Connect with us

The Belkin Wemo Mini makes your home that much smarter

Apple News

The Belkin Wemo Mini makes your home that much smarter

A question your friendly neighborhood Modern Dad gets a lot is this: Are connected lights worth it? Sure. But there’s a great alternative.

And that alternative is a smart outlet. And we’ve got a brand new one here from Belkin, called the WeMo Mini.

Here’s the gist: It’s a power outlet that, uh, plugs into your power outlet.

[CUE XHIBIT YO DAWG MEME.]

It also plugs into your router, which is how it gets smart. Well, as smart as an outlet can get, I guess.

You can turn it off and on with your phone.

Or your voice. It works with Amazon Alexa, and Google Home. But not Apple’s HomeKit. Which isn’t to say it doesn’t work on iOS — it just doesn’t use Apple’s fancy implementation with Siri.

Why a smart outlet? Why not. It’s brilliant (BRILLIANT!) for lamps in hard-to-reach places. I LOVED having my Christmas tree plugged into one so I could just stumble to bed at night and mutter “Alexa, turn off the Christmas tree.”

And the new Wemo Mini makes things even better by slim…

A query your pleasant community Trendy Dad will get so much is that this: Are hooked up lighting fixtures value it? Positive. However there is a nice choice.

And that choice is a brilliant outlet. And we have now were given a brand spanking new one right here from Belkin, referred to as the WeMo Mini.

This is the gist: It is a energy outlet that, uh, plugs into your energy outlet.

[CUE XHIBIT YO DAWG MEME.]

It additionally plugs into your router, which is the way it will get sensible. Smartly, as sensible as an outlet can get, I assume.

You'll be able to flip it on and off with your phone.

Or your voice. It really works with Amazon Alexa, and Google Home. However now not Apple's HomeKit. Which is not to mention it does not paintings on iOS — it simply does not use Apple's fancy implementation with Siri.

Why a sensible outlet? Why now not. It is sensible (BRILLIANT!) for lamps in hard-to-reach puts. I LOVED having my Christmas tree plugged into one so I may just simply stumble to mattress at night time and mutter "Alexa, flip off the Christmas tree."

And the brand new Wemo Mini makes issues even higher by way of slimming down the hole itself, so you'll be able to use two on the similar time. It is a much higher form than the previous favourite.

The handiest actual down aspect right here? Belkin's Wemo app is not nice. It is the similar on Android as it's on iOS, which is ok and all. Setup continues to be more or less a ache. And the app is best intended for use in one location. (There are third-party choices that can lend a hand with that, although.)

However all in all? This can be a in reality versatile product. As long as it is in vary of your Wifi and suits at the outlet, it is going to paintings nice. And now on this smaller shape, it is going to have compatibility in additional puts.

See at Amazon

Comments

More in Apple News

Popular

Featured

Advertisement
To Top