SwitchBot Bot review: Simple but limited

I recently had the opportunity to review the SwitchBot Curtain 3 and was intrigued by a company that seemed determined to automate things I had never thought of automating. The Bot is the little device that started it all for SwitchBot, being the company’s first product in 2016. I had to check it out for myself and see where it fits in the modern landscape of smart devices. These days you can find countless ‘smart’ gadgets, bulbs, switches, thermostats, appliances, and more, so the Bot seems designed to address a problem that is all the more uncommon with each passing year, but I wanted to see for myself.

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Price, specs, and availability

The SwitchBot Bot retails for just under $30. It’s available from Amazon and directly from SwitchBot. Consumers can find it in single-, two-, and four-pack offerings.

The Bot is a fairly simple product, so there isn’t much in the way of specs. It runs on a single CR2 3V battery that SwitchBot claims will last 600 days and functions via Bluetooth when controlled by the app. While some customization and smart control, like schedules, is possible right out of the box, additional functionality, such as control over Wi-Fi when away from home, requires an additional purchase in the form of the SwitchBot Hub.

What I liked about the SwitchBot Bot

Easy to install and reliable to use

The SwitchBot Bot was relatively easy to install, though the process varies slightly depending on the type of switch you are trying to use it with. Much like I said about the SwitchBot Curtain 3, the Bot functions exactly as intended. The Bot turned my hallway lights on and off via the touch of a button in the SwitchBot app. It worked smoothly and wasn’t obnoxiously loud.

The switch can be scheduled from the app, and I actually found a perfect use for it. Each evening, I would leave the hallway light on so that the Roomba had enough light to clean overnight. However, my wife dislikes that when she wakes up each morning around 5 AM the hallway lights are on and bright. So, I set the SwitchBot Bot to turn off the light each morning before she wakes up but after the Roomba has completed its rounds.

What I didn’t like about the SwitchBot Bot

Bulky and unsightly

The greatest drawback for me was an aesthetic one. The Bot, whether installed on a light switch, coffee maker, or any other device, is unsightly. Its blocky, bulky design sticks out like a sore thumb wherever it’s placed and might only avoid this consideration if installed out of sight.

Should you buy the SwitchBot Bot?

Like most products from SwitchBot, the Bot serves an extremely niche application that can be a game-changer for those who find a use for it and a head-scratcher for those who don’t. You might find a use case that makes perfect sense for your home, like my situation with the hallway lights, in which case the SwitchBot is a cheap solution to your problem. I certainly wasn’t about to replace every light in the hallway with a smart lightbulb or DIY the electrical work of replacing the dual light switch in the wall with a smart switch. So, in my case, the SwitchBot Bot was perfect for a small set of tasks, and as long as you can find a use for it, it’s a well-designed and reliable product.