Belkin WeMo and Ubiquiti mFi Home Automation Platforms Review
by Ganesh T S on April 27, 2015 8:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Home Automation
- Belkin
- Ubiquiti Networks
- IoT
WeMo Setup and Usage
The WeMo Insight Switch is easy to get up and running, as it just needs to be connected to a power outlet, but the Light Switch is a complicated install due to its in-wall nature. The process is similar to that of the mFi Light Switch & Dimmer. Depending on local regulations, one might need a licensed electrician for the installation. It is important to remember that both these in-wall devices need a neutral wire. Belkin provides a YouTube video with instructions for a DIY install. Just like the mFi InWall light switch, it is good to ensure that there is enough depth and space available in the wall opening to safely install the unit.
The Insight Switch can be controlled directly, thanks to a capacitive on/off touch button on the top. Also, unlike the non-monitoring version, it doesn't block the adjacent port.
WeMo units are setup in a manner similar to the mFi - However, unlike the mFi units where any computing platform with a web browser can be connected to the ad-hoc Wi-Fi network, only smart devices running the WeMo app can be used to setup the units. Belkin's market is for simple setup and operation for unsophisticated users. There are no IP addresses for the users to find or configure, no local web pages, no router changes, no usernames and passwords etc. The authentication is purely via Wi-Fi SSID. The units communicate with Belkin's cloud servers to enable access over the Internet.
The official usage model is through smart devices. The mobile apps allow control and also setting up of rules and scenes. Users can also edit the WeMo devices (names, icons etc.), connect them to IFTTT and export generated data via e-mail / schedule the export (the last point is applicable only to WeMo Insight).
Unfortunately, the WeMo app (the Android version, at least) has been inconsistent over the last year or so. Earlier, I used to be able to set up rules and modify them, but, recently, the app never loads the rules and doesn't allow adding them either. In addition, the energy monitoring aspect of the Insight has become flaky - reading the unit as being on standby even when a load is connected to it.
The division of work between the cloud infrastructure and the local device is not well-documented. We know that WeMo's official APIs communicate via their cloud servers. However, most specific rules (that deal only with that particular device) such as schedules can work independent of the cloud.
MPP App Suite - WemoManager and WemoServer
WeMo, being one of the pioneers in the mass-market home automation ecosystem, piqued the interest of hackers with good intentions. Multiple efforts have gone into deciphering the control protocol and putting it to use in unofficial third-party scripts and applications.
The most comprehensive reverse-engineering / consumer-friendly attempt is Mike's WemoManager / WemoServer. Part of the MPP App Suite, readers must note that the app is not free. The WemoServer does have a free standalone implementation, but requires the WemoManager paid app for extra functionality such as remote access. Mike does deserve recognition for what he has achieved, but, this should have been Belkin's strategy with the WeMo from the beginning (note that Ubiquiti Networks is doing the same thing with the mFi - providing the rules and scenes backend for all devices as a free download that can operate independent of the cloud).
Mike shares many of our thoughts - particularly the aspect that the cloud is probably not the best place to run home automation. It's too slow, occasionally unreliable, and certainly a security risk. As mentioned earlier, Belkin's cloud approach is perfect for unsophisticated users. However, this doesn't mean that power users need to be left out.
Another aspect that we dealt with in our home automation consumer checklist earlier this month was the monetization potential of the cloud. It is likely that Belkin will move to do that in the future - after all, someone needs to pay to keep the cloud servers running and there are no subscription aspects attached to the WeMo devices right now.
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Daniel Egger - Monday, April 27, 2015 - link
> But since an led light usually uses around 5 watt an hourWell that depends on your LED lighting, 5W will yield around 400lm which is equal to around 40W of incandescent lighting which is not really much unless you're talking cozy reading lamp. For my ambient living room lighting alone I have 2 PSUs with combined 210W output and running all channels at full brightness (which is crazily bright) they use around 130W. In addition I have 26W of Living Colors for accent lighting and another 12W lighting my bar.
> how many decades do you need to keep the light on before a 50$ light switch and 2-300$ total solution pays for itself
How would it *ever* pay for itself? Those solutions increase power consumption and do not offer any savings whatsoever: if I need my lights they're on, if I don't they're off -- it doesn't get simpler than that.
V900 - Monday, April 27, 2015 - link
HOLY CRAP that's a lotta lights and wattage you got there!I think my whole living room is lit with 10-12 watts or so. Then again, in Europe power can easily cost ten times of what it costs in North America. Especially the parts of NA that get their power from nuclear power plants or through hydro electric means.
