Easy Smart Curtains with Switchbot and Home Assistant

[@livinthedream1525]

If you set up a scene in the switchbot app, you can treat it as a routine in Alexa. Then I have a virtual lightbulb that is also triggered by the same routine at a brightness percentage equal to curtain percentage. I use this feedback back into home assistant to determine curtain position and make sure the routine triggered.

[@SeraphicRav]

I use the Bluetooth integration on Home Assistant and I also have pairs of curtains. I think that the local control is working OK (responds super slowly sometimes though, up to 1 minute) By using the default integration and selecting the "master" curtain, I can open both curtains. I also use an automation to either fully open or close the curtains with a physical button. I think that the issue of the GUI is that it does not show a button to fully close or open the curtains by default.

[@SlackerLabs]

I’ve noticed using it via the echo is slow as well.

[@ParcoUpchurch]

@@SlackerLabs Hello Sir. New to HA but I do have it all setup. I have a central closet in my home (my IDF) where all my devices are and I am Unifi wireless APs over my home 3600sqft. I'd like to get something like Swithc Bot to open my master bedroom curtains. Watching this looks like it is BT controlled and not wifi which 99% all my HA devices are wifi. IDF is in the central part of my home. How do I get BT to reach that far if I purchase the SwitchBot? Or, fast forward today is there another product that would work better that uses wifi? Parco, Thx

[@yorks_atheist3069]

Thank you so much I have a Lavazza coffee machine with built in alexa been looking at building some HA skills for it the last bit of the video has given me a way

[@SlackerLabs]

Sweet. I hope it works!

[@yorks_atheist3069]

@@SlackerLabs yep it seems to work Ive sent some commands to the Lavazza via developer tools. thanks again

[@Moon-Raven]

Hmm looks my previous comment was removed automatically (probably because of a github link to the issue me and others have). The official Switchbot integration that was added in 2021.10 hasn't worked for multiple people (home-assistant core issue 57372). Bluetooth works for other things, so it doesn't seem to be that. I'm currently using the 2021.09 variant which has some responsiveness issues, so I'm going to look at the API. I'd rather keep it all local, but I also want things to work. Thanks for the vid as always!

[@SlackerLabs]

Thanks for the heads up! I wonder if that is part of what caused me to not think it was that good.

[@Moon-Raven]

@@SlackerLabs The issue I have is that the integration worked for a day, but I couldn't use it after a while. I can't even use the setup anymore. I'm using the alextud ha-switchbot-curtain plugin at the moment though HACS and it got an update today. It had some delays before, but it seems more snappy at the moment, but it could be post-update-joy ;) I'm still really happy with my switchbut curtains though, it's so nice to have it automated. If I remember and if you want me to, I'll keep you posted on if it is indeed better in the long run.

[@SlackerLabs]

Yea keep us posted. I have another switchbot video to do and I can call that out.

[@Moon-Raven]

Just as a follow-up, the official integration started working again on my end and is now stable. I saw an update to PySwitchbot 0.13.2 in the changelog, it looks like that fixed it.

[@PortlandBanshee]

jeff, I managed to integrate my SwitchBots into Home Assistant using your API instructions, thanks. Which one of your videos shows how to have HA trigger routines in Alexa.

[@SlackerLabs]

I think it’s come up in a couple of videos. I’ll have to go back check. The next version of home assistant 2022.7 will be moving to a new Bluetooth library for HA and I understand from the team it has made switchbot integration better. So hopefully we will see some improvement with the integration as well.

[@PortlandBanshee]

@@SlackerLabs Thanks for the reply. I will look I have not been able to find a video on this as of yet but will keep looking

[@km76]

Hi Jeff, do you know anything about Synology DSM7 and bluetooth for VM? That's roughly my system and I've got a stack of SwitchBot toys I use, but can't seem to get BT working on the VM machine under my Synology NAS. Any advice would be immensely appreciated.

[@SlackerLabs]

I don’t know anything about synology setups. @beardedtinker - kzbin.info might know. I can’t remember if he is using switchbot stuff. He may not be.

[@healeydave]

Hi jeff, I managed to integrate my SwitchBots into Home Assistant using your API instructions, thanks. Any idea why in the Home App on iOS, the curtains seem to be back to front? When they are open it thinks they're closed and visa versa.

