The vast majority of SwitchBot home automation devices have Bluetooth connectivity, making them perfect for managing them locally with our smartphone and the manufacturer’s official app. If we want to control them remotely over the internet, a hub that connects to our router via Wi-Fi is absolutely essential, allowing us to communicate from outside. This new SwitchBot Hub 3 is a truly versatile and complete device, perfect for fully controlling our home manually, but also for performing advanced automation.

Main features

This new hub from the manufacturer SwitchBot is the evolution of the Hub 2 that we have previously seen in RedesZone, and now they have incorporated more physical controls in the device , new sensors to perform certain automations , and we will even have compatibility with Matter to allow other home automation systems to control the devices that we have registered in the equipment. The best thing about this new Hub 3 model is its software, and it will allow us to have great versatility and advanced configuration options .

This equipment has  dimensions of 126 x 94 x 38mm with a weight of 510 grams if we put it on the base . The power of this equipment is done through a USB type C port and needs a current voltage of 5V and a current intensity of 2A , in addition, something quite curious is that we have a USB type C port of 5V / 500mA output , according to SwitchBot this port is to be able to provide power to other devices that will soon be released to the market. Although this model is aimed at outdoor environments and does not support dust and rain as it does not have any IP certification, the truth is that it can withstand quite extreme temperatures from -20ºC to 65ºC.

Wi-Fi connectivity is only on the 2.4GHz band , and it is compatible with 802.11b/g/n standards for connecting to a Wi-Fi router or AP. We regret that it is not compatible with the 5GHz band, although we must bear in mind that the Wi-Fi traffic it will generate will be very low, so it will work perfectly on this band. You will also have better wireless coverage than if you connected it to 5GHz. Before connecting this device to your Wi-Fi network, you must remove the popular Smart Connect on your router to “separate” the bands, or create a specific 2.4GHz Wi-Fi network like those allowed by some routers. It is also important that you do not use WPA2/WPA3; our recommendation to avoid incompatibility issues is to use only WPA2-Personal.

To connect the different devices to this hub, they will do so via  Bluetooth Low Energy , allowing them to be controlled centrally. Thanks to this hub, we can control all the devices locally via Bluetooth, but also over the internet, as they will be accessible from anywhere with our mobile devices. The hub will connect to the manufacturer’s cloud via Wi-Fi, and we will then interact with the system through the mobile app, which will also connect to the manufacturer’s cloud.

All SwitchBot hubs have an  infrared emitter to control different devices . Through the app, you can configure different devices that work via IR, such as TVs, AC units, and any other infrared-enabled device with a remote control. To use this feature, keep in mind that you must have the hub in the same room and within direct view of the devices so that the infrared can work properly.

This new model has a temperature and humidity sensor , located in the USB Type-C power cable itself, and will allow us to know at all times what temperature and humidity it is in our home, in addition, this information will not only appear on our mobile with the app, but also on the screen that we have in the Hub itself. Another interesting aspect is that we can configure the app to also show us the temperature outside, so we will have to enter the location of our home to show us reliable information. We will also have a motion sensor on the front , if we have the hub on the wall we will have a distance of up to 4 meters, and if we have it on the base it will be reduced to approximately 1-2 meters, this will allow us to carry out automations with the app, but also turn on the screen to show us the information only when we are present. Finally, we also have a light sensor , this will allow us to make advanced automations with the app, but also to regulate the intensity of the screen brightness.

Another interesting new feature is that we have different touch and physical buttons on the device , to have total control of all the devices we want. In addition, we have a physical control as a “selector” to modify the temperature of the AC, change channels on the TV, raise or lower the volume, etc. This is perfect for performing quick actions without having to use our smartphone.

As for the price of this new hub, it’s €129.99. We must keep in mind that it’s the manufacturer’s most advanced, and that it has full support for Matter, allowing it to interact with other home automation systems.

The new SwitchBot Hub 3 can be seamlessly integrated with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant voice assistants, as well as home automation systems such as Siri, Apple Home, IFTTT, SmartThings, and even Home Assistant. At RedesZone, we highly value the inclusion of compatibility with Home Assistant, a local and private home automation system that is highly configurable and will allow us to perform truly advanced automation tasks. Another important aspect is that it incorporates the Matter protocol on all its devices . We can control devices linked to the hub from other home automation systems, being able to receive up to 30 Matter commands to activate scenes or directly control them. This will allow us to have great versatility between home automation ecosystems.

