SwitchBot Curtain 3 Review: More Powerful, Quieter, and Easier Solar Charging

1 week ago

Key Takeaways

3 cardinal takeaways:
The SwitchBot Curtain 3 is simply a powerful instrumentality that tin automate immoderate type of curtain, including heavyweight ones up to 16kg (36 lbs).
While it offers Bluetooth app power and on-device scheduling, existent automation and sound adjunct integration require nan summation of a SwitchBot Hub.
The Curtain 3 is simply a awesome instrumentality that performs well, but nan costs tin adhd up quickly if you person divided curtains and request to acquisition aggregate units.

SwitchBot fulfills nan unsocial domiciled successful nan smart location ecosystem of automating your regular "dumb" devices—like push buttons, infrared distant controls... aliases curtains. Now successful its 3rd iteration, nan latest type of nan SwitchBot Curtain is bigger, much powerful, and somehow, moreover quieter.

If you want to aftermath up people pinch sunlight (but astatine a clip convenient to you), amended your location insulation by utilizing curtains to automatically artifact retired nan harsh summertime sun, aliases possibly make your curtains adjacent erstwhile it's movie time, nan SwitchBot Curtain 3 mightiness beryllium precisely what you've been looking for.

From now until November 30, 2023, you tin get 10% disconnected nan Curtain 3 from nan SwitchBot web store aliases Amazon—just participate nan codification MQ10MUOF astatine checkout.

SwitchBot Curtain 3

The Curtain 3 enables you to automate immoderate curtains, and acknowledgment to nan larger motor, this type now handles heavyweight curtains up to 16kg (36 lbs). While it offers Bluetooth app power and on-device scheduling, for existent automation wrong nan full SwitchBot ecosystem aliases pinch sound assistants, you'll request to adhd a SwitchBot Hub.

It's a superb instrumentality that does what it says it will, but if you person divided curtains and request a brace of these, things tin get pricey, quickly.

Brand SwitchBot

Connectivity Bluetooth

Integrations If you adhd a Hub 2: Alexa, Siri, Google Home, IFTT

Color White

Capacity 16kg (36 lbs) thrust

Power Optional star sheet

Timers On-device scheduling

Package Includes Compatibility accessories for each rod curtains (ring, apical tab, backmost tab, grommet)

Pros

Optional star sheet ensures you ne'er request to charge
Almost inaudible cognition possible
Nothing other needed for basal scheduling
Improved thrust unit for dense curtains

Cons

Gets pricey if you person divided curtains
Hub 2 needed for precocious automation and sound adjunct control

Design

There are 3 versions of nan SwitchBot Curtain 3 available, depending connected nan type of curtain you’re trying to automate: Rod, I-Rail, and U-Rail. We’re reviewing nan Rod type, truthful while nan halfway functionality is identical, nan installation method and creation will vary. Not judge what type of curtain you have? Check retired nan compatibility page.

The SwitchBot Curtain 3 is astir doubly arsenic ample arsenic nan erstwhile version. Given nan claims of further powerfulness to grip larger curtains up to 16kg (36 lbs), we tin safely presume it’s now fitted pinch a larger centrifugal and larger battery. (Pictured below: nan improvement of nan SwitchBot Curtain 1, 2, and 3)

In truth, nan bulkier creation doesn’t matter because these are hidden down your curtains. The only visible portion is nan rollers that clamp onto your rod.

switchbot curtain 3 - position erstwhile fitted to curtain

Setting Up nan Curtain 3

Inside nan box, you’ll find a ample cardinal centrifugal portion and 2 sides that clip onto nan main unit. The centrifugal pushes up while these broadside arms clamp down. It’s worthy familiarizing yourself pinch really they clip connected earlier really attempting to do it supra your head.

Make judge it’s charged afloat earlier you proceed pinch installation, too. Use nan USB-C cablegram provided for nan first charge, moreover if you've purchased nan optional star panels, since it's quicker and will guarantee optimal artillery calibration.

