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Add to SafariWhen comparing Belkin WeMo vs GE Link, the Slant community recommends Belkin WeMo for most people. In the question“What are the best smart bulbs?” Belkin WeMo is ranked 7th while GE Link is ranked 14th. The most important reason people chose Belkin WeMo is:
In addition to basic timers and schedules, you can set the lights to dim over a set amount of time - from 1 minute to an hour - which can help get into and out of bed. The lights are also able to begin turning on with the sunrise (through IFTTT)
Question Ranking
Pros
Pro Very configurable lighting options
In addition to basic timers and schedules, you can set the lights to dim over a set amount of time - from 1 minute to an hour - which can help get into and out of bed. The lights are also able to begin turning on with the sunrise (through IFTTT)
Pro Configurable recipies
Thanks to IFTTT (If This Then That - phone app for automation based on triggers) support, you can build your own custom recipes that suit you. There are also plenty of already created recipes from other users that you could use as well.
Pro Compatible with multiple smart bulb ecosystems
Of course its compatible with WeMo's ecosystem, but it is also compatible with SmartThings and Revolv. This allows for more options down the road, and the ability to mix different bulbs in a single setup.
Pro Good color rendering
The WeMo beast out virtually all of its competition when it comes to color rendering - the ability to accurately reproduce colors. It really only suffers when attempting to produce a vibrant, true red.
Pro Easy lighting management
Once you get the Wink App working, controls for the bulbs are simple. Whether you are modifying one bulb at a time, or grouping them to adjust many all at once, the controls are simple and work fairly well. Automating bulbs is just as easy - from basic scheduling (turn on in the morning, off when you go to bed for example) to recognizing when your phone is near and turn on by themselves.
If you want to go deeper, you can use the Robots feature, which allows you to craft your own automation recipe and dip into external triggers.
Pro Great color range
These bulbs can manage to display 90% of the color index - more than any current RGB LED bulb. It scores very well in all colors, expect pure red (about 60%) and pure blue (about 74%). Different shades of these colors all perform well.
Pro Compatible with many products
The GE Link is part of Wink's smart home platform standard, and are compatible with other products that utilize Wink (Honeywell, Dropcam, Philips Hue and more).
Cons
Con Requires the WeMo Link hub
The bulbs are connected through the WeMo Link which is a central hub, which then connects to your phone. It adds cost to the setup, but thankfully you only need 1 to control a large collection of WeMo Links. This hub doesn't have any wired connections - it plugs into any ordinary wall power outlet.
Con Limited connectivity
There is no option for a remote control or web-based control.
Con Buggy software
Between installing, registering, and connecting, the setup process is very slow and buggy. Even once connected, changing the colors or settings takes longer and appears more choppy than competing bulbs.
Updates can fail to install properly multiple times in a row (even with restarting your phone and unscrewing the bulbs).
Con Hub required
To access any smart features, you will require a hub. There are different hubs available, with more to come. Currently there is the Link Hub ($30) which will handle lighting, or the Wink Hub ($50) will be able to work the lights as well as other smart home systems. There's also the coming-soon Wink Relay ($300) which will have a touchscreen and act as a wall mounted smart hub.
Con Inefficient compared to other RGB bulbs
The GE Link requires 12 watts to produce 800 lumens - the TCP LEDs and Belkin WeMo provide the same lumens at 11 watts and 9.5 watts, respectively, and the Philips Hue provides 750 lumens using only 9 watts.
The GE Link is one of the most inefficient RGB LEDs available, however it is still many times more efficient than incandescent bulbs.
Con Limited dimming
While other Smart LED bulbs can dim right down to 0.5% of their total brightness, the GE Link will only go down to 10.2% brightness before it turns off. While this is still fairly dim, it would be nice to have an even larger range to make transitioning to bedtime more effective.
