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

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.

The product works great for an air conditioner -- once you get it working. Thats the hard part. For me, the trickiest piece was realizing that the device will work reliably only on a DEDICATED 2.4 GHz WiFi band. If you have your router set up to use the same SSID over both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz, it may not work. I had to go into my router settings and create a dedicated 2.4 GHz band (I named it SSID - 2.4 GHz, and named my separate 5 GHz band SSID - 5 GHz). I then connected the Insight to that band. Once my phone was on the same band, I could set up the device correctly. After initial setup, I could switch my phone to the 5 GHz band (or any other internet connection) and control the switch. All in all, its a great product and very convenient if you have a device you want to control remotely. But getting it set up does take some work. EDIT: See the helpful comment from PC Tech below on avoiding damage to an air conditioner. In short, dont turn the AC on and off in quick succession.

Theres a lot to like about the updated Belkin WeMo Insight Switch. It is compact, and the process of installing, handshaking, and setting preferences is designed to be streamlined. Unfortunately, however, as of the early-February app and firmware updates, Belkin is still leaving a lot of functionality and dependability issues on the table. Thus, the brief version of my recommendation is to start with one or two units for which you have specific uses. Watch for and download any future updates that address stability and functionality, and when the product is performing to your standards, buy any additional units that youd like. And note that after you put your initial units through their paces, you may well be satisfied as-is. Following is the longer version of my experience with the WeMo Insight outlet switch. I will add to it over time, and if you have questions, please add them to the comments and I will respond as quickly as possible. I have posted a few images showing app messages on the product page. SETUP. Belkin focused on making setup smooth and intuitive, and your switched outlet comes with a quick-start card that takes you through the process. These instructions are mirrored in the app, once you download and launch it. I suggest that when you start, you plug your new Insight into an electrical outlet thats as near as conveniently possible to your router, because youll probably be provided with the option of downloading a firmware update (say yes). Ive provided two customer images of what my phone displayed during the update process. SIZE, PORTABILITY. The Insight is a grounded, pass-through plug. If you put it in the top outlet of a vertical two-outlet receptacle, you will still have clear access to the outlet beneath it. Once I got my Insight up and running, I moved it to other outlets that are neither near nor line-of-sight, and they did communicate acceptably with my wireless network. MONITORING. Part of the reason I addressed the units portability is that I have used it to spot-check electricity consumption of everything from a chest freezer to a recumbent bike. I also checked its accuracy and calibration by testing it with a number of lamps. The WeMo was correct about every device for which I had wattage information, even when I swapped bulb strengths in the same device. CONVENIENCE. One of this units best attributes is its convenience. I appreciate not walking into a dark house, especially during rainy season. I like the ability to modify the programming on the fly, as well as to set a weekly schedule. However, I think Belkin needs to up its game with this aspect of the WeMo family, and I address that in the Concerns section below. CONCERNS. - Consistent first-attempt error where the app doesnt find the WeMo Insight unit. My solution thus far has been to refresh the screen, but this ongoing problem should have been addressed in the firmware update earlier this month. - Programming gives you one choice per day. Contrast this with the old-fashioned physical switches, which let you set two to four on/off cycles per 24-hour period. - Security/privacy issues surrounding having the unit logged on to my password-protected wireless network. One workaround I will be testing is to log on to my guest network and whether the restrictions weve set up in our guest permissions hamper the unit from working when I communicate with it remotely.

I use this to remotely turn on and off a mining rig. For the first few weeks, the android app and the wemo would have frequent problems connecting, often to the point where I would spend at least 10 minutes pressing the power button on the app to get it to turn back on. Additionally, a power outage caused the wemo to refuse connection to my wifi and I ended up resetting the entire device. On to the good part of the story. I updated the wemo and the android app, and now it has performed exactly as I expected. The connection between the app and the insight switch is perfect, connects on the first time, every time now. I no longer have to fight the app to make the switch turn on, it does it on the first button press.

Been looking at this product for a while, but read some reviews where people were having problems with it, so I held off. May of 2014, I decided to press ahead and make the purchase. Instructions have a mere 4 simple steps, so how hard could it be? 1) Plugged in the Switch; 2) Downloaded the app; 3) In Settings, I selected WiFi, then Connect to WeMo network; 4) Launched the WeMo App to complete the process. Sorry, no go. Backed out and re-tried the Launch several times, but I kept getting booted out. Re-started my phone and tried again - no go. Deleted the App and downloaded it a second time; Launched the App and was informed it needed a system upgrade, but I was finally in. To test the system, I plugged an incandescent light fixture into the WeMo Switch and was able to turn it on and off using my iPhone (pretty cool) from about 6 away. OK, not all that impressive. After downloading a second system upgrade that popped up, I then enabled Remote Access, walked to the far end of our property (about 300 ft.) and turned the same light on with my iPhone - at least the indicator light on the App said I did. Walked back into the house to see the light ON! This is as far as Ive progressed with the WeMo, so until I use it further, nothing more to add - other than JUST KEEP PLUGGING AWAY WHEN INSTALLING AND SETTING IT UP... YOULL GET THERE SOONER OR LATER!

