Gadgetory

so guys the term smart-home has a bit of an intimidation factor associated with it that's because there are so many different products that fit under that umbrella and even more ways to put those products to good use in your home add in the inherent do-it-yourself nature of these products and a beginner could get scared off pretty quickly but I'm gonna show you how to strip the smart home down to its most basic level so you can get started with automation quickly and hopefully simplify your life I'm Meghan Willerton for CNET and this is a how-to whether you realize it or not you've probably been automating parts of your home for a long time now take this analog timer I got this at a local hardware store for about five bucks and you can use it for your indoor lighting to set schedules when you're way on vacation for example so while these old-school rigs can get the job done they're updated smart home versions called smart plugs like this Belkin Wemo switch right here that can strip away some of that radial dial clunkiness and actually add features like remote access on your phone now the Belkin Wemo switch is about as simple to setup as it could possibly be just download the Belkin Wemo app on your Android or iOS phone or tablet then open the app and it will ask you what device you want to set up the first one on there is Belkin Wemo switch slash motion we're not going to worry about the motion part so just click on that from there it will tell you to plug in your Belkin Wemo switch to go to the settings section on your phone and find the Wemo Wi-Fi connection once you're connected to that go back to the app and it will pair your new Belkin Wemo switch the last step then is just to add in your local Wi-Fi information so that's basically just adding in your local password and then your Wemo switch is set up you can hook it up to a lamp like you could with this analog dial or an iron or a space heater or a fan or any other small device in your home that you would like to control so if you left home already but you think you might have forgotten to turn off your space heater just go to the app and it will tell you and if it's on just press the button and turn it off it's as simple as that now a Belkin Wemo switch will study back 50 bucks this thing was five dollars so it's definitely a a bit more but for the peace of mind it affords I think it's definitely worth it there are products in categories ranging from home heating and cooling to smart security that can do what the Belkin Wemo switch does for lamps and other small appliances so just think about what you want to make easier in your home and in your life and there's probably a really great home automation product out there for you thanks for watching this smart home how to be sure to check out the rest of our coverage on Sina comm I'm Megan Fullerton for CNET appliances