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

Ive tried many (over 10) different remote controls outlets, and this WeMo outlet is clearly the best. Its realiable, does not require a separate hub (other than your wifi AP), has great support from 3rd parties (I.e. IFTTT), and the power usage tracking feature is worth the cost alone. The programming capabilities (rules) are somewhat basic, but by using a combination of other WeMo products and 3rd party apps you can do nearly everything. For example, I tend to forget things on. Asimple rule can be set that automatically turns off the controlled device after a set number of hours every time you turn it on. For the more advances applications, by pairing with the WeMo Maker, you can activate this unit by virtually any electrical signal or sensor (when I enter the room and the existing brightness is less than a set value, turn on the light for 30 minutes). The integration with IFTTT allow you the ability to control the outlet based on many external conditions, such as turning on the outlet if the outside temperature drops below freezing. The power usage feature tracks power usage when the load is turned on (threshold is adjustable) and displays both power consumed and approximate monthly cost. Data is exportable via email. Provides a quick look into how many hours the outlet was on, how much power was used since the last time it was turned on, and daily totals. Note these units are not sealed, and therefore shouldnt be used outside unless protected. As with all wifi devices, the are multiple factors that make it less than 100% reliable, and therefore shouldnt be used in critical applications.

Update! After doing some research on the web and reading through lots of forums, I found a fix that worked for me using an Airport Extreme: 1. Updated settings in AirPort Utility to WPA/WPA2 personal, rather than WPA2 personal. Waited for Airport Express to restart. 2. Verified that iPhone connected to airport network. 3. Opened WEMO app and connected to WEMO network. 4. Selected AirPort network. This time WEMO connected fine, and was able to work. 5. Followed the WEMO instructions, and it works. Still annoyed that WEMO couldnt tell me the fix, but hey Ill take it Absolute Crap! Worked well until we had to change the router, now it will not connect no matter what we do. The app will not recognize it, and I cant return it for a refund. Before you buy this, think.....do you want to waste money on technology that sucks???

The Insight Switch is another great WeMo product made by Belkin. Having several of the light switches and plug switches, I decided to try the Insight after the price dropped in line with the other two. Prior to the price reduction, the ability to meter the electricity the connected device(s) use(s) wasnt worth the extra $10. Setup of the Insight Switch was as easy. I had come to expect easy setup from setup other WeMo products. Device setup requires a working wifi (Wi-Fi: 2.4 GHz 802.11n), a mobile device with the WeMo app installed, and a 120V AC plug. Prior to purchase and setup, I would recommend checking that your wireless router is setup for 2.4 GHz 802.11n. If youve purchased your router in the last 2 years, my guess is that it probably supports 802.11n. After plugging the switch into the plug, the Insight switch will create its own wireless network. Joining the network and connecting the device to your own wifi is simple and easy. My favorite part of owning these devices is connecting them to IFTTT (if this, then that). Its a free automation service that allows you to connect a myriad of channels which allow you to operate your WeMo devices remotely (or automatically). I have connected this switch to my dehumidifier. When my Ecobee thermostat detects that the humidity in my home is above a certain threshold, it turns on the switch (and consequently the dehumidifier). When the humidity falls below a separate threshold, it turns the switch off. This lowers my electric bill by only running the dehumidifier when its necessary, and it keeps the humidity in my home at a comfortable level. The Insight (metering) functionality is a neat add-on. Im able to see just how much electricity the dehumidifier uses (all within the WeMo app). While I think that the usage information is nifty, I dont think it adds a lot of value (unless you lay awake at night wondering how much electricity your appliances are using). While I think WeMo is a pioneer of home automation and I would strongly recommend their products to anyone, I dont know of many situations where I would recommend this particular model over WeMos less expensive Switch.

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.

After a few false starts (firmware updates and resets) I got the switch finally running, When it works, it works well. I have been trying it out around the house with various devices to monitor energy usage. Some times on re-plugging it in it will not see my WiFi network and must be reset from scratch, frustrating. The unit also will NOT work with IFTTT or show up in the WeMo application (iOS) outside my home network. Period. So I cant control it remotely, while my light switches work just fine. I have tried contacting Belkin support several times, to be blunt. Its just a waste of time and an exercise in frustration. They seem to only be available by email (I tried calling only to end up in voice menu/hold/voice mail hell) and respond with useless canned scripts that dont even address the questions Ive asked. If youre a technical person and dont mind diagnosing your own issues, get one or two of these devices and decide if they are for you. If you are not technical, stick with a more traditional time type switch, Belkin support is absolutely useless. *** 01/20/14 Update *** I left my response comment to Belkin here, and did reply to the ticket email again. I have yet to receive any response from them. So much for their being eager to help. I have dropped my review down to one star because of this. Again, if youre the tinkering type and dont mind spending the money, these devices are neat, but if you require any assistance from Belkin for their use Id save my money. They do NOT stand by their products.

