Automate Existing Curtains, EASY, No Wires! SwitchBot vs Tuya Curtain Robots Full Review Hands On.

[@TheHookUp]

The first custom integration for the SwitchBot curtain is available for Home Assistant: github.com/alextud/ha-switchbot-curtain

[@seanr2109]

Hi Rob, are you able to do a video about this... are you able to to use an esp32 as a Bluetooth to wifi adapter in the same way as quindor did in his BLE Temperature sensor video? Iv not got a switchbot yet I’m considering buying 4 of them soon as I’m in the process of buying a house and my partner is keen to have curtains with eyelets on poles so this seems like with the new integration it could be the best solution for HA controlled curtains

[@Master-mm1dm]

The Zemismart Tuya Curtain Motor in this reviews links are not working. Do you have anymore links possibly to an updated version?

[@anantanuragyadav]

hello. Could you make a video about this?

[@mistavid]

Hey Buddy, any chance you could do a video/ write a tutorial about this?

[@Costax96]

But haven't you noticed that there is an extension cable inside the solar panel? With that you can position it better for take the sun even when the curtains are open

[@jason_zhemingzhang]

Imagine your dad doing something wired and made the curtain open and close for 6 days... kudos to your kids

[@xblackdemonx3183]

Weird* not wired

[@jmr]

Kids have to put up with it! They'll just go to their bedroom 🤣.

[@TheHellis]

@@xblackdemonx3183 But it would be worse if it was wired. Mostly because of the cable but also because it would go on forever

[@Roshk26]

When you said 4 days for SwitchBot and another 2 days for the other one, I instantly Liked and Subscribed to your channel! :) That's an incredible amount of devotion to complete the tests!!! :)))))

[@mikegiuffre4851]

Your content is amazing - I've gone down a rabbit hole watching all of your home automation videos and can't get enough! Thank you for these vids and hope you keep them coming!

[@RamonBalthazar]

Dude, this is such a thorough review! Thanks so much for doing it and I'm sorry for your family to have to deal with the curtains opening and closing for a whole week! 😂

[@DethpickleDave]

Nice, thorough review! I imagine after a combined full week of the drapes constantly opening and closing, your whole family is a bit weirder.

[@scstraus]

Amazingly comprehensive write up! Well done!

[@terencef8812]

Thank you for the progress bar for the in video sponsor ad. I watched the full ad anyways since I live in NY and have been wondering if these would help. ;)

[@andyrob2215]

Thank you for not doing sponsored product reviews. Way too many are doing it these days.

[@MrQwerty2524]

Just bought 2 switchbot curtains, and it really surprised me how well it works.

[@ignitiontherapy]

6 days of open/close! Kudos to you and the fam lol

[@C64KonsolenChris]

Can one Remote control multiple Switchbot Curtains?

[@Zwordi90]

Thanks a lot !! I was waiting for a review of the product ! Kudos and keep safe.

[@daveclarke5085]

Thanks for the upload. It will be interesting to see how well they work at fully closing windows which have a left and right curtains. This was one of my challenges to get the alignment perfect for the rod and ring style. I'm currently using a DIY solution inspired for one earlier videos 🙂

[@Kuchcior]

I really like the way you review things. Great video as always. Quick question - do you plan to test Aqara/Xiaomi curtain controllers? They come in two options - wired and wireless. Both are zigbee and both support zigbee2mqtt/deconz. This might be an interesting comparison.

[@TheHookUp]

Those are full rod replacements, right?

[@Kuchcior]

@@TheHookUp Yes, I've verified this and you're right. I haven't known about it. I guess, that's a no? ;)

[@Raress96]

Wow, these are really awesome, didn't know you can easily automate a U rod like this...I might try making a DIY version now :D

[@oesadler]

Great work thanks Rob. How do these units go with manual override? Can I still open the curtains by hand?

[@TheHookUp]

Yes and no, a gentle tug on them will start the open or close movement, but you can’t actually move the curtain on your own.

[@danehunter9316]

I was wondering the same thing. My 2-year-old will accept the challenge of manual override durability 🤨

[@dablet]

another very thorough video. thank you!

