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

I have a love/hate relationship with my WeMo -- when it works, its fantastic and helps make sure that all the appliances I want off are off, the lights are on when I need them, and the tidbit of info on how much power an outlet draws is mighty useful. The problem is -- it doesnt always work. In fact, it goes offline fairly regularly, and resetting it requires an ordeal that can last up to an hour of WeMo trying to find your network and connecting to it. In the year or so Ive had my WeMos, the software has changed very little and firmware updates can often cause the plugs to crash all together. Online support is negligible and it really doesnt feel as easy as a plug and play (no pun intended) should be. Its also pricey -- if it worked better, I would be happy to pay the $50 a pop price tag, but for a product that feels half-baked, with no added benefit beyond remotely turning on and off a device, it still has a ways to go.

An update to my previous rating and review. After many updates this has become a much more stable device. While I havent been brave enough to factory reset and configure from scratch, day to day usage has much improved for both the Android app and the device itself. I do wish the USB port were useable to configure the device. Currently it only provides power to the device, which is more convenient than having it plugged into an actual outlet while you set the WEMO up. You still have to use the iOS or Android app to configure. Previously, maintaining a connection to the WEMO long enough to complete the configuration was a problem. ------------------------------------------------- Previous review: Attempting to set up a WEMO is more painful then rabies shots or puberty. Setting up from an Android device as far as I can tell is not possible and from an iOS device is an exercise in patients and self loathing. If you successfully configure the device it works quite well, up until it mysteriously loses its configuration. From that point on, good luck ever getting the thing to work again. 20 years of configuring all kinds of networking equipment and wireless devices and never have I disliked a device as much as this.

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 bought one Belkin WeMo Insight Switch to dip my toe into some simple home automation. It works well, easy to set up and the app is simple to use. I currently have it connected to a space heater and it shows the watts the heater is using which match the specs of the heater so it seems to be accurate. Somehow it even tells me the daily and estimated monthly cost. Time will tell if that is accurate. You can set up rules on the app to automate when it powers on and off which are handy and work well. I have also set up rules and an alerts using IFTTT which is pretty great. You do not have to be on your own home network to control it and you do not need a special hub which was a real selling point for me since I do not have one yet. My only complaint is that sometimes the remote access fails, when that happens if I close the app and re-open it that will usually get it working again. ....Update to initial review: After living with this for some time I have found it to be unreliable. Others seem to have the same issue and apparently it is linked to the loss of WiFi. If it disconnects from your router (which happens in every network) it cannot be counted on to work as expected. Randomly turns on on off...I was using it to control a space heater but since it would turn it on without my knowledge I had to unplug it. Currently sits in a drawer in my desk until I have the time the mess with it. All and all...it does what is says it will do and it does it well. I think Ill get at least one more.

This is a great alternative to a remotely managed PSU for my home computer. I leave my computer running 24/7 as I remotely access it during the day. Sometimes my desktop will become frozen or blue screen and cannot be rebooted remotely, only by physically depressing the power button. This device will allow me to remotely reboot my computer with ease. Also, I can really see how much my 24/7 computer is costing for electricity per month. One issue that was finally resolved with the newest firmware, is that the device will have intermittent wireless connectivity issues. At first I thought it was my wireless router, until that was replaced and a support ticket was opened with the company. The most recent firmware appears to have resolved the issue!

I like that the Insight switch lets me see the energy consumption of the device attached, and that I can control it with weather events through IFTTT. I use this one to turn off our whole-house fresh air ventilator when the outside humidity gets too high, the temperature gets too low, or the pollen count reaches a certain point. But there is a flaw in the entire WeMo operational model if you want to use it for any kind of large scale use. You must have a smartphone or tablet to control any of the WeMo devices. More importantly, for any given phone (or table), you can only control the devices at one location. Why does this matter? Because if you plan to use WeMo devices to control functions at your vacation home as well as your regular home, youll need two phones - one for each house. Im not sure of the technical model, but it seems that the phone apps can only connect to one location at a time. So you can see all the devices at the Vacation home if you just installed a bunch there and set them up with your phone. But if you come home and install a device in your home, it will forget all the devices at your vacation home - and the only way to get them back is to go to your vacation home and set them up again. At which point it will forget all the devices you set up at your regular home. In fact, at least for us, it even dropped all the programming for the vacation home devices and they were no longer controllable from IFTTT. The only solution is to have two phones, or a phone and a tablet - one for each location. I had hoped to use WeMo to control our 3 vacation rental houses. But Im not about to set aside 3 separate tables for each, as well as a phone for my own home. Sigh. So close.....

