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

I already owned a WeMo Switch, so I was excited to try the new power monitoring feature of the Insight. The WeMo app is somewhat easy to use, but it has limited functionality. Itll get the job done, but I hope Belkin is working on updates from feedback on the WeMoThat community. You can set up some basic turn on/off instructions, but more options are available when using the IFTTT (If This Then That) website. A few specs on the Insight: max power connected = 1800W and it uses 1.5W when off/in standby. You can turn a device plugged into it using the button on top or with the app. The set-up was easy and exactly like the Switch. The package only came with install instructions and the Insight. The WeMo app for Android also has a set-up guide that walks you through the process. I did not have any issues. The hardest part is knowing how to view different WiFi networks on your phone. Id recommend the following for set-up: 1. Plug-in the WeMo (Insight) Switch so it can start the boot-up process (1-2 minutes) 2. Download the WeMo app & open it 3. On the upper right corner are three stacked dots. Touch them and choose Setup Instructions 4. Follow the pretty pictures. 5. Once the (Insight) Switch finishes booting, go to the WiFi networks on your phone & select the WiFi network that the device creates. WARNING ***This will disconnect your phone from your home network until the WiFi info is entered onto the device. Make sure its not doing anything else that needs the internet.*** 6. Choose to connect to the network that says WeMo, Insight, etc. 7. Exit out of the Setup Instructions or open the app. 8. Select your device and enter the information it asks for. It will prompt you for your WiFi password (not the router admin password) because the device connects directly to the router via WiFi. The app will store the WiFi settings unless you go into the settings and specifically choose not to Remember Wi-Fi Settings. I kept the settings after installing my WeMo Switch, and it made installing the Insight a lot quicker. 9. Once it has the Wi-Fi info, the device connects to your router (my phone also automatically connected to the router). 10. Installation is complete unless you want to change the name.

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!

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.

Had a few problems getting it to set up. Had to go in my iPhone settings and forget all the wifi connections i already had cause it kept choosing the wrong one during setup for some reason. After that there was a problem with the firmware update. Had to do it over and over again till it final took. Then everything worked fine. I like how it shows me how much money the appliance or whatever you have plugged into it is using. I am using it for a ac window unit. The unit i have remembers the settings when there is a power outage so it turns right back on to the same temp as it shut off at. Works perfect for that.

I use this to control lighting in my home. It was very easy to hook up (less than 5 minutes) and it works as advertised. I like how it detects the exact time of sunset in my area and turns on the lamp at that time. Very cool. I havent had to reset it yet. I try to stay on top of the software updates in order to keep things working correctly - there have been two updates in the past two months. Takes about 6-7 minutes to update. The app is free and very easy to navigate from my iphone and my ipad. The power consumption feature isnt all that useful to me but it is a nice extra. Overall, this is a product that works as advertised and makes my life easier. I recommend it. (I have four of them now - all working well).

I agree with comment from Erick on November 1, 2013 The first time the switch install without any problems and works fine for a couple of weeks, but then I had to change th wifi setting at home. To reinstall the switch I had to reset it first, and after that it was impossible to connect it to the wifi, the switch signal only last for second and the disappears for minutes. It does not reset to factory settings. And to communicate with Belkin is impossible. I like it but it is not a reliable fixture. Belkin read the previous comment and contacted with me. Now I have a new switch, that is why Im changing the review and given then four stars, not five because they should advice that the switch could fail doing what I did.

UPDATE: 02/23/2015 After having it continually being unreliable and numerous phone calls, I must say DO NOT BUY. I have had electrical heaters turning on and off by themselves, lost connectivity, and inability to control the devices remotely. I am currently looking for alternatives. DO NOT BUY. UPDATE: 04/23/2014 After being tenacious and working with Belkin, I am happy to report that the Wemos have worked flawlessly for a month. I installed at least 1 additional firmware update and 1 iOS Wemo update. I also assigned a static IP address to each of the wemos. My understanding is that there were cloud issues at Belkin which are believed to have caused the majority of my frustrations. Either way, I have increased my rating since they are functioning now, but cant go as far to endorse them since the issues should not have been experienced in the first place. ORIGINAL: 03/03/2014 I bought these hoping for a solution for controlling electric heaters in a modular home about 2 hours away from my home network. After you install them in the app, you have to enable remote access. I did all of this and was able to turn the devices on and off. This worked for about 2 weeks. Eventually, I received an unable to detect devices remotely. At this point, there is nothing you can do. I was using them to keep water pipes thawed so I would not have to winterize and relying on Belkin turned out to be a big mistake. Because the Belkin WeMo devices malfunctioned, I could not turn on the electric heaters, which caused me to end up with frozen pipes. I made it back up the modular home. Reset them again and everything worked, Headed back home and in about 2 weeks, they went back off the network and I was unable to access them. IN SHORT, DO NOT BUY THESE BELKIN DEVICES. YOU WILL BE DISAPPOINTED AND THEY WILL NOT WORK RELIABLY OR AS ADVERTISED. I have an open case with Belkin but I am getting ready to pack them back up and ship them back to Amazon as soon as I can make back up there. These devices are false-advertising at best and Amazon should refuse to sell them.

