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Wemo Launches New HomeKit-Compatible Outdoor Smart Plug

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Apr 12, 2001
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Belkin's Wemo brand today announced the launch of a new WiFi-connected HomeKit-compatible Outdoor Smart Plug that joins Wemo's other smart plugs, light switches, and dimmers.

belkinsmartplug.jpg

The Outdoor Smart Plug is ideal for outdoor lighting, holiday decorations, and other outdoor appliances, and it does not require a hub to function.

It is equipped with two splash-proof, weather resistant AC outlets that allow the items that are plugged in to be controlled using Siri voice commands, the Wemo app, and the Home app. The Outdoor Smart Plug is also compatible with Amazon Alexa and Hey Google for those that don't have a Siri ecosystem.

The WiFi Outdoor Smart Plug can be pre-ordered from Belkin or from Amazon for $39.99, with orders set to ship out in late October.

Article Link: Wemo Launches New HomeKit-Compatible Outdoor Smart Plug
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2020/10/21/wemo-homekit-outdoor-smart-plug/
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  • Wow
Reactions: ModusOperandi
I love Wemo's smart plugs. They work very reliably. I recently started renovating my backyard and will likely pick up a couple.

Just make a power strip already.
 
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Does anyone have concerns with Belkin being bought by a Chinese company? Not trying to be political, just curious if people have concerns about potential back doors. I like my pre-accusation WEMO hardware but I worry about introducing spyware on my network.
 
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Reactions: zackkitzmiller, rbgaynor and stevenjev
Nice for non-handy people. My wife wanted to control our outdoors decoration/Christmas lights from indoors. I ran some underground conduits, wired an outlet behind the bushes and controlled by a light switch indoors. It costs less than getting a smart outlet and extension cords combo. The downside is I can't turn on the Christmas lights when I'm away from home.

I'd imagine these WiFi enabled outlets would allow me to annoy my neighbors when I'm on vacation.😁 $400 electric bill every December y'all.🎅
 
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Reactions: thhertz, Bozley0621 and Smoovejayy
I keep waiting for Belkin to announce they are shutting down their Wemo product line, yet then they surprise me with a new product.

Wemo was my first foray into smart home, I've used their products since their launch. However, I have to express my disappointment with the Wemo brand. They could not make the setup process any more frustrating. Since day one, I dont think I've yet to set up a Wemo product without it either unable to find my Wifi, the pairing process failing, or the Wemo app just outright crashing.

Now recently Wemo announced the change to a cloud required model. If your internet connection fails, you cannot turn on and off your lights through the app. I think this is a huge mistake and this direction should not be supported. If Belkin shuts off their service, you're left with paperweights. Just like they did with their Wifi camera. Why should I continue to trust this brand?

There are numerous products that compete with this. I'd suggest avoiding Wemo at this point.

Edit: I see as well from the Q/A that the outlets are tied together, you can't control them independently. How is this supposed to compete?
 
Last edited:
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First, it's those *who*. Second, Alexa is far smarter than Sir.

Third, what is the current capacity of this thing?
 
I found my dumb outside timer last month. It had taken a vacation somewhere for the last few years. It usually loses about 4 hours a month. I am tempted just to have the time not needing correction by unplugging and pushing a button until it feels I have actually pushed it and then it racing past the correct time and I get to say close enough especially if it does not repeat the behaviour on the next step. (It usually does)
 
Looks nice. TP-Link Kasa a better buy and always had good luck with them too. Wish they were Homekit, but no biggie.

Kasa can be controlled independently too.
 
sinsin07 said:
Late to the game and $15 to much (although home kit not available with this one):

www.amazon.com

Kasa Smart Outdoor Smart Plug KP400, Smart Home Wi-Fi Outlet with 2 Sockets, Works with Alexa, Google Home &IFTTT, No Hub Required, Sunset & Sunrise Offset

Kasa smart outdoor plug by TP link, weather resistant, dual outlets, control from anywhere, works with Alexa, Google Assistant, and no hub required (KP400).
www.amazon.com
Click to expand...

Lack of HomeKit support makes it a non-contender in this contest.
 
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Any word on temperature operating range? I checked and couldn't find anything. I live in a place that experiences -40 at times...
 
travoose said:
Hopefully these are better than their existing Wemo devices, as they always seem to lose the network connection.
Click to expand...

That's not re-assuring. You'd think that any problems they have with holding a reliable connection would be amplified in the case of a device that's kept outside.
 
GDF said:
Looks nice. TP-Link Kasa a better buy and always had good luck with them too. Wish they were Homekit, but no biggie.

Kasa can be controlled independently too.
Click to expand...
TP-Link promised to support HomeKit, then took it back.
I was going to buy their switches and dimmers (do they have dimmers?), but because of that I ended up buying Lutron Caseta dimmers for my whole house. Added their bridge to support Alexa and HomeKit.
One thing I like about the Caseta is that it has it's own separate RF communication, it doesn't use my WiFi connection (only the bridge).
 
stevenjev said:
I keep waiting for Belkin to announce they are shutting down their Wemo product line, yet then they surprise me with a new product.

Wemo was my first foray into smart home, I've used their products since their launch. However, I have to express my disappointment with the Wemo brand. They could not make the setup process any more frustrating. Since day one, I dont think I've yet to set up a Wemo product without it either unable to find my Wifi, the pairing process failing, or the Wemo app just outright crashing.

Now recently Wemo announced the change to a cloud required model. If your internet connection fails, you cannot turn on and off your lights through the app. I think this is a huge mistake and this direction should not be supported. If Belkin shuts off their service, you're left with paperweights. Just like they did with their Wifi camera. Why should I continue to trust this brand?

There are numerous products that compete with this. I'd suggest avoiding Wemo at this point.

Edit: I see as well from the Q/A that the outlets are tied together, you can't control them independently. How is this supposed to compete?
Click to expand...
No independent control is a dealbreaker for me. Also I live in apartments so I have nowhere to plug it outside. But if if I did... dealbreaker.

If it has an internet requirement, that is also a dealbreaker. Why the heck does a command that travels 20 feet from me to the device need to relay to their servers. Too suspicious. Forget that.


GDF said:
Looks nice. TP-Link Kasa a better buy and always had good luck with them too. Wish they were Homekit, but no biggie.

Kasa can be controlled independently too.
Click to expand...
No HomeKit is a dealbreaker. Less because of ecosystem convenience and more because of security standards.
 
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btrach144 said:
Does anyone have concerns with Belkin being bought by a Chinese company? Not trying to be political, just curious if people have concerns about potential back doors. I like my pre-accusation WEMO hardware but I worry about introducing spyware on my network.
Click to expand...
If that is a concern, Eve might be your best bet.

As for me, I have eero HomeKit router, blocking and monitoring traffic for Belkin:

belkin.png


Seems alright enough to me.
 
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