Belkin teams with TCP to bring new lights into the WeMo lineup
The move will bring TCP's connected LEDs into the WeMo ecosystem by early 2015.
- 10 years product testing experience with the CNET Home team
Belkin announced a partnership with lighting manufacturer Technical Consumer Products (TCP) today, a relationship that should see new LED bulbs join the WeMo ecosystem by early 2015. The move comes two months after Belkin forged a similar partnership with Osram Sylvania designed to bring Ultra IQ LEDs under WeMo's wing as well.
Both new partnerships signal a serious push to make affordable smart lighting a chief focus of WeMo's home-automation slate, which already includes smart switches , motion detectors , wireless cameras , and, interestingly enough, Belkin's own line of automatable LEDs .
Though well-reviewed, WeMo's bulbs have seen some tough competition from cheaper competitors, including GE Link LEDs , which have enjoyed an aggressive marketing boost as a key device in the Wink smart home platform. With its own lower price point , the TCP LED's role seems likely to be aimed at keeping WeMo competitive as a standalone platform.
TCP will begin selling WeMo-ready LEDs in early 2015. To control the bulbs through the WeMo app, users will also need to purchase the WeMo Link, which currently serves as the Zigbee hub for WeMo LEDs. Once the TCP LEDs are added into Belkin's network, users will be able to automate them alongside other WeMo devices, and also control them through the WeMo channel on IFTTT, the popular online automation service.