SwitchBot Bot overview: Easy however restricted

I not too long ago 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. Nowadays you could find numerous ‘good’ 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 wished to see for myself.

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Worth, specs, and availability

The SwitchBot Bot retails for just below $30. It is accessible from Amazon and straight from SwitchBot. Shoppers 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 through Bluetooth when managed by the app. Whereas some customization and good management, like schedules, is feasible proper out of the field, extra performance, resembling management over Wi-Fi when away from residence, requires an extra buy within the type of the SwitchBot Hub.

What I favored concerning the SwitchBot Bot

Simple 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 change you are attempting to make use of it with. Very similar to I mentioned concerning the SwitchBot Curtain 3, the Bot features precisely as supposed. The Bot turned my hallway lights on and off through the contact of a button within the SwitchBot app. It labored easily and wasn’t obnoxiously loud.

The change may be scheduled from the app, and I truly discovered an ideal use for it. Every night, I would go away the hallway gentle on in order that the Roomba had sufficient gentle to wash in a single day. Nonetheless, my spouse dislikes that when she wakes up every morning round 5 AM the hallway lights are on and vivid. 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 concerning the SwitchBot Bot

Cumbersome and ugly

The best downside for me was an aesthetic one. The Bot, whether or not put in on a lightweight change, espresso maker, or some other gadget, is ugly. 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.

Must you purchase the SwitchBot Bot?

Like most merchandise from SwitchBot, the Bot serves a particularly area of interest software that may be a game-changer for individuals who discover a use for it and a head-scratcher for individuals who do not. You would possibly discover a use case that makes excellent sense in your residence, like my scenario with the hallway lights, by which case the SwitchBot is an affordable resolution to your downside. I actually wasn’t about to interchange each gentle within the hallway with a wise lightbulb or DIY {the electrical} work of changing the twin gentle change within the wall with a wise change. So, in my case, the SwitchBot Bot was excellent for a small set of duties, and so long as you could find a use for it, it is a well-designed and dependable product.