[@TheDanielsherer]

Thanks for this video, I'd love to automate some window-treatments and this is helpful. The main thing that's holding me back is "yet another app" and wondering how to keep that to a minimum. I'd love to have everything local, but Alexa integration is "table stakes" for my wife.

[@cubicle7535]

Will you be reviewing the new Aqara Curtain Driver E1?

[@eugenevaticinator4540]

I thought this could revolutionise the way I operate my curtains until I heard the nails on a chalkboard noise. I'ma have to stick to slapping them closed with a mop handle for easy access

[@iknowyourerightbut6246]

Setup an automation. Whenever the* motors start working, play some elevator music or something in Alexa. JK. * Whichever you buy.

[@tannerhart4069]

To be fair, he did bump it up by 30db in order to better demonstrate the difference between them, so while neither of them sound good, they aren't quite as bad as the video may make it seem. It does showcase how well made and thought out his DIY ones are though!

[@Jmcinally94]

I think it's also gonna depend on the type of curtain rail you have. Slowly rubbing plastic against metal is going to sound different than across wood, for example. Everyone's mileage will vary here, but it's super useful to have a demonstration in general

[@jmr]

If you have kids you can still automate the process 😂

[@d34drat]

Are you able to also open the curtains manually with any of these products?

[@keeponrcnbrianmiles4207]

I am planning on buying one, once That next Stimules check is approve. Switch Bot

[@MrQwerty2524]

Wait, how do you turn on the switchbot silent mode?

[@TheHookUp]

When setting a schedule or assigning a button action you can choose between performance mode or silent mode.

[@Damver]

Ita out of stock everywhere! Anybody an in stock link? For the zemismart?

[@ViciousXUSMC]

Should be easy enough to add the Tuya device to the Bond Bridge I just got to control the fans, and it has easy HA & Alexa integration.

[@iansoper3453]

Excellent video review. I especially liked to see both bots disassembled. Very interesting! I bought 4 SwitchBot Curtains, which power two curtain pairs. I use the SwitchBot Hub Mini, which I highly recommend to anyone considering the SwitchBot Curtain. The hub mini is also an IR blaster, so I use it to control the TV, my Roomba 880, Air Purifier and some flameless candles. It all integrates with Alexa and Google very easily.

[@rogerq7369]

Great tip at 8:13. How to see if it'll work before purchasing.

[@DangerTeenager]

Amazing video. You went through everything very throughly. And props for your family for withstanding a week of curtains opening and closing XD

[@SoleilRoiLe]

Hubitat integration? Any chance? I can write code, if needed.

[@dittbub]

thank you for including the noise test.

[@kodeypatterson8973]

I'm at 6:50 and waiting for the home assistant/Tasmota talk

[@SfumatoProductions]

Thanks for the review. I know these are designed for indoor, but I want to try to use it for an outdoor curtain. Do you think either has a chance of working for this? Thanks!

[@johnestan]

Awesome video! I was about to get the switchbot. I didn't know there was a zemismart alternative. The switchbot rod version is twice the price of the zemismart, and I'm with you, neither is a clear winner for me. Hmm. Do you need a separate RF to Wifi bridge for each Zemismart motor?

[@TheHookUp]

Yes, each one that you want to control independently. If you want to have all curtains open in sync then a single bridge will work.

[@WhyplayGaming]

Got a project for you I would love to solve the following problem I would like my robotic hoover to be able to use an internal door. Possible solutions a smart motor that opens the door when you start a routine too hoover. A small opening at the bottom a little like a dog flap. Any ideas on this ?

[@steven.h0629]

Sounds like you have to ruin an internal door by making a cutout anyway.. like a Batcave! How about a simple Strip Brush or Conveyor Belt Door the vacuum can just drive through.

[@joshwilliams8521]

Thank you for all you videos. They are always very interesting and informative.

[@prothrow]

Thank you so much!! very detailed and informative!

[@kenjimiwa3739]

Great detailed video. Thanks for making!

