Belkin International’s smart home brand Wemo is ready to expand its IoT (Internet of Things) product portfolio and ecosystem with two new smart switch products at CES 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada, namely the Wemo Mini Smart Plug and Wemo Dimmer Light Switch. The Smart Plug will be the first to hit the market later in January, with the Light Switch following in its footsteps this spring.
The Wemo Mini Smart Plug (model number F7C064) improves upon the original model with a new streamlined, stackable design allowing users to stack two smart plugs in a single outlet. They can be controlled through the Wemo application on your smartphone or by issuing voice commands, and the product is also compatible with Google Home, Amazon Echo, as well as the “Home” and “Away” modes for the Nest Learning Thermostat. According to the official press release, other features include the ability to set time rules and schedules, or disable/enable devices “via sunrise or sunset”. The product plugs into any regular 120v wall socket and works over mobile Internet and/or Wi-Fi without requiring a hub.
Moving on to the Wemo Dimmer (F7C059), the next generation dimming light switch is a 2017 Innovations Award Honoree, boasting touch-capacitive controls as opposed to mechanical switches, coupled with a full RGB status light bar for contextual information. The light bar shows Wemo rules in green, third party actions in aqua, and displays a “pinging” radar animation whenever it’s searching for Wi-Fi signal. It can also display a “sending” animation indicating that messages are being delivered to other devices. Compared to the original model, the new Wemo Dimmer boasts “advanced updates” including a Night Mode and custom bulb calibration said to avoid flickering and noise issues which may occur when using conventional dimmers. Through the Wemo application, the Wemo Dimmer can be calibrated for a wide variety of light bulbs, including CFLs, LEDs, and incandescent bulbs (up to 400 watts). Much like the Wemo Mini Smart Plug, the Wemo Dimmer also works with Amazon Echo, Google Home, and the Nest Learning Thermostat, and doesn’t require a dedicated hub. The Wemo Mini will be the first to hit the market later in January for the suggested retail price of $34.99, whereas the Wemo Dimmer will be available later this spring for an unspecified price.
