Kitten and I now have a house thats WeMo connected.

 

Its a way of controlling household lighting with special LED bulbs, and any or all electrical devices via WeMo Smart Switches.

 

WeMo

 

You can set up 'rules' for particular appliances or lights to turn on at sunrise/sunset, or you can specify your own times including which days of the week you need.

 

WeMo is now IFTTT compatible which means you can lurn lights and a kettle on as you approach your house using geolocation services.................these possibilities are almost endless.

 

Its really simple to set up and really is a doddle to use.

 

I'm saving up for more LED bulbs now and more smart switches.

 

When I've saved enough money, I'm also going to invest in Tado, and all of this can be controlled using a smartphone or tablet, and is iOS and Android compatible.

Dare I ask the damage?

Of course you can.

 

I started with the LED light starter kit which comes with 2 LED WiFi bulbs and a 'WeMo link unit' thats a little bigger than a 13amp plug...........£79.99

Starter kit

 

I also bought 5 additional bulbs at a cost of £24.99 each

Bulb

 

I also invested in 2 WeMo Switches that any electrical item can be plugged into.  The switch is WiFi connected and 'rules' set up so you can program on and off times as required......£34.99 each

WeMo switch

 

The WeMo app is downloaded free from the Android store or via Apples app store, and linking the items together to your home network is very easy and straightforward.

 

Rounding the totals up to the nearest pound, the whole lot cost came to less than £275 some of which was covered by Christmas vouchers for Amazon.

 

WeMo is a basic system, and there are better quality and more sophisticated systems out there but one of the MAJOR strengths and benefits in WeMo's corner is the total ease of use in it's simplicity, and its VERY much affordable, even if you just opt for the LED light starter kit which may be ideal and all you need for smaller properties like studio apartments. 

 

In my opinion, WeMo is well worth investing in, and I'm sure that as more people do, the system will develop and evolve.

Not bad for under £300.

I'll be doing this in our next house.

What, WeMo-ing it??

What, WeMo-ing it??

More diving into the whole smart home thing. I'm not going to do it now when within 6 months we'll be looking at moving.

Next home it'll be one of the first things I'll be doing

The beauty of WeMo is that you can set it up now, and take it with you after having a 'trial run' at your existing property.

 

My advise is to get the LED Starter kit and a WeMo switch, and build upon that over time.

I cant see the justification - at least for LED lighting; a 10W LED bulb would have had to be left on forever to recoup the outlay; and £25 per bulb!!??!!