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SwitchBot launches Matter-supported Hub 2
SwitchBot is embracing the Matter interoperability standard with open arms starting at CES 2023, and it's doing it with the Hub 2, a which will make SwitchBot devices with Bluetooth Matter-compatible.
Special Feature
A pretty significant upgrade from the previous SwitchBot Hub, the Hub 2 works as a bridge that connects SwitchBot Bluetooth devices to Wi-Fi and makes them Matter-compatible, so Apple HomeKit users will be able to add SwitchBot devices to the Apple Home app, for example. The same will be true for Google Home and SmartThings users.
The Hub 2 is a sleek smart home device that features a display for the built-in thermo-hygrometer function, so users can check the room temperature right in the Apple Home app, or any other preferred platform, thanks to Matter.
Also: ZDNET's guide to CES: What is it, when is it, and who's it for?
In addition to bringing Matter support for SwitchBot Bluetooth products and temperature and humidity sensors, the Hub 2 also has two scene keys on the display that can be preset in the SwitchBot app to control devices, and twice as much IR control coverage as the SwitchBot Hub Mini.
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The first device the Hub 2 will support is the SwitchBot Curtain, one of the company's best-selling devices. SwitchBot said it expects to make this happen as soon as the launch of the new hub in late February, when the final certification is completed.
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Other SwitchBot products, like the Smart Lock and Button Pusher, will be upgraded to support Matter over the course of 2023. Wi-Fi-connected products like the SwitchBot Plug Mini will support Matter over Wi-Fi in the future without the need for a Hub 2.