If you person 2 curtains that meet successful nan middle, you’ll request to acquisition 2 Curtain 3 devices (and perchance 2 star panels to brace pinch them). It tin quickly adhd up to complete $200 for a azygous room.

For nan simplest of installations, bent nan clamping arms of nan Curtain onto your curtain rod, betwixt nan first and 2nd rings. Next, spot nan centrifugal portion successful betwixt nan arms and propulsion them down (it takes immoderate force) until you tin sufficiently maneuver and fastener them onto nan centrifugal unit.

switchbot curtain 3 - grip system adjacent up

To guarantee nan SwitchBot Curtain doesn’t drift complete time, SwitchBot now includes a magnetic sheet to affix to your rod. For curtains that meet successful nan mediate requiring a brace of SwitchBots, nan magnetic plates should beryllium placed connected either broadside of nan cardinal point. For a azygous curtain, it’s placed connected nan extremity that you propulsion nan curtain to erstwhile closing it. The SwitchBot Curtain detects this arsenic nan extremity constituent and ensures meticulous positioning of your curtains is maintained each time.

switchbot curtain 3 - closeup fitted to curtain rail

If this each sounds complicated, don’t worry—the app will locomotion you done each measurement of installation.

SwitchBot besides includes accessories for different types of rod-type curtains successful nan box, including grommets, apical tap, and backmost tab, though we didn’t trial those arsenic we don’t person that type of curtain.

Also included successful nan container is an adhesive metallic portion to thief pinch extendable curtain rods. In astir cases, this won’t beryllium needed: nan Curtain 3 tin easy navigate crossed a mini bump connected nan rod. However, if you person a larger spread (1mm quality successful diameter aliases so), you tin affix this metallic complete nan modulation to soft retired nan movement.

switchbot curtain 3 - hanging connected curtain

Every type of rod-based curtain has been considered, and you should beryllium capable to make it activity for you.

The only existent limitation is nan size of nan curtain rod. It tin accommodate thing from 15 to 40mm successful diameter and a maximum way tally of 3m.

Solar Charging

Available arsenic an optional extra, nan star charging sheet intends you’ll ne'er request to return nan SwitchBot Curtains disconnected your curtain rod to complaint (even if that is only a insignificant inconvenience a fewer times a year).

Solar charging was besides an action of nan erstwhile versions, but required nan usage of sticky velcro tabs to hole nan sheet to your curtains. It was a flawed design, and we had to sew nan velcro patches connected successful nan extremity arsenic it kept falling off.

switchbot curtain 3 - star panels compared

The Curtain 3 has travel up pinch an ingenious solution successful nan shape of a foldable, rigid integrative rod and cablegram combo that clips straight into nan underside of nan Curtain 3. The integrative clips guarantee there’s nary hostility connected nan cablegram (which is nan superior logic immoderate cables break complete time, arsenic nan copper is stretched). Any weight is transferred to nan curtain rod, alternatively than nan curtains, and there's zero accent connected nan the powerfulness cable.

switchbot curtain 3 - star panels connected curtain

The integrative rod tin besides beryllium folded into a stand, overmuch for illustration nan erstwhile star charger could beryllium near connected a windowsill aliases ledge and utilized erstwhile needed, though this has ever been a little perfect solution. Since it’s truthful easy to hole nan star sheet to nan Curtain itself, we spot nary logic to fuss pinch nan fold-out stand.

Solar charging mightiness not activity for you if your curtains are strictly drawn for insulation astatine nighttime (meaning nan star sheet would beryllium concealed during nan day). But moreover then, SwitchBot has thought of a solution: you tin specify an optimal clip for nan curtains to beryllium drawn only for star charging, specified arsenic successful nan mediate of nan time erstwhile you're astatine work.

I’ve recovered that by utilizing nan scheduling characteristic to artifact retired nan harsh sunlight during nan summer, nan star complaint is much than capable to support nan units going for nan remainder of nan twelvemonth (at least, this was our acquisition pinch nan Curtain 2 model, we haven’t had these group up for twelvemonth yet, but don't forsee overmuch difference).

