The home furniture industry saw a spike in revolutionary ideas with retrofit smart curtains at the forefront. As a certified home buddy, a smart curtain opener might just be what I need to make my life easier. Fortunately, with the SwitchBot Curtain, I won't have to walk up to my window to greet the morning light. Pushing some buttons would suffice but only after a 30-second installation. Here's how:
How Do Smart Curtains Work?
For starters, how do smart motorized curtains work? To put it simply, the whole trend doesn't really need you to buy a smart curtain, if there's any. In my case, I just added a remote-controlled motor device that opens, closes, raises, and lowers the curtain for me.
However, to make things way more intelligent, some manufacturers retrofit smart curtains with top-notch features like voice assistants: Siri, Google Assistant, Alexa, and more. Although the remote control does the job for me, I find speaking commands easier and much faster relative to the remote control.
There are different smart curtain openers that gave me several options on how I want to control the opening, raising, lowering, and managing of my curtains while it hangs on my window. Definitely, I can say that with an automatic curtain opener, I just sat back, relaxed, and let it do the job for me.
SwitchBot's Retrofit Smart Curtains
If you think smart curtains would be an excellent addition to your home, SwitchBot Curtain is the key. It is attachable to a wide range of drapes you have at your home within seconds. Everything else is easy, too, with its simple 30-second installation that doesn't require any tools at all.
After a 30-sec installation, I downloaded the app 'SwitchBot,' and from there, I was able to control my curtain immediately. The good thing is I didn't have to sign up for anything. Basically, the SwitchBot app serves as the remote control for the retrofit smart curtains. There's also an option to set a schedule whenever I want my curtains to open or close. Hence, it just automatically accomplishes the task, and there is no need for manual operations.
Features
- Voice control: Besides the SwitchBot app, I also set up the Hub Mini—a square device with one button and a USB port—to integrate it with Google Assistant, Alexa, Siri, and other voice assistants. But to make things fun, we have the option to choose what scene we want our room to look like. If you're a film enthusiast like me, I used the"Movie" scene to make my living room feel like a movie theater.
- Compatibility: With SwitchBot Curtain, I found that any curtain rail can fit. As long as the correct type of rail and the dimensions are measured correctly, the retrofit smart curtains will work smoothly. I find this useful because I have both U rail and I rail curtain racks, but my worry immediately turned to relief upon knowing that it works for both.
- Powerful touch and go: They say that there are days when we just don't feel like tugging on the drapes anymore. Personally, I felt that. Fortunately, I can instantly open and close my curtains with just a few clicks on my smartphone. But of course, using the SwitchBot Hub Mini is a different story. It allowed me to control my curtain even if I was 1000 miles away. But one fascinating feature I found is that it can detect a pull if I accidentally draw the curtains by hand, and once it does, it will automatically complete the work for me.
- Scheduled smart curtain opener: Weekdays can be a bummer but waking up with the natural light touching my face only means my morning is off to a good start. Again, this wouldn't have been possible without the SwitchBot curtain. I simply scheduled my curtains to be opened before my alarm clock went off. Good morning, indeed!
Besides these features, I noticed that the SwitchBot Curtain could also open/close automatically when the temperature in the room is too low/high. To make this work, I simply created a scene with HubMini and Meter. So if you find the weather scorching hot, this life-saving retrofit smart curtain can pull the drapes open for you.
While it just saved me from feeling hot and sweaty, it also saved me money I could've most likely spent on air conditioning. Similarly, I think it will do the same when the weather is the opposite. But we will see.
On the other hand, this retrofit smart curtain is ideal if you're like me and don't like to see protruding objects in sight. It's only as small as my palm. I can just hide it behind any curtain with ease, so it can work discreetly and not interfere with any of my home furniture. But I figured that it could also support curtains up to 8kg (17lbs) despite its size.
If we have the installation process, we also have the disassembly process. Trust me, disassembling a SwitchBot curtain is literally no hassle at all because of its unique, one-sided dual hook design that makes it easy to assemble and disassemble.
Furthermore, SwitchBot's retrofit smart curtains feature a rechargeable battery, lasting for eight months. But I found out that we could stretch that eight months more if we partnered it with a Solar Panel. When this solar panel is fixed to the smart Curtain opener, we probably won't have to charge it ever again.
Pros
- Retrofit and very simple to install to any type of curtains you have at home
- Makes your curtain smart in 30 seconds
- Simple to control it through voice control, remote control, and via an application designed just for it
- Upgrades your existing curtains to smart ones, so you don't have to buy a new one
- Wireless, compact and convenient
Cons
- Does not operate quietly
Can Alexa Open and Close Curtains?
Yes, we can give Alexa and other voice assistants orders to open and close retrofit smart curtains like SwitchBot. But this will suit you more if you don't prefer controlling it by remote.
How Do I Turn Curtains Into Smart Curtains?
How do you turn curtains smart? Simple. Just buy yourself a SwitchBot curtain and let it work its magic on your drapes. Setting it won't even take up your time. There's no need to hire anyone to do it. I agree that SwitchBot's first-ever retrofit smart curtains make life easier, if not more tolerable. I also think it made my home look cool. Paired with add-ons like Hub Mini and Solar Panel, life can be better with smart curtains.
Although this is the world's first retrofit smart curtains, SwitchBot is also set to release another one in the game. Curtain Rod 2 will be the next smart curtain opener in line, compatible with most of the rod rail, and we're as excited as you are to see how it works.
Final Thoughts
For a final overview, SwitchBot's smart curtain opener is the real deal and a good addition at home. Personally, 50% of the experience went to its convenient advantages where I can just simply tell Alexa to open up the curtains or set up a scene so it can close the drapes by itself if it gets too hot in the house.
But the other half belongs to entertainment. I liked how there are scenic modes to choose from, so you really get into different moods through curtains—a feat I never would have expected to experience at all. Perhaps, I just didn't like how it moves the curtains soundly, and I would have preferred to hear nothing at all, but it's just a minor setback compared to its features.
Here's the most mind-blowing part I went through, though. As someone who really isn't into smart home systems, I admit that I often find myself pulling the drapes by myself and forget that I installed (quickly, I might add) SwitchBot in there. But it detects my movement and just does the honors for me—definitely, a 10/10 feature.
Generally, I can attest that SwitchBot's smart curtain did make my drapes smarter in 30 seconds, as promised. Plus, I also get to unlock a few wonders throughout my experience. Using this first retrofit smart curtains has been a different kind of prestige, and I hope you can get one yourself too!
Surely, you would want a smart curtain at home now. For that, we'll be having a special 10% discount just for you. Simply enter the code 10techtimes at checkout. Watch your home get smarter and cooler in just a few seconds with a SwitchBot Curtain.
Also, don't miss the chance to get your hands on SwitchBot's Curtain Rod 2. If the retrofit smart curtain I reviewed went beyond my expectations already, the new one is on its way to break barriers.
