I recently bought an Amazon Echo along with a Belkin WeMo switch and I heard the two can be used together. After playing with the two devices for a little, I was able to figure out how to control my WeMo change by speaking to Alexa on the Echo.
The excellent thing about using a WeMo switch with the Echo is that it works without requiring you to put in a third party skill on the Echo or even buying a hub. The three WeMo devices that work directly with Alexa are the WeMo Light Switch, WeMo Switch and WeMo Insight Switch.
In general, it is really easy getting everything setup, but I’ll also mention some troubleshooting tips in the event it doesn’t work on the initial try.
Configure WeMo Switch
The first thing you are likely to need to do is to connect your WeMo Switch to your WiFi network and be certain it’s showing up in the WeMo app. You should have the ability to turn it off and on using the virtual power button in the far perfect.
If you tap on the small down arrow, then it must expand to show you a bit of electricity usage stats (just for the WeMo Insight switch).
Currently there are two things we must do inside the WeMo app before we could get it linked to Alexa. Firstly, you need to rename your switch to something aside from the default name. Whatever name you provide it here is everything you are going to have to call it when you speak to Alexa. So in the event that you name the change, Fridge, you will have the ability to state”Alexa, turn off the refrigerator ” and it will comply. To do this, tap the Edit button at the top and then tap on the switch you need to rename.
Should you use amounts in the title, be sure to spell out the amount rather than using the numerical value. Tap Save and the change should now have a new name. The second thing we must do is enable remote access. To do this, tap More located at the base of the app.
You will notice a choice named Remote Access. By default, it is going to show Not Enabled. Go ahead and tap it and tap on Enable Remote Access. This will not only permit you to control the switch from anywhere in the world, but it will also allow Alexa to command the switch.
You should find a message stating that remote access was enabled and you can control the switch from anywhere you have Internet access.
Discover Devices using Alexa
After we’ve done those two things from the WeMo program, we can now proceed into the Alexa program. Open the app, tap on the three horizontal lines at the top left and then tap on Smart Home.
This display is broken down into three sections: categories, skills and apparatus. Groups permit you to control multiple devices with a single control. By way of example, if you have three WeMo switches, you may create a group called Bedroom Lights then simply say”Alexa, switch off the bedroom lights. “
Beneath Smart Home Skills, it is possible to enable skills for products from different companies. Above, you can see I’ve empowered the TP-LINK Kasa ability because I have a TP-LINK switch. Finally, under Your Devices, you can add new devices by tapping Discover apparatus .
Alexa will now start searching for apparatus, which should require less than a minute. Once the search is done, you need to see the device listed under Your Own Devices.
That’s pretty much it! You’re now good to go. You should be able to reference the change by its name when talking to Alexa. Just say”Alexa, flip off/on switchname. ” If all goes well, Alexa will only say OK and that’s it. It’s possible to manually go check in the WeMo program and you need to see the switch state was changed.
If you Encounter issues along the way, you will find a couple of things you can do:
Make certain that your Amazon Echo has the latest firmware installed. You can achieve this by making sure it is connected to WiFi and turned on. The Echo will assess automatically and update itself if an update is available.
Make sure the WeMo switch has the latest firmware installed. When you open the WeMo program, it will inform you of any firmware updates and you can do it from inside the app.
If Alexa can not find your WeMo device, be sure that the Echo is attached to the 2.4 GHz WiFi network, in case you have a dual-band router. The WeMo units just connect to 2.4 GHz, so if your Echo is on the 5 GHZ network, it could cause issues.
Hopefully, this guide will get you up and running with Alexa and WeMo for a more fun smart home. Unfortunately, Belkin has stated the WeMo apparatus will not support HomeKit, therefore controlling your lighting from Siri won’t occur anytime soon. For me, Alexa can do far more than just restrain smart home devices, so if you currently have an Echo, then it might be well worth buying WeMo switches because they work well together. If you have any questions, feel free to comment. Enjoy!
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