Ok, so after working with one of these I got another. I originally used the first one as simply an outlet to use the remote on and off functionality. Before a longer trip, I got another to use on/off timing functionality for some lamps in the house. Initially, after setting them up and updating the firmware, we tested them for several nights. The first night, one malfunctioned by mysteriously switching on and off every couple of seconds. We never figured that one out. Eventually, we got away from that by pulling it out and starting over. More documentation would be helpful, particularly about the away mode. The switches cycle on and off randomly in away mode, surprising us. After reading several support articles, we figured this out. The support articles are the best documentation, but youve really got to search things out. Something more than a simple quick start guide would be appreciated out of the box. Its also a concern that there is no UL listing for this product. This begs the question, how safe are they to be away from? The notification feature often actuated for no reason too. It will take some time to convince me this is a robust product.

I have only had for a couple weeks, but so far it works flawlessly. I have this inside a shed controlling my pool pump. Its fantastic, because when I am doing work on the pool I can turn on/off pump from phone instead of running back and forth from shed/pool; timing counts, so I literally would run. In addition to that it has built in timer that has excellent program features. The first timer I had was a digital timer that worked fine for years, when it died the replacement lasted only one season, and now I have this that is well... smart! Hopefully it will last. I have not had any issues with connecting to the device, but if others plan to use like I am youll need to ensure you have wifi signal wherever you plan to use. I wasnt sure if it would work as unit is probably 70-100 feet from the wireless router that is inside the house (2 exterior walls separating them). I use with Android phone- Samsung S7. I would like to purchase a bunch of these, but so far cant justify the price for other applications. For the benefits I get with the pool pump this is totally worth it, and every time I use it Im glad I made the purchase.

I bought the WeMo Insight Switch on a whim when it was on sale, then a Motion Sensor + Switch bundle later, so these are the products Im writing about (the Amazon page appears to mix reviews for all WeMo products). PROS * Works entirely with WiFi; does not require a special hub like some home-automation systems do * Aesthetically pleasing hardware design * Easy to integreate with other WeMo products (e.g., make Motion Sensor control a Switch) * App can be configured for remote access to control of devices when you are away from your home network * Does not rely on Internet connection CONS * Somewhat high (~1.5W) power usage per WeMo device when idle, presumably to keep WiFi radio powered * No API (except via Android and iOS SDKs) * Sometimes difficult to integreate with other products I ended up returning the Switch+Motion combo, followed closely by the Insight Switch. My biggest reason for returning the Switch+Motion bundle is that I couldnt make the Motion product do much besides control the Switch. This is fine if your house is entirely WeMo, but I was hoping to integrate it with my Philips Hue bulbs and couldnt. (I could, actually, with some third-party help: plug in a Switch for nothing, just to be there, then tell Motion to turn on or off the Switch with motion or after a certain period of inactivity, then use IFTTT with a trigger that fires when the Switch is turned off and an action that turns off Hue. This could be simplified a bit if IFTTT had a trigger for lack of motion like the WeMo app does, but it doesnt, and the whole setup is still a bit convoluted.) For developers or others who may want to tinker, this product lacks an easily accessible API (Hue, by contrast, is exposed via HTTP and controllable via REST commands). They offer SDKs for Android and iOS, so it appears the only option for customization is writing your own app. There is also not a Web interface, so the app (theirs or a third-party one made with the SDK) is really the only way to control these. This wont matter much to most people, but I like to customize some things have depended on this with other products before. As previously stated, all WeMo products use WiFi to communicate, which is an advantage in that you do not need a special hub like you do with, for example, Hue (execpt Belkins recently announced light bulbs need a hub, too); you can just use your existing WiFi network. However, it has a couple disadvantages: first, all devices need to be within range of your WiFi signal to be controllable, which was never a problem for me but may be for other people. Second, WiFi is more power-hungry than other wireless technologies typically used for home automation (e.g., ZigBee or Z-Wave). I suspect well never have battery-powered WeMo devices for this reason. My Switch, Insight Switch, and Motion Detector each ate up about 1.5 W just sitting there idle, which is 3-5 times higher than similar ZigBee and Z-Wave devices Ive tried (and ZigBee and Z-Wave devices that take batteries usually use even less power in that case beacuse they dont extend the network theyre on, which is something they usually do and exposes another one of their advantages: a possibly greater range). My suggestions: * If you only want a couple WeMo devices, WeMo may work well. Id be hesitant to fill a house with them because they use significantly more power than comparable alternatives, but with only a couple its (a) probably not a big difference, and (b) probably cheaper in that all you need is the WeMo device and a WiFi network (and the Android or iOS app), so you wont have to buy or configure a special hub. * If you dont already have a lot of WeMo products but think you might want a lot, Id suggest another solution that may lend itself to less power consumption and better integration with other systems. Personally, Ive returned all my WeMo products and switched over to SmartThings, which offers compatiblity with many ZigBee and Z-Wave controllable switches and sensors. (It does require a hub, but I think the tradeoff is worth it. Unfortunately, SmartThings is also heavily relaint on the Internet at the moment, but they claim to be working on that.) SmartThings can integrate with WeMo, but I swapped my devices (switch and motion sensor, at least) anyway because I wanted the ZigBee advantages Ive mentioned. * If you only want the Insight Switch and you only want it to know the power consumption of your devices, consider a Kill-A-Watt instead (thats how I determined the surprising amount of power WeMo devices consume even when idle). My luck with the products Ive used hasnt been as bad as others, and everything seemed to work well when I tried. My biggest problem was the lack of customization options, but there are other minor issues as well as I mentioned that also fueled my desire to seek alternatives. Still, for the average user who only wants maybe one or a few WeMo devices, I think it may work well.

