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Belkin expands WeMo sensor range to make your home even smarter

Belkin has expanded its range of WeMo devices at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas with a range of new sensors that will make your home even smarter.

It was at CES three years ago when we were introduced to the original line up of WeMo products.

Since then the home automation space has flourished and the phrase “Internet of Things” was coined to describe how devices could be connected and working together to produce an outcome.

Belkin has been at the forefront of this development with its WeMo ecosystem and this now includes a personal keychain sensor, a window and door sensor, room motion sensor and an alarm sensor.

These new products are designed to make your home more intuitive and aware and to react without any direct human input.

And the beauty of the new WeMo products is that they can work with any of the other older WeMo gear in the range.

Another product unveiled at CES was WeMo Maker which is a programmable sensor that can connect with a system like a garage door opener or a sprinkler system.

Using an IFTTT (If This Then That) recipe – an internet command that can trigger an action – the WeMo Maker can be used to control the device it is connected to under certain circumstances.

For example, a home’s sprinkler system can be turned off as soon as it starts raining using an IFTTT recipe.

These new sensors allow your home to be monitored from anywhere through the WeMo app on your smartphone via WeMo Link – a bridge that connects the sensors to your wi-fi network.

Users can program the sensors to activate other WeMo-connected devices as well as set schedules and receive alerts and notifications if any of the sensors are triggered.

The WeMo Keychain sensor
The WeMo Keychain sensor

WEMO KEYCHAIN SENSOR

This small fob can be worn on a key ring, collar or bag to keep track of family member in the home or a pet. The sensor can also used by working parents who can be alerted when their child has arrived home from school or if their cat or dog has wandered off their property.

The WeMo Window and Door sensor
The WeMo Window and Door sensor

 WEMO DOOR AND WINDOW SENSOR

This magnetic contact sensor can detect when an interior or exterior door or window has been open or closed. It can also be used on refrigerators, jewellery boxes and safes and basically anything that opens and closes. These can be combined with other WeMo devices to automate tasks like turning the lights or air conditioning on or off.

The WeMo Room Motion sensor
The WeMo Room Motion sensor

WEMO ROOM MOTION SENSOR

This infrared sensor can pick up movement through heat detections and room motion detection even in large rooms. It can also distinguish between humans and pets so rest assured it won’t be triggered by your dog or cat. The sensor can be used as a security device to check for movement or as a way to trigger other WeMo devices. For example, it can be used with a WeMo Light Bulb to turn on automatically as soon as the sensor detects movement.

wemoces15sensor2
The WeMo Alarm sensor

WEMO ALARM SENSOR

The WeMo Alarm sensor sits next to your existing smoke and security alarms and can notify users when they go off. With the WeMo app it’s possible to receive alerts even when you’re away so you can react to fires and break-ins. The WeMo Alarm sensor uses a special algorithm to distinguish between the alarm and other noises so you won’t get false notifications.

The Belkin WeMo sensors will be available in Australia in the second half of the year and pricing has yet to be finalised.

* Stephen Fenech travelled to Las Vegas as a guest of LG