[@SlackerLabs]

I'm not sure on that one. I actually thought it was something I did wrong...but since I hardly use the Home app I just left... haha

[@healeydave]

@@SlackerLabs I already replied with an answer to this problem but the comment has been deleted. Maybe it's because I included a link back to the original article for the fix and you blanket delete comments with links, I don't know, I know a lot of KZbinrs do that which is unfortunate when someone is providing useful information. Anyway, just so any of your future viewers know, the answer (this time without any links) the back to front results are fixable and its nothing to do with the Home app, its an inconsistency between how SwitchBot measure Open & Closed versus how Home Assistant measures Open and Closed. A user in the HA Forum post (that is linked in this video's description) has fixed the original code in the sensor yaml file, you just need to read further into the original post to find the fix.

[@SlackerLabs]

@@healeydave Thanks for that! And yeah, KZbin by default blocks links in the comments. I thought about disabling it, but the amount of spam it catches is insane. Although it would make it look like I was getting more comments. haha

[@vincentvanelst8863]

Hi Jeff, Great stuff as usual. This looks like it might be a great way to automate my curtains. What I am wondering about how the product itself is. For example, how much noise does the motor creates when it’s opening or closing the curtains? I assume that it would be noticeable, but would it be more akin to background noise or, say, a jet engine? I can see this being a nice addition to my morning routine for example, unless it makes so much noise that it would also work as an alarm. Another think I would be interested in knowing is the speed with which it opens or closes. I can imagine an automation that would trigger based on brightness and media being played, but that would make no sense if it takes a minute to finish said action. 😉

[@SlackerLabs]

Ahh man...I new I forgot to include something... They are not silent, but the noise is not loud. Sounds like a little motor. My kids remote control cars are louder. If you are in the room you hear it, but if there was other noise going on you may miss it.

[@vincentvanelst8863]

@@SlackerLabs Good to know, thanks!

[@SlackerLabs]

I forgot to include a link to the Switchbot store -> www.switch-bot.com/?sca_ref=1554388.lp5IG0HlPL and you can use JEFF10 for a little off any purchase. Also be sure to check out the comments, some of the viewers bring up good points as usual, so make sure you dont miss those.

[@robert.wigley]

Is there a way of getting the battery levels into Home Assistant? I wasn't able to find one.

[@SlackerLabs]

I haven't found a way either yet. If I doo I'll report back

[@EsotericArctos]

Have you seen the Switchbot Blind Tilt? If so, do you know if they can be integrated into Home Assistant in a similar way?

[@SlackerLabs]

I have seen it. I didn't get a chance to test it since I don't have any blinds in this house. I don't think anyone has got in directly yet to home assistant, but most of the other switch bot stuff integrates directly over bluetooth now. You could always go the IFTTT route, or use the Echo if you have those as a bridge. But I haven't seen anyone get these in HA directly yet.

[@Tntdruid]

They should add mqtt support.

[@SlackerLabs]

I really like that idea. That would make the whole local thing even better!

[@raf051888]

If anyone comes across this and is having trouble, I had to use my API Token vs API Key for getting the devices.

[@boopeshkumarprabhakaran]

Can you make this same content video with diy.... Switchbots aren't affordable to many of us

[@yorks_atheist3069]

I'm doing some DIY curtain track with some rails I found at IKEA going to drive it with a NEMA 17 from an old printer

[@TheConstantinosK]

nice video mate,but.....these bluetooth robots r 2 expensive ....

[@SlackerLabs]

Oops...another thing I forgot to include. Yeah. around $99 per robot. $200 per window if you need two, although I have seen videos of people making it work with just one robot. But from what I have seen they are cheaper and less work that other smart curtain options out there. DIY might be cheaper, but more involved. But yeah, not cheap enough that everyone is going to outfit all their windows with the next paycheck.

[@TheConstantinosK]

@@SlackerLabs the "bluetooth" part is a real dealbreaker for me.....come on Switchbot guys ,ditch the hub and use wifi,zigbee or even zwave...

[@SamPhoenix_]

​@@SlackerLabs There is a Zemismart Curtain bot of the same premise. They use an RF remote and are almost half the price. The Hook Up did a comparison for the two. Personally, I'm going to try a DIY solution for the price difference, plus Rob showed off both smartbot and Zemismart are louder than his smart curtain rail - which was mostly the same volume as his DIY solution bar some clicking due to the way his program worked.

[@brandonhorn6218]

Why is do they make this so difficult? Why don't they make it were you can just login and your done.

[@MrSupersidewinder]

Awfully complicated for an open minded company... These would be better in zigbee 3.0. Simple set limits, controls for fully open, fully close, and a slider for percentage... I like the bot idea though.

[@tobii93]

sometimes im getting error Logger: homeassistant.helpers.template Source: helpers/template.py:1828 First occurred: 20:56:43 (3 occurrences) Last logged: 21:17:18 Template variable warning: 'parameter' is undefined when rendering '{"command": "{{ command }}","parameter": "{{ parameter }}"}' using the API method, someone have any idea?