O’Connor earns fairytale Wallabies recall
Wallabies veteran James O'Connor has been recalled into the squad in what could see him face the British and Irish Lions for the second time. 
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Cronulla Sharks take on the Dolphins in Round 19 of the 2025 NRL Premiership at Sharks Stadium, Sydney.
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Your Belkin Wemo smart home devices will die soon. Here are great alternatives
Apart from a handful of devices with Thread radios, most of Belkin’s Wemo smart home products will become obsolete on January 31, 2026. While the handwriting has been on the wall for some time now, it doesn’t make that bitter pill any easier to swallow.
But look on the bright side: There’s one day left of Amazon’s Prime Day sale, and the most onerous of President Trump’s tariffs have yet to take effect.
Belkin stopped selling some of these Wemo products several years ago, but the company continued to operate the servers they depended on. After January of next year, however, you won’t be able to operate them at all using the Wemo app or with any third-party services.
These recommendations are based on my assumption that you’ll want to replace your Wemo devices with something equally simple, so I won’t get into every alternative, including some that might be more appealing to smart home power users. I will, however, help you minimize the brands you buy into, so you don’t need to juggle lots of smart home apps.
There are some cases where that won’t be possible, however, because I’m recommending Lutron products as my top picks in many categories, and Lutron doesn’t make smart bulbs or indoor smart plugs that can handle small appliances. Lutron also doesn’t currently support Matter, if that’s important to you (it’s not to me).
If you’re using Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, or Google Home, using more than one app isn’t all that onerous once you’ve set up a given product and perhaps set up some on/off schedules, because most of your interactions with it will involve using voice commands. You’ll find you won’t need to rely on those apps all that much.
In any event, here are the Belkin products that will become obsolete next year, and the products I recommend you replace them with before then or soon after.
Wemo smart light bulbs
Wemo LED Lighting Bundle (model F5Z0489)
Wemo Zigbee Bulb, E27 (model F7C033
Replace either of these hub-based smart lighting systems with a Philips Hue Smart Light Starter Kit (Philips Hue hub and two White and Color Ambiance bulbs for $90, 31% off at Amazon).
A less-expensive alternative would be TP-Link Kasa Smart Wi-Fi light bulb, which Amazon has discounted to $22 for a 4-pack (31% off MSRP) for Prime Day. That would also be the way to go if you decide to buy any other smart home products in the Kasa Smart or Tapo ecosystems (Tapo is TP-Link’s other smart home brand, and you can integrate products from either family in either app).
Philips
Another budget alternative would be the Linkind Matter Smart RGBTW A19 smart bulb ($22 for a 4-pack, 26% off at Amazon). It also supports Matter (over Wi-Fi), but it doesn’t require a hub. While it’s very inexpensive, it can’t match the quality and sophistication of Philips’ offering.
Wemo in-wall smart switches
Wemo Switch
Wemo Light Switch v2
Wemo Smart Light Switch
These are simple on/off devices, not dimmers, but that’s what you need for loads that can’t be dimmed, such as ceiling fans and some types of lighting. Our top replacement pick would be the Lutron Caséta smart switch and Smart Hub ($84 for the two, 20% off at Amazon).
Our bargain pick would be the TP-Link Kasa Smart Switch (model HS200), which is going for just $13 at Amazon on Prime Day, a 35% discount. TP-Link’s device connects via Wi-Fi and doesn’t need a hub. So, what makes Lutron’s product more desirable? Its comprehensive compatibility with most every smart home ecosystem, including Apple HomeKit.
Note that the Wemo cloud service shut down will not impact the Wemo Smart Light Switch with Thread (model WLS0503) or the Wemo Scene Controller with Thread.
Wemo smart dimmers
Wemo Wi-Fi Smart Light Switch w/Dimmer (model WDS060)
Wemo?Dimmer Light Switch (model F7C059)
We have two favorite smart dimmer switches, both from Lutron, and both require Lutron’s Smart Hub. The original Caséta Smart Dimmer Switch has separate buttons for turning the connected load on and off, and separate buttons for increasing and decreasing the brightness of that load—so that’s four buttons in all.
Lutron’s Pico remote control is even busiers, with five buttons, the extra one being a programmable “favorite” brightness level. You can buy the Caséta Smart Dimmer in a kit with Lutron’s hub and one Pico remote for $92 (20% off at Amazon).
