WeMo Insight vs ConnectSense Smart Outlet

IFTTT (if this then that) allows you to set up conditional automations. So you can turn on or off devices attached to the switch based on conditions like time of day, your location or any trigger from 300+ services.

The installation instructions are fairly basic - just connect to the switch's Wi-Fi, go into the WeMo app, make the connection, and then swap over to your regular Wi-Fi (if it works the first time).

You can set up the Insight to send you app notifications when the switch is turned on or off based on set rules. So you can, for example, get notified only between 9am and 5pm while you are at work, and turn off notifications while you are at home.

The WeMo app is simple to use, and provides quite a bit of information at a glance as well. There's a large power button to open/close the switch, as well as a timer which indicates how long the switch has been on for. It also shows data such as average on time each day, average cost and more.

You can get on demand reports of energy usage as well as set up Insight to email daily, weekly or monthly reports of energy usage.

Scheduling can be done on either a weekly basis (same schedule for the whole week) or you can configure each day individually (e.g., the weekend can have a different schedule than the weekdays).

Through Amazon's virtual assistant Alexa (found on the Amazon Echo ling of products) you can control the switch via voice.

WeMo is one of the leading Internet of Things ecosystems, and can integrate with a wide variety of other products that also support the WeMo standard.

Rules determine when your lights are on and off (think of it like scheduling for events instead of times).

ConnectSense Smart Outlet has two outlets that can each be controlled and monitored independently.

The USB charging port may have additional use in the future, however right now it can be used to charge phones or other devices such as smart watches, console controllers and more.

HomeKit is Apple's Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystem, with deep integration with Siri. As part of HomeKit, once properly setup you can have many devices in your house act to a single action. For example, saying "Hey Siri, go to bed" can trigger all your lights to turn off, your thermostat to turn down, and your doors to lock.

Outlets are only useful if you can use them, this one is solid.

On the top left is a power indicator LED which indicates whether or not the plug is plugged into the wall and connected (if plugged in the light will be solid, if not connected the light will flash).

There are also 2 LEDs in the clear strip on the right of the sockets. These indicate whether or not the sockets are active. This is handy, because if HomeKit turns the socket off you can easily tell without wondering if anything is broken.

These lights can be turned off through the app, but can also serve as a dim nightlight if you leave them on.

Interoperability among products within the smart home.

Scenes allow you to not only control one device, but multiple at the same time, this outlet plays great with HomeKit so you get control not just one thing, but multiple at the same time.