SwitchBot Bot overview: Easy however restricted

I just lately had the chance to overview the SwitchBot Curtain 3 and was intrigued by an organization that appeared decided to automate issues I had by no means considered automating. The Bot is the little gadget that began all of it for SwitchBot, being the corporate’s first product in 2016. I needed to test it out for myself and see the place it matches within the fashionable landscape of smart devices. As of late you’ll find numerous ‘sensible’ devices, bulbs, switches, thermostats, home equipment, and extra, so the Bot appears designed to handle an issue that’s all of the extra unusual with every passing 12 months, however I needed to see for myself.

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Worth, specs, and availability

The SwitchBot Bot retails for just below $30. It is out there from Amazon and immediately from SwitchBot. Customers can discover it in single-, two-, and four-pack choices.

The Bot is a reasonably easy product, so there is not a lot in the best way of specs. It runs on a single CR2 3V battery that SwitchBot claims will final 600 days and features by way of Bluetooth when managed by the app. Whereas some customization and sensible management, like schedules, is feasible proper out of the field, further performance, akin to management over Wi-Fi when away from dwelling, requires an extra buy within the type of the SwitchBot Hub.

What I preferred in regards to the SwitchBot Bot

Straightforward to put in and dependable to make use of

The SwitchBot Bot was comparatively straightforward to put in, although the method varies barely relying on the kind of swap you are attempting to make use of it with. Very similar to I mentioned in regards to the SwitchBot Curtain 3, the Bot features precisely as meant. The Bot turned my hallway lights on and off by way of the contact of a button within the SwitchBot app. It labored easily and wasn’t obnoxiously loud.

The swap will be scheduled from the app, and I truly discovered an ideal use for it. Every night, I would depart the hallway gentle on in order that the Roomba had sufficient gentle to wash in a single day. Nevertheless, my spouse dislikes that when she wakes up every morning round 5 AM the hallway lights are on and vibrant. So, I set the SwitchBot Bot to show off the sunshine every morning earlier than she wakes up however after the Roomba has accomplished its rounds.

What I did not like in regards to the SwitchBot Bot

Cumbersome and unpleasant

The best disadvantage for me was an aesthetic one. The Bot, whether or not put in on a light-weight swap, espresso maker, or some other gadget, is unpleasant. Its blocky, cumbersome design stands out like a sore thumb wherever it is positioned and would possibly solely keep away from this consideration if put in out of sight.

Do you have to purchase the SwitchBot Bot?

Like most merchandise from SwitchBot, the Bot serves a particularly area of interest utility that may be a game-changer for many who discover a use for it and a head-scratcher for many who do not. You would possibly discover a use case that makes excellent sense on your dwelling, like my scenario with the hallway lights, wherein case the SwitchBot is an inexpensive answer to your drawback. I definitely wasn’t about to interchange each gentle within the hallway with a sensible lightbulb or DIY {the electrical} work of changing the twin gentle swap within the wall with a sensible swap. So, in my case, the SwitchBot Bot was excellent for a small set of duties, and so long as you’ll find a use for it, it is a well-designed and dependable product.