The idea behind these WeMo plugs is great. If Belkin could have made an app that was solid I would give this a better review. Set-up was a pain in the rear. I am pretty good with this kind of stuff and was baffled at how confusing the initial set-up was to configure this device. It took me a solid 10 minutes to realize that this device was actually emitting a wifi signal and that I needed to connect to it in order to set it up. I kept wondering why it wasnt connecting with my phone or why the app wasnt connecting to my router. Anyhow, once I got it set up and working properly (so I thought), I plugged my whole house fan into it. Great, now I can control my whole house fan and (which is in my attic) and then have the time set to turn it off. Well... the app is clunky. It wasnt easy and straight forward to set up the timer. It wasnt easy to distinguish if the timer was even enabled or not. Belkin calls it setting a rule. This doesnt seem very consumer friendly to me. Why not just have an option to set a timer and then see a count down? After playing around with it for a bit (turning the whole house fan off and on) I settled into the first evening having this device and a few hours after letting it do its thing I opened up the app to turn off the whole house fan. To my dismay I had discovered that the WeMo was no longer listed as an active device. I spent the better part of half an hour trying to fix the issue with the app before getting the ladder out, climbing in the attic and disconnecting the whole house fan from it. The next day I boxed it up and sent it back.... I hard wired the whole house fan :)

UPDATE: 02/23/2015 After having it continually being unreliable and numerous phone calls, I must say DO NOT BUY. I have had electrical heaters turning on and off by themselves, lost connectivity, and inability to control the devices remotely. I am currently looking for alternatives. DO NOT BUY. UPDATE: 04/23/2014 After being tenacious and working with Belkin, I am happy to report that the Wemos have worked flawlessly for a month. I installed at least 1 additional firmware update and 1 iOS Wemo update. I also assigned a static IP address to each of the wemos. My understanding is that there were cloud issues at Belkin which are believed to have caused the majority of my frustrations. Either way, I have increased my rating since they are functioning now, but cant go as far to endorse them since the issues should not have been experienced in the first place. ORIGINAL: 03/03/2014 I bought these hoping for a solution for controlling electric heaters in a modular home about 2 hours away from my home network. After you install them in the app, you have to enable remote access. I did all of this and was able to turn the devices on and off. This worked for about 2 weeks. Eventually, I received an unable to detect devices remotely. At this point, there is nothing you can do. I was using them to keep water pipes thawed so I would not have to winterize and relying on Belkin turned out to be a big mistake. Because the Belkin WeMo devices malfunctioned, I could not turn on the electric heaters, which caused me to end up with frozen pipes. I made it back up the modular home. Reset them again and everything worked, Headed back home and in about 2 weeks, they went back off the network and I was unable to access them. IN SHORT, DO NOT BUY THESE BELKIN DEVICES. YOU WILL BE DISAPPOINTED AND THEY WILL NOT WORK RELIABLY OR AS ADVERTISED. I have an open case with Belkin but I am getting ready to pack them back up and ship them back to Amazon as soon as I can make back up there. These devices are false-advertising at best and Amazon should refuse to sell them.

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.

Had a few problems getting it to set up. Had to go in my iPhone settings and forget all the wifi connections i already had cause it kept choosing the wrong one during setup for some reason. After that there was a problem with the firmware update. Had to do it over and over again till it final took. Then everything worked fine. I like how it shows me how much money the appliance or whatever you have plugged into it is using. I am using it for a ac window unit. The unit i have remembers the settings when there is a power outage so it turns right back on to the same temp as it shut off at. Works perfect for that.

I use it with my Echo and it works 95% of the time. When it doesnt work it could be the Wemo or the Echo, probably alternating based on behavior. It generally only fails when I activate it out of the blue. Multiple tries followed by many successful uses are the norm. The app had issues but they eventually worked out. At one point the WeMo thought it was several years ago. That made timers not work. Eventually, an update may have fixed that. My kids still dont know how I turn the lights off and on. They think the Echo does it by itself. They like to turn it off and on. I am planning on getting several WeMo products based on how it has been working lately.