I haven’t been able to find a decent answer to this on these forums or anywhere else on the web, so forgive me if this has been covered before or if the answer is plain.
I am in the planning stages of my home automation project, and trying to decide which devices to purchase.
I can’t seem to find a role for purchasing WeMo appliances to use within the SmartThings environment. Does anyone have a good reason for introducing them (WeMo)? As best as I can figure out, the main advantage of SmartThings communicating with WeMo is to provide some measure of “backward compatibility” for those that bought WeMo before moving to SmartThings.
Both have an IFTTT channel. / Both are screwed if you lose your internet connectivity, at least from a mobile-connected standpoint. ?Does the WeMo still work if the home network is intact but the outbound connection is lost? / WeMo won’t extend the Z-Wave network.
Any thoughts on why I should consider buying WeMo products to include in my SmartThings-based home automation scheme?
I know that Belkin released firmware updated for a number of its devices several weeks ago and that seems to have improved them. That said, I still don’t think I would recommend them over other devices that are available.
I use the WeMo smart switch as a redundant restart mechanism. Amusingly enough I have not needed it since I switched to ST- but it was absolutely critical with my previous controller- the Vera 2. It was always locking up and frequently a remote reboot was a necessity.
They are around the same price as a z-wave switch yet have more flexibility due to some built-in smarts.I use the WeMo devices in places where I still want timed on/off to work if SmartThings or my internet connection are down. I also have a few on the second floor where they get Wi-Fi without trouble yet z-wave does not reach (SmartThings hub is in basement).