SwitchBot, known for offering Smart Home items that make existing products smart, has given virtually its entire range a major update. The number of accessories that can be used via the SwitchBot Hub 2 with Matter has increased, and new products have been added that support Matter through this hub. This step shows that SwitchBot wants to fully focus on the new Matter protocol. However, Thread is not yet used for connecting your devices. In this article, we’ll go through all the innovations of this Matter update.
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Matter Support for SwitchBot K10+ and S10 Robot Vacuum Cleaners
SwitchBot’s Robot Vacuum Cleaners, the K10+ and S10, both gain support for Matter via the SwitchBot Hub 2. This allows you to control your robot vacuum cleaner through, for example, the Apple Home app. Control is limited to functions such as starting and stopping a cleaning cycle; for extensive settings, you still need the SwitchBot app. In Apple’s Home app, you have access to a simple on/off switch to start the vacuum cleaner.
Smart Buttons Supported by SwitchBot Hub 2 with Matter
With this update from SwitchBot, the smart buttons integrated into the SwitchBot Hub 2 are also available via Matter. This gives you the ability to link an action in Apple’s Home app to control a Smart Home accessory. The same applies to the SwitchBot Remote. This was already possible in the SwitchBot app, but now it’s also possible through the Apple Home app. Other Smart Home platforms are not yet supported.
SwitchBot Meter and Contact Sensor in Apple HomeKit
The SwitchBot Meter, Meter Plus, and Outdoor Meter have all been updated as well. They now support Matter, allowing the values of these meters to be visible through the Apple Home app. Previously, this was only possible in the SwitchBot app itself. This update allows you to now link actions in Apple HomeKit based on the values of one of the SwitchBot temperature and humidity meters, such as turning the air conditioner or humidifier on or off.
Additionally, it is now possible via Apple HomeKit to see if someone has actually passed through a door with the SwitchBot Contact Sensor. In addition to detecting whether a door opens or closes, this sensor also has the ability to detect whether someone is actually passing through the door. This was previously only available in the SwitchBot App; now it is also displayed in Apple HomeKit.
More Subdevices Available
Lastly, SwitchBot now has the ability to make 8 devices available via Matter through the SwitchBot Hub 2. Previously, this was 4. This means an improvement compared to before this update. Unfortunately, this remains a limiting factor of the SwitchBot Hub 2, as you cannot simply expose more than 8 devices to Matter and therefore control them in the Apple Home app. However, you can, for example, connect multiple SwitchBot Curtains together, making them appear as one device.
Overall, this Matter update from SwitchBot provides many more possibilities, especially for Apple HomeKit users. As Matter becomes increasingly important within the Smart Home domain, it’s reassuring that SwitchBot is embracing this protocol more and more. It is therefore expected that SwitchBot will continue to improve support for Matter for the foreseeable future.
