Which smart home? is it really complete without self-closing blinds? In movies, automatic curtains often signal that we are in the future (or that the protagonist is too rich). With SwitchBot Blinds, you can enjoy a little taste of the good life by automatically opening and closing your curtains when the sun is shining or on the schedule you want. Choose the SwitchBot Hub and you can even ask your favorite smart assistant to open the blinds while you’re lounging in bed.
The promise of sunlight gently waking you and curtains closing automatically to keep things cozy at night is fun, but comes at a cost. A single SwitchBot 2 . curtain rod $99 and you need two for a pair of curtains. One SwitchBot Remote Control is $19 and SwitchBot Mini Hub is $39. Overall, it’s comparable to the motorized blinds market, but SwitchBots can be retrofitted to your existing blinds quickly and easily without drilling or requiring a power outlet. .
This is the second generation SwitchBot. I tried the original last year and found it flawed, but the company has made a number of improvements that make this smart gizmo a worthwhile addition to your home.
Curtain call
Courtesy of SwitchBot
The original Switchbot had different versions you could buy for different blinds, but the improved model only applies to the standard rods. (App updates are available do applies to all models.) I have light ring curtains with uniform slats. The original SwitchBot curtain rod only had a single clip to go over the top of the rod, but the new version features two separate clips that clip neatly onto the bot body, which is hung after the first loop on your curtains. (It still might not work with all of curtain types.)
The SwitchBot app guides you through the setup process, which is now much easier to follow. You connect to the bots via Bluetooth on your phone and calibrate the opening and closing positions. Select “open in the middle” and you are prompted to add them as a pair, leaving them open and closed together. I was pleasantly surprised to see the newly designed Curtain Bar 2 open and close my blinds smoothly and consistently, which is unlike the original case.
You can schedule the blinds to open automatically at set times, with different schedules for weekdays and weekends, or you can open and close the blinds as the sun rises and sets. Start opening or closing them manually, and the engine kicks in and gets the job done for you. You can also use the app to open the curtains, and there’s a slider if you want them to be partially open. This is a nitpick, but the app takes a few seconds to load and then another few seconds to respond, which is annoying.
If you want to get the most out of your SwitchBot Curtains, you’ll need to purchase a few more. Two buttons SwitchBot Remote ($19) provide a simple way to open and close them, although it really should be included with the SwitchBot itself. To use voice commands via Google Assistant, Alexa, or Siri, or to set up automations through IFTTT, you need SwitchBot Mini Hub ($39). I use Google Assistant and it works perfectly. Voice commands are my favorite way to open and close curtains; It’s great to let your digital housekeeper draw the curtains.
It do run out of batteries, but you’ll only need to charge them every few months via the USB-C port on the back. Alternatively, you can get a SwitchBot Solar Panel ($19), plug into the back of the SwitchBot, or you can attach them to your blinds with glued Velcro. Clever!
