Wemo Insight WiFi Enabled Smart Plug, with Energy Monitoring, Works with Alexa (Discontinued by Manufacturer - Newer Version Available)

Took a very long time to set up. Had all sorts of issues trying to get the app to recognize the device. I had to actually put it aside and try again the following day because it just wasnt working. Two days later, AFTER I already filled out the amazon return request, i tried one last time to set it up. It FINALLY worked. Now when I use it, Alexa never understands me the first time. I dont have that problem with any other commands except when I ask her to to turn this thing on. There should be a better way to have Alexa turn this thing on then by calling it Insight or Wemo Insight. Especially if she cant understand what Im saying the first time.

The switch functions well manually or from the smartphone app. My problems started when I started to rely on the power consumption calculations. I suspected something was incorrect so I measured the power with two different power meters (scientific quality) to confirm the WeMo was wrong. For example at my machines idle (100 W) WeMo was reading 25 watts too high or 125 W. At full power my machine was reading 704 W and WeMo said 849 W. I also confirmed that my other two WeMo has very similar power calculation inaccuracies. So buyer be warned the the power calculations are consumer friendly but not accurate enough to be of any real value. This product was designed for the average Joe/Jane and not some one who needs accurate power consumption measurements. If you only want a switch that is operated by your smart phone then this is your product, otherwise keep looking.....

These arent the most reliable or stable things in the world but they get the job done. The cool thing about wemo switches is being able to set up all sorts of cool rules and have them interoperate with other online services and stuff. I use a wemo insight to give me a push notification when my electric bike is done charging which is super useful. I use a wemo insight and IFTTT to turn on and off my dehumidifier according to the humidity measured by my netatmo internet connected weather station, then it tracks usage and sends me monthly reports and even send me an alert if the daily cost of dehumidification rises over a certain level. These things are great but you have to think about creative ways to use them to really get the full value out of them. I would recommend always spending the extra money to get the insight because its not that much more expensive but its way more useful to set up interesting behaviors.

I bought this after reading the many mixed reviews. I have a modlet which is a similar device with a set up that is also challenging but I thought Id give the WEMO insight a chance. The modlet is pretty awful from a tech design perspective and this is actually better considering the challenges. The set up instructions are four steps on a short page but includes no troubleshooting. No support info. I tried to set it up and connect it to my wifi network and was unsuccessful about five times. I reset the unit twice trying to set it up. In the end I moved the device right next to my router and was only then able to connect only to my guest network with zero security. Wemo would not connect to any network requiring a password. I checked network settings and without getting into tech details I followed every direction for security on the WEMO web site and still could not connect. But Im only connecting an amplifier to the WEMO so I dont really care about it getting hacked but it was annoying. Once connected the device works great and while the app could be better it is still effective and relatively easy to use. It crashes occasionally but its itherwise ok. This is not the end of connected outlets. Long way to go before average people get this without the patience that buyers here needed to have to buy this. I almost sent it back during repeated failed setup. I cant find the WEMO on my Amazon echo. Not sure why but guessing that they are on different wifi networks since I had to put WEMO on my guest network. But for general controlling and saving energy this is ok. Could be better but with patience I could get the core functionality.

I purchased the Amazon Echo ( Alexa ) and these WeMo WIFI switches x 2 I just wanted to see how this home automation is coming along. I will say that getting these switches up and running for the first time user can be a bit daunting..... The app you download to your phone or tablet from Google play store for Android is a bit frustrating and needs some more fine tuning I am sure Belkin is aware of this and will have updates in the future. Also my WiFi was fighting to make a connection with the switch and until you find the WeMo switch in your WIFI settings and make the connection the app stays on the HOW TO page. Anyway a bit of a learning curve however once the connection is made its smooth sailing. Once the switches were up and running on my network all I had to do next was ask Alexa to search for new devices and she found them. I then reopened the WeMo app and gave my switches names Like for example ( Table Light ) Then you just simply tell or ask Alexa turn on table light and wallah!! the table light comes on. And the same thing in reveres Alexa turn off table light and again Wallah off goes the light. I really love the automation and they do work very well I will be purchasing more when I feel I have the need for more Automation. So you have two ways to control these switched outlets Number One app on your Phone or Tablet Android or IOS or my favorite Voice control with Alexa (Amazon Echo) I only gave this a 4 Star just because of the not so streamlined configuration. But once you get the hang off making the connection its not so bad.. Belkin WeMo Insight Switch, Control Your Electronics and Monitor Energy Usage From Anywhere with the Home Automation App for Smartphones and Tablets, Wi-Fi Enabled, Compatible with Amazon Echo]]

I tried to use this on multiple objects in my room, and I ended up having it sit on my side dresser for awhile after being disappointed. Kind of thick, so if you have an outlet behind something against the wall, be prepared not to use it there or to have it sticking out a good amount. For some reason, some of things I tried to use this on was hard to plug into. Bad planning on my part and even stupidity, but for some reason didnt expect this to be 3 prongs. After having to do some cleaning and moving around, I was able to set this up to my main bedroom light. Setup was a little wonky at first, but it was pretty easy and painless in the long run. Thought I read somewhere that you could walk into room with this, and it would pick up your phone and turn the light on for you. Didnt see this option in setting unfortunately. Man am I satisfied though! There was some disappointed with the setup of things, expectations, and settings.. but overall I would recommend this. So far one of the cheapest routes for this type of thing for lights, and one of the few at this time that work with Amazon Echo. Love it with my Alexa!

