I thought my home was smart – until a gadget for 30 euros has changed everything

The switch bot Bot makes your switches intelligently at home.

I started making my home smart over ten years ago-back then with the first LED bulbs from Philips Hue.

In the meantime, I have tested a number of smart lamps, motion detectors, cameras and Co., many of them even for Gamestar Tech. I am by no means not a smart home enthusiast, but have already seen a lot. And also tried.

I thought my home would be pretty clever until I came across a small gadget for just 30 euros: the SwitchBot Bot. A device that makes conventional switches and lamps smart – and can be used surprisingly flexibly.

What kind of device is that?

The Switchbot Bot is basically a small, smart robot that can press buttons and switches mechanically. It looks like a small cube with an extendable arm.

You simply attach it to or next to the button with a strong adhesive strip on or next to the button. The control takes place automatically via the app or via schedules. In combination with a separately available SwitchBot Hub, remote and voice control via Alexa and Google are also possible.

It offered in the presser mode: the little arm drives out.

It has two modes and can simply press (and hold) or fiddle a seesaw, depending on what your device needs. The duration and the number of movements can be flexibly adjusted in the switchbot app.

In this way, the bot transforms many classic devices that would otherwise not be smart into controllable helpers.

My everyday life with the switch bot offered: this is how the gadget helps me

I tried a number of switches with the switch bot. Here are some purposes from my everyday life for you as inspiration.

Washing machine control: My top loader is a few years old and unfortunately has no timer function. So far I had to face an alarm clock to start the washing machine if my balcony power plant delivers the most electricity or should match the end of the washing process with my after -work.

The switch bot takes a step here. I still have to switch on the washing machine in the morning, but I can then concentrate fully on the work because the bot automatically presses the button to start.

The Switchbot offered at 2 p.m. because my washing machine cannot be timed.

Switch on the printer: My son needs many coloring pages. Many many. So the printer runs several times on the day. With the switchbot I can now switch it off from afar.

In this way I can commission several pictures on the iPad in the children’s room via WLAN for printing; My son then grabs the printer in the study. The printer is automatically switched off at a certain time – great.

The printer runs every day. With the switch bot I can switch it off from afar.

Control of switches: The predestined use of the bot are switches of lamps or shutters. For me, the bot ensures that the light in the bathroom is automatically switched off for bed rest if we forget it (or my son has played around it again).

In addition, I have a smart home scene called Blackout, which turns off all the smart lamps and sockets from midnight. The switchbot can be integrated into it with a hub.

Not nice, but functional: the bot switches off the bathroom light.

The little helper was also used on my coffee machine. Unfortunately, it has to be operated with two buttons (power and then start coffee) to pull a coffee. I therefore need two bots or at least a smart socket on the coffee machine so that it starts automatically.

My coffee machine is not ideal for the bot because it takes two keys to pull a kaafee.

I could then have the switch bot triggered with a delay so that the coffee button is only pressed when the machine has driven up and run through once. However, this workaround is cumbersome and clearly shows the limits of the small device.

What you should consider in the Switchbot Bot

The Switchbot Bot Bot is extremely flexible. Some use it, for example, to switch on your PC or thermostats. Others even attached it to the cable switch of a bedside lamp. However, it is quite chunky and therefore not exactly pretty.

One thing should be clear to you: It works best if you have devices with just one button. He cannot operate touchscreens and it quickly becomes cumbersome for more complex devices with several operating fields.

It is unbeatable for simple on/off switches and works very reliably. Incidentally, the installation is super easy: the setup via the app is self -explanatory – small translation errors in the application are there, but nothing dramatic.

There are some setting options in the app, including schedules, password allocation and NFC support.

The Bluetooth range is also limited. So if you want to control it from a distance or use it with voice assistants such as Alexa or Google Assistant, you cannot avoid an additional switchbot hub. This costs extra, but the investment is worthwhile for full smart home integration.

Also keep in mind that the bot battery operations is. Unfortunately, you cannot simply charge it, you have to change the battery – which should be the case depending on the area of application after a few weeks or months.

My conclusion about the switch bot offered

The Switchbot Bot is definitely worth considering if you want to automate your existing devices with simple switches. It is not a miracle cure for every problem, but it is an effective and inexpensive solution for targeted applications.

The adhesive holds very tightly, the batteries last for a very long time in sporadic use and with a hub the bot can be integrated into the smart home.

I hope I was able to inspire you with my experience. If you have already used the Switchbot or have come up with the idea, please write it in the comments.