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Austria, Vienna
1 Level
699 Review
25 Karma

Review on Wemo Smart Dimmer Light Switch With Thread: The Ultimate Smart Home Solution For Apple HomeKit by Derrick Shah

Revainrating 4 out of 5

Difficult to install, but worth it to make your lights smart!

I am a smart home techie and utilize a wide variety of brands & products to automate my home and make life easier. That being said, I've had one LED fixture on my front porch that is too low wattage to be controlled by competing smart switches and it's been driving my wife and I crazy! I was surprised and relieved to see WEMO now offered one with such a wide compatibility of LED wattage. I was excited to finally bring smart home functionality to this important outdoor bulb.Installation was a bit tricky. I'm very comfortable and familiar with DIY electrical work and replacing outlets, switches, etc. but I really do not prefer this style of "back-stabbing" electrical connector. They are very difficult to line up properly and there is always the risk that over time the tension loosens and the live wires pop out (especially if not properly installed the first time). The side screws are so tight to the plate that hooking around them isn't a viable option like with most other switches. It took me quite some time and effort to get all of my hot, neutral & ground wires connected and I could easily imagine a novice installer either giving up or installing it unsafely.While it was by far the most difficult time I've had physically connecting a light switch, the smart home functionality was a breeze to set up. Scanning the QR code on the Home app in my iPhone immediately loaded it into my HomeKit instance and it was able to be controlled seconds later. Just keep in mind this has no dedicated app and has to be controlled by Siri/HomeKit! There is no Alexa or Google Home integration available (trust me- I tried).Over a month later and everything is working very reliably! I love having the light turn on and off when we arrive home and it's such a nice security feature while we're away. It's definitely a little challenging to get it installed, but well worth the effort for such a solidly performing device.

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Pros
  • Electrical
Cons
  • Potential compatibility issues with older homes or wiring systems