Easy setup, schedule is great, works as advertised with iOS. Setup: It was four steps. I dont think the first two should even count. 1: Plug it in. 2: Down and install app on your device 3: On your phone, select the wifi created by Wemo 4: Launch the app and follow instructions. The only issues I could imagine would be caused by poor wifi, or failing to select the wifi created by WeMo for setup. I kept my phone close to it for setup since I figured it wouldnt make a powerful wifi. Then I moved them where I needed including one outside in my shed. Now I use two of them to run my landscape lights and a lamp. I love that the schedule includes a sunrise/sunset that takes into account your location. It can also be set to turn on/off some period of time before or after sunrise/sunset. Ive used them for a few weeks and havent needed to touch them since the setup.

I used this switch in conjunction with a transformer to get my 220v window/wall air conditioner in my apartment to work with the switch, and to automate it and get my setup as close as I could to a NEST Smart Thermostat, which unfortunately, only works with central air/heating/cooling. The transformer I got allowed me to plug in my air conditioner to this device and run the A/C at full power without frying anything, and this switch is awesome in terms of features and automation. Ill get to that in a bit. The setup is pretty intuitive and easy. You just plug it in to the power outlet, connect your smartphone to the WiFi network it creates, set up your device, then connect through the app to your home WiFi network, which will connect the device directly to the home WiFi network. I had a little trouble here with the device not being recognized by the app sometimes and I realized that this was because it was right on the fringe of where my WiFi reaches, even though my smartphone has 2-3 bars of WiFi in that same spot. It was because the WeMo Insight was plugged into a power strip and the device was basically positioned upside-down because of how the power strip was situated. I fixed this by just twisting and bringing the power strip up by like a foot so that the Insight was in the orientation it would be if it were plugged directly into a wall, and since Ive done that, no disconnection problems. The automation is sweet. First, just through the WeMo app, I set up a timer to automatically turn on the A/C at midday and turn off in the middle of the night because I like it to be cold when I go to sleep but sometimes it gets so cold if I leave the A/C on that I wake up and have to turn it off. No more. Then I installed the IFTTT (IF This, Then That) app to use in conjunction with the WeMo app that lets me set up custom recipes for automation that have like an infinite number of options and variables. So far, I have it set to turn on the A/C if its off and I come into a 1/4 mile range of my apartment, turn off the A/C if I leave that area, and turn on the A/C if its off and the outside temperature exceeds a certain range that I set, that the app uses Weather Channel to check. In all, this is a super awesome device for my air conditioner once I got my high-powered 5000w transformer and I intend to get WeMo light switches for all the LED lights I just installed in my apartment to bring down my power bill.

An update to my previous rating and review. After many updates this has become a much more stable device. While I havent been brave enough to factory reset and configure from scratch, day to day usage has much improved for both the Android app and the device itself. I do wish the USB port were useable to configure the device. Currently it only provides power to the device, which is more convenient than having it plugged into an actual outlet while you set the WEMO up. You still have to use the iOS or Android app to configure. Previously, maintaining a connection to the WEMO long enough to complete the configuration was a problem. ------------------------------------------------- Previous review: Attempting to set up a WEMO is more painful then rabies shots or puberty. Setting up from an Android device as far as I can tell is not possible and from an iOS device is an exercise in patients and self loathing. If you successfully configure the device it works quite well, up until it mysteriously loses its configuration. From that point on, good luck ever getting the thing to work again. 20 years of configuring all kinds of networking equipment and wireless devices and never have I disliked a device as much as this.

I must have good luck or maybe my **NEW** router with the 5G (which i dont think this connects to anyway)has great range and so far I have not had any problems! Review: Its a simple device you plug in , download the Wemo app, connect to your router (there are instructions on screen to help guide you through) The connection IS NOT IMMEDIATE so be patient till it all gets set up. YOU WILL HAVE TO DOWNLOAD AN UPDATE of the FIRMWARE which enables the Wemo plug to work (it will not work straight out of the box) After you enter your password for your router and it connects to your network youre ready to go! The rules (AKA TIMERS) in which you set can have a learning curve because the timers for on and off arent clear cut the way it is for the sun rise sunset timer. If you play with it for a couple of minutes you will get it soon enough. I do not know how many rules/timers you can have, but at this time I have three (3) rules and I have my Wemo plug ***hooked up to a Quirky power pivot*** to give me six (6) plugs instead of JUST the one outlet! SO I can control the ON/OFF times of multiple tablets or phones(or what ever is plugged in at the time) from that one plug! The down side to that is they are all connected together so you CANT control each plug/outlet from your power strip individually BUT so what!!!! You dont have to use it like this you can JUST use the ONE outlet for ONE light or what ever you want plugged into it but I FELT this(plugging a power strip into the Wemo) is better for me and what I am using it for! I have the app downloaded on to 3 separate phones and 1 tablet! All of the rules/timers can be seen and edited from each of your connected phones/tablets and you can add more rules (timers) if you want at any time! You can also use the insight switch manually to turn off and on by lightly pressing the touch on off switch on the plug it self! I have not had any problems with it so far and am pleased with my purchase and what this plug does! I will be looking to buy another down the road.