What is a WeMo Switch? {And why would I want one?} | Technology
{Disclaimer: Dave and I were guests at the WeMo house and were given a goodie bag with a WeMo switch to try for ourselves as thanks for visiting (not to mention some awesome pastries and cupcakes!!). I was under no obligation and was not paid to write this post. As always the opinions are my own. I wouldn't be writing about WeMo if I didn't think it was good stuff that you might like too!}
The idea of the house was to demonstrate how the WeMo products worked and the potential that the range has. Aside from the delicious cupcakes and morning tea, Dave and I were seriously impressed by how many products there are now in the WeMo range and all the things you can do with them.
Before I go on, I know some of you are probably wondering, what the hell is a WeMo? Let me tell you...
Basically, WeMo products easily control household electronics from anywhere in the world through Wi-fi and a mobile app. The wi-fi based WeMo products turn any smartphone or tablet in to a remote control for household devices and allow users to access and govern their home from anywhere in the world through the WeMo app. WeMo are at the forefront of home automation products and the possibilities are awesome.
The house that we visited had been completely customised with WeMo devices and we were taken on a tour to see exactly what can be done with the devices and how they work. We were then sent on our way with a little box of WeMo goodies to try out in our own home.
My favourite WeMo device by far is the WeMo Switch. It is so handy and really, really easy to set-up and use. We plugged ours in to the girl's playroom and then plugged the lamp in to it. Having the lamp plugged in to the WeMo switch means that I can turn the lamp on or of whenever I like, from wherever I am.
Using the WeMo app I have set up some rules for the lamp, so that it automatically turns on at 6am (the usual time the girls get up) and then it switches itself off 2 hours later once the sun is up and providing enough light to the room to not need the lamp anymore.
It's then programmed to come back on at 4:30pm when it starts to get dark, and switch off again at 8pm. Having it set up like this means that I don't have to remember to go in there and turn it off, I don't have Punky sooking at me because she can't see in there and needs the light on, and it doesn't waste power if I forget to go in and switch it off when no-one is in the room. Now, I don't even have to think about it! Plus, when the light turns off at 8pm Punky now knows that is the signal for bedtime and doesn't argue when I tell her it's time for lights out!
After visiting the house Dave and talked for ages about all the things we could use the WeMo range for. I would love to wire the whole house with the WeMo switches and lightbulbs so that we could control the entire lighting of the house from our smartphone. Yes I know, it sounds kind of lazy, but the thing that attracts me to it is being able to set the lights to come on or off when we are away, so the house looks lived in and doesn't broadcast the fact that we are away because the house is dark 24 hours a day.
Plus, I'm just inherently lazy by nature, so who wouldn't love to be able to control the stuff in their home without moving from the desk or lounge!
I also like the idea of not having to leave the lounge room light on all day if I know we are going to be coming home when it's dark and late, or having to fumble to switch the light on with a heavy, sleeping toddler in my arms if I've forgotten to leave it on when we left.
You could also plug things like your slow cooker in to it so that it switches off after a certain amount of time, or even so that it switches it on and starts cooking your food halfway through the day. You'd just chuck everything in ready to go and then use the app to get it started if you need to be out of the house at the time you need to get dinner going.
The WeMo range also has sensors, which you can use to detect when someone enters a room and trigger the light to turn on. This would also be perfect for when coming home in the dark and you have your arms full of toddler. As well as handy for those nocturnal bath room trips!
You can even set up an alert to come through to you via email if the sensor detects motion in your house while you are out, and if you set up the NetCam HD you can see live video of what's happening and going on when you're not there.
Basically, when it comes to the WeMo product line, the only limitation is your imagination. There is so much more that the products can do, more than I could fit in to one blog post. If you'd like to see what is available in the WeMo range then head over here to their website.
And because the folks behind WeMo, Belkin, are so freaking lovely, they have offered up a little something for my blog's 6th birthday celebrations happening next week, the details of which will be in Tuesday's post (Reading Writes will be taking a little holiday for the month) so make sure you head back then to get in on the giveaway fun!
Have you heard of the WeMo range? What would you use a WeMo switch for?
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