Purchased the Switchbot blinds with hub mini. Here is my review. First after reading through other reviews I unpackaged the units and immediately charged the units for about 6 hours (much easier to charge prior to installation). Then I installed the unit, very easy to install. I didn't time my first installation but the second install to less than 5 minutes. The calibration takes less than a minute. The feature set is great. I originally just set a time to close on the first day and open them through the app in the morning, worked perfect. The second day I create an automation to open at sunrise and close at sunset - PERFECT. The feature set includes Time, Automate, close up, close down, light sensing, status of blinds (open or closed with percentage) as well as other features. The solar panel is a very nice touch and the app displays the battery status. One thing I would have like is a longer cable for the solar panel, I have a 3 to 4 foot overhang directly above the windows. I originally installed at the top of the window but didn't get enough light so I moved it down as far as I could, works better but I will just buy an extension cable to fix that issue. This is a great product. I was originally designing my own using an ESP8266 and a stepper motor. I would have spent more with less features so I bought this. THIS PRODUCT GREAT. Additional review of Switchbot motion sensor: Setup was simple since I already have a Switchbot hub mini. The sensor works well and has settings for short, medium, long distance and a light sensing feature which I am not using since my blinds are already dusk to dawn. The feature set is a little lacking. There are no unique tones so you have to use notifications from the existing ones on your phone. You can disable the sensor from the app but it’s buried a couple menus down and you have to turn it back on after it’s disabled, what I would have like to seen is a snooze button on the main menu where you could choose the interval ( 1, 2 ,3 hours. Read more
I’m a smart home buff. Never thought I would need these, though. Wife thinks it’s stupid, but now that I’ve installed a couple, I think she appreciates what can be done. I’ve got different scenes and schedules that make life a little more enjoyable. I programmed the one in our hallway(window faces her side of bed) to check her work schedule for the next day. During the middle of the night, if it sees that she doesn’t work the next day, it will close completely. This gives her more darkness to sleep in, instead of sunlight on her face. Another one in the living room closes the blinds when I watch a movie. Installing was very easy, setting up in the app was also easy. I can control any of them from my phone. They also came with solar panels, which keeps them running without having to have them plugged in or charged with a power bank. Read more
The media could not be loaded. Not to hard to set up, but pay close attention to the wand size, S-M-L as it makes a big difference. Whith the optional hub the connection to Alexa was easy. After dark no need to wander around the house closing blinds. I can sit in my easy chair and tell Alexa to close 1 or all of the blinds without getting up. Sounds lazy, but I don't care Read more
The media could not be loaded. Overall, I’m a big fan of this product and highly recommend to install in pre-existing manual blinds. I was pleasantly surprised by the ease of set up both with the app functionality and integration with Amazon Alexa. I ended up buying two packs and installed them in my downstairs area. It’s nice to wake up and have the blinds already opened in the morning and then automatically close at dawn. There is a setting that can adjust to reduce the motor noise however, the blinds will just lose at a slower rate. Most of the time I don’t notice them, but if you’re sitting next to it, it will be noticeable when the blinds closed. I also noticed that it wobbles the blind closer and sometimes can leave it in a wonky position but honestly not that big of a deal overall. I like that it has been reliable the past couple weeks of having it. There’s been no issues with the motor or the mechanism and it is reliably opening and closing at the schedule times. Read more
Updated: Support reached out and offered a replacement unit. The new blind tilt works great along with the others I still have installed. I appreciate Switchbot's commitment to supporting their customers and ensuring their product is high quality. Previous Review: Solar panel stopped charging after using for a month. Same spot, nothing in the way, it just wont charge. Switchbot has not responded to support request through their website. Dissatisfied with the product and with support. Read more
