Belkin WeMo Switch

Update: 4-5-2-15. Still disappointed that EVERY WeMo product is still mashed into this one huge review section. This update refers to the Belkin WeMo Switch only. A recent firmware update has increased the responsiveness of my 4 WeMo Switches so that all respond promptly to on/off commands. Also, the more aggressive integration of the WeMo Switch with the IFTTT app expands the functionality of the WeMo switch significantly. The app runs smoothly. I see no flaws in this product that would warrant it receiving anything but 5 stars. Again, can not speak for the other WeMo products as do not own any.I just posted the following review on Apple's App Store of the WeMo app and how it interacts with the Belkin WeMo Switch. I'm sure everyone has noticed that Amazon clumps the reviews of ALL the WeMo Products into one giant review section. I am not sure this is best as it is possible that various WeMo products are performing at different levels. For example, I noticed that the WeMo light switch has a fair amount of negative reviews. Maybe that is because it is the most often bought item in the WeMo line. Maybe it is a less admirable product. In my case, I was interested in the WeMo WALL SWITCH. I found it fatiguing to weed through all the reviews finding the ones on that specific product. Anyway...here is my review of the WeMo App in conjunction with the WeMo WALL SWITCH.First, my hardware and software for reference:iPhone 6+ running iOS 8.1.3 (12B466)WeMo Product: 4 WeMo Switches (Kind that plugs into wall outlet)Version of WeMo Switch: VA01Firmware running on WeMo Switches: WeMo_US_2.00.7166.PVTApp Version: 1.10.2 (20022)Here’s the good news:1. All 4 of my WeMo Switches nicely control the devices to which I have them connected. 3 lights and one TV.2. I can successfully control all 4 WeMo Switches via my Home Network, via the Enterprise Network at work, and via 3G and 4G.For those reasons the product and app earn 5 Stars.I had to take away 1 star because of the bad news:1. The app is not refined and often requires several attempts at various tasks in the setup before success is achieved. Luckily I am not a novice user of iOS technology and am comfortable with trial and error. When I set up several of my devices I was told the device was trying to connect to my network. Then it told me it failed and to try again or later. I kept trying and it kept saying it failed. So I stopped trying…only to realize that the Switch WAS connected to my network! The developers need to fix this inaccurate reporting as many folks would give up right there trying to set up the device.2. I understand the need for firmware updates and am actually glad the company is showing attention to areas of improvement by the presence of firmware updates. My switches needed 2 firmware updates each. Again, that’s fine. My only complaint is after the first firmware update on each of my 4 Switches I received a celebration banner saying something to the effect that 'Your WeMo switch is now running the latest, greatest FW version. Hooray!’ Actually, that was not true at all. There was still one more firmware update and only because I noticed a red dot on the menu bar at the bottom of the app screen did I decide to check if there were more firmware updates. This needs fixing. Each Firmware update takes a while…5 minutes or so. That’s ok.4. When I experimented and turned on some of my devices from work (Enterprise network) and some of my devices via 4G (parking lot at work) everything went fine. When I got home all the device were on. Great! However, I was unable to turn 3 of the 4 devices off (Home Network). Because of past experience with other buggy apps, I totally closed the WeMo app and reopened it (I didn’t just put it in the background in the recently used app bar). That fixed the problem and I was able to turn off all the devices. Obviously the user shouldn’t need to do this (reboot the app) and some users may not think to do it. This is another area for the developers to refine the app.All in all, I really like this product. I have no qualms recommending it. But novice users would be encouraged to solicit the assistance of an experienced person during setup and remember...my review is with regard to the functionality of the WeMo Wall Switch. Perhaps it applies to the other products. Perhaps not.

Let’s be clear: the product is not bad, the software is. As a matter of fact, the software is terrible. You can trust me on this one, because I have 14 different devices installed at home. They are all working, sort of…, but it is not that easy. Setting up is OK, and it’s not the main problem. In the last few years, I had all sort of difficulties, but the last one, is far from preventing me from posting this negative review. I had everything working fine after many, many problems. It took me a few months and contacts with Belkin to get them to work, and then… a firmware update came to mess everything. You cannot avoid the firmware download, so the applications just tell you, that is installing the new firmware and you have to wait. After that happened, all my devices keep showing “downloading” in the app, and you cannot control them. In an effort to get them working, I tried a different phone, because mine is an Android, I thought that maybe my wife IPhone would work. So I downloaded from the Apple store and installed, but the same thing happened. On my phone, I tried do uninstall and reinstall it many times, but the problems persist. Tried on an Ipad, on a Samsung Galaxy Tab2, and 2 different Android phones, but with no success. I even tried to turn off all my house electricity, turn back on, to see if would stop the problem, but it did not. So what point am I? If I open the WeMo app in any of my phones or tablets, all them keep showing the “downloading” message, and don’t let me do anything with them. What was programed, is working, but I cannot access any switch to change anything. There is an “alternative” app, that is far from perfect (much slower), but at least let me control the Switches and Insights, it’s called Memo Widgets. I also have 2 motion sensors, and they trigger the corresponding lights, but I cannot change any setting any more. Hope that this has helped you. Just so you don’t think I am a total idiot, I am an engineer with 35 years of experience in digital technology and I have 117 IPs taken in my home network, aside from the WeMo devices, everything works flawlessly. Best regards.