Now that you know the main features of this new SwitchBot Hub 3, let’s move on to the external analysis where we’ll show you the device in question.

External analysis

This new hub from the manufacturer SwitchBot comes in a small box, where we can see the main features of the new model. On the front, we can see that this hub will allow us to integrate it with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, it is compatible with Siri, IFTTT and also Samsung SmartThings , however, it is also compatible with Apple Home and even Home Assistant to have total control of all the manufacturer’s devices. Another very important feature that we can see on this very front of the box is that it is compatible with the Matter protocol, so we can interact with other systems without problems using this multiplatform protocol.

On the back of the box we can see an operating diagram of this Hub , basically it will connect via Wi-Fi with the home router or AP , and then it will connect via Bluetooth with the different SwitchBot devices , such as smart locks, the bot, curtain systems, contact and motion sensors, and many more. We can also see that we will have the possibility of controlling devices via infrared , such as ACs, projectors, fans, TV and much more. Just below we can see the specifications of the equipment, which we have already explained in the introduction, in addition, we can see the characteristics of the temperature and humidity sensor that we have in the USB type C cable itself. As for the characteristics of the temperature sensor , it allows an accuracy of 0.1ºC, and an operating temperature of -20ºC to 80ºC. The characteristics of the humidity sensor is that it is capable of detecting from 0% to 99%. Depending on the temperature and humidity, we will have a greater or lesser deviation from the real one.

On the right side of the box, we can see that this hub incorporates Matter certification . We also have the ability to intelligently customize scenes, remote control devices with IR, allow you to send commands to streaming devices, we can see the temperature and humidity data on the screen, and it will allow us to see the status and manage the SwitchBot smart locks. On the left side of the box, we can see some examples of voice commands that we can indicate, both in Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri, perfect for quickly controlling all the devices integrated into the hub

Inside the box we can see both the SwitchBot Hub 3 itself, as well as all the accessories, the contents of the box are as follows:

• SwitchBot Hub 3
• Power supply with USB Type-C port, provides 5V and 2A.
• USB Type A to USB Type C cable, integrates a temperature and humidity sensor.
• Base to place the hub on a table.
• Complete user manual for the equipment.
• Limited Product Warranty.
• Card with the Matter code and QR code, as well as contact information.
• Screws and anchors to mount the hub to the wall, as well as double-sided tape and a template to make it all perfect.

The documentation included with SwitchBot is as comprehensive as ever. We include CE recommendations for radio frequency protection, a comprehensive user manual, a card with the Matter code for registration, and contact information for SwitchBot. We also include the product’s limited warranty.

In the user manual, we can see the package contents, the list of components on the front, sides, and back, as well as instructions for adding the Hub 3 to the SwitchBot app. We also have some precautions for using it, such as how to install it on the wall or using the base, as well as detailed instructions for updating the firmware and how to use some basic functions of the device. However, you can access more information about this device through the official app.

SwitchBot has included everything you need to mount the hub on the wall, but you can also use the included base. Depending on where you place it, you’ll have greater accessibility. The important thing is that it’s accessible to control devices via IR, has good Wi-Fi reception, and that the devices have good Bluetooth coverage so they can connect seamlessly.

The built-in power supply will provide 5V and 2A to the hub for proper operation. It has a USB Type-A port to connect the cable that comes in the box, and no other because this cable has the temperature and humidity sensor. A very important aspect is that we must place the USB Type-C cable away from other heat sources such as a TV, as the temperature and humidity measurements may not be accurate.

With the built-in base of this hub, we can place the device on a table and view it without any problems. We can also manage it using all the physical and touch buttons it includes, as well as its selector on the front. The design of this new hub is noteworthy; it features truly excellent quality materials, and the feel of its physical buttons is excellent. Furthermore, its selector in the lower center predominates over the rest of the buttons.

