Another affordable way into the smart home
There are many possible starting points when building a smart home – for Wonderlabs, it’s the cheap and modular route. Its SwitchBot modules can turn “dumb” switches into smart switches, and now the company is launching a new hub – the SwitchBot Hub Plus – that’s a more capable central controller.
Verdict: SwitchBot Bot review
The SwitchBot smart switches can be latched onto an existing button or rocker switch in seconds, and require the Bluetooth-to-WiFi Hub to remotely operate them. The Hub Plus is the next iteration of that but adds infrared, so you can use it to remotely power things like TVs and air conditioners.
Read this: The best smart home hubs
The hub, a small cloud-shaped bit of plastic that lights up different colors, emits a 360-degree infrared signal at 20 meters, while using Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to control the other SwitchBots as the old hub did (you can also control SwitchBots from your phone directly with just Bluetooth).
All of this works with Alexa, Google Assistant and IFTTT too, the latter giving you even more flexibility when it comes to setting up routines.
Verdict: SwitchBot Curtain 3 review
Wonderlabs is trying to forge an affordable in for smart home hopefuls. An individual SwitchBot costs $29 while the new Hub Plus costs $109 – but there’s a range of available packages that combine switches and hubs too. They’re not the best looking things, but they’ll do many of the things a full smart switch will do.
The Hub Plus is available now on Wonderlabs’ website and Amazon.
