Belkin's world of Wemo plants some spring bulbs early
Belkin has been slowing building it Wemo range, and this is kit pretty much defines what people expect when you talk about 'home automation'. It provides a couple of Wemo LED 60 watt equivalent bayonet cap bulbs, and the critical Wemo Link box to enable them to be controlled.
The Link provides a bridge to connect the blubs to your local wi-fi, reducing the technology needed in the actual bulbs dramatically. Technically, I think it uses a form of Xbee to facilitate communication with the Link, which in turn uses wi-fi to connect to the rest of the universe.
Once you've got the Link unit to see them and a wi-fi network you can then use the iOS/Android Wemo app to turn them on and off, dim, and even program them to come on a certain times of the day or based on other triggers.
What's slightly strange is that there isn't a web interface to use from the PC, even though the devices can talk to the internet. I know this because they're compatible with IFTTT ("If This Then That"), even if Belkin hasn't yet released the firmware upgrade to unhook that specific feature.
After using these for a while, I become aware of good and bad sides to these devices that are well worth knowing before investing. The positive side of the kit is that it provides two very nice bulbs, each with a 23 year lifespan (based on three hours use a day) that you can easily control with a smartphone or tablet.
The dimer can be adjusted in 1% increments, and rather than turning off they fade down rather slickly.
My issues are to do with how the conventional light switch controls can entirely scupper them, because once a light is off at the switch, it isn't possible to make it light up. Belkin do make a Wemo light switch, but to use these bulbs exclusively you need to turn them on at the switch and then control them using the app. That's fine to a point - but what happens when someone unfamiliar with the system comes into the house and wonders why the lights won't switch on from the switch?
In this respect the Wemo bulbs seem a really nice idea, but don't actually play well with the way that lighting is electronically wired in our homes. Then there is the price.
Nearly £80 does seem rather steep for a couple of lightbulbs, even in 2015. The bulbs themselves cost about £25, and you can add more using the Link box in this kit. An equivalent dimmable LED blub from OSRAM would cost you about £15, so the Wemo control adds about a tenner to the cost of each one.
If I was going to make that level of investment throughout the house I'd need more justification than its cool technology, even if I can see some amazing possibilities. When the lightbulbs are on IFTTT as promised, I may well feel differently about them. Mark Pickavance
A glimpse into the automated home of the future.