Philips has been running the roost when it comes to smart lighting ever since it released Hue, but it won’t remain king of lighting mountain very long if Belkin has anything to say about it. Earlier today, before the CES show floor opens up and all technological hell breaks loose, the company announced two additions to its line of WeMo connected home products: new smart LED lightbulbs and an accompanying hub called WeMo Link.
Last year at CES, Belkin debuted network-connected WeMo smart light switches, so the fact that it’s making moves into the smart bulb arena was really a no-brainer – it’s the logical next step.
The light bulbs, which will be fully controllable via Belkin’s WeMo app for iOS and Android, are 60-Watt equivalent with an 800 lumen max brightness. The bulbs are also fully dimmable, and come equipped with a number of clever functions, such as “vacation” and “dim-to-sleep” modes, the latter of which will gradually turn your lights down as it gets closer to your bedtime
Belkin announced it will release a starter kit that includes two bulbs and one WeMo Link that acts as a hub for all your devices. The starter set will reportedly sell for $129, whereas individual bulbs will sell for $39 each. This makes WeMo lights considerably more affordable than Philips’ Hue, which might make them a better choice for consumers that don’t care if their lights can’t change colors.
No word yet on exactly when they’ll be available to consumers, but Belkin says they should hit the market sometime this spring.
