This smart home device is rarely on sale, but you can get it for its lowest price ever today
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AmazonIf you've been waiting for the right time to add some smart plugs to your home, now's the time to buy them.
WeMo Smart Switches, made by Belkin, were among the first smart home devices to hit the market. These "smart switches" let you transform your current gadgets into smart gadgets, and they're on sale for their lowest price ever.
I've written about a product like this before, and they make certain tasks you perform every day more convenient. All you have to do is plug your current appliance into the WeMo switch, and plug the WeMo switch into your standard outlet.
The tea kettle photo I've chosen is perfect because my electric kettle is currently connected this way. Each morning I say "Alexa, turn on my tea kettle" and the water is boiled right as I'm done brushing my teeth. That's right, like the ones I use, these smart switches work with the Amazon Echo. If you don't have an Echo, you can control whatever device is plugged into the WeMo Smart Switch through a free app on iOS and Android. While that's not as futuristic-feeling as controlling it with your voice, it does mean you can control these devices from anywhere in the world.
I should clarify that when I say you can "control" your devices, I mean you can turn them on and off. That's not useful if you'd like your tea to be already done just the way you like it when you wake up, but will give you a definitive answer to the question: "Did I forget to turn off the toaster oven?" Another limitation is which devices you can plug into this switch. The WeMo Smart Switch can handle devices that draw up to 1800 watts of power. So, ultimately, these are more for electric kettles, holiday lights, or other small electronics. Again, the type of gadgets you might forget to turn off occasionally.
WeMo products don't go on sale too often, and today they're down to the lowest price they've ever been on Amazon. This is a one-day sale, so if you've got some older gadgets that you'd like to make a little smarter without much work, these smart plugs are the perfect solution.
Wemo Switch Smart Plug, $22.99 (originally $49.99), available at Amazon [54% off]