Review:
SwitchBot Curtain & Meter & Hub & Button
SwitchBot started as a kickstarter project that has proven to be successful and this success is also reflected in the products. These are well built and the manual gives a good explanation. The same applies to the APP which is user-friendly and well thought out. SwitchBot's products are mainly focused on curtains and everything around them.
They work with the Bluetooth 5.0 protocol which should ensure a good range and not too much power consumption. Due to this protocol, you do need the hub to communicate with the SwitchBot devices from outside. This is also necessary for a link with a third-party system.
The Curtain does what it's supposed to do, which is opening and closing your curtains. I do think that this is not going very smoothly. This is not necessarily due to my setup, because I also see this in the promotional videos of SwitchBot itself. Is this really bad? No, because after all it just really opens/closes.
The engine is slightly smarter than its competition because it has a light sensor built in. This allows you to close the curtains automatically. Unlike the competition, you can also continue to use your current rail system.
The battery consumption seems fine. After 3 weeks of use (1x open/1x closed per day), about 7% of the total went off. Charging is done via USB or you buy the solar panel option. Then according to SwitchBot you never have to charge again. The panel must then hang in the sunlight. In my case this is quite difficult because my curtains are much higher and wider than the frame/window. You can partly solve this by sticking the panel to the curtain.
The HUB is necessary to be able to communicate from outside. This is not the only thing it can do, because you can also connect infrared devices to it. Think of TV / air conditioning / etc. You actually have to buy this option to be able to operate the whole properly.
The remote is a button/remote control with which you can open/close your curtains. This one is nice and compact but feels a bit cheap.
With the meter you can measure the temperature and humidity in a room. It has a small display to read this. Of course, the data is also sent to the APP and you can request graphs from the history there.
Really smart?
In the APP there is a possibility to create scenes/rules. Here you can set a trigger/condition and indicate what it should perform. You can also set several at once.
So quite a few possibilities, but unfortunately you cannot use all SwitchBot devices as a trigger. For example, you can't turn on your TV and automatically close the curtains. This is just an example, but immediately limits your options.
So it's not really smart to do the whole thing. Fortunately, there are options for linking third-party systems. Think of the Homey and IFTTT.
You can also add the SwitchBot products to the Google Home and Alexa to control them by voice. Something I regularly use with my own curtains.
The products are for sale at the following prices:
Curtain: from 56.75
Knob: 15.63
Mini Hub: 32.80
Solar panel:20.56
Gauge:15.62
As you can see, the products are quite affordable. With the Curtain you still have the advantage that you can use your existing rails. You do not have to replace this because you click the Curtain into the existing rails.
Speaking of rails, the following types are supported: U-Rail, I-rail and Pole/Roed.
Conclusion:
Using existing rail
Favorably priced
Good APP
Link to a third system
Different types of curtain rails are supported
Range (Bluetooth has limited range)
Not super smart to make
Opening/closing is not super smooth
Tested with:
SwitchBot APP: v5.2.1.4
Temperature and Moisture Meter: v2.6
Remote:v4.1
Mini Hub: v3.1-2.3
Curtain: v3.1
Homey, Firmware 4.2, APP: 1.3.3
Google Home: 2.38.1.7
