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

Be aware that the MAC address printed on the WeMo Insight Switch is one less than the MAC address the device uses to connect to your Wifi network. This caused me a few minutes of head scratching, wondering why the device couldnt join my network. If you have MAC address access list security enabled on your wifi network, to only permit configured/expected MAC addresses to join, and enter the MAC address printed on the back of the device... it will not be able to connect. I temporarily disabled MAC address filtering on my wifi network, and the device was then able to connect without issue. Once it had connected, I checked my wifi routers list of connected devices and discovered that the MAC address used by the unit was the printed MAC address, +1. e.g. Printed MAC Address: 94:10:3E:CF:3A:22 MAC address used by the device when connecting to my wifi network: 94:10:3E:CF:3A:23 So, if you add one to the MAC address and use this value for the access list on your wifi network, it will be able to join an access list secured network. This may be why some reviewers have had issues getting the device to work on their networks. I edited the Access List entry Id added originally for the WeMo Insight Switch, added one to the last octet, saved the updated entry, re-enabled MAC Address Access List Security, and it was able to join my network with no issues at all. The MAC address printed on the unit is only used by the device when its running its own wifi network for initial device/app configuration (you have to configure your iPhone/mobile device to connect to this temporary wifi network during setup, but once the WeMo Insight Switch is configured in the app to connect to your own home wifi network, the MAC address its uses is one higher than this. Confusing, but easily solved if youre aware of it. Once connected, its been working well. Id purchased the device because Im trying to pinpoint the main reason my monthly electricity bills are so much higher than the average for my home. Thought my garage fridge might be to blame. With the Insight Switch Im now able to exclude that (only draws an average of 75 Watts)... so the hunt continues. I think this will be very useful, and also gives me an additional smart switch for home automation once Ive located the energy hogs.

This is the 4th Wemo product I have purchased and I love these products. The only downside is the app to set the rules is a bit cumbersome. The devices set up easily with your wifi system and reconnect automatically after power outages or wifi interruptions. They have a good range pickup equal to that of my iPhone or better. They respond quickly to the app when using the power override from the app. Setting the rules takes a bit of thought on how to get what you want programmed but there are lots of options on what you want the device to do. You can also set multiple rules on one device allowing you to turn it on or off multiple times daily or different patterns on different days. The power tracking utility of the insight switch is awesome! You can even set a watt threshold where the outlet will not allow power out unless the demand is greater than the watts you set it at. This keeps your outlet from leaking power to devices not being used. I wish they were a little cheaper or you could get a good discount for purchasing several devices at once but after using Wemo for just over a year with flawless operation, its money well spent.

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!

I bought this from Amazon Warehouse Deals - packaging damaged, otherwise like new. It arrived on time. I downloaded and installed the WeMo app on iPhone 6. Then I plugged the WeMo Insight Switch into 120VAC, and the WiFi light blinked green for 30 seconds, then blinked yellow. I never saw the device listed under the Settings:WiFi tab for iPhone 6 or iPad Mini Retina 2. The WeMo app never saw it either. Using Net Analyzer on the iPhone 6, it never appeared on my network. I tried entering the WeMo ID in Settings:WiFi to find the device manually, but that didnt work either. After waiting on hold for 27 minutes, a Belkin service tech answered and told me to reset the device by holding in the small button on top for 5 seconds with the device unplugged, then for another five seconds with the device newly plugged in. This caused the device ID to appear in the Settings:WiFi menu on the iPhone 6 (and iPad Mini Retina 2). After acquisition, I was able to get the WeMo app to recognize the device. It now works properly. Some caveats - If the device doesnt appear in your WiFi, use the reset button/procedure outlined above. Have your WiFi network password available - the WeMo app will need it to connect to the device. It will be easier to do your first network connection with the device plugged in near your router. There is NO WeMo app available for iPad. Youll need to control WeMo devices with your iPhone or Android phone. ********** UPDATE 4/24/2015 After a power outage, the insight and switches gave us a bonus - they now come on at midnight every night, in addition to following their previously programmed rules. Ill try the reset procedure again and see if it cures the problem.

I own the Wemo switch and light switch. Both devices work. They are easy to set up and you can do it yourself without any professional help (especially the plug in switch). There are many cons, however. First - the android app is garbage and the iOS app isnt much better. Creating a schedule on one app doesnt sync it with the other app. The apps themselves are slow to load and refresh themselves. You are better off making schedules using IFTTT, but it shouldnt be that way. Also, occasionally the switches will just glitch out for an unkown reason. For example, I wanted to turn mine on from outside the apartment one day and it couldnt locate the switch. No idea why. This has happened a couple times. Overall though, for now this is the best solution to easily getting some automation in your house.

DO NOT BUY THIS - There are better products available. Do not get sucked in to the Wemo ecosystem like I did - there are better, more reliable and - most importantly - flexible systems out there. Belkins support for this product is near zilch. The iPhone app crashes constantly at startup - very frustrating when I just want to turn on my bedroom lights in the morning. IFTTT support is now completely gone - whenever I try I receive This is not a valid IFTT code or similar. 10% of the time Wemo works, 90% of the time Wemo crashes (the app). More times than not, the app launches, crashes, and after many many times of relaunching/manually quitting on the iPhone, it finally connects to all devices. (Let me be clear here - the app CRASHES A LOT. A LOT. Ive given up on the damn app and just go to the switch and manually turn it on) Point is - way, way more frustrating than simply turning on a light. If the Insight feature is what youre after, save yourself from this junk and just get http://www.amazon.com/P3-P4400-Electricity-Usage-Monitor/dp/B00009MDBU/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1418942439&sr=8-3&keywords=power+wattage+meter for $15 to measure your usage in spots. Instead, heres what you should look into - Ive had GREAT success with GEs Wink platform, mostly because its open to other Z-Wave (aka generalized/standard home automation protocol) products which makes it easy to add other random devices without worrying about the Belkin ecosystem. Luton, GE, etc products are all supported with this purchase. Dont buy in to Belkins home automation products. Theyre horribly buggy, completely unreliable and the lack of media/app updates makes me think Belkin is slowly backing off this entire thing. Home automation has been around for a while now and perfected by companies like Lutron, Z-Wave products, etc. Look to those first and take the time to research what you really want. The open protocol devices are far more future proof than Belkins very weak attempt in this market.

