- Details of an upcoming SwitchBot Hub 3 have appeared online
- The new hub will have a physical dial for controlling smart home devices
- SwitchBot has yet to announce the Hub 3, and there’s no release date yet
SwitchBot, maker of some of the best smart home devices, is preparing to launch a new hub that will make controlling them all easier than ever thanks to one major addition: a programmable physical dial.
SwitchBot’s gadgets (such as the little SwitchBot Bot switch pusher, and the SwitchBot Lock) are particularly smart because they don’t require you to replace anything in your home. Instead, they attach to the electronics and objects you already own, whether that’s your curtains, your door handle, or the power button of your coffee maker. That makes them a particularly great choice for renters who can’t easily replace the items in their home, and want smart-home devices they can easily take with them to a new house or apartment.
Personally I use a trio of SwitchBot Blind Tilts to open the three small blinds in my bedroom in the morning, and close them automatically at night. SwitchBot now makes a smart roller blind, but the Blind Tilts are cheaper, work well, and took 10 minutes each to install.
Joined-up thinking
Your devices are connected to your home Wi-Fi network via a SwitchBot Hub, and there are currently two different models available. If you’re just controlling a few devices in a relatively small space (like me) then the SwitchBot Hub Mini will fit the bill, but if you have a more complex system then the SwitchBot Hub 2 is a better choice thanks to its greater range, ability to control A/C systems, humidity and temperature sensors, LED display, and touch buttons to start custom scenes. It also supports the Matter smart home standard, allowing you to integrate your SwitchBot devices into a multi-platform ecosystem.
Now, HomeKit News and Reviews has spotted details of a forthcoming SwitchBot Hub 3 on the website for the Connectivity Standards Alliance, the organization behind Matter – and it should give you even more control thanks to the addition of a physical dial.
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The dial will let you control your A/C system, as well as media playback via services including Apple TV and Spotify.
The new smart hub will also have a motion-activated screen, similar to many of the best smart thermostats, which should prevent unnecessary light disturbing you at night. It will be able to show temperature and humidity in your home, and draw on third-party weather services to show current forecasts. It can also show the real-time status of SwitchBot smart locks
SwitchBot itself has yet to announce the new hub, so we don’t yet know when it will be released or how much it will cost, but hopefully we won’t have to wait much longer.
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