[@S15C0]

Hi Rob. Do you know if the Tuya integration for home assistant works with these zemismart curtains?

[@cuilaneek]

Yes it's works

[@constantringingtech2230]

lol, your family must love you.

[@TheHookUp]

The downside of reviewing smart home tech is that I constantly have to break perfectly functioning automations. My family has to put up with me saying “oh yeah, that’s not going to work right now” way too often. I’m lucky to have them.

[@constantringingtech2230]

@@TheHookUp ;) That was the saying in my house when I was first testing our Node Red with HA.

[@fldmastr]

Does he ever blink?

[@richardcorlett117]

Great video and informative. Direct and to the point.

[@krazyowl2]

Thank you for the review. Very interested in these products as I have 9 curtains that I would want to motorized... any idea what happens when you have multiple Tuya Curtain Robots in the same room? Will the one remote control all the robot at once as it is using the same RF signal? Will it be possible to individually name each curtain in the TUYA app so that I can control each one independently from one another in Google Assistant?

[@jmr]

I want a special airing of grievances episode! His family gets to tell us what it's like putting up with his experiments! I'm guilty too but I don't think I take it to this extreme.

[@ronm6585]

Great comparison Rob, thanks. 👍

[@iknowyourerightbut6246]

Switchbot sounds like a train slowing down near the station. And the other one sound like a plane low fly.!

[@Virkash]

I would like to add a category to these comparisons, is the automation "analogic" compatible? If I have a guest who doesn't know about the automation, can he/she still use the curtain or will the motor seize or breaks? Same thing with smart switches for lights etc...

[@TheHookUp]

Both curtain motors have a “pull to start” option where a light tug will start the motorization.

[@JustinWild]

@@TheHookUp The Zemismart is not aware of its position, right? So if you manually open it, what happens when an automation then tries to open it?

[@TheHookUp]

The device itself is aware of its position, it just doesn’t report it back to the app. So if you issue an open command to an already open curtain it will just disregard it.

[@JustinWild]

@@TheHookUp Thanks for the clarification!

[@DragonballZTime]

All nice but the noice doesnt do it for me.. also i have like 3 curtains on one side and 2 on the other side ( because of a big window) I dont think they strong enough for it

[@ein57ein]

Great video, for my patio shades neither would be compatible. And with prices getting better and better it makes it hard to justify DIYing. Time to shift focus to another project for me lol

[@lebeyes]

Switchbot says on their Kickstarter FAQ that Home Assistant is supported (posted a year ago). Looking at the Home Assistant Integration page for Switchbot, it only mentions Switchbot _switch_ device types. Their Kickstarter FAQ also mentions their open API on Github. The Readme on Github was updated 7 days ago and mentions new "open/close" commands for curtains. So there is hope!

[@TheHookUp]

I hope so!

[@mattm8523]

There is a custom integration that works perfectly in Home Assistant - github.com/alextud/ha-switchbot-curtain

[@TheHookUp]

@@mattm8523 Awesome.

[@michaelsage7290]

I couldn't see if someone had already said this, but the switch bot curtains come with some clear "tape" and clips to do the pleat hack that you have already done with thread. I really like the switch bot curtains and if you take a bit of time to set them up they work really well! :) Looking forward to switch bots black friday sale!

[@missyd0g2]

Nice video. I’m a retired disabled IT guy in Arizona. Most of the remote technology requires 2.4 wireless so I purchased a inexpensive WiFi router flash it with DD-WRT code for improved control. That router is for my automated switches and devices. BTW outstanding idea using steel conduit for long drape rod.

[@ScottSchramm]

I have been closely tracking the SwtichBot Curtain and anxiously waiting for them to be in stock to buy one. Thank you for this highly detailed video. It makes me feel confident that it will work well for me once I can buy one.

[@SanneyErassy]

Hey, have one of those but accidentally unbind them and now they don't bind again. Just one of them works now and the other doesn't. When I try to bind them they ask for a s 12-bit 0-f character some sort of code but couldn't find it anywhere. Any chance anyone knows what is that and how I get them to work together again please?