On the right side, we have a small speaker, and on the left side, we have the main speaker. On the back, we have the QR code to proceed with the configuration; however, the SwitchBot app will automatically detect the hub when it scans via Bluetooth. On the back, we have the input electrical specifications (5V and 2A for USB Type-C), as well as the output specifications (5V and 500mA for USB Type-C). In addition, we can see a sticker with the authentication code for Matter and the QR code to facilitate installation with smartphones

This device looks great in any location, both on the wall and on the base. The only downside is that the base doesn’t have adjustable tilt, allowing you to further customize how it looks in your living room or bedroom. You’ll need to attach the hub to the base following the instructions in the user manual, as you’ll need to run the USB Type-C cable to power the device.

Now that you know what this new SwitchBot Hub 3 is like, we’ll show you how easy it is to install and start up the device.

Installation and commissioning

Installing this new hub is really simple. The first thing you need to do is download and install the official SwitchBot app on your smartphone. You can do this directly from the official Google Play and App Store:

Once installed, we’ll need to register for an account. Simply log in with your Google account. This way, we won’t have to create an account with an email and password. Instead, we’ll register directly through our Google account. We’re already logged in because we use several devices from this brand, so we simply go to the main menu, click on the ” + ” and choose ” Add device .” The app will now search for Bluetooth devices and quickly find the Hub 3. Click on it, and it will provide a disclaimer.

In the installation menu, we can see the instructions. Basically, we have to plug it into the power supply using the included power supply and USB Type-C cable, and wait a few seconds until the device’s panel flashes white. Now we’ll have to tap ” Connect device ,” and the app will quickly connect via Bluetooth

We’ll need to choose a Wi-Fi network operating on the 2.4GHz band. This frequency band is mandatory because it’s not compatible with 5GHz. It’s also recommended that our router not have Smart Connect enabled, meaning that it has separate frequency bands under different Wi-Fi network names (SSIDs). Once connected, we’ll need to give it a name and a location.

Now we have the new SwitchBot Hub 3 installed, and we can begin making the appropriate configurations and connecting the different devices to the hub. Of course, this Hub 3 has various sensors, so we can create automations to perform certain actions.

Configuration and customization options

The app will welcome us to this new Hub 3, showing us the different parts and how to configure the infrared remote control. In the main menu, we can see the current temperature, humidity, and ambient light. We should remember that this model includes a light sensor on the front.

If you click on the temperature, humidity, or light level, you’ll be taken directly to graphs showing how these values have evolved, and you’ll be able to view a historical record with its corresponding graph. You’ll need to wait about 30 minutes until you start receiving temperature, humidity, and light data; then you can view the entire historical record as time progresses.

In the infrared configuration section, we can register different remote controls such as those for the AC, TV, flashlight, decoders and much more. To add each of these, we will have to follow a small step-by-step installation wizard, and once finished, we can send commands from Hub 3 via IR to control our devices remotely.

In the configuration section , we can customize the physical screen we have on the Hub 3. We can even activate the weather data to show us the outside temperature. We must enter the specific location of our home, and then it will collect the weather information corresponding to our location.

By clicking on ” Environmental Data Source, ” we’ll need to select Hub 3, which will be the “hub” for this information. In ” Lock Status ,” we can configure the ability to access the smart lock from the physical screen, and even perform actions such as locking or unlocking it. Without a doubt, this Hub 3 device is perfect for using SwitchBot’s various smart locks, as it is fully integrated.

Other options available include importing existing devices into your SwitchBot account , allowing you to switch from any other hub to the new Hub 3, which is the most comprehensive one available right now. You can also add streaming devices to the Hub 3 via Bluetooth , such as those using Chromecast, NVIDIA Shield, and even Apple TV or Fire TV, although some are in beta.

In the ” Settings ” section , we have access to all available options. We can change the device name, home name, and room name. We can also change the language, the time type, enable automatic brightness, sound, detection sensitivity, whether we want the screen to wake up when we approach it, and also auto-dim, which dims the screen if we haven’t used it for a certain amount of time.

Other available options include alarm sound, alert volume, and various alerts that can be configured for temperature, humidity, absolute humidity, dew point alert, and VPD alerts. Something that particularly caught our attention was that it guides us step-by-step through calibrating both temperature and humidity. However, if you have another temperature or humidity sensor, you can configure it directly with that value so that it automatically adjusts without having to perform the calibration process on another device

The alarm setting allows us to use this device as an alarm clock. We also have a do not disturb mode to disable all indicator lights and sounds. This is perfect for setting it at night, just like we do with our smartphones.

