@Alabalcho
Thanks for the suggestion. Unfortunately I had also added a DHCP IP address from the WeMo sw thinking it would allow the switch remote access. (That was only having exhausted all other configurations I could think of.)
Once I clicked "save settings" it was a done deal.... Permanently locked out! Yesterday I did a reset and started over
This morning I broke a bone in my foot so I bought a Nighthawk AC1750 to make the overall mess feel better.
Yes, I was using a Ethernet cable. About the only thing I did right....