At Mark’s Tech Blogs we are big fans of SwitchBot and their simple approach to making existing devices smart (we’ve previously reviewed their Hub Mini and their button pusher). They’ve now announced three new products to their line-up and they’re really affordable. In this article we outline what to expect from the SwitchBot Camera, SwitchBot Motion Sensor and SwitchBot Contact Sensor.
Affordability
One of the most attractive things about SwitchBot’s products is their affordability and their new arrivals keep this trend up. All three of these devices retail at £30 each which makes them great value and when they regularly have deals on their Amazon store you’re likely to be able to pick these up even cheaper.
So, let’s dive deeper into each of SwitchBot’s new products.
The SwitchBot Camera
The SwitchBot Camera is an indoor camera which supports both day and night modes and has a stand and wall mount. It’s a great way of keeping an eye on your home when you’re away or even using it as a baby monitoring camera. The camera itself has a super-wide 130 degree lens and shoots 1080p HD video that streams straight to your phone.
The camera also boasts some smart modes including ‘human only’ detection meaning that your cat or dog won’t set off your camera and you’ll only be alerted by the important details. You can even combine the camera with Alexa to announce things like ‘Get out of my home’ to deter thieves.
The SwitchBot Camera also has a built in microphone and speaker allowing for two way communication and it has the ability to work with Alexa devices such as the Echo Show. There’s also cloud storage with the camera.
The SwitchBot Contact Sensor
Next up is the new Contact Sensor which continues SwitchBot’s dive into the home security market. The contact sensor is a two-piece white sensor that can be attached to a door or window and sends you notifications when contact is broken, allowing you to know when someone has entered your home.
Much like SwitchBot’s other products it also pairs with their Hub Mini for Alexa support and can cause Alexa to start an alarm to scare off a burglar.
The contact sensor also can tell when the user is leaving or entering the home with it’s built in motion sensor and will automatically start scenes you configure in the app which allows you to automate other things around your home such as your curtains or smart lighting.
The SwitchBot Motion Sensor
The final new product (and continuing the home security theme) is the SwitchBot motion sensor, which, much like the camera can be wall mounted or free standing. It has a 110 degree horizontal detection range and 55 degree vertical detection range and can detect movements over a wide area.
The motion sensor can be configured in the SwitchBot app so you’re not bombarded with notification and can be set up to alert you to motion or even turn on devices when light/dark situations are detected.
Finally, it can send you motion detections through Alexa so you’ll know when motion is detected.
Our Thoughts on the SwitchBot Camera, Motion and Contact Sensors
It’s great to see SwitchBot expanding their product range and, much like all their other products, you’ll get far more out of these by adding a SwitchBot Hub mini to the setup. Initial impressions are that these look like great, affordable options and welcome additions to the smart home/home security market.