Firstly , AMAZON is smart not to allow reviewers to assign no stars to reviews because if I could I would do so for this POS in a heartbeat . Secondly , the hardware is solid and robust and based on the specifications can handle the 15A a/c that my refridgerator will draw while the compressor is running . Finally , the software . Dear lord the software . Without a doubt the absolute worst piece of programming issued to consumers EVER produced . No user friendliness whatsover even after so called firmware updates to set up an off/on schedule almost made me throw the thing in the garbage. Every single reviewer who has given this piece of junk less than 2 stars is right on the money , so after an hour of my life wasted and $57 gone to the thieves at Belkin I eventually ended up plugging in ol faithful Intermatic DT620 Heavy Duty Indoor Digital Plug-In Timer ( http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004TGO6RY/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) into the Insight since it already had my on/off schedule and just set to Insight to email me when a power failure occurs so I can turn it back on remotely . Finally , the next moron at Belkin who tells me to use IFTTT to control my on/off times is gonna read some words via email thatll make their heads spin .NEWS FLASH : the average consumer wants to buy a product , set it up and then forget about it . Telling me to write recipes is ridiculous .Granted I know how to do it but the WeMo app SHOULD HAVE THAT INCORPORATED IN IT JACKASSES!!. For the love of ...sigh ..

I must have good luck or maybe my **NEW** router with the 5G (which i dont think this connects to anyway)has great range and so far I have not had any problems! Review: Its a simple device you plug in , download the Wemo app, connect to your router (there are instructions on screen to help guide you through) The connection IS NOT IMMEDIATE so be patient till it all gets set up. YOU WILL HAVE TO DOWNLOAD AN UPDATE of the FIRMWARE which enables the Wemo plug to work (it will not work straight out of the box) After you enter your password for your router and it connects to your network youre ready to go! The rules (AKA TIMERS) in which you set can have a learning curve because the timers for on and off arent clear cut the way it is for the sun rise sunset timer. If you play with it for a couple of minutes you will get it soon enough. I do not know how many rules/timers you can have, but at this time I have three (3) rules and I have my Wemo plug ***hooked up to a Quirky power pivot*** to give me six (6) plugs instead of JUST the one outlet! SO I can control the ON/OFF times of multiple tablets or phones(or what ever is plugged in at the time) from that one plug! The down side to that is they are all connected together so you CANT control each plug/outlet from your power strip individually BUT so what!!!! You dont have to use it like this you can JUST use the ONE outlet for ONE light or what ever you want plugged into it but I FELT this(plugging a power strip into the Wemo) is better for me and what I am using it for! I have the app downloaded on to 3 separate phones and 1 tablet! All of the rules/timers can be seen and edited from each of your connected phones/tablets and you can add more rules (timers) if you want at any time! You can also use the insight switch manually to turn off and on by lightly pressing the touch on off switch on the plug it self! I have not had any problems with it so far and am pleased with my purchase and what this plug does! I will be looking to buy another down the road.

I bought this switch because the Wemo line was discounted for a day on Amazon. It works fairly well - sometimes the action is delayed. Setting it up was easy enough and pairing it with IFTTT has added some neat features. But the energy features of this switch (which make it cost $10 more than the regular switch) are worthless eye candy. Save yourself some money and by the Wemo Switch. Better still, buy the SmartThings Know & Control Your Home kit - better, quicker, more reliable. *** Also... *** This switch often doesnt have the same third party capabilities as the regular Wemo Switch. For example, if you use SmartThings, they support every product EXCEPT the Wemo Insight Switch with their app development environment (SmartThings Labs). Additionally, the recipes at IFTTT for the regular switch far outnumber the recipes for the Wemo Insight Switch.

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.