Home automation and smartphones are a natural fit. As such, we're seeing the proliferation of systems that let you turn lights on and off, brew coffee, monitor security cameras and control other things around the home from anywhere, just by tapping on your phone's screen.
The WeMo Switch + Motion is a $100 kit from Belkin that acts as a simple home automation system. Plug the self-contained unit into an electrical outlet, connect a light or an appliance, then pair the WeMo your smartphone over Wi-Fi. Once everything's hooked up, you gain the ability to switch lights (or whatever) on and off without leaving the comfort of your bed. Activating the included motion sensor will give you a truly automated setup, but if all you need is the Switch, it's available on its own for $40.
I tested the full kit – the WeMo switch, which is a little bigger than a standard electrical wall plate, and the tiny Motion sensor, which is about the size of an upturned shot glass. Installation is easy. Start by downloading the free app – iOS and Android versions are available, though the Android app is still in beta (more on this later). Next, connect your phone to the WeMo's discrete Wi-Fi network. Once you can talk to the module, you enter the credentials for your home's larger wireless network. The entire process is simple and only takes a few minutes, and you'll have to repeat these steps for each WeMo module you need to set up. But once that's done and the WeMo can talk to your home Wi-Fi network, you can control the Switch from your phone anywhere inside the home or anywhere in the world, as long as you have a data connection.
Within the WeMo app you can also set up what Belkin calls "Rules" – automatically turn the Switch on or off at a set time, or use the motion sensor to turn the Switch on when it detects movement, and then off again after motion has stopped for a specified period of time. Within the app, you can also set the sensitivity level of the motion detector. Currently, I have the motion module placed next to my desk, so when I walk into my office, a light turns on. If no motion is detected in the room for 15 minutes, the light automatically turns off.
There are three types of rules: Toggle (turn off or on only); Turn on, then off; and turn on or off when motion is detected. Notice, all of the rules control a WeMo Switch. There's nothing in the WeMo app that allows you to set a rule for just the motion sensor. I figured out a way to add that functionality myself by cooking up my own recipes using the web service If This Then That, which I'll get into later. But I think there's a missed opportunity here – an out-of-the box feature that sends push alerts when new motion is detected during set hours would be nice to have.
During the first few days with my WeMo test unit, I kept seeing my programmed rules disappear from within the app, never to be seen again. As it turned out, I picked the wrong weekend to set up my system; an issue with the WeMo service was causing rules to be deleted as soon as they were created. Over the next few days the issue was resolved and everything started working as expected. Belkin's support team was very responsive during the downtime, explaining the issue and making sure all of my questions were answered.
The range on the motion sensor is roughly 10 feet, and its sensitivity is based on the total time motion is detected within that 10-foot zone. If a motion that passes the sensitivity threshold happens within the range, a rule is triggered.