[@drumblius]

Thanks for another great video. I was actually looking to purchase battery operated curtain opener and stopped with Aquara B1, but these seems like a nice alternative. Don't appreciate the volume of operation though.

[@Haiyami]

Both the Swirchbot and zemismart as he said have weak motors. I have blackout shades 100x84 inches. The bar diameter is 1.125 inches leaving not much space between the rod and edge of the grommet holes in the curtain. I can't close my curtains with either. And the curtain need to ne stretched out as wide as possible to cover the glass sliding door. Idon’t want to get multiple curtain bots because that's pricy and syncing them all together would be a pain. Also the rod is wood and has weird groves in it. So maybe that is causing issues with closings the curtain. What I need is a solution with a powerful motor.

[@V1N_574]

Zemismart is a win for me just because of the spring loaded mechanism

[@theedgeofoblivious]

I have a window in my living room and one in my bedroom. Each of the two windows has a left curtain and a right curtain, and to close them you pull the two together in the middle of the window. This seems like a pretty common setup. I spent $500-ish for four SwitchBot Curtains, one SwitcBot Hub Mini, and four SwitchBot solar panels. I have spent literally the last seven hours trying to get these things to work properly. The SwitchBot couldn't traverse the extendable curtain rod of either window, and although I could calibrate each individual curtain, I could never get it to save the calibration so the bedroom's left curtain went left while the right curtain went to the right, and the living room had exactly the same issue. This is one of the most disappointing product purchases I have ever made.

[@Jiminphoria]

did you manage to fix/ find a solution to your issues with the Switchbot?

[@callumhodgkinson2286]

This may be a dumb question (I'm fairly new to automation) but could you use the zemismart one with home assistant triggered by a broadlink rm4 pro

[@ilovefunnyamv2nd]

to try and save energy, I was thinking about leaving the windows open, but it still gets uncomfortably cold in the middle of the night. home assistant integration will be the deal maker for me. at least I can close the curtains once the room is cool enough!

[@yikaixu7718]

Hey I bough the SwitchBot one and paired with Tuya app, the app shows it has a timer function but I never got it to work… by any chance do you know how to set it up? Thank you!

[@cameranmanner4701]

quiet mode in SB is useless. It's just slightly lower noise for twice the length. Rather have 20 seconds of a few db more

[@nicolasfleurent4545]

Are you still able to open/close the curtain manually when these devices are installed? Or do the motor prevent the curtain from sliding. Or if you can, would the mess with the position configuration?

[@steven.h0629]

Good question.. 🙄 I would think it wont move at all...

[@fluxpistol3608]

I cannot get the tuya smart life app to pair with HA I contacted tuya they said its not supported... why are there videos claiming it is?

[@TheHookUp]

I’ll double check the tuya: integration when I get home. Keep in mind that home assistant is not “supported” by any platforms that I know of, it works, but you can’t call Phillips to help you integrate your hue lights into HA.

[@fluxpistol3608]

@@TheHookUp thanks for the assistance. Yes, I'm aware it's not officially 'supported'. Maybe I've used the wrong term, I'm just quoting Tuya not sure if this is what Tuya meant as they seem to not speak very good english with i contact them. They've stated that they wont 'support' HA which seems to mean based off the context of what i was asking them. That they don't allow HA integrations to connect to Tuya. Which seems to be the case for me. Maybe they were just refusing to help. The issue seems to be that I cannot get the Tuya integration to authenticate with Tuya at all. The password/user name in HA wont connect with Tuya via the integration. Tried everything, every permutation I can imagine over multiple days, many hours of researching different installation & authentications methods etc even manually entering in config.YAML. Tried again just now. Nothing. Iff I make this work it will save me hundreds as I'm currently in the process of hitting purchasing on some TP-link products instead to replace the Tuya products (which do integrate with Google Home but not HA.) as I'm tired of being down this Tuya/HA rabbit hole with no actual end in sight. Integrated one TP-link product as a test and it works in a matter of minutes. I imagine Tuya is meant to integrate this easily too? Maybe I'm just ignorant, dunno

[@berner57]

I love these videos! Is there a similar solution that can raise and lower blinds? Can we get a video of what your wife thinks every time the Amazon/FedEx/UPS truck stops in front of your house!