The Lutron Diva Smart Dimmer is our favorite product in its category.Michael Brown/Foundry
If you find that too busy or geeky looking, consider Lutron’s newer Diva Smart Dimmer. It has a paddle design with a vertical slider on its right-hand side for adjusting the brightness of a connected light. Amazon is selling it in a kit with a Lutron hub and Caséta-style Pico remote for $100 (20% off). You can purchase a Pico Paddle Remote that echoes the design of the Diva dimmer for $24.95 (there was no discount on that product as of this writing).
For a less expensive alternative, look again to TP-Link and its Kasa Smart family. Amazon is selling the Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Dimmer Switch, which operates over Wi-Fi and supports Apple HomeKit, for just $20—29% off MSRP. Unlike Lutron, however, TP-Link doesn’t offer remote controls—apart from its mobile app, that is.
Wemo indoor smart plugs
Wemo?Mini Smart Plug (model WSP070)
Wemo?Mini Plugin Switch (model F7C063)
Wemo Mini Smart Plug (model WSP080)
There are lots of choices in smart plugs, with our longtime favorite being the 2nd-gen Leviton Decora Smart Wi-Fi Plug-in Switch (model D215P), which supports Matter-over-Wi-Fi. Amazon is selling it for $23, but it’s not on sale for Prime Day.
But if you want to stay in the Lutron ecosystem based on the products we’ve recommended above, go for the Caséta Dimming Smart Plug. It’s admittedly on the pricey side at $50, and Amazon didn’t put it on sale for Prime Day. Also, given that it’s a dimmer, you can only use it with lamps, not small appliances such as a space heater or fan.
TP-Link’s Tapo P125M is inexpensive, very small, and Matter compatible.Christopher Null/Foundry
If you do need to control a small appliance with a smart plug, consider the Leviton product, or—if you’ve decided to go with the TP-Link family –buy either the Tapo P125M ($19 for a 4-pack, 62% off at Amazon), Tapo P110M ($34 for a 4-pack, 32% off at Amazon), Tapo P100M ($19 for a 3-pack, 62% off at Amazon), or the Kasa Smart KP125M (which also has an energy consumption-monitoring feature, ($37 for a 4-pack, 33% off at Amazon). Each of those devices is Matter compatible.
Note that the Wemo cloud service shut down will not impact the Wemo Smart Plug with Thread?(model WSP100).
Wemo?Outdoor Plug (model WSP090)
Lutron does have an outdoor smart plug that can handle things like pumps, fans, and other types of small motors, as well as outdoor lighting. It’s over-engineered and very expensive compared to the competition—$84.62 at Amazon, and it’s not on sale for Prime Day—but it can do things that most of the competition can’t, such as respond to motion detected not only by Lutron’s own sensors but by a Ring camera or video doorbell. You can also turn it on and off using one of Lutron’s Pico remotes.
Bottom line: The Lutron Caséta Wireless Outdoor Smart Plug is the best product in its class, even if it does cost $85 at Amazon and isn’t on sale for Prime Day.
Lutron Caséta Wireless Outdoor Smart Plug is quite expensive, but it offers some features the competition doesn’t.Michael Brown/Foundry
If you want to stay in the TP-Link Kasa Smart/Tapo ecosystem—or if you’re just looking to spend a lot less—the Tapo Smart Wi-Fi Outdoor Plug (model P400M) is on sale for Prime Day for just $17. Should you want an outdoor smart dimmer plug, the Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Outdoor Dimmer Plug (model KP405) is one of the few that offers that capability, and it’s on sale at Amazon for just $16.
Finally, if you want a less expensive alternative to Lutron’s offering that also has a physical remote control, consider the Leviton Decora Smart Outdoor Plug-In Switch (model D215O) ($43 on Prime Day, 15% off) and add up to three of Leviton’s wall-mountable Anywhere Switch Companions (model DAWSC) ($33, not on sale for Prime Day).
Leviton’s outdoor smart switch has an onboard light sensor that can turn the device on at sunset and off at sunrise without your needing to program it to operate on a schedule. The remote operates on a CR2025 battery that Leviton says should last for five years.
Note that the Wemo cloud service shut down will not impact the Wemo Smart Plug with Thread?(model WDC010).
Belkin has more information about its Wemo products nearing end-of-life.
For in-depth reviews and additional information on all of these smart home product categories, check out TechHive’s in-depth coverage of the best smart light bulbs, the best smart dimmers and switches, and the best smart plugs.
© 2025 PC World 3:25am 
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