Looking for a remote control for your smart home? SwitchBot has created a Matter-compatible one
SwitchBot has launched a unique piece of technology that can control smart home and infrared devices. And the best thing is that you don’t have to connect it to a smartphone or the internet, because it works perfectly offline.
Aptly named the SwitchBot universal remote controlit has large, roomy buttons, a navigation wheel in the center, and a 2.4-inch LCD on the top. The company states in their announcement that it wanted to create a “user-friendly design” that everyone can understand.
Now you can’t just point the Universal Remote at a device and then press a button to issue commands immediately. According to Android Centralyou must first choose what you want to control, which you can do by pressing the middle red button. By pressing the main button you can change which group of smart home devices you want to control.
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Classifications include air conditioners, home lighting, Apple TV streaming boxes, and Fire TV displays. Selections appear on the LCD screen at the top, and you can scroll through the menu using the navigation wheel. Itβs worth noting that there are plans to expand display support to Roku TVs, Android TVs, and NVIDIA Shield in the future.
Batteries aren’t included and aren’t necessary, as there’s a 2,000mAh battery inside that lasts up to 150 days, and if it does run out, you can charge it via the USB-C port on the bottom.
Issue enabled
The Universal Remote primarily works with first-brand smart home devices such as the SwitchBot LED Strip Light. However, it can control third-party hardware thanks to the support of the Standard issue. For example, you can turn on Philips Hue lights or close IKEA curtains. But there are a few catches.
First, users must own a SwitchBot Hub 2 or a Hub Mini (Matter Enabled) if they want to access the Matter network. The second caveat is that it only works with Apple Home. Neither Alexa nor Google Home are available “due to platform limitations,” although it appears the company is working on a solution.
The hubs do more than make Matter possible; they also let people create or choose smart home scenes to perform multiple commands. For example, if you choose Movie Mode, you can close curtains, adjust light brightness, turn on the TV and activate the sound system βwith just the tap of a button.β Quite handy.
Availability
SwitchBot’s Universal Remote is now available for pre-order on their official website. Prices start at $59.99 / Β£59.99 / β¬69.99. Bundles are also available with a second remote control, the Hub 2 or the Hub Mini. And the Universal Remote is expected to ship on July 12, 2024.
We strongly recommend that you read the support page for the Universal Remote as it provides insight into the limitations of the hardware. To give you an idea of ββwhat the website is about, it turns out that there is no parental lock feature and you can manage up to 25 home devices at a time.
Furthermore, pressing buttons for a long time does not work. For example, if you want to increase the volume, you have to press the button repeatedly; However, there are plans to roll out a firmware update that will enable this feature by the end of 2024.
Check out Ny Breaking’s list of the best smart home devices for 2024.