[@TheHookUp]

Haha, funny you should say that. I was just googling for ideas of nice things to do for my delivery team during the holidays.

[@easwaran83]

Great video Rob. Can we have the tear downed parts pic or part list so we can try to make DIY version of it with esp8266

[@TheHookUp]

An ESP version would almost certainly need to be plugged in since wifi is so power hungry.

[@jow.2450]

Are there any that work with an “upscale” pulley system? We aren’t super handy.

[@МихаилИванов-х3щ]

It would be nice to see HA integration of this robots soon.

[@2muchspl]

Holy Sh*t was this well presented!!!!! Product research on SmartBot brought me here. I smacked that subscribe button like the button on Family Feud!!!😆😆😆

[@unclebugspayton]

My arm takes 1sec to open 1sec to close....it's amazing🤣🤣

[@Randy2747]

Great video! I ordered the switchbot 👍

[@kingair350]

How much noise is created by metal against metal curtain/rod.

[@GaryBickford]

Having four sets of curtains that are split with a rod support in the middle, I'd like to find or build a solution that doesn't require buying two units for each window!!🤪

[@michaelsage7290]

Providing they aren't to heavy you can use fishing wire in a figure of 8 shape to use one opener per pair, I do this in my dining room and it works surprisingly well! :)

[@BobbyBouche00]

@@michaelsage7290 can you elaborate more? I can't quite imagine how it would look

[@coresejohn7155]

Hi, could I use two devices on one rod, and would they operate together?

[@parsingh559]

Bro are you an engineer 😂 this was such a logical explanation I love it

[@PeteTorkington]

Great video, thank you. Would either of these integrate well with Hubitat?

[@TheHookUp]

Not natively, but usually if there is a SmartThings integration a habitat driver is possible. It would need to use the switchbot hub and cloud.

[@reubensher8144]

Very good explanation. The noise is a bit weird though

[@flecs]

Unless im just completely stupid and missing it, it seems the zemirsmart was pulled? says unavailable in your ali link and i dont see it on the zemismart website either

[@TheHookUp]

I talked to them about that, they said after watching this video they are completing a slight redesign to make it quieter. Hopefully it will be back soon.

[@flecs]

@@TheHookUp awesome! thank you for letting me know

[@experiment54]

need apple HomeKit am done with all these apps

[@tukpoon4354]

Thank you but tuya is copy of switch bot original inventor. Also that is very old version. They have come out with 3rd generation. But tuya version with hub does not work with schedule as poor app

[@TheHookUp]

Turns out when you watch a 3 year old video you see a 3 year old version of the product.

[@the_ev_guy4187]

I'm sure his neighbors may be used to, ahem, odd things taking place, but I could only imagine my thoughts if my neighbors curtains opened/closed every 2.5 minutes for a week ;) Great video.

[@TheHookUp]

Not as strange as having 4 video doorbells constantly rotating out.

[@the_ev_guy4187]

@@TheHookUp You should have a reactions video from the tests that may look weird from the outside with no explanation. That would be funny, although not likely all that informative like your normal ones, which have helped me tremendously. Thanks!

[@userbosco]

I can't believe anyone watching this wouldn't have their 5 & 2.4 networks separated xD

[@Ryan-tj7qc]

Speak for yourself

[@iansoper3453]

I don't have my 2.4GHz and 5GHz WiFi networks separated because my wireless printer only works on 2.4GHz and my iPhone and iPad automatically connect to 5GHz. I don't want to have to manually switch my iOS devices to 2.4 just to print something.

[@BallsworthBallsbury]

13:30 exhibit 1 million of why IFTTT is absolute garbage. IFTTT was a fun concept back in 2015... but why ANYONE is still using IFTTT these days boggles my mind. It's limited, expensive, slow, and unreliable. Who the hell is using IFTTT!?!?

