{"id":16333,"date":"2015-07-15T04:27:02","date_gmt":"2015-07-14T21:27:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wellconnectedmom.com\/blog\/?p=16333"},"modified":"2015-07-15T04:39:49","modified_gmt":"2015-07-14T21:39:49","slug":"wemo-makes-home-automation-simple","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wellconnectedmom.com\/blog\/wemo-makes-home-automation-simple\/","title":{"rendered":"WeMo Makes Home Automation Simple!"},"content":{"rendered":"

 <\/p>\n

\"WeMo<\/a><\/p>\n

WeMo<\/a>, by Belkin, makes home automation a breeze!\u00a0 They offer a suite of products for home automation and the process could not be more simple.<\/p>\n

I recently had the opportunity to try out two of their products, the LED Lighting Starter Set <\/a>and the Insight Switch<\/a>.\u00a0 Both were impressive pieces of technology that can help you cut down on electrical costs and monitor usage from anywhere with an internet connection!<\/p>\n

\"Screenshot_2015-07-01-10-28-15\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

WeMo Insight Switch<\/span><\/h2>\n

The first thing I noticed when I plugged in the WeMo Insight switch was that I did not have to configure it to my computer in order to get it online.\u00a0 The set up was so easy.\u00a0 Honestly, I have tried various products and the set up can sometimes make you want to take the product back!\u00a0 Wemo definitely does not fall into that category.<\/p>\n

I plugged the switch into my outlet and downloaded the app.\u00a0 The switch itself gives off a WiFi signal.\u00a0 You connect your WiFi up to the WeMo, input your own WiFi password, and it automatically does the rest; including switching your smartphone back to your home WiFi.\u00a0 The app even allows you to store your home WiFi information so that setting up a second system is even easier!<\/p>\n

\"20150629_195214\"<\/a>
\nThe first thing that caught my eye on the Insight Switch, is that it tracks how much energy your appliance uses and calculates an estimated monthly usage.\u00a0 This is such an awesome tool!\u00a0 It states that my Keurig is likely only making up about $1 of my monthly electric bill.\"Screenshot_2015-07-01-09-35-04\"<\/p>\n

Whew!\u00a0I would hate to give up my coffee!<\/p>\n

Here is where the cool part comes in – you can not only shut off your device from your phone, but you can also set a timer or rules for when it should be shut off.\u00a0 You can choose to shut it off after 5 minutes of inactivity or 1 hour!\u00a0 Awesome!<\/p>\n

I am pretty good about shutting off the lights of our house when they are not in use, but I am horrible about checking my appliances.\u00a0 This is a great way to save energy costs on some of your high wattage appliances.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

WeMo LED Lighting Starter Set<\/span><\/h2>\n

The second WeMo device that I hooked up was a lighting kit.\u00a0 The starter kit came with the base (the part that gets plugged into the outlet) and 2 light bulbs.<\/p>\n

\"WeMo<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Again, the set up was simple, and since my WiFi settings were already stored from the Insight Switch, all I had to do was search for the new device.<\/p>\n

Here is what is great about the automated lighting.\u00a0 The app allows you to create rules as to when the light bulb gets shut off.\u00a0 It can be a certain time of the night, or you can put it on a timer.\u00a0 So when I tell the kids,\u00a0 “You have 30 minutes till you need to shut down and go to sleep” I can set the timer on the app to shut off the lights in 30 minutes.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Screenshot_2015-07-01-10-28-22\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The other thoughtful built-in tool is the ability to dim the lights.\u00a0 You can choose full brightness or scale it back to any given percentage.\u00a0 This is great depending on the time of day or what you are doing.<\/p>\n

WeMo Home Automation<\/span><\/h2>\n

Pros:<\/strong><\/p>\n