The Japanese brand SwitchBot has launched a universal remote control that you can program yourself. The remote control has a screen and has four preference keys and standard buttons for operating equipment. The device has a suggested retail price of approximately €70.
Matter makes it possible to control not only SwitchBot and other infrared devices, but also scenes in the Home app via HomeKit. For this you must have access to a SwitchBot hub with Matter support. In recent weeks we have tested the SwitchBot universal remote control in practice. You can read our findings below.
SwitchBot universal remote control
The semi-circular housing of the remote control fits comfortably in the hand and feels sturdy. The material used can take a beating and will certainly survive several falls from the couch. The screen is the most vulnerable part of the remote control, it is slightly recessed in the housing and will therefore not easily take the first blow in the event of a fall.
The buttons produce a tactile and audible click when you press them. There are standard control buttons on the front and a special red SwitchBot button that gives you access to selecting the device on the screen. Below this screen are four buttons that allow you to activate speed dials. There is also a click wheel as we know from the classic iPods.
You can charge the internal battery of the remote control using the included USB-C cable. Once fully charged, you can use the remote control for weeks.
In the box you will also find a pin with which you can reset the universal remote if it gets stuck for some reason.
The possibilities
SwitchBot’s universal remote allows you to control SwitchBot devices, media players and scenes from the Home app. It is also possible to control other devices via infrared.
You can operate almost all SwitchBot devices, such as switches, curtains and robot vacuum cleaners from the brand. Support for SwtichBot’s smart lock and humidifier has been added since firmware version 4.2. You can add the Switchbot devices directly to the remote control via the SwitchBot app. You can use all SwitchBot devices in a scene within the SwitchBot app, it is fairly easy to create these scenes. Controlling SwitchBot devices with the remote works fine and they are easy to add.
Media players such as the Apple TV, Fire TV, Chromecast and Bluetooth devices that use the Bluetooth classic protocol can also be added directly in the app. The app provides clear instructions on how to pair the remote control with the selected media player. You can link up to three of these devices to the remote control. During our test, we were able to connect the remote control to an Apple TV without any problems. In that case, you have the same buttons as the original Apple TV remote control. In that case, the remote control works well.
There is also an option to add infrared devices to the remote control, this works a little differently than you would expect.
Control devices via infrared
Until SwitchBot app version 8.7 and firmware 4.0 it was possible to add infrared devices directly to the remote control. However, since version 8.7 this is no longer possible. If you want to operate a device such as an air conditioner or TV via infrared, you now have one SwitchBot hub necessary. This could be a SwitchBot Hub 2 or Hub Mini with Matter. These SwitchBot hubs are equipped with a powerful infrared transmitter that can send infrared signals to devices over longer distances.
You can set which devices you want to operate on the hub, and you can choose from hundreds of different devices. If you’re not sure which model/type of device you have, you can add it manually.
You can copy almost all infrared signals and then assign them to a button on the remote control. We managed to copy the infrared signal from LED candles and then operate them via the remote control. Because the hub is linked to HomeKit via Matter, these devices are also visible in the home app. But again this only works if you have both a hub and the remote control.
Matter support for HomeKit scenes/devices
The combination remote control and SwitchBot hub also makes it possible to activate scenes you have created in the Home app (HomeKit).
To do this, you first need to connect the remote control to the hub, then connect the hub to the Home app using a Matter code. The remote control will then appear in the Home and you can link the four black preference buttons to a HomeKit scene via the settings. You cannot directly link a device to it, only a scene. For example, if you have a ‘Watch a movie’ scene in HomeKit, you can activate it with one of the four buttons.
If you want to operate a specific device, for example switching a lamp on or off, you must convert the HomeKit scene in the Home app to a command. You can do this via the ‘Convert to assignment’ option at the bottom of the scenes and accessories overview in the Home app. You then create a command that reads the power status of the device and then switches it on or off. See the ‘Kitchen top’ example below.
Adding the Homekit scenes/devices is therefore cumbersome and you have a SwitchBot hub with matter support needed to get it working. In addition, the Matter integration is limited, for example you cannot share Matter devices from another platform with the Switchbot app. This means you cannot operate any equipment from another supplier, such as the Tado X or Nanoleaf lighting.
Remote control settings
The universal remote control is equipped with a temperature sensor and you can adjust some settings via the settings in the SwitchBot app. You can activate the ‘touch wheel’ to scroll through the menu more easily. In practice, however, it appears to be better to keep this disabled, so that you can use the touch wheel as normal navigation buttons.
The ‘Raise to wake’ function is very useful when you pick up the remote control, the lighting of the screen and buttons is automatically activated. The screen can also be dimmed automatically again after a set period of time. By the way, the brightness during the day is on the weak side, even if you set it to 100%.
If you have lost the remote control, you can activate a special search function in the app. The remote control will then beep and the screen and buttons will light up.
Conclusion: SwitchBot universal remote control
REVIEW SCORE
Once set up, you can use the remote control, but it does take some time to understand how the device works. Not everything works as you expect and because of this I quickly returned to the original remote control of the Apple TV and LG TV. And that’s a shame, because we are very satisfied with all the other SwitchBot products we have reviewed.
In combination with media players such as Apple TV and SwitchBot devices (curtains, lighting, etc.), the remote control works fine. If you go outside the SwitchBot eco-system, everything becomes confused. It seems that at SwitchBot they don’t quite know what to do with the remote control and it feels like the device is unfinished. Functions disappear or suddenly have a completely different function after a firmware update. For example, after an update you can no longer directly add an infrared device to the remote control itself, so the purchase of a SwitchBot hub is now necessary.
If you use the remote control in combination with a SwitchBot hub, you can copy and use almost any infrared signal via the remote control. The added devices will then also be added to the Home app. The remote control can activate a maximum of 4 Homekit scenes, which is a bit limited.
- Sturdy remote control with good build quality
- Easily add SwitchBot and Media devices
- Ability to activate Homekit Scenes (with SwitchBot hub)
- Very long battery life
- Additional SwitchBot hub required to add infrared and matter devices
- Operation takes some getting used to, user interface is not intuitive
- LED display very dim during the day, even at 100% strength