smart switch button with timer app controlled wifi switch DIY tools (with a Hub compatible with Alexa, Google Home, IFTTT)

I bought the SwitchBot Bot mainly to automate the power button on my Breville Barista Express and honestly it’s been one of my favorite small smart home purchases. The Breville takes around 20–30 minutes to fully warm up, so being able to either schedule it or turn it on from bed before going downstairs has been awesome. By the time I get to the kitchen, the machine is warmed up and ready to go. Setup was easy and the button press has been reliable for me. I also live in a two-story house, and it still reaches from my upstairs bedroom to the kitchen without issues. I’m not sure exactly how far the distance is, but there are walls and obstacles between the bedroom and the machine, and it still works really well. It’s a simple product, but once you start using it, you realize how useful it actually is for everyday stuff. One thing I would like to see improved is the activity log synchronization in the app. Since my Breville automatically shuts off after about an hour, I sometimes like checking the logs just to confirm the scheduled press or activation went through. The feature works, but sometimes the timestamps seem delayed or not fully synced in real time. Not a dealbreaker at all, but better log syncing would make an already great product even better. Overall though, this thing has been awesome for my setup and easily deserves 5 stars from me.

Incredibly versatile tool for things that are set up more analog. My espresso machine can't take a timer but has a push button switch. Espresso machines need to warm up 10-15 minutes to make good Espresso--saw this and solved problems. The app works great via bluetooth --and you can even repurpose and old phone if you wish to run this--but why?

Ok, let's start with the first thing. These are cute little button pushers. There is something satisfying about the little "finger" popping out and pushing a button. That's about it. If you want to use this with any other smart home system, Google Home, SmartThings, etc., you'll need one of their hubs. Depending on how many "bots" you are using and how far apart they are, you may need multiple hubs. I purchased two of the switchbots and immediately was hit with, download the app, control them with Bluetooth. That's not what I wanted to do, as I have a fairly large investment in SmartThings. So, I sucked it up and ordered the hub. (just the plain square one, not the pretty cloud hub). Both hubs do the same thing, I needed function, not cutsie. I got the hub and tried to bring my two "bots" into my SmartThings universe. This was more painful than it should be. I would add one and then the next and the first would go offline. I don't know how many times it took me to get them both loaded and online at the same time, but it was quite a few. The SmartThings integration said beta or something, but I was able to get them integrated pretty easily. I setup a scene in SmartThings to control them. This is where things could be better. The scene runs just fine, but sometimes the "bots" are asleep or playing video games or who knows what. I get about a 95% of the time working, but there is no acknowledgement message that is sent back so SmartThings just tosses the ball to the "bot" and hopes everything works ok. The biggest issue is just that, if it doesn't work, you have to "sync" the bot back to the app manually. So, if it doesn't turn on the device, and SmartThings thinks it is on, then you have to turn the device on manually or the next command will do the opposite function. I have a pretty good success rate on the first action, it does ok turning the devices on, it's the off that I get about a 95% on one bot and 50% success rate on the other. This is ok for what it's doing, but if it was some mission critical device I was trying to control, 50% success is pretty low. Would I buy them again? Maybe. They do mostly work, but keep in mind that you'll need a hub to control these "bots" with anything other than your phone, and within Bluetooth range to do that. Since there is no positive or negative feed back (ACK/NAK) to your smart home, it's about as reliable as telling an 8 year old to wash the dishes. Now for more on the hub, I got the smaller square hub, but it has a really annoying bright white light that stays on all the time, I have this in my bedroom so I have to put something on top of the box to cover the light. You can still see the box "glowing" so I can tell it's on. Not the best thing I've added to my smart home, but it tries and sometimes works. I just wish there was someway to get an acknowledgement to my SmartThings universe, so I could reliably tell the status. I get that it's a digital world trying to interface with the analog world, but it could be just a bit better.