BEST $50 I EVER SPENT...!!! We have two sons, ages 12 & 13 who are utterly addicted to their computers. They want to play Minecraft and watch YouTube 7x24. It is a constant fight to get them off the computer at bedtime, and another fight when they come home from school to do their homework before getting on the computer. We have passwords on the computers, but once you enter the password and theyre on the computer, its still a fight to get them to get off. (I know, be a tougher parent and this wouldnt be so much of a fight…). The WeMo is the best $50 I ever spent. I paired it with a $10 clear plastic air conditioner thermostat cover (also sold on Amazon), plugged the computer monitor into the WeMo, and locked them both inside the cover, and screwed to the wall. No more fights... I can turn each of their computer monitors on or off using my iPhone, I can make them earn computer time and set a timer so they only get a certain number of minutes or hours of time before the WeMo automatically shuts the computer monitor back off. I can do this while at home, or anywhere around the world where I have my iPhone and Wi-Fi or wireless access. This is completely change the dynamic of power for computers in our household, and we love it… BTW, DO NOT use the WeMo to control power to the PC itself - just the monitor. Cutting off our unexpected way to the computer, without first powering it down properly, will damage the hard drive. Its fun to cut the power off to the monitor, but dont have power off to the PC itself.

WeMo has been my solution to Christmas lights this year. Let me start by saying I had a lot of trouble setting the WeMo Insight Switch up on my wireless network at home. In the app, setup wasnt particularly intuitive to me. It might have been that I was tired or overcomplicating it in my head, but the app seemed almost too simple. The confusion came from the fact that I had to launch the app, read through the steps of what to do, close the app, perform the steps, and relaunch the app. On Android, at least, there was no way to set up a WeMo Insight Switch without closing the app, and re-launching it--a bit clumsy in my opinion. In hindsight, I know now that all I really need to do is connect to a wifi network the WeMo puts out (youll know it when you see it, or you can look on the physical device for the SSID name). When you do that, you launch the app which then prompts you to set the WeMo up with an existing wireless network. Then it restarts and attempts to connect to the wifi network youve just configured. In my case, this was a terrible experience because I found out my router may be incompatible with the WeMo. After configuring the WeMo with my home network information, it attempted to restart but failed repeatedly. When I contacted Belkin support, they didnt ask me for any information about my router, and were quite dismissive of the problem. It happened to work at one point during our contact, and they rushed me off as if everything was solved. It promptly disconnected from my network and I decided to continue troubleshooting on my own. The only way I figured out that my router was an issue is because Ive had similar issues with my Nest Thermostat with this router--I set up a second router as an access point with a second network just for these other devices. When I switched my WeMo to this access point, it worked smoothly. Overall, it mostly does what youd expect it to do. You can turn the switch on and off remotely from your phone. After your devices app has seen the WeMo switch and its configuration, it will remember the configuration even if you change networks. This is good for if you leave home and are not on wifi, or if, like me, you have multiple wireless networks at home. One problem with this is that if Im not connected directly to the same wifi network the WeMo is connected to, there is sometimes a very, very long delay before the WeMo responds to my input. The Android app is fairly bad at this point. Its menus are not organized well, its pretty slow and unresponsive, and setting up rules is not laid out well. There is definitely a lot of room for Belkin to make improvements to the app. Overall, I would like to recommend this product, but given the poor tech support I received, I cant say I would expect them to solve this problem for me, and I definitely dont expect the average user to know how to troubleshoot something like this if they hadnt run into it before. When I found the same issue with Nest, for instance, I was able to find my router listed in a set of models that might not be compatible. At the time I installed the WeMo, no such document existed from Belkin. Admittedly, the core technological issue is the fault of my router, not Belkin. Id like to not hold that against Belkin, but the reality of the situation is that anyone could have my router (its a fairly popular Netgear model from a few years ago--WNDR3700/N600) and might run into similar problems, and Belkin support should not give up so quickly, be so dismissive, or be so unprepared in general for issues like this. For me, its a pretty decent product. But I dont think I would recommend this for the typical user (someone who doesnt have multiple routers lying around the house not in use and available for troubleshooting purposes).