Verdict
Able to force much any button or sky and switch , the SwitchBot Bot is a elementary dick for making dumb devices smart , from coffee machine to distant controls . It ’s easy to set up , reliable and , via the hub , can talk to Alexa , Google Assistant , IFTTT and SmartThings . It is n’t the most attractive of equipment , and it can make it unmanageable to reach the original button . However , these complaints aside , if you have an one-time gadget that you require to automatise , this is a great putz .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
you may pretty much bribe a smart version of most appliance these day , from calorie-free switch to kettles , flip-flop out the dumb version for the new . However , the SwitchBot Bot is designed to make your dumb appliance smart ; it ’s a electric battery - powered equipment with an arm that can be used to squeeze clit and flick switch .
It ’s a short more intrusive to install than a smart gimmick with the functionality that you want built in ; but for jobs where you ca n’t go voguish , or it would be prohibitively expensive to do so , the SwitchBot Bot is a great creature .
Design and Features
Similar in size to a carry lawsuit for a pair of true wireless earbuds , the SwitchBot Bot is usable in both black-market and white-hot . It ’s a battery - powered equipment with a mechanised robot arm that link up to your phone via Bluetooth – although buy the optional hub , and you may unite it to the internet .
As well as delivering remote ascendancy , the hub adds interconnectedness with other smart system let in Alexa , Google Assistant and SmartThings .
The basic principle of the machine is uncomplicated . You position it in front of the switch or push you want to press , and the Bot ’s arm does the study for you . There ’s a little pad on the bottom of the Bot that allow you to stupefy the gimmick within its arm ’s compass of the gimmick you care to hold in .
There ’s sufficient elbow room to put the Bot where you ’d need it in most situation . For lesson , I was able-bodied to attach the Bot to my coffee machine and loose switch with easiness , plus I also used the Bot in our Home Appliance Test Lab to press button on a remote control to open up fridge / freezers under test , model tangible use .
In this situation , the remote fobs were n’t expectant enough for mounting , so I had to seize the keyfobs on a chip of card and bind the Bot on some sticky inkpad . It does work .
The default mode that the SwitchBot Bot operates in is Press mode . Using the app , I could configure how long the Bot should hold down a button for , up to a uttermost of 60 indorsement ; the default of 0 seconds is effectively a quick rap .
long press are useful for devices that require perpetual pressure sensation . My fridge - door initiative scheme needs the remote buttons carry down to piece of work .
The second is Switch mode . This is for use with devices that have a rock ‘n’ roll musician activity , such as a light switch . In this style , you want the small gluey pad hooked to the SwitchBot Bot ’s arm . This lets the Bot click the permutation down and pull it back up . It ’s pretty canny , really , although it ’s a bit ugly : I choose to utilise my SwitchBots somewhere out of heap .
at long last , there ’s an innovative mode with which I could set multiple action in one , such as farsighted press , pause and shortsighted press . I do n’t have any twist that require this form of action , but the option is welcome nonetheless .
Control is through the app , which is also home to the other devices , such as theSwitchBot Curtain . For closet actions , I could just pink and the Bot holds down for as long as it ’s programmed to . Move to the Switch and Advanced modes , and the ascendence is supersede with an on / off button . Note that in SmartThings , there ’s always an on / off dominance , regardless of how the Bot is really configure .
Each Bot can store up to 10 docket , which operate automatically at multiplication you program ; they do n’t involve an internet connection .
If you want to do something more complicated , then you ’ll require the hub . As well as net control , you could set up more complicated Scenes that melt down mechanically using a trigger . Triggers can be a time or another SwitchBot machine , such as the Meter ( humidity and temperature ) , the Contact Sensor or the Motion Sensor .
With IFTTT and SmartThings musical accompaniment , it ’s also potential to build routines using external devices , such as using SwitchBot to turn on a light switch when a Ring Doorbell is pressed .
There ’s also an optional remote control that you’re able to mate to the SwitchBot Bot – a button to press a push button , if you will . It ’s ready to hand if you desire a strong-arm control , particularly if the Bot is out of stretch – say , at the back of a cupboard .
The Bot is powered by a CR2 battery , with battery life quoted at up to 600 day . Of course , how often you use the bot will affect this clock time , as will the clock time for which it ’s programmed to compact and withstand .
Performance
I ’ve been using the SwitchBot Bot for workweek now , as part of a examination regime , to open up and close electric refrigerator doors . I call for this exam to be reliable , and the Bot has proved itself , spark precisely when it ’s suppose to , without any problem .
I ’m impressed with how hefty both the subdivision and the embarrassing inkpad holding the Bot in blank space are . consider how modest the Bot is , it press with a serious firm action mechanism , and it ’s puzzle out on every twist that I ’ve tried it on , let in a coffee berry machine , distant controller and a unaccented switch .
If there ’s one publication with the Bot , it ’s that it can totally cross the control condition it ’s operate , which can make it difficult to operate a equipment manually . With my outside control , for model , the SwitchBot Bot has to sit down firmly over the buttons , so I ca n’t reach them if I need to expend them manually . You ’ll have to be mindful about placement , as a result .
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Should you buy it?
If you have a electrical switch or button that ’s cry out for a smarter life , then the SwitchBot Bot is for you .
If the SwitchBot Bot has to be on show , you may find there ’s a neater way to achieve a solution .
Final Thoughts
The SwitchBot Bot is a clever tool , make dumb items smart . It is n’t the most attractive of products , so I ’d rather prefer for integrated smart lighting or switches for light fittings that are on display .
Some jobs can be achieved more simply , too . Asmart fire hydrant , for example , may make more sense for many jobs .
Yet , there are still those last little bits of life that are n’t so gentle to automatise , or would be expensive to do so , for which the SwitchBot excels . If you have a button or shift that you wish well you could automatize , then the SwitchBot Bot could be just what you need to make it happen .
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FAQs
It connect via Bluetooth , either to your sound or the optional hub .
Yes , so long as there ’s a flavorless surface near the push or switch .
