Japanese budget smart home device maker SwitchBot debuted its second-generation hub on Wednesday at CES.
The Hub 2 is a Matter-over-Wi-Fi-compatible hub that connects the company’s Bluetooth-powered smart devices to your smart home, and it also features a thermometer and hygrometer on the front of the device.
In addition to the thermometer, the Hub 2 has two programmable buttons that can be assigned to preset scenes or connected SwitchBot devices.
With Matter support in the new Hub, SwitchBot’s Bluetooth-only products, such as the SwitchBot Curtain, Lock, and Bot, can connect to Matter-compliant controllers and devices.
SwitchBot says it plans to launch the revamped hub in late February alongside an update to the SwitchBot Curtain. Other devices in SwitchBot’s line will be refreshed to include Matter support throughout the year.
Matter certification for the Hub 2 is still in the works, but SwitchBot says it expects the process to be completed by next month.
We reviewed one of SwitchBot’s quirkiest Bluetooth devices, the SwitchBot Bot, last April.
It’s a pillbox-sized gadget that you attach just beneath a traditional rocker-style light switch, and it has a tiny arm that can physically flip the switch.
That’s a clever way of making a dumb light switch smart, although our reviewer complained about the Bot’s “unattractive” design and the extra work needed for setting up on-and-off operation.
Author: Ed Oswald, Freelance contributor
Ed is a technology journalist, music nut, and gadget geek who hails from the somewhat small town of Reading, Pennsylvania.