SwitchBot’s caller screen-equipped cosmopolitan remote tin return power of much than conscionable your location intermezo center. With support for Bluetooth and Matter, nan distant should besides run smart location devices without users having to scope for their smartphones.
For those who struggle to support tabs connected nan myriad remotes now included pinch everything from ceiling fans to ray bulbs, nan SwitchBot Universal Remote presently supports “up to 83,934 distant power models” complete infrared, pinch a codification room that gets updated each six months.
The distant is besides compatible pinch SwitchBot’s different smart location devices, including its robovacs and curtain controllers and Bluetooth-controlled devices, which is what galore standalone smart ray bulbs opt for. The Apple TV and Fire TV will beryllium supported astatine launch, though Roku and Android TV users will person to hold for a early update to make nan distant compatible pinch their hardware.
SwitchBot’s latest accessory isn’t nan only cosmopolitan distant to boast compatibility pinch smart location devices. The $258 Haptique RS90, being brought to consumers done a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign, promises akin functionality. But SwitchBot’s offering is much appealing, pinch a much cheaper $59.99 value tag and support for Matter.
The expertise to power Matter-compatible instrumentality from different smart location brands does require nan cosmopolitan distant to activity successful tandem pinch nan company’s SwitchBot Hub 2 aliases Hub Mini, which will adhd to nan value of nan distant for those not already moving 1 of nan hubs successful their home.
Image: SwitchBot
A 2.4-inch LCD surface connected nan SwitchBot Universal Remote should make navigating a agelong database of controllable devices much user-friendly, but you can’t touch it. All nan controls are handled done beingness buttons and a touch-sensitive scroll instrumentality reminiscent of early iPod models. If you suffer it, you won’t person to hunt done each nan sofa cushions successful your home. The SwitchBot app has a “Find My Remote” characteristic that will make nan cosmopolitan distant emit a sound truthful it tin beryllium located pinch little hassle.
A 2,000mAh battery promises up to 150 days of artillery life, but that’s based connected an “average surface usage of 10 minutes per day,” which doesn’t look for illustration a lot. Users whitethorn find themselves charging nan SwitchBot Universal Remote much frequently, but that’s still much convenient than scrambling to find a caller brace of AAA batteries erstwhile it dies.