Verdict
A step towards the future of the voguish family , the SwitchBot Hub 2 take Matter support to the company ’s Blind Tilt and Curtain product today , with other equipment get upgrades in the future . Currently , affair support is available through Google Home and HomeKit , which makes this a expert upgrade for substance abuser of either of those system today ; in the future , a wider range of systems will be supported . For those that do n’t have SwitchBot Matter equipment , there ’s not so much reason to upgrade , although new buyers can still practice the Hub 2 ’s temperature , humidity and visible radiation sensors , and physical controls , while laying the foundations for future Matter ascent .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
The Matter standard is all well and good for new devices , making it easy to link up and control them , but what about older equipment ? That ’s where products , such as the SwitchBot Hub 2 , come in .
build to sum up Matter to SwitchBot’sBlind TiltandCurtainproducts , this Hub also acts as a temperature sensor , sassy controller and humidity sensor .
Design and features
outwardly , the SwitchBot Hub 2 is a little larger than its precursor . Part of the reasonableness for this is that this model acts as two products : a hub and the SwitchBot Meter , thanks to its indoor temperature sensor and humidity sensing element . For the latter , the Meter has a large liquid crystal display screen to show the current temperature and relative humidness .
Rather than hiding this hub away , then , it should be localise on a table , standing upright thanks to its alternate - out stall .
Once connected to power via its USB lead , the SwitchBot Hub 2 can be added to the SwitchBot Hub . At this peak , it acts like the previous model : any SwitchBot twist , including theSwitchBot LockandSwitchBot Botconnect to the hub .
These twist connect to the Hub via Bluetooth , and then the Hub allow for Cloud admission , include control via Alexa and Google Assistant , as well as out - of - home control condition .
As with the late Hub , the Hub 2 also has a work up - in IR transmitter . Once programme , the Hub can control various equipment , from TVs to fans and air conditioning unit . It ’s a ready to hand fashion to make some gadget smart .
So far , so normal , but this twist is also Matter enable . Once turned on , the app beget a QR code , which can be scanned by a thing - compliant comptroller . presently , that ’s Google Home and HomeKit ; Amazon Alexa does n’t currently support the right equipment types for SwitchBot , although I ’d imagine that this will change over time .
Once Matter has been turned on and the Hub added to a controller , I could select which devices I want to match with Matter . Currently , only the SwitchBot Curtain and SwitchBot Blind Tilt devices are compatible , although SwitchBot is working on raise its other equipment , including the Lock and Bot .
I paired my Hub 2 with Apple HomeKit , which soon brought in my four Blind Tilt comptroller as devices . Control via the Home app is similar to the control in the SwitchBot app : a tap opens or end the screen , plus there ’s a slider to select the exact level of tilt I want .
Of course , this also means that SwitchBot devices can be included in automations , such as opening the blinds mechanically when I unlock myUltion Nukismart lock .
I was using an other beta variant of the hub ’s microcode , so the temperature and humidity sensing element could be used to spark routines in Apple Home , but the app does n’t show the temperature and humidness indication from them . This will come when the SwitchBot Hub gets official thing corroboration .
Once the Hub is copulate with one smart domicile system , it can be connected to a secondary one , too . I connected mine to SmartThings , although this did n’t do much : the Hub connected , but my blinds were n’t rive through .
Inside the SwitchBot app , there are a few differences , too . As the Hub 2 has On and Off release , these can be programmed to activate a Routine . For example , I have the Off button shut down my blinds and the On button open them .
Routines can also be triggered by indication from the Hub , which include the temperature and humidity interpretation , plus its own light sensor . The main divergence is that the automation in the SwitchBot Hub can put on to any SwitchBot twist , not just the Matter - compatible one .
By default , the On and Off buttons also sour toggle the screen ’s backlight , although this can be incapacitate , so that the screen stay on and the ascendancy merely actuate a number .
Performance
When I first tried the SwitchBot Hub , the early microcode meant that it would lose connection to my Wi - Fi connection , and had to be reset . A few firmware updates later , and this is no longer a job , and in the last couple of weeks I ’ve not had the Hub 2 drop its connectedness .
thing is a dissolute way of controlling devices . Using the Apple Home app , it takes a few arcsecond from make a request until my blinds start to conform . This is because of the delay in Bluetooth , rather than an issue with Matter . Most importantly , my Blinds are faster to control this way than using a third party port .
For exercise , I used to have a Flic button that triggered an Amazon Alexa Routine that touch off a SwitchBot scene . From strike the clit to the blind react could take up to 10 seconds .
It ’s not just about speed , but about making it easier and quicker to control devices , and Matter certainly does that . To come back to my old way of working , I practice HomeKit for automation in my dwelling authority .
With the current set up , I had no agency to trigger my blinds to open directly when I unlock my Ultion Nuki impudent lock . I found the ‘ soft ’ way was to have my blinds open by triggering an Alexa Routine when I turned off my Ring Alarm , and then closing when the alarm when back on .
Now , I can do everything from HomeKit in a single Automation : the Nuki lock unlocks , then the blinds open . This is easy for me and keeps everything in one position .
Latest deals
Should you buy it?
If you have the Curtain or Blinds products and a Matter - compliant controller , such as HomeKit or Google Home , this is a great upgrade .
If you have SwitchBot products that wo n’t work with Matter , then this in all likelihood is n’t deserving purchase .
Final Thoughts
Providing direct mastery of the Hub to Matter controllers , the SwitchBot Hub 2 make SwitchBot ’s devices quicker to respond and compatible with a panoptic range of smart family systems . Currently , the list of supported third - party system is a fiddling limited , but HomeKit reinforcement through Matter is a big step forward and , in the future , wider system support will be available .
Is the Hub 2 deserving purchasing ? Today , it is if you ’ve got compatible machine that you want to apply topic with ( the Curtain and Blind products ) , and you specially need everything in HomeKit . It ’s also a near upgrade if you want the temperature and humidity sensors , plus the forcible controls for spark scenes .
If you ’ve mostly got twist that are n’t currently Matter compliant , then there ’s little reason to upgrade at this stage . However , Matter is clearly the future tense and when in full flow it will make SwitchBot ’s merchandise even more conciliatory .
Trusted Score
How we test
Unlike other internet site , we test every smart home product we review thoroughly over an protracted period of time . We utilize industry standard tests to compare feature article properly . We ’ll always secern you what we find . We never , ever , take money to brush up a product .
Find out more about how we examine in ourethics policy .
FAQs
Currently only the SwitchBot Blind Tilt and the Curtain production are , but extra products will get an update .
If you want to use the SwitchBot app , all exist products are supported .
