Belkin WeMo Home Automation Switch for Apple iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch

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Belkin WeMo Home Automation Switch for Apple iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Review

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You can trust my review, bad or good is your choice and i hope you can try to buy this product and then you know this product good or no. Next time you can make a review for another people.

Update: 12/16/12: There have been several firmware updates since the product first came out. The device seems to hang less often now than when I noted below... on the order of once every 2 to 3 weeks.

I should note, I have several IP Power Switch boxes. I use them for things like controlling my network, network devices and stereo devices. These work off of wired ethernet, and have many plugs on the back that are addressable. I note this only to make clear I already understand some of the shortcomings of these types of devices.

OK, that said, these are really nice for the right application.

Power Throughput
First, since I searched high and low for this information (on Belkin's site - everywhere) and could not find it... the device packaging indicates that it can handle 15A throughput. Amazon should really add that to the product description, since I consider it pretty important.

Setup (MAC address printed on the back is wrong)
There is a trick in the setup and it ended up wasting about an hour of time. That is, the MAC address written on the back of the device is off by one. I'm guessing that is because it probably has 2 wi-fi network cards in it. I'll note that in a second. But, if you have your wireless network setup to filter by MAC address, the address printed on the back is off by one... so add one to it for the wireless network you will need to "filter" (and for those not technical, remember it is HEX, so one more than 9 is A, and one more than F is like adding 10). you can use a hex calculator on the internet if that isn't enough. I won't bore you with how I figured this out... and they may change it at some later date, but that is the current situation.

Setup (Aside from the wrong MAC address)
It is (in my opinion) really nice. I think they have 2 wi-fi adapters in the device, because you first setup your iPhone (or other iOS device) to connect to the switch. I was assuming once you connected through the iOS app and entered your network information, you would loose connection and just have to assume everything worked, as it switched the single wi-fi adapter's settings and connected to your wifi network. But, conveniently, it stayed connected to my iPhone, helping diagnose the problem... thus I figured there were 2 wifi adapters. I think this is a really nice touch - and will really help. Kind of nullified by putting the wrong adapter's MAC address on the back of the device - but, we all make mistakes. The setup otherwise went smooth.

WAN Setup
Effortless - I did nothing. No router settings, technical people will understand the weakness of this approach, but for everyone else, it is mindless... just worked.

IFTT (If This Then That)
Is a website not associated with Belkin other than that it supports their device. You should note, it only supports a single device currently. So, you can't get too complicated, but it does not it will support more than one at some time in the future. I really like this function. There is a fair amount of capability when a sensor is triggered (if you have the sensor device), or a switch was turned on/off. You can tell the IFTT website to do something, like send you and email notifying you of such. And conceivably significantly more at some point in the future.

How it Works
There is a nice iOS device that reports the state of the device (currently on or off, or in the case of the motion sensor sensing motion or not sensing motion). In the case of the power switch, you can change it's state from the iOS device or by pressing the "override" button on the device itself." In the case of the motion sensor, you can tell it what to do when motion is sensed... like power on a switch. It should be noted, the sensor and the power switch are two separate devices. The power switch that comes in the motion sensor pack, is the same power switch you can buy individually, and neither the sensor or the power switch are tied to each other specifically. That is to say, the motion sensor can control any belkin switch. It has a lot of potential.

How it Doesn't Work
It seems to have the same weaknesses that any wireless network device has... loosing connection after long periods. This may well be fixed in a firmware updated, but for me, right now, the power devices seem to crash after being plugged in for a couple of days. I had it on a nite light in our hall (just to test reliability). I setup a schedule to turn the light on at dusk and off at sunrise. Pretty simple, and something you'd want to work before heavily investing in them. It works for 2 or 3 days, then "hangs." Doesn't show up in the iOS app, and won't respond to the button on the device. After pressing the button, it would "reconnect" to the network after a minute or two, and be fine for another couple days. This didn't just happen once. Also note it is located in an area where the network has solid strength (current version Apple Time Capsule). Also, my wireless network is not setup directly to a cable modem... I have a router between, so the wireless network stays up 24x7, though the WAN may end up cycling itself. So, when it crashes, it saves it state - on or off... just stops responding. That's really the problem, because you "really" want it to cycle itself if it can't reach a network. I should note, the motion sensor doesn't seem to hang, but I have to honestly say, it isn't as obvious a situation to test. But every time I tested it, no matter uptime, it was active and responded correctly.

So, I wouldn't use this for something mission critical... or said another way, something you need to work.

Weaknesses
It is big, I can't use the other plug in a typical 2 or 4 outlet setup when it is plugged in. There are work arounds, but you get the point. The reliability. I can't see using this for much home automation.

Strengths
It is ALOT cheaper than other similar products, and it has a lot of potential to do things because of the "programming" type if/then abilities it has. For example, my more expensive IP Switches have a function to "IF" it cannot reach a website (either immediately or after a certain number of time or tries), "THEN" cycle a power outlet... or many power outlets, or the device itself. This is a lifesaver for any technical person. I have it setup to watch google's DNS servers (8.8.8.8). If it can't reach that site for at least 5 minutes, then recycle the cable modem. If after 5 recycles of the cable modem, I have it recycle the cable modem and the network router (and switches). So, my network fixes itself. The belkin could do this with a little more smarts for only $50! That would be a virtual must have for anyone technical. I also think if they would add in wall light switches to the "system" I think you could get a lot further along. Perhaps multiple outlet devices, etc.

You can feel the potential.

Summary
If you have a non-critical device or system that you want to control: this is your device. If you want to put a sensor by your front and back door, and get an email when it triggers, then turn on a couple of lights (say in 2 minutes, then turn off in 5)... then this is your device. Just know, for now at least, it could hang and not do what you expect.
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This is my review from high rate, but you can see another review from this store and you can get this product with good service.