Wemo Smart Switch With Thread Surfaces

Back at CES 2022, Wemo announced a set of forthcoming products, including the now available Wemo Smart Plug with Thread, and the Wemo Video Doorbell with HomeKit Secure Video compatibility. Also mentioned were both a smart dimmer switch and a smart rocker switch. Now, the latter of these has surfaced on Wemo’s own website, although at the time of writing it wasn’t actually available for purchase.

Putting to one side this switch uses Thread for its connection (as well as Bluetooth in the absence of a Thread Border Router), it’s also exciting to note that this will work with both neutral and no-neutral switch boxes, which is something of an achievement, given most switches will require a neutral, or if they don’t (like Aqara’s offering, for example), offer a separate version for each type. As has been the case with the aforementioned smart plug and video doorbell, the new switch will also offer NFC pairing.

One cautious additional point of interest is that the listing also states that the switch “Replaces single-pole and 3-way (multi-location control) switches ”.  I say cautious, as it doesn’t explicitly state that this will work as part of a three-way switch set-up, only that it can ‘replace’ a 3-way switch, which could just as easily mean that it would essentially convert a three-way switch to a standard single pole switch (features and specs below);

• Universal solution  for most homes with neutral wiring
• Thread networking compatible
• Replaces single-pole and 3-way switches
• Designed exclusively for Apple  HomeKit
• Easy touch pairing with Near-Field Communication (NFC) technology
• State-of-the-art firmware temperature tracking assures safe and reliable usage
• 2-year extended warranty for peace of mind

• Dimensions: 3.3” W x 5” H x 1.7” D  
• Weight: 150.6 g/0.332 lb  
• Replaces single-pole and 3-way (multi-location control) switches  
• Neutral and no neutral wire compatible   
• Supports most light and bulb types  
• Maximum Wattage: 600W incandescent resistive load  
• Works with your existing single/double/multi-switch rocker-style plates  
• Not designed to work with metal plates  
• Electrical rating: 120V~/15A/60Hz/1800W  
• Thread: 2.4 GHz 802.15.4, BLE: 2.4 GHz, 802.15.1  

As you can see, the switch is designed for North American-type switch boxes, with no mention of European versions at this time, and as this doesn’t seem to be available at this time, there’s no mention of a price point, although the WiFi version is selling for US$29.99, so we’re going to hazard a guess that the Thread version, whilst almost certainly more expensive, will still be reasonably priced.

Credit to Reddit user u/idsnowghost for the find.