Belkin’s WeMo home automation devices have been quietly powering lights, devices and even appliances for a number of years now. They’ve steadily cornered a good portion of the market with a great product that lets you turn devices on/off with the tap of a smart phone screen. Now, Belkin wants to improve on the idea, by letting you know exactly how much it’s costing you to run those devices.
The Insight Switch is a simple update to their existing WeMo switch, which I’ve been using to power my electric blanket remotely for a number of years now. The Insight Switch will allow me to see just how much it costs to run that blanket. The app runs on any Apple or Android device running iOS v5 or higher, and Android 4.0 or higher and the WeMo Insight Switch will connect to any Wi-Fi router – setup of the WeMo devices have always been extremely simple.
As you can see, you can tell from the pics above your app – which is available free from Google Play – feeds you information on how many watts the device draws, how much it’s drawn since it’s been switched on. From there it can work out how much the device will cost to run for a month – and break that down into how much it’s cost to run while it’s been on.
On the reason for building the WeMo Insight Switch, Andrea Bruno, Senior Product Marketing Manager International for WeMo said
Evolving from the original WeMo Switch, the Insight Switch is an intelligent but easy to use solution for consumers to manage and better understand the energy usage of their electronic devices. It makes the smart home smarter.
From observing whether a television has been on too long to being alerted when a laundry cycle has finished, users can observe and manage home electronics for better management and control of their home.
The Belkin WeMo Insight Switch is now available in Australia for $99.95 from a range of retailers, including Bunnings Warehouse and JB Hi-Fi, but other Belkin suppliers as well.
In a world full of increasing power pricing, the WeMo Insight switch looks to be a great idea, at $99.95 per switch though, I may have to look into a bulk deal to dress up some of my outlets around the house.
Hopefully the wifi reception, bugs, and general flakiness has been improved. I like the wemos, but mine aren’t what you’d call reliable. Half of the time they aren’t visible to the app, and you have to continually refresh them to get them to work
Really? I have three at the moment and want more. Never had an issue and the router is on another floor of the house. I turn my electric blanket on at 7am when I finish work and by 7:30 when I get home it’s toasty warm. Same for turning the rice cooker on remotely in the afternoon.