So, I’m not a fan of technology for the sake of technology. I love when devices or apps can be brought into our lives and solve problems, make things easier, or provide some level of convenience. One of the items sent to me was the WeMo Switch by Belkin.Basically this device acts as an on/off switch from your phone. You plug it into an outlet and then plug something (a lamp, TV, radio, coffee pot, security monitor/camera, etc.) in to it. Once you’ve downloaded the WeMo app on your phone you can now turn that item on or off via your phone.
The Switch is super easy to set up and use but in our home I just don’t see how we can use it as a useful thing rather than a novelty item. I mean, we have a few nightstand lamps, coffee pot, TV’s, and pretty much that’s about it. So this is not something that I would necessarily get much benefit from but I’m sure there are people or instances where such a thing could be quite useful. If this device allowed you to see how much electricity was being used and how many minutes or hours per week the device was in use I could see that being interesting and potentially quite useful
All that said, great item but not really applicable in my home.
The second item sent to us was the Netcam HD by Belkin. Now this item is very applicable in our home because, as many of you know, we have a now 1 year old little dude so it’s nice to play “big brother” and watch him from our phones when he’s in his crib. I could see mounting this camera on a wall in his room or out in the great room to have a wide view of the room in order to keep an eye on him or even use it as a security camera.
This too was super easy to set up once you download the app for this device. I really dig the camera, it’s pretty sleek but I love the quality of the video and the fact that you can take still photos with it from your phone. As mentioned above it is HD and there is also audio on the video that you can control from your phone. One down side to me is that there is no on/off switch for the camera but guess what…that Switch mentioned above (the other item sent to me) now has a use that is applicable in my house.
I can plug this camera into the Switch by Belkin and now have the on/off switch from my phone and then jump over to the camera app and check out what’s happening…or not happening.
So the camera is awesome. As Sammy gets older I could see having a couple of these around the house to keep an eye on him or, as mentioned before, we can use them as security cameras inside the home. I tend to be a little OCD about security, locking doors, and all that so the camera is a great added security device. I just need to remember to turn it off when we have parties…no need for incriminating footage of us or our friends. Side note: You can also access the camera from your computer but that’s so 1990…just use your phone.
So thanks again to the #VZWBuzz team for these two bits of technology. It’s pretty cool to see how different folks use things like this so I look forward to the other blog posts from folks in the group to see what they’re doing.
Disclosure: The two products mentioned in this blog post were given to me by Belkin/Verizon as part of the brand ambassador program I have been involved in with them. That said, the opinions are my own and not influenced by anyone.
Hey Matt, one thing that the remote switch would be good for would be to hook it up to a lamp and then control it when you are not home. turn it on and off at random times to make it look as if someone is home. Just a thought..
Howdy Gina, good point. I had thought about that but we only have 4 plug in lamps and they are all small nightstand lamps. Only two of those are on the front side of the house. Plus, if we go out of town I will have you act as security here. LOL