SwitchBot is a special player in the world of home automation, in particular because it offers small robotic arms capable of pressing buttons and so to connect devices that were not intended for. Unfortunately, this range has long been excluded from Apple’s home automation ecosystem due to lack of compatibility with HomeKit. This will soon change, not because SwitchBot has obtained the necessary certification, but through Matter, this new home automation standard launched at the end of 2022.
It was on the occasion of the CES which will begin tomorrow, Thursday January 5, in Las Vegas that SwitchBot presented the Hub 2. This device connects via Wi-Fi to your local network and via Bluetooth to the brand’s other peripherals, allowing them to be automated and controlled remotely. It should be released at the end of February and it will be the first device compatible with Matter. It will then be possible to add it to Apple’s Home app and access all SwitchBot devices compatible with Matter from the same interface.
This is a good example of one of the benefits of a home automation standard: SwitchBot does not need to obtain the necessary certifications for HomeKit to offer full integration into Apple’s ecosystem. With a Hub 2, you will be able to open and close curtains equipped with the SwitchBot motor from Home, as part of an automation or even with Siri.
That said, don’t expect access to the entire SwitchBot ecosystem in Home right off the bat. In effect, Matter, it’s complicated and it will be necessary to wait until each accessory is made compatible with the new standard by an update. the curtain controller will be the first to benefit from a Matter compatible version as soon as the Hub 2 is released, the rest of the range will follow during 2023.
In addition to its role as a connection bridge, the Hub 2 is also a thermometer with humidity measurement, two pieces of information which will also be displayed in the Home app and which can be used for HomeKit automations. Small physical originality, the brightness of its LED screen automatically adjusts according to that of the room. The device is also an infrared emitter that can control other products through it, but this should remain out of range of the Home app.
As often with CES announcements, the price of the Hub 2 is not yet announced at this stage.