Performance and Noise Levels

One of nan claims SwitchBot makes it that nan centrifugal is importantly quieter connected nan Curtain 3. The sound level connected nan erstwhile exemplary wasn’t precisely annoying (I measured 55dB connected modular mode), but it was surely capable to aftermath you up successful nan morning.

I measured nan sound level of nan Curtain 3 (operating successful dual mode, modular profile) astatine 51dB; successful quiet Drift mode this drops to astir 30dB. However, it's worthy noting that while Quiet Drift mode is hardly audible, it's besides a immense drain connected your battery, truthful you should usage it sparingly pinch automation that would different aftermath you up, not arsenic a default.

The Curtain 3 is surely quieter than successful normal operating mode, but not capable that I’d urge upgrading purely for that aspect.

However, Quiet Drift mode is awesome for allowing nan sun to people aftermath you up, ensuring a gradual summation of ray (moving astatine 5mm/s) without centrifugal noises to jolt you awake.

The SwitchBot App, Automation, and Accessories

Out of nan box, you tin power nan Curtain 3 pinch nan SwitchBot app only erstwhile successful Bluetooth range. The app is elemental to use, and you tin moreover resistance nan curtain image backmost and distant to power them successful a gimmicky, skeuomorphic way. But nan easiest point to do is conscionable group a schedule, which is past saved to nan device. This unsocial will screen astir people's needs.

You tin besides alteration a manual mode, which senses erstwhile you've pulled nan curtains by manus (at slightest 5cm to activate it), past takes over. This is particularly useful while you're still getting accustomed to nan thought of having automated curtains!

However, by itself, nan Curtain 3 is somewhat constricted by nan reliance connected Bluetooth and an app.

Luckily, automation is 1 of nan astir powerful aspects of nan SwitchBot ecosystem, pinch a assortment of sensors, remotes, and devices that tin interact pinch each other.

The Remote is simply a elemental instrumentality pinch 2 assignable buttons. I linked 1 to nan caller Curtains, and stuck it connected nan broadside of our bed. Now I don't moreover request nan smartphone app to "manually" unfastened aliases adjacent nan curtains from bed; I tin scope complete and pat a button.

The SwitchBot Hub 2 (our review) is nan astir powerful upgrade you tin add, enabling Wi-Fi connectivity (and Matter support, if you person a Matter-compatible location hub) for immoderate SwitchBot Bluetooth devices wrong range. You tin past distant power your curtains from Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, aliases Google Home.

The Hub 2 besides enables powerful automated scenes, utilizing immoderate of nan sensors from your different cloud-connected SwitchBot devices. For instance, we person a conservatory connected to our bedroom, and it tin get scorching. Sometimes we hide to adjacent nan curtains. So we group up an automated regular utilizing a SwitchBot somesthesia and humidity sensor that automatically closes nan curtains erstwhile nan conservatory reaches 30°C.

Should You Buy nan SwitchBot Curtain 3?

While immoderate will opportunity that automated curtains are nan eventual lazy-mans gadget, thing thumps waking up to earthy sunlight—that's nan existent slayer characteristic here. Quiet Drift mode intends nan motors won't aftermath you up; only nan sunlight will. If you perfectly must automate each nan things, nan SwitchBot Curtain 3 will fresh neatly into your plans.

The closest comparable competitor to retrofit existing curtain rods and rails is from Aqara. It useful complete Zigbee 3.0, requires a hub, is much expensive, and doesn't connection star charging—but if you're already heavy invested successful Zigbee aliases Aqara, it's astir apt your champion option. Other alternatives impact replacing nan curtain way entirely, and moreover then, you won't use from nan automation capabilities of different SwitchBot products.

The Curtain 3 is powerful capable for moreover nan heaviest of blackout material, useful pinch immoderate type of curtain, and integrates pinch nan wider SwitchBot ecosystem for nan eventual successful location automation. The only downside to nan Curtain 3 is nan price: astatine $90 each ($110 if you bargain nan package pinch a star panel), that's astir $200 for nan mean room's brace of curtains. Add successful a Remote, and a Hub 2, and you're getting person to $300 per room.