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Meet the Belkin WeMo LED Lighting Starter Set

Belkin wants to automate your lights with the WeMo LED Lighting Starter Set

Ry Crist Senior Editor / Reviews - Labs
Originally hailing from Troy, Ohio, Ry Crist is a writer, a text-based adventure connoisseur, a lover of terrible movies and an enthusiastic yet mediocre cook. A CNET editor since 2013, Ry's beats include smart home tech, lighting, appliances, broadband and home networking.
Expertise Smart home technology and wireless connectivity Credentials
  • 10 years product testing experience with the CNET Home team
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Ry Crist
2 min read
Belkin

Consumers with a budding interest in the smart home have a few new reasons to consider Belkin this year, as the company wasted little time in announcing several new smart devices at CES today. Perhaps most intriguing among them is the WeMo LED Lighting Starter Set. Consisting of a pair of the newly announced WeMo Smart LED Bulbs and a "WeMo Link" plug-in hub to help control them, Belkin's first step into smart lighting will cost $129, with additional bulbs retailing for $39.

The LED Starter Set will join WeMo's existing line of automatable light switches, plug-in modules, and motion detectors, and share their full integration with the WeMo Android/iOS app, as well as full compatibility with the popular web service IFTTT. This means that you'll be able to tie your lighting rules to things like Foursquare check-ins or iOS location, or to other IFTTT-friendly smart devices, such as SmartThings sensors or Philips Hue bulbs.

With a WeMo motion detector, you'll be able to set the Smart LED Bulbs to turn on automatically when you enter the room...

 Ry Crist/CNET

...and with IFTTT's iOS Location trigger, you'll be able to turn them on just by entering the area, or have them turn them off automatically when you leave.

 Screenshot by Ry Crist/CNET

At $129 per Starter Set, Belkin is pricing their smart lighting option considerably beneath what you'll pay for a Philips Hue Starter Kit, though it's worth noting that -- in addition to full color control -- the Philips kit comes with a third bulb. Additionally, a three-bulb Connected by TCP Wireless LED Lighting Kit costs $20 less than the two-bulb WeMo Starter Set when purchased through HomeDepot.com.

As for the bulbs themselves, each one is rated to last 25,000 hours, putting them on par with most other LEDs as far as longevity is concerned. At 800 lumens per bulb, they're bright enough to replace 60-watt incandescents, and with a color temperature of 3000K, should have a familiar, warm white glow. Each bulb comes with a 2-year limited warranty, and that might be a bit short for consumers unconvinced about the long-term value of LED lighting -- especially given the fact that WeMo bulbs cost $39 each.