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Belkin's WeMo Switch is a simple product: any device you plug into it can be turned on or off from your Android or iOS device, no matter where you are. In your home, outside on the lawn, across town, or across the world.
The obvious application for the $40 WeMo Switch is a lamp or light. On your way home and want to step into a fully-lit foyer when you open your front door? Turn on your WeMo-controlled lamp from the car. Half asleep and realized you forgot to turn off a light in the living room? Fumble for your phone and turn it off.
Once you look beyond the obvious lighting applications, WeMo gets even more interesting. You can connect any electronic device to it: a window fan, your coffee maker, your cell phone charger, your kid's nightlight... And the WeMo App's built in scheduling feature allows you to put all of them on a timer, so you don't have remember anything.
Filling your home with smart devices that let you use your phone or issue voice commands is just the start. The real power move is making your devices talk to each other. A service called If This Then That (IFTTT) has pre-made recipes that can connect your devices to each other. You can use the service to program your devices to run routines, react to triggers, or pass commands to other devices in your home. The Internet of Things is a string of connections between pieces of hardware, so set them up to control each other.
Never Too Cold for Christmas
We all know the worst thing about Christmas lights is hurrying outside in the bitter cold to turn them on and off. Use this IFTTT recipe to automatically turn your lights on at sunset, and this recipe to turn them off again at 1:00 AM. Of course, you can apply this recipe to any light in your home and keep it working the other 11 months of the year too.
Batter Up!
So distracted that you always miss the start of the game? WeMo can help. Use this recipe with the ESPN Channel to make your lights flash when the game is about to begin.
Your Personal Freon Manager
It's the dead of summer. Wondering how much your window unit Air Conditioner is actually working? Plug the AC into your WeMo switch and track its daily use on your Google Calendar.
I'm Outta Here
It's hard to remember to turn off your lights when you leave home. We get it. Now you don't have to remember anything anymore. Use your iPhone's location sensor to automatically turn off your WeMo switches when you're away from home.
I Can See Clearly Now
Have you ever tried to navigate a smoky room in the dark? Me neither, but do you really want to start now? This recipe connects the WeMo Switch to your Nest Protect, and it will will flip on your lights whenever the Nest device detects smoke.
