How do I connect Wemo Bulbs to Google Home

Question

I'm trying to connect my Belkin Wemo smart bulbs to my Google Home (really my Google Assistant via the Google Home app).

I'm following the steps lists on Belkin's Support Site but after I click "Ready to Verify" (step 4), it asks for the name of my network and MAC address. After a little research I found them but it's saying I've entered the wrong details.

How do I make Wemo and Google play nice?

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• I've tried to update the firmware on my Wemos, but it looks like they're up to date.
• I'm running the latest versions of all apps.
• I've also tried to connect my Amazon Alexa to the Wemos and got stopped on the same screen.

Answer 1

Despite what Belkin says on their website, Wemo and Google Home aren't fully compatible.

Some Wemo smart home products are natively compatible with Google Assistant / Home. These include:

• Belkin Wemo Mini Smart Plug,

• Belkin Wemo Insight Smart Plug,

• Belkin Wemo Light Switch.

It does not include Belkin Wemo Bulbs or anything not on that list. It doesn't say this on the website, but after consulting with their helpdesk (for hours), that is what I was told.

But I already spend hundreds of dollars on Belkin Wemo Bulbs...

Yeah, me too. There are a couple of work arounds.

Option 1 - Get a Samsung SmartThings hub.

Apparently if you use a SmartThings hub you can control your Wemo "Smart" Bulbs natively from the Google Assistant. I didn't test this out because I'm already too committed to this and don't want to spend more money on reversing the future proofing of my home.

Option 2 - The smart/free option: Use IFTTT

Using IFTTT you can control your Wemo Bulbs. And IFTTT is natively supported by Google. Yeh.

Other options

A better option is to avoid Belkin like the plague and stick to Philips or Samsung for your smart lighting.