of my light switches are 3-way in my house. The absent feature that truly did disappoint me the most, was the lack of a dimmer. That also severely limits where I can put this switch.

Overall Review: I do love the idea of a smart house, especially for the traveler. It is such a great convenience to have that. However, This Belkin product line needs to seriously redesign this line of products quickly, if it is ever to survive.

Pros: + Clean looking design + Easy to install - where permitted + Clear and concise instructions + Lit LED allows for ease of finding the switch in the dark + Nicely laid out WEMO app with intuitive GUI

Cons: - Single clip on switch plate - problem with ganged switches - Price?

Overall Review: I recieved this switch in return for an unbiased review. Having said that, I did not realize the difficulty I would have in finding the perfect location for the switch. I would have preferred installing it on say an outside light or garage light, but it was not permitted there. Every outside light I have is either in a ganged box or controlled with a 3 way switch. This made it difficult for me to install the switch where I thought it would be the most useful. As it were, I installed it in a bedroom with a single switch controlling the overhead light. Not my idea of the best use of the switch, but it did allow me to test it out. Overall I really like the switch. It was very easy to install. It looks really nice and performs exactly as described. The lit LED is a nice feature for locating the switch in a dark room. The WEMO App is very nicely laid out with a great UI and so easy to use. You can set it up to turn on and turn off at numerous times. Belkin put some thought and time into the design of this app. As long as they continue to support the app, I see no problems there. I say this due to an issue with an older Belkin security cam that is accessible using their smart phone app. It worked and did so well, until an update to the app rendered the whole thing useless. Now the camera can only be viewed using the Belkin website and not via your cell phone Belkin security cam app. If you are shopping for a smart light switch, this one is the Cadillac of switches in my opinion. It looks good and does what it was designed for. Keep in mind the switch cannot be 3 way and it needs to be a stand alone for the switch plate to cover it. It is up to the individual if the cost justifies the benefit to you.

Pros: The Wemo light switch is an interesting and very neat addition to my smart house. The switch is very easy to install, comes with very clear instructions. Its a single gang switch plate a proprietary clip on bezel. Very easy to snap on (not as easy to remove). Once its installed and in the wall it looks great. The actuation force required to press and depress is spot on, with a satisfying bump to turn the light on and off. It also has a neat white LED (always on) which is convenient for finding the switch in the dark, and a green power emblem is illuminated in the black circle to indicate when it is on. I find the last mentioned feature useful when the light it activates is in another location. Like a garage. You can easily glimpse and see the green illumination from across the room, and then exercise extreme lethargy by pulling up your phone, launching the app and turning it off. The app is user friendly and easy to setup and use. It offers features that allow you to set scheduled timers, or turn it on and off on your own remotely. Neat applications are if you are coming home late, the house is dark, you didn’t anticipate being out so long, you simply turn a light on so there is some light and you are not fumbling around in the dark. Again, over all construction of the switch is great, easy to setup, nice lighting features that make it user friendly and accessible. Worked exactly as anticipated.

Cons: If I were to say cons, they are largely just in comparison to other things on the market. HUE lighting (like the Wemo bulbs) tends to cover a lot of functionality and needs, and it also connects to hub services, as well as has its own supported features UI. But is it the same thing? No, but I guess the question is, for the price will you be satisfied? I don’t know if I find it a completely justifiable price. Also with the single gang switch, I only have 3 of those in my entire house. Everything else is 2-4. Broader support for adapters, and installation would be nice. The cost isn’t enough for me to drop an egg, but its right there on the edge. I'm just consumer minded... I want to feel like I get what I pay for, ideally every consumer wants to feel like they get MORE, than what they pay for.

Overall Review: Smart house stuff is fun, its fun to have, to be able to control your home from anywhere. Locks on doors, the AC/Heat, cameras, speakers, smoke alarms, and light switches. Automation control is just something loading up for the future days. I find this an adequate addition to my arsenal of gadgets. At the current price, its hard not to feel like I might have a buyers remorse, and infact when speaking to someone about it, they had actually wanted one but opted for something else because the Wemo price was too much for what they wanted out of it. Food for thought maybe. While its nice, its no mind blowing piece of tech for the cost. If its something you must have then it has my recommendation.