After the presentation a few days ago, the time has come for our test of the new SwitchBot Home Dashboard E-Ink, previously known as SwitchBot Weather Station. It is, in fact, an original weather station, with a design similar to a painting, with on-board accessory functions such as calendars shared with smartphones and PCs and control of smart home devices.
Let us therefore analyze in detail all the features of the new SwitchBot Home Dashboard E-Ink.
Design, technical features and packaging
The SwitchBot weather station has an elegant and modern design, reminiscent of a small painting, with a black aluminum frame and passpartout around the 7.5-inch E-Ink screen. Black and white display, usable only horizontally, with a resolution of 800x480p and front glass, unfortunately, glossy and therefore capable of reflecting ambient lights. We continue with the manual lighting that can be activated via the button on the top side, also useful for manually updating the information displayed. Furthermore, immediately below the screen we find four touch buttons for managing the various functions of the device.
Weather station that can be hung on the wall or positioned on a horizontal surface, using the rear hooks and accessories supplied. The back also houses the USB-C socket for charging the integrated 5,000 mAh battery, the button for the initial setup and the sensors for monitoring temperature and humidity.
The weather forecasts and all the other environmental data that we will analyze later are downloaded from the Internet via a 2.45 GHz + BLE Wi-Fi connection.
The weather station can also connect to 3 environmental sensors or other SwitchBot devices for monitoring temperature, CO2 and humidity, for example in another room or the outside of our home. When paired with a SwitchBot Hub, users can also receive notifications from the app when indoor temperature or humidity exceeds set thresholds.
Finally, the dimensions of 212 x 146 x 15 mm, the weight of 310 g and the package which also includes a manual in Italian.
Functions and user interface
We continue with the analysis of the main screen, in Italian, dedicated to monitoring various environmental data and weather forecasts. Let’s start from the left section which houses the time and date, current weather and maximum and minimum temperatures. We continue with the external temperature and humidity of our area or detected by another SwitchBot device. We then find temperature and humidity detected by the SwitchBot Home Dashboard E-Ink and times of sunrise and sunset. We continue with the central section (which can be deleted by the user) capable of showing: air quality, fine dust and pollen levels, wind speed and direction, UV index, amount of precipitation and visibility, useful in case of fog. Finally, the right section with the weather forecast and maximum and minimum temperatures for the next 5 days, the current weather situation and yesterday’s.
SwitchBot Home Dashboard E-Ink also hosts four additional screens chosen by the user via the app which we will analyze later. Let’s start with the “Overview of the day” which includes only essential information such as time, date and weather forecast; let’s continue with the detailed forecasts for the next 24 hours; we then find a screen dedicated to all the environmental sensors and SwitchBot devices connected to the station, with various useful tips.
SwitchBot Home Dashboard E-Ink also works as a calendar. The device supports synchronization with the main platforms, including Google, iCloud and Outlook, allowing users to view the various commitments directly on the weather station screen without having to consult other devices such as smartphones and PCs.
You can also view a countdown, phrase of the day, phrases sent by the user, monthly and weekly agendas.
We conclude with the functions dedicated to home automation. Home Dashboard E-Ink includes two customizable buttons below the display that allow users to control various SwitchBot devices and products that can be controlled via infrared remote control. The weather station’s buttons, when paired with a SwitchBot Hub and configured via the SwitchBot app, can control individual devices or activate complete automations, such as turning on all the lights in the house, closing the curtains, starting fans and air conditioners and more.
SwitchBot App
Home Dashboard E-Ink is accompanied by the Switchbot app useful for initial setup, complete configuration and integration with the company’s other devices. Through the app it is possible to choose the various screens to display, customize the various data and change the update frequency of the information shown by the weather station. Software that also includes other functions such as setting alarms and smart home controls, updating the firmware and calibrating the sensors.
There is no lack of compatibility with Matter, Alexa and Google Assistant. For advanced users, we also remember the editor accessible via browser, useful for creating new screens, and the OpenAPI which allow you to view personalized textual content on the display, such as the performance of indices and stocks.
User experience and price
In general our evaluation of the SwitchBot Home Dashboard E-Ink is quite positive. The build quality is good, the little environmental data detected by the internal sensors and those downloaded from the Internet are precise. Let’s continue with the small display, with reasonable readability and sufficient lighting. The additional functions (calendar and physical controls for the smart home) are not particularly useful. It is also a shame for the absence of complete environmental sensors to be placed outside our home. Home Dashboard E-Ink can be connected to a simple sensor capable of detecting only external temperature and humidity, with all other data downloaded from the Internet.
The evaluation of the Switchbot app was positive, complete, in Italian and easy to use.
Excellent autonomy, thanks to the E-ink screen, capable of reaching up to 12 months with data updates every 3 hours.
Finally the prices. The SwitchBot Home Dashboard E-Ink can be purchased on company websiteon offer and in various configurations starting from 93 euros.
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