[@TheHookUp]

Agree 100%

[@seanwilkes3824]

Does it work with curtains that don't have rings?

[@strunker]

As far as the switchbot traversing extendable rods, I found it to be very subpar. What I ended up doing was taking some black electrical tape (my rods are black) and using the tape to level out dip between the rods, this helps the bot traverse it. Originally it was getting stuck on it which was obviously not desirable.

[@paulavesa3072]

i am having this very same issue with the switchbot. very disappointing.

[@strunker]

@@paulavesa3072 Their support is HORRIFIC. I just the other day received an email from over 2 monts after I ordered for a separate issue I was having. Just bad CS and its over seas cs so you hear back at random times..

[@KPenceable]

> Easy :I it was kind of a nightmare dude

[@lukasbelck4514]

Wow kudos for the battery test pacience

[@NicholasSouris]

my curtain situation needs physical adapting before I think about automation. I tried to diy something and realized I don't have one large curtain, but rather 4 sections. My rod is actually 2 rods of different diameters and manually opening and closing them is a pain. More of a pain to automate

[@TheHookUp]

Sounds like it’s time to break out the sewing kit.

[@NicholasSouris]

@@TheHookUp I think it is time I realize that buying curtains might need to be a more collaborative effort and my input is valid even if I am colorblind

[@esbenontech]

I'm also interested in it's possible to use a ESP32 via ESPHome as a gateway for Switch Bot. I'd assume, just like you can do with MiFlora BT sensors etc. It could be awesome if anyone with a Switch Bot tried this out.

[@petergetinard4811]

“You can tell you didn’t do your homework on either one of these products, being lazy never pays off Bro!”.....lol phuc, I’d of been happy with just a 1 min video showing them opening and closing with the sound! Good job!

[@skipsaunders5974]

My blinds have Somfy motors. These are widely used motors for many different blind manufacturers and they have an RF link to remote or wall mounted blind controls. My house uses Insteon switches and the Universal Devices ISY-994i controller, so I'm wondering if you know of a way for home automation systems to interface with these Somfy links?

[@JulioGarcia-ns8ip]

Nice video! I noticed that you connect the curtains using an RFBrigde. Is it possible to integrate the Switchbot directly to an MQTT server?

[@tclark]

Hello! Fellow Tampanian here! Is there anything for blinds that you twist the rod to open/close and also push/pull to open close the blinds? That is what I have over my sliding glass doors and it would be cool if I could control either them being open/closed in one or both capacities!

[@loganfisher3138]

Wow. Those are frankly unacceptably loud. Even the Switchbot in quiet mode was louder than it should be. I was looking at these to open my curtains as I wake up in the morning. Yeah, that's not happening.

[@sharsar]

Great job Rob!!! Did you know if the Zemismart motors are still not compatible with Smartthings via Tuya app?

[@ericlong350]

Nice comparison, I'm leaning towards the Tuya. I have a child that has black out curtains and refuses to open them. Lays in bed texting friends while listening to the Smiths. BTW, I hate in video sponsor ads, generally, but thumbs up on the Ocoopa handwarmers. Got a few of them for stocking stuffers and the wife and daughter love them. Wife takes hers to work because the 'office is cold' (of course it is) and two of her co-workers tried hers out and bought them the same day. Thanks for the video!

[@markvonkageler3992]

What if there's a center curtain support?

[@rrsttt7505]

Thanks for such an extensive review. When you pull them down to charge them, do you have to reprogram the stop points? What kind of range does the switchbot hub have? I have 3 windows I want to setup, 1 of which would need 2 sets of switchbots because I have a curtain, and a light blocking curtain, I’ll have to switch them out to a dual rod

[@TheHookUp]

The range is very large. My hub is upstairs on the other side of my house and works without issue. You don’t need to reprogram the stop points after charging, you just need to put the motor back in the same position where you took it off.

[@futurecactus]

The Switchbot advertised Bluetooth Low Energy with Mesh Network, I asked them about that during development and i got this reply 'Thanks to our patented BLE Mesh technology, every bot can act as an actuator and a repeater concurrently.' Sounds a lot like they