Belkin's Wemo Stage will seemingly offer HomeKit scenes in button form

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Wemo Switch
Wemo Switch (Image credit: Belkin / Zats Not Funny)

What you need to know

  • An FCC filing has outed a new Belkin Wemo Stage HomeKit controller.
  • The controller is designed to run HomeKit scenes.

Belkin appears to have a new HomeKit scene controller in the works, dubbed the Wemo Stage. Outed by the FCC, the controller looks similar to the popular Philips Hue Dimmer but is designed with HomeKit in mind rather than having features tacked on later.

First spotted by Zats Not Funny, the controller appears to be designed with scenes in mind rather than as a switch for any particular light.

Thanks to the FCC, we learn that Belkin is poised to release the WeMo Stage Scene Controller. And, unlike the Hue Dimmer retrofit, the WeMo Stage is a purpose-built HomeKit switch. As in: no pre-existing functions are being replaced as button presses (short or long) are programmed. Of course, as the name suggests, Belkin intends this Bluetooth controller to be scene-based – more of a macro trigger than individual action, although both scenarios can be accommodated via the Apple Home app configuration.

The controller will come with an optional wall mount in the box and it's thought that users will be able to pick this thing up for around $35 when it comes to market. When that will be, however, we just don't know as yet.

By allowing users to select scenes with a button press controllers like this make it easier to set multiple lights and other HomeKit accessories to a particular state with ease. Scenes allow multiple device types to be triggered including bulbs, smart plugs, and more.

Oliver Haslam
Oliver Haslam
Contributor

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.