Belkin is adding four new sensors to their WeMo line, These new sensors will add to the already popular WeMo wifi enabled smart home concept Belkin is pursuing. It’s adding door and window sensors, a keychain sensor used for detecting presence, an alarm sensor to detect the sound of smoke alarms and an infrared sensor that detects heat signatures for precise, room motion detection. Belkin is making sure it’s the ‘big player’ in the home automation market and is producing the types of products that will ensure its goals are reached.
Belkin has added a variety of sensors to its popular WeMo line of connected home products, which already include, outlets, light switches, bulbs and cameras. Later this year consumers will be able to buy door and window sensors, a keychain sensor used for detecting presence, an alarm sensor to detect the sound of smoke alarms and an infrared sensor that detects heat signatures for precise, room motion detection.
Belkin is showing off these four sensors at CES this week, but the final devices will be out in the second half of this year with pricing to be announced then. Belkin is also working on a water sensor that will provide deeper insights into water usage and leaks, but that one is in field trials and its ship date isn’t announced yet.
The water leak detection will rely less on a moisture trigger and more on algorithms that understand how a home uses water. It reminds me of the Soneter water sensor system I met when I visited Atlanta, that AT&T uses in its smart home system.
The sensors are a welcome addition to the WeMo line, which has been around a long time and is pretty popular because it is simple to use, works with Wi-Fi and because it’s also open to other connected home gear through partnerships with companies such as If This Then That (These sensors use ZigBee which will require a plugged in hub called the WeMo Link.) Adding more sensors just makes it that much more powerful and complete as an ecosystem on its own, especially for people who want to play with this stuff, but don’t want to link their WeMo’s to their lights via third-party services or hubs because that’s too complicated. Since Belkin doesn’t see a hub in the future for smart homes, it makes sense that it’s adding more gear as quickly as it can.
Source: https://gigaom.com/2015/01/04/belkin-expands-wemo-line-with-four-new-sensors/
Belkin is leading the way in Smart Home automation. The goal of the Internet of Things is not merely convenience. It can be used to enhance safety, save time and money and help the environment all at the same time. Those are some very good objectives and we applaud all efforts toward it.
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