Belkin’s made previous forays into the connected home with its WeMo line of light switches and smart plugs, but the company is taking on Philips’ popular Hue bulb with a WeMo LED Lighting kit.
Coming to Canada this spring for $129.99 as a kit of two bulbs and a WiFi Link, WeMo Smart LED Bulbs are smartphone-controlled 60W equivalents, dimmable and programmable from accompanying iOS or Android apps. Each subsequent bulb will sell for $39.99, which is extremely pricey when compared to a traditional incandescents, but considering the uptime on these things is roughly 20 years it comes off as a bargain.
Like other WeMo products, Belkin’s Smart LED bulbs support IFTTT for location- and other trigger-based actions. They also support features like Vacation Mode, which simulates occupancy while away — turning on and off the lights at random times — as well as “dim to sleep,” which is purportedly a better way to fall asleep naturally. The light itself is, according to Belkin, as close to “warm incandescent” as possible, which is great for those who are sensitive to the overly-sharp characteristics of LED lighting.
Of course, the LEDs can be grouped together within the app or controlled individually; the WeMo Link supports 50 Smart bulbs.
[source]Belkin[/source]