I bought two of these babies. I use one for an appliance that uses a lot of electricity. Its really cool that I can now see how much its costing each day. The app works pretty well. I did have an issue at first and it would turn all the time after a minute. I had initially set that rule up to test the unit but forgot about it. It took me a little while to figure out what I had done and to turn that rule off. They call that user error :) One complaint that I have is that the button on the unit itself is too sensitive. I have inadvertently turned things off just by a slight accidental touch. I wish the button was recessed or something to prevent that from happening. This could potentially be a big problem if the unit is connected to something very important. A slight touch from a child or someone would turn it off unexpectedly. For that reason, I think I am going to make something to protect the switch. Minus only one star for that even though it could be a big deal to some people. I love the functionality of the unit too much to take any more off. Its also something that can be corrected with a little inginuity.

I purchased a selection of these WeMo products to try them out, including the Insight switch, normal switch, motion and wall switch. I also noticed that the last review was a year old, so let me update things a little. First, let me calibrate my point of view: Home automation is like cell phones before the iPhone - crappy industrial design, abysmal user interface/experience/configuration - zero integration of devices and software. Some have tried with home hubs but this is itself an arcane and user unfriendly concept. Into this environment, WeMo today brings a true breath of fresh air. The products are clean designs, work as expected, are packaged and presented clearly so anyone can get them to work. As close to zero configuration as possible. Help is right up front. The applications are only limited by our imaginations, and I look forward to hearing about creative applications. We all know that The Internet of things is the next big wave. The question is, who will lead this wave? I would submit that the model Apple has set - making products truly useful for ordinary people - is the key indicator of future success. In this, WeMo has made a great start and deserves to be recognized. But of course, we are only at the beginning. From my experience with WeMo so far, the things part is working pretty well. Bugs are to be expected. The real question is how fast they are noticed and corrected. The frequent firmware updates speak of a dynamic and energetic development effort. That is a good thing. Software and apps are the next frontier. Of course there is lots of hardware and software yet to be developed - I would like to be able to build an energy profile of my entire home and all the appliances, for example - oh and integrate with (or better yet, provide) my security system. As a consumer, what I need is a company who shares the vision and provides the hardware and software - including access by third party apps - to make it happen. WeMo? Quite possible.

UPDATE: 3/28/15 ive given this Wemo Insight WAY MORE than a fair shake. ive sincerely tried. unfortunately, this thing is a total piece of crap and waste of your money. id abandoned my original application (described below) long ago, and just tried to use it as a timer on a floor lamp in my bedroom. what a joke. even running a simply daily schedule (Rule) the Wemo may or may not turn on/off the light. whats worse, recently its begun turning ON the light at random—as in, in _the middle of the night_ i awaken to this light the Wemo has inexplicably turned on for no reason!! ive installed the latest firmware, restored the Wemo to factory defaults via a hard reset, and deleted and reinstalled the iOS app... nothing fixes the problem(s). if you thought Wemo might be the answer to your (modest) home automation aspirations, think again and look elsewhere. your money is far better spent on an inexpensive—and RELIABLE—digital timer. (ive bought four more of them since first buying this POS Wemo.) please, Belkin: stick to cables. ORIGINAL REVIEW: as a gadget guy, i thought this would be brilliant... not so much. i tried to use it with my wifes grow lights she uses for germinating seedlings in spring: its 3 sets of 100W fluorescent tubes—300W in total... far, far below the WeMos 15A rating (1800W max load on 120V line voltage)—plugged into a power strip which i then plugged into the WeMo. the WeMo only works if ONE set of lights is on. anything more and it turns on and immediately shuts off. after an hour + with Belkin phone support, repeating the SAME information over and over to the SAME rep (who still failed to understand) they tried to blame it on the power strip (which works fine with all 3 lights when plugged directly into the wall). so i checked the brand of power strip at the reps request: lo and behold, its a Belkin too!! what a joke. in the end, i got a case # and a promise of a call-back which never happened. went to the hardware store and bought a digital timer for $10—works perfectly. Belkin has a long way to go with WeMo. god forbid anyone plugs a space heater into this ticking time bomb.

The device itself works well once its set up, but the setup process was very buggy, for which I dinged it a star. I actually had to uninstall the software from my android phone, reinstall it, and go through the entire tedious process a second time (after spending a half-hour troubleshooting) because it somehow flaked out the first time through and just would. not. work. Once configured, the WeMo has worked pretty flawlessly. I use mine with my Flavia coffee maker, since I have Hue bulbs for my lights. I can tell Alexa to turn the coffee maker on from anywhere in the house thanks to our two Amazon Echos. Could I live without that functionality? Of course. But it does save me some time and effort, so I can be doing other things. By the time I get to the kitchen, the water is hot and I can immediately use my beloved Flavia machine to make my coffee, tea or cocoa.