I already had one WeMo switch to control a lamp in our living room. I wanted another one that I could use with our Bona Vita coffee maker that I could control with my iPhone. The WeMo Insight switch was on sale at Amazon and is significantly smaller than the original one I already owned. I decided to get one. Since I dont get up each morning at the same time I dont want the coffee to start when Im still sleeping. With the WeMo Insight switch, I set up the coffee the night before, turn the coffee maker to the on position and then when I get up, launch the WeMo app on my iPhone to turn the WeMo on. Coffee starts brewing and by the time I get to the kitchen, it is fresh and piping hot! I have the switch programmed to shut itself off at 3:00 PM so that if I want an additional cup of coffee during the day the coffee maker will work without having to manually engage the switch. I also have it programmed to turn on on Fridays only at a specific time since that one day I volunteer at a local park and know when I have to get up. Im a fan of these devices, but they do have some problems that Belkin needs to work on. Occasionally, in order for the app to work on my phone, I need to kill the app and relaunch it. I have a couple wireless routers in the house, all on the same network, but the Belkin seems to get confused as it passes from one to the other. Once its found the switches, it works perfectly. The big difference between the original Belkin WeMo switch and the WeMo Insight is size, with the Insight being significantly smaller. This works much better in an area where the switch is visible, in this case on my kitchen counter. Its also well designed to allow the use of the second plug in an outlet if the Insight is plugged into the bottom outlet. The Insight also has the ability to give you a lot of details about how much power youre using with whatever device youre controlling. In fairness, I dont use that feature, but if youre powering a device where you need that information, the Insight has a detailed report. You can see what it looks like on Belkins website. These Belkin switches are a bit pricey, but really do the job, day in and day out. Ive had the two mine for some time, and theyre very reliable. You can easily set a device to come on or turn off at a specific day, at a specific time, at sunrise or sunset, or manually. The rule is stored in the device which remembers it even during a power outage or it the device is unplugged. You can also trigger these devices from outside your home. When properly set up, you can control them on your phone from anywhere. With the WeMo Insight, you can also see how much electricity youre using on the outlet where its connected and potentially program whatever device youre controlling to lower usage and hence cost. This isnt a feature Im using, but if you need or want that information, the Insight gives very detailed usage stats. Id judge that the initial setup to be pretty straight-forward. You will need to know your wireless routers name and password. Setup joins the switch to your wireless network in order for you to control it. In my case, I use WPA2 Personal and had no problems getting the switches to function. Like most devices, there is a reset switch in case you need to move them to a new network. You then create rules for the switch which dictate how it will function. To do this, you need a free phone app that is available for both iPhones and Android phones. I really like this product and find it much more functional than just putting a timer on an electrical outlet. Theyre a bit pricey but appear to be very durable. Ive owned my original WeMo switch for three years and it hasnt hiccuped yet. Ive owned the Insight for about nine months, and it, too, has been reliable. I think of these as more than just a gadget. If youre looking to take control of an appliance or lamp or what-have-you, this is the product to consider. UPDATE Saturday, February 6, 2016: Ive been a fan of these devices for some time, but very disappointed in the iPhone app that lets you control it remotely. Until recently, my network consisted of multi access points. When launching the WeMo app, it was 50-50 whether it would find the switches, and if it did find them, identify them in the right state, e.g., on or off. There must be a new sheriff in town at Belkins software and engineering department because suddenly this app is working much better. They sent an e-mail out several months ago that said they were going to work on getting the device to work as it was supposed to, and by golly, it really is greatly improved! I always enjoyed using my WeMo switches and thought they were a good investment, but now Im far more enthusiastic. The app on iOS is greatly improved and the two switches I own are operating better than ever, even though they are both a few years old. Whoever took over the engineering department for WeMo at Belkin, Thanks! Great job!

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.