All I wanted was to able to link my Chamberlain garage door with Android auto so that I could operate my garage door hands free when I got close to my house but was still outside of homelink RF range. The MyQ app isnt compatible with Android auto so i resorted to creating an IFTT scene however the security features of MyQ will only allow you to close your garage door and not open it. This totally solved the problem and all of the headaches. I simply attached the switchbot to an unused garage door clicker. You could just as easily attach to the wall mounted opener in the garage though. It was then super simple to create a google scene that linked into Android auto both with a voice command from steering wheel and also an icon on the android auto display on the cars main infotainment screen. Solution works flawlessly and I wish had just done this in the first place. Note that you also need to purchase a switchbot hub to achieve this result. The product listing clearly states you need a hub but I saw a number of negative reviews from people who didn't read that part. The hub is cheap and takes 30 seconds to install. Giving this product and solution a huge thumbs up. Updating review as just found another use for a second switchbot. My second scenario was for an oil filled radiator in my sunroom which doesn’t have a heating vent. What I wanted was very simple. A radiator to come on at 0600 and take the chill off while the main heating system was heating the rest of the house. Finding a smart radiator is next to impossible so I had to get creative. My first thought was to throw a smart plug onto an existing radiator that I had with mechanical switches but the mechanical thermostat was incredibly inaccurate. Next thought was to use same smart plug with a digital radiator I had but like most digital heaters in the event of power supply interruption they return to standby state meaning a smart plus was no use. Welcome switchbot #2. Simply attached the switchbot to the front of the radiator where the digital controls are so that it physically presses the power on button. Then added a schedule so that it turns on every morning at 0600 and off every night at 2100. That way I’m not paying to heat the sunroom all night long when then main house heating is set to a much lower temperature. The things are so versatile and really in bridging the gap where we are at the moment between some devices being available as smart and others not so much. Pretty sure that within a month or 2 I will find another use for switchbot #3

The first one I got came with a drained battery and had no pull tab. Ordered a second one and purchased new batteries just in case. I was able to connect initially and then it just went downhill from there. I set up a schedule, tested a little bit pressing the button. Seemed to work with Bluetooth on and was very laggy with WiFi. But I though the schedule should kick in regardless. Next morning, I was excited to head downstairs and see my espresso machine preheated from the bot pressing the button. Machine lights weren't on...the parts were cold to the touch. I check the app and see nothing in the logs. I try to press the button and it just fails. I put in a brand new battery and tested the voltage with a multimeter...still nothing. The bot was stuck in some sort of battery draining mode. The green light was constantly on and the battery voltage was drained by the second (checking with a multimeter). I tried the reset button...still nothing. Searched around online and apparently taking out the battery, pressing the reset button and putting back the battery should help. And it did! I connected again, I tested the button press, set up the schedule. And what do you know? Back to Groundhog Day. I wake up, head downstairs and my machine never turned on. The hub was right next to the bot. I had the latest firmware. But, still couldn't work for the intended use. You can see my experience using the bot in my video. I have SwitchBot's thermostats which have been working but this device...is just junk. Extremely frustrating. Maybe the older models worked but not what's being sold now.

I connect to my work computer from my personal laptop at home. In order to do so, the computer at work has to be on. Our IT department pushes updates and patches overnight and sometimes, they cause my computer at work to freeze. When it's frozen, I can't access it from home. Since I wake up before most of the world (2am to 3am pst), there isn't typically anyone in the office that can turn the computer on for me and I end up wasting my morning. With the SwitchBot, I can restart my computer from home. (Did also purchase the companion cloud to make the switchbot work over WiFi). The app lets you select how many seconds the "push" level activates for. After setting it up, I tested and found that a 5 second push/hold is the length of time needed to restart my computer. This is a great feature because pushing the button for two short of a time does not trigger the system to restart and holding it for too long cancels the button push request and again nothing happens. I can also change the time the button holds for if needed, but it remembers the last setting used so no need to play with the settings every time the device is used. The sticker isn't the best to rely on. It is a good sticker and would work for most purposes, but my computer is narrow so there isn't enough surface area for the bot to attach to . Easy solution though... after I found the best position for the bot to be in on the computer, I used zip-ties to make sure the device is securely fastened on to the computer. I've already used the SwitchBot numerous times and it works like a charm. As a reminder, if you are using the SwitchBot outside of bluetooth range, you DO need to also purchase the cloud or "hub" that is sold separately. The "hub" is the part of the device that can connect to wifi. It gets the wifi signal and then transmits the signals to the bot(s) over bluetooth. The cloud needs to be set-up in bluetooth range of the bot to work, but that is about 30', so you can tuck it away somewhere hidden, as long as there is access to a power outlet for it. I live 10 miles from my office and am able to use my phone with the companion app, switchbot, and hub, to remotely turn my computer on when it is frozen or off. Great Product. So many uses. Hope my use of it is helpful to you.

