LAS VEGAS, CES 2014 – Belkin is really hopping onto this connected-home thing with fiery fervor. They already have a formidable array of Internet-connected devices in their WeMo line — switches, plugs, motion detectors — and now they’ve added light bulbs and a DIY WeMo interface that can be adapted for use with practically anything that’s powered by electricity. Oh, they’ve also just come out with a big, shiny cloud-connected crockpot so you can cook dinner from the office.
The Belkin Crock-Pot WeMo Smart Slow Cooker, as it’s officially named, will let you use an iOS or Android app to remotely turn it on or off and adjust its timer and temperature settings. Of course, the pot has manual controls for cooking at home.
Like most connected bulbs, Belkin’s 60W-equivalent LED WeMo Bulbs can be remotely switched on/off, dimmed or set with a timer. They also have a setting that dims them gradually when it’s time to sleep, and a “vacation mode” that turns them on/off around a schedule that makes it look like your house is occupied when you’re actually away. The WeMo LED Bulb Starter Set comes with a controller and two bulbs for $130; additional bulbs are $40.
For the rest of your stuff that isn’t connected to the Internet, and that can’t be plugged in to a WeMo Switch — sprinklers, pool filter, that sort of thing — there’s the do-it-yourself approach with the WeMo Maker Kit. Of course, it’s not exactly plug-and-play, and you’ll need basic wiring skills to install it.
No price set yet for the WeMo Maker Kit, but the Crock-Pot WeMo Smart Slow Cooker is $100. Belkin says everything will be available this spring.
