Controlling Belkin Wemo from Spark Core

Does anyone know if it will be possible to control the Belkin Wemo sockets from the Spark Core ?

Belkin Wemo Product Page

A use case I thought of for this device and my future custom shield :
Shield


I have been checking the air quality in my house with a particle counter (PC). I have fans running all the time blowing air through to keep the place cool. I discovered that Im sucking in polluted air during rush hour and my PC goes into the poor air quality range during that time.

I thought if I could control the Wemo with the core I could allow the fans to only run when the shield is getting good particle counts.

I’m sure it’s possible, but there’s an easier, safer way. :wink:

Alternate 1

Alternate 2

Thanks @BDub - I never knew about that.

So once I had it wired up, it would look something like this in 4 rooms :
image


Are there any other solutions where my house wouldn’t look like a scene from Blade Runner ?

It would look like that if you were messy about packaging it up :wink: I’m sure you could do a nice job though… put it all in a box that sits between the ac outlet and the fan. The easiest way to keep the wires manageable yourself would be to use the Spark Core to control the power tail II.

Technically Spark already made this device https://github.com/sprk/socket so maybe they will make a more outlet friendly version that works with the Cloud. Or maybe there are big liability issues with controlling AC that are too costly to deal with. Which is why a lot of the products you see out there are expensive. UL Listing on a device like that would probably cost you $20,000 to $30,000 just to UL. And then 4 times a year UL audits your MFGs facility and charges you about $1500 per visit.

Hmm, the Spark Core is pretty small… maybe you could put it right inside your fan control housing? If the fan’s on/off switch is not switching the AC directly that would be perfect! If it is, maybe you could get some that are more “hackable”. Anything with a remote would have a controller that you could tap into. http://www.walmart.com/ip/Lasko-16-Stand-Fan-with-Remote-1646/15571817 You could even just hack the remote… although the housing would be better IMO.

I guess I could make it neat if I get creative with the duct tape :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

Something self-contained like the Spark Socket would be ideal. Using the Spark Core to control On/Off is like getting Srinivasa Ramanujan to do your taxes.

Honestly tons of people use arduino for on/off … or simple sensor input. Spark Core makes that operation go to the next level allowing you to build a web app to control it, or program a server to manage your entire system… Or make one Spark Core do the management… and you can make it as complex as you need to because the power is there. And the Spark Core is really the first Wifi Arduino compatible device that makes it truly affordable in a compact size, allowing you to put all of your minions on the internet.

@rockvole Another option would be to use the Relay Shield; it requires fiddling with high voltage mains, which can be tricky, but if you’re careful you’ll have something in a smaller package that might work for you.

Whenever using a relay, which I think the power tail II uses as well, always consider this… “would anything bad happen if my device stayed on indefinitely?” if the answer is no, then you can survive a shorted/welded relay… if the answer is yes, then you need to build in redundancy.

Put it all in a fire retardant box for safe measure.

I still think if the Wemo is possible its a neater self-contained solution. I saw the “Wemo deathtrap” issue, but I guess it might be possible to keep the Wemo’s behind my firewall although Im not sure.

This guy has managed to control the Wemo from a Raspberry Pi :
Controlling a WeMo switch with a Raspberry Pi

You could definitely build an enclosure and make something custom, like enclosure $20, male/female sockets $10, Spark Core $39, Relay Shield $25.

Ive seen the Wemo for around $40 - and there is no soldering required.

Yeah I see them on ebay pretty cheap… well it appears to be a little work but doable.

  1. http://www.issackelly.com/blog/2012/08/04/wemo-api-hacking/

  2. http://www.mgalisa.com/?p=91

hey,
i dont know if anyone is still interested (i am!)
but it seems that the wemo is controllable via SOAP/XML

i dont know how much work it would take to get the wemo + spark integration going, but it would be very cool!

im gonna make another topic to see if anyone is interested in making a spark light switch for ceiling lights…i might just end up going down the wemo route, with spark controllers.

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Something like webhooks or even IFTTT might be a clean solution in future? :wink:

@avidan do a shoutout here! :smiley: https://community.spark.io/t/any-plans-for-ifttt/904/26

hmmm…ifttt would definitely work. im thinking about something local for low latency

for now, im actually thinking about how to make a wemo lightswitch entirely with a spark core.
but not the wallwart relay…the actual light swtich

any thoughts?

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It sounds possible since another community member controlled his Sonos and i think the protocol is SOAP as well:

I just bought a sonos to take with me to work so I can make a remote using a hover board :slight_smile: I think it uses soap but I need to look more into it… give me a few days

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