If we go to the ” Automations ” section and click on ” Add “, we can use the different built-in sensors as triggers for the automation, that is, in the ” When ” section. Specifically, if we choose ” Smart Device ” and ” Hub 3 “, we can access the following options as triggers:

• The temperature rises to (a certain value).
• The temperature drops to (a certain value).
• Relative humidity increases to (a certain value).
• Relative humidity decreases to (a certain value).
• Absolute humidity increases to (a certain value).
• Absolute humidity decreases to (a certain value).
• The dew point rises to (a certain value).
• The dew point drops to (a certain value).
• VPD increases to (some value).
• VPD decreases to (some value).
• The light level increases to (a certain value).
• The light level decreases to (a certain value).
• Detects motion.
• No motion detected.

These automations are quite complete, especially if we have many SwitchBot devices, because we can also put a conditional (and satisfies) , to later execute the action we want (to carry out) .

As you have seen, this Hub 3 alone will allow us to perform many automations and personalize the screen, however, the true potential of this equipment will be unleashed when we add different IR or Bluetooth remote controls, as well as adding different SwitchBot devices such as smart locks among many others in its catalog.

Matter and Home Assistant compatibility

The first thing we need to do in Home Assistant is add it by clicking on “Commission Node,” enter the Matter code from the sticker, and wait a few seconds until it correctly recognizes it and proceeds to add it to the home automation system. Once this is done, the added Hub 3 will appear with all the entities displayed, which we can then manage.

If we go to the official SwitchBot app, in the “Matter” section, we can see that it’s already perfectly linked. We can also add and remove subdevices, so that more or less “Endpoints” will appear, which will become entities for reading status or performing actions. By default, we have temperature, humidity, and motion sensors, and we can also add physical buttons for interaction

In the device list, we can see that we already have the entities, all of them hanging from the “Hub 3” we just added.

If we go into each entity, we can see that we have the option to tap to identify the device, and then we can see the temperature, humidity, and movement status. Thanks to this, we can perform advanced automations

In the case of the button, we can add multiple buttons. In this case, pressing the button on the Hub 3 will detect it by Home Assistant. We can use this to create more automations later.

Depending on the devices linked to Hub 3 and registered in Matter, we will have more or fewer subdevices, with their corresponding entities.

Now that you know how the integration with Matter and Home Assistant works, we’ve finished our analysis and moved directly to the final conclusions.

Final conclusions

This new SwitchBot Hub 3 is the natural evolution of the previous Hub 2 model that we have already seen in RedesZone, this new equipment is more complete than the previous one , and we can make adjustments to the different registered devices, thanks to its physical controls, in addition, the integration with smart locks is very interesting because we can open and close them very easily physically, as if this were not enough, Matter support has been incorporated to allow other home automation systems to interact with the different SwitchBot devices.

This new Hub features a temperature, humidity, and brightness sensor , as well as a motion sensor on the front to dynamically turn the screen on and off. All of these sensors not only allow us to store a large amount of data, allowing us to see how temperature, humidity, and brightness, among other values calculated from these, evolve over time, but we can also create automations using these sensors as “triggers.”

The Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and infrared built into this device are the same as those we’ve seen before; nothing has changed in this regard. However, thanks to Matter, different devices can now be “exposed” to be controlled and receive data from other home automation systems. This hub integrates seamlessly with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Siri, IFTTT, SmartThings, and also Home Assistant . We’d like to highlight this last point, as the manufacturer SwitchBot has already stated that they will be placing a lot of emphasis on the popular local and private home automation system, so that thousands of users can also enjoy these devices, all integrated into the same platform. Matter works seamlessly with Home Assistant, so you can natively integrate it with the devices we mentioned above.

The price of this new SwitchBot Hub 3 is €129.99, which is a high price for a Hub, but you should consider all its specifications. Before purchasing it, you should consider whether you’ll actually use all its sensors and physical controls. If you’re only going to use it as a Hub, then it’s better to buy the Hub Mini with Matter, which costs around €35.