Why did you pick this product vs others?: This bot is awesome. It solved a this far unsolvable problem for me. I have a Samsung Dryer that does not come with delay function. I’m on an electric tier plan where electricity is cheaper after midnight. But I had no way of automating that before. But with this bot, I can set a schedule to push the button everyday just after midnight. If I want it to run, I will power on the dryer before going to bed. If it is not powered on anyway the button press has no effect, so no harm done. The 3M tape is super powerful. I was concerned it will fall off when the switch bot arm pushes the button. But I tried pulling the sticker off, seems the dryer will break before the sticker does. I did have to put a small 2 sided tape on the button just to give that extra couple of mm to make sure the button is pushed all the way. Look: Very compact and sleek Functionality: Does the job Ease of installation: Download the app and you’re all set to go. It automatically detects and pairs with switch bot. No need to do anything. Just use the app To control it or set a schedule which is intuitive. I believe the schedule gets stored in the bot itself as it doesn’t have wifi.

See below for my original review. I originally left a 1 star review as I felt the item title and listing did not accurately depict that this is not a fully "smart" object on it's own. It does allow you to operate the device within bluetooth range, but you can not operate it fully remotely, without either an additional device from the company or building your own and using their API. So rather than $30, you will need to spend $95 (at current prices on Amazon) to remotely push a button when away from home (or wherever else you are using the switchbot). Customer service reached out to me after seeing the original review and offered to send me, free of charge, the device that turns this into a truly remote button pusher. I received it promptly, set up was easy, and it works smoothly and as expected. The customer service rep also said they had made some changes to the listing to try making it a little more clear what this device can and can't do. I still think it's a bit confusing, and again, am disappointed the company does not make the Switchbot fully remote from the start, again, especially considering you can get smart outlets and lightbulbs that are fully remote, integrate with homekit/etc. for $10 or even less (vs. $95). I hope they can update this product in the future so that 2 devices are not needed to do what these other devices can do in just 1 device. ___ I assumed this would be like any other “smart” item where you can control the device from the app, wherever you are. Not so. This item should really be called “Bluetooth button pusher,” not smart button pusher. It ONLY works via Bluetooth. Meaning, it can only operate when you are in the vicinity of the device. If you are looking for something to push or switch a button remotely (in my use case- turning on a PC while away from home), as I imagine most folks who purchase this are- you’re out of luck. Turns out you must separately buy a $40 hub to enable that functionality. Or if you’re handy, you can program your own hub with a raspberry pi. But even that turns what should’ve been a simple, works right out of the package purchase into something a lot more time intensive. “Smart” lightbulbs, smart outlets, etc. are $10 these days and operate *truly* remotely out of the box. SwitchBot has no excuse for not doing the same for this device, and it comes off as a bait and switch by not being clear that this is merely a Bluetooth device, and forcing you to pay a total of $70 for the functionality you expected with the original purchase.

Produit très pratique pour automatiser un appareil ancien qui ne dispose pas de fonctions connectées. Je l’utilise avec un iRobot d’ancienne génération et cela fonctionne très bien pour appuyer automatiquement sur le bouton power. Dans mon cas, j’ai dû imprimer un petit réhausseur en impression 3D afin d’adapter correctement le poussoir au bouton d’allumage. Une fois cette adaptation faite, le SwitchBot remplit parfaitement son rôle et devient programmable via l’application. Il fonctionne uniquement en Bluetooth par défaut, sans connexion Wi-Fi. Pour un usage à distance ou avec Alexa, l’ajout du SwitchBot Hub est nécessaire. Cela reste à prendre en compte si on veux le wifi a tout pris. En résumé, très bonne solution pour rendre “intelligent” un appareil non connecté, à condition d’accepter les limites du Bluetooth et parfois une petite adaptation mécanique.

An amazing device. Made my life 100% easier and more scheduled. Saving energy costs and no hassle. Really great build quality and very strong when stuck on. Amazing thing.

👍👍👍

PanasonicのSO-STYLE（ソー・スタイル）に使用しています。 子どもたちが寝るまでは部屋の廊下の電気をつけているのですが、自分もベッドに入ったあと、わざわざ起き上がって電気を消しに行くのが毎日のちょっとしたストレスで、こちらを購入しました。 アプリから操作するだけで簡単に消灯できるので、とても便利です。ベッドに入ったまま電気を消せるのが、思っていた以上に快適でした。 ただ、我が家は照明を2か所からON・OFFできる3路スイッチを採用していることと、スイッチが押したあと元の位置に戻らないタイプだったため、アプリで操作するには、スイッチをボットが押せる状態にしておく必要がありました。 その点だけ少し手間がかかりましたが、「ベッドに入ったまま電気を消したい」という目的をシンプルに叶えてくれるので、我が家ではとても重宝しています。

Excellent petit gadget fonctionne très bien avec Alexa, facile d'utilisation