SwitchBot Hub Mini Smart Remote - IR Universal Remote, WiFi IR Blaster for TV, Air Conditioner, Compatible with Alexa, Google Home, Link SwitchBot to Wi-Fi (Support 2.4GHz)

Great little hub. Ties in all my Switchbot gear flawlessly. The built-in IR Blaster is also powerful and easy to set up.

This is a good little hub and good platform. I got this to use with temperature sensors and power switches controlling an AC unit, fans, lights, and some power outlets in my office. I was able to automate the temperature control and link everything from SwitchBot to Samsung SmartThings and Alexa for more control/automation. Works great, the products seem to be built well, and their products are very affordable.

At first, it didn’t work and connect with my Switchbot Window tilt for whatever reason. The next morning it somehow connected on its own, so i don’t know maybe their servers were down? But even then I initially thought, no way I paid 40 bucks just to use my alexa with my new window tilt… right?Well it can connect to pretty much anything you use a remote for, and if you place it in an optimal angle in the middle of the room it can send signals to all of those configurations that it remembers. My Samsung TV, a Bose soundbar, and LED lights were all IR-remote operated devices that Alexa couldn’t control, and the most I could do before was use smart plugs to turn them on or off on command by shutting the power off. I bought this for the window tilt but it solved those problems too. I can turn the volume up on the soundbar by telling Alexa, when I needed a separate remote for the sound or tv. You can custom map any button and this generally works better than the preset profiles. It’s also a cool feature for unknown devices. Like my LED lights, instead of struggling to angle the remote the right way and press that one almost broken button to get the color you want, just make this hub remember it once, and this hub operates that product better than its own remote… In the picture that’s 3 remotes I don’t physically need to use anymore because I mapped their buttons on the app. They’ll also show up for alexa, but mostly basic command like turning them on or off. The trick here is to make a “scene” on the switchbot app, which basically just presses the specific button or sequence of buttons you want, then add that scene to alexa. On alexa, make a routine: “when I say ___” -> play scene. It’s a funky process but once you set it up it will work flawlessly, and alexa just sends the forwards to the switchbot app to get the exact button on the remote you want. For something’s alexa knows what to do already, so it’s even better.So far it’s a solid product. Only reason I don’t give it 5 stars is because it didn’t work out of the box, and that I feel like this could’ve been a little cheaper. Like if you just pick this thing up you’ll know it couldn’t have cost more than 7 bucks to make. Still serving its purpose way better than I expected, with no lags so can’t complain.

This device is so much more than I had originally anticipated, it has full capability of adding so many different devices to any smart home ecosystem. I was able to use it to add a decorative light that I have and uses a remote and has several functions, and was also able to add all of my flameless candles that use a remote as well. When I first bought it, I wasn’t really sure if it was something that was a necessity but as I’ve been building my smart home, I become a bit spoiled with the idea of automation and after getting this device, I found countless additional items in my home that use remote that I’ve been able to add to this hub. It was also able to connect to Alexa so now I can simply say Alexa commands and have all of my candles turn on or off as just a simple example. If you already have a smart home, then I definitely recommend this to unlock new potential to devices that typically aren’t “smart” or even if you don’t have a smart home but have an Alexa device or a Google home, I would still consider this to be able to use your voice instead of using a remote to control devices. I’m looking forward to the upcoming holidays as I know I have a lot of decorations that use remotes and have a feeling I will find even more potential to use this device.

05/19/2023: 1 starI haven't needed to make any mods for a long while, so have had no reason to go into the app. Now I got a new fan I wan to add, and I find that there's a new version of the app installed which is apparently VERY broken, and will not allow me to access any of the devices I've already got set up. Period. It keeps claiming a network error, but when I try to run existing routines, they work fine. So it's the app. No question. At least the device still works, so it's not completely useless. But it does mean I'll have to research, find, and purchase replacement devices of some type. I'm sure these guys aren't the only option - not if this is how they treat their customers! I'll try to remember to come back and tell you what I went with, when I make that transition. It may be a while though.SEVERELY crippled - Dropping from 4 stars to 1---01/18/2021: 4 starsThe second Hub Mini is now working fine, after I changed to a different power supply. Support was slow to respond, figured it out on my own. Since that's not mentioned in the troubleshooting instructions and Support was so slow to respond, I'm keeping it at 4 stars.---01/10/2021: 3 starsBought a second one of these to control devices in another room. The first one works great, but the second has been nothing but trouble. Have contacted support (today) using app feedback option. Will be returning, may or may not replace.---01/02/2021: 5 starsMake a few "scenes", which are basically programs where you tell it to do something and it carries out a series of actions. These can be activated manually, by timer, or by Alexa. These scenes work well, but a great improvement would be to be able to set the time between commands. It's about two seconds, so if I want to say, turn up the volume 5 clicks, it hits volume up, waits 2 sec, hits it again, waits again, etc. If they could make it a user-adjustable delay that would be awesome.The other thing about the scenes are that you get to name them, but they are activated in Alexa with "Turn On". So if your scene is to do something else, like, for example, turn off the fan, you'd have to say "Alexa, Turn On Turn Off the Fan". I'd rather the activation phrase be something like "Play Scene" or "Do Routine" or something generic like that.In the initial review, I mentioned that I added some additional buttons, but they didn't take, and I couldn't figure out how to go back to that screen and try again. I figured it out. And you CAN re-name your devices. However, when you make Scenes, they do not automatically rename, so get your names right before you make scenes.One nice perk. Working with another home automation thing, I accidentally deleted this app. I thought I'd have to re-do everything, but when I re-installed and logged back into my account, all my commands were right there once again. Whew!Raising from 4 to 5 stars.=====12/30/2020Wifi setup was about usual for IOT devices. Create an account, connect to your router, etc.Device setup was unclear. You have to manually choose the device type (TV, etc.) then the manufacturer (Sony, etc.) before you get to the "Learn" button. From there, you tap the learn button, then a button on your remote, and it guesses what it is. Then it will walk you through several screens, where you try the buttons to find out what version works with your device. Not onerous, but the instructions are unclear that you have to manually choose type and manufacturer first.Allows creating custom buttons, but I haven't got those custom buttons to work with Alexa yet. It would help a lot if you could re-name them, but you cannot. You have to delete and re-add to change their name.Most of the buttons on my TV remote are not available. At one point, I did end up in a screen that had my TV remote and an ADD button, where I added a few missing ones, like Back, Input, and QMenu. But then when I went back in, those mods were gone, and I've been unable to find a way back into that edit mode to try again. That would be REALLY helpful if I could add those three buttons!The main screen buttons (choosing your device) seems a bit non-responsive, requiring me to press several times before it takes. Fortunately, after setup I shouldn't have to use the phone app much.Alexa can now turn on/off/up/down both my TV and sound bar, and so on, so I'm mostly happy with it.Have not tried with Google yet, but expect similar results.With the aforementioned editing & button-adding capabilities, this would be a five-star device. Hopefully the app will be updated to include them later.