And even in Europe with high power costs, LED bulbs has made conserving the lights and power sorta meaningless. Even when you pay 1-2$ pr kilowatts, forgetting to turn off the lights costs a lot less when your lightbulbs use 5-10 times less power.
Daniel Egger - Monday, April 27, 2015 - link
> HOLY CRAP that's a lotta lights and wattage you got there!Yes, but a regular nighttime light scene only takes around 40W in total which is not much. Even the 200W halogen uplight I had a couple of years ago took 120W at the darkest dimm setting while only lighting a fraction of the area. Heck, even the projector over my head is using almost 200W right now.
> I think my whole living room is lit with 10-12 watts or so.
You must have a small living room or prefer candlelight setups. ;) As I said my bar has 4 downlights with 3W each (80lm/W) and is by far the best LED light I've ever seen, very halogen-like -- I totally love that beautiful setup and it's easily as good and bright as the 4x20W halogen downlights which are installed next to them in the kitchen. But it's not even remotely possible to light the whole living room just with those...
malcolmh - Wednesday, April 29, 2015 - link
"$1-$2 per kilowatts"? Not sure where you get that assumption from.Here in the UK I'm paying £0.0945 / kWh, which is about 15 cents US. My plan also has a £0.25/day flat rate standing charge, but since that's a flat rate it's not really relevant here.
I also can't see the point of these devices though. /Maybe/ if you integrated them to a whole-room voice activation system, that worked as reliably as the video promoting Amazon Echo...
ganeshts - Monday, April 27, 2015 - link
Couple of examples:Vacation mode : You are out on vacation, but need to make your house look occupied to the outside world - If you could randomly turn on/off lights at night remotely / set such a schedule, that would be a deterrent against would-be burglars.
Home Theater setting : If it is night and you are starting to watch a movie on your TV, slowly dim and then switch off the lights.
Energy sensing outlets can help you determine what devices consume the most power and how you can optimize their usage. Check out reviews of smart outlets on Amazon - there are plenty of usage models. I do agree that they need to come down in cost - which is where the InWall outlets come into play - they don't really have that much premium over the generic outlets that are installed in the walls.
steven75 - Monday, April 27, 2015 - link
"they don't really have that much premium over the generic outlets that are installed in the walls."I beg to differ. $59 vs about $1.50 for a duplex outlet at the local hardware store is a massive premium.
I like the idea of this stuff very much, it's just that the price needs to be lower by a factor of about 10.
ganeshts - Monday, April 27, 2015 - link
You are right.. I was having the dimmer switches in mind when I wrote that:http://www.homedepot.com/b/Electrical-Dimmers-Swit...
The minimum is around $22 - the good ones around $30 ; There is a premium of around $30, but that is still less than the ~$60 premium for the outlets.
Daniel Egger - Monday, April 27, 2015 - link
> Vacation mode : You are out on vacation, but need to make your house look occupied to the outside world - If you could randomly turn on/off lights at night remotely / set such a schedule, that would be a deterrent against would-be burglars.Right, because burglars are utterly stupid; they don't notice that the car is absent for weeks but are easily fooled by randomly flicked lights (because that's what people do, rather than say turn it on on demand and depending on the sunset). Not to mention that the best protection against burglars here are roller shutters which tend to counter the idea of making light inside for the outsider to see.
> Energy sensing outlets can help you determine what devices consume the most power and how you can optimize their usage.
You'll only have to do that once per device. There's no point in doing it constantly; it's a huge waste of energy without any information gain.
V900 - Monday, April 27, 2015 - link
Actually, today's modern burglar doesn't have to sit in a parked car for hours to do surveillance on a potential house to burglarize.(I actually doubt they've ever done that, though that is the whole logic behind setting your lights on timers. No matter if we're talking about 3$ manual dollar store timers or 50$ Belkin internet timers.)
Even today's poorly equipped burglar can go on Facebook to see whether the owners are home, or if the whole family is in the Dominican Republic for two weeks.
And the 70$ Android handset put an end to the good old "What kinda burglar brings their smartphone to work?!?" argument.
Daniel Egger - Monday, April 27, 2015 - link
> Actually, today's modern burglar doesn't have to sit in a parked car for hours to do surveillance on a potential house to burglarize.My point exactly. Even though I don't use Facebook et al, it's quite easy to spot -- just by driving by -- whether we're at home. Hm, maybe I should switch my parking spots every now and then to create the illusion I'm at home. ;)