I like the convenience of automatic closing curtains. Still, it does encourage me to get out of bed rather than doomscroll for half an hour. It's a trade-off, because it runs much slower and opens the curtains only about halfway. “Silent” is an exaggeration, but it does run much quieter.
#Automatic curtain opener alexa software#
The app isn't the most intuitive software I’ve ever used, but I eventually discovered a Silent option in the Motion Mode settings. Unfortunately, the bots emit a fairly loud whine, which is the last thing anyone wants to wake up to. What appealed to me most was the idea of waking up to natural sunlight. I tested it with Alexa and Google Assistant, and the Hub did the job, but had to ask it to open or close each curtain separately. You can use voice commands to control the curtains with Alexa, Google Assistant, or Siri, but you have to buy and set up a SwitchBot Hub Mini ($39). There’s also a light-detection mode to trigger automatic opening when it identifies a certain level of illumination, but this feature is still in beta and did not work well for me. The better method is to just automatically schedule your curtains to open and close at preferred times.
It's not too long a wait, but it's quicker to just get up and do it by hand. Then you can tap a button on the app to open or close the curtains, though the app takes a few seconds to load and then another few seconds for the SwitchBot to start moving.
#Automatic curtain opener alexa Bluetooth#
You pair the bots to an app on your phone via Bluetooth and calibrate the open and closed positions. And I can't imagine them faring well with heavy curtains after seeing them struggle to fully open my small bedroom set. They also tend to leave a gap between the curtains when they close. For example, SwitchBots don’t always open the curtains as wide as I would by hand. Still, even the new batch is far from perfect. I contacted the company and received new models to test, and I'm pleased to say they work much better. Alas, after much fiddling around, I still had no luck. I have lightweight ring-top curtains with a uniform rod, so there’s no reason the SwitchBot should have trouble.
(You can also get SwitchBots that work with U Rail and I Rail curtains.) There's a kind of ratcheting arm that goes over the curtain rod, with little wheels on the inside, and you clamp it on the rod between the first and second curtain rings. I placed one on the right curtain and one on the left. You can remotely open and close them from your phone using the SwitchBot app, or schedule them to open and close at set times.īut as you might surmise from my first attempt, the SwitchBot has quite a few flaws that might make you want to rip your curtains out completely.Īfter the pathetic first attempt at opening my curtains, I tried refitting the SwitchBot. Costing $99, or $189 for two (and you will need two for most curtains), it makes your tired old curtains smart. It can be easily fitted to most curtain types in minutes. That's the premise of this charming little gadget. Wouldn’t it be nice to wake up with sunlight touching your face instead of an alarm (or, in our house, a cat crying for breakfast)? “Need” is a bit strong, but the temptation of the SwitchBot is automation.
Why would you need a robot that automatically opens your curtains anyway, they asked. A few seconds later, the right curtain tried to join in but moved less than an inch and made a very unpleasant, high-pitched whine that lasted about 30 seconds. After an agonizing 10-second delay, the left curtain jerked open in spurts. With all eyes on the curtains, I tapped a command on my phone. My wife and kids were perplexed by my excitement as I gathered them by the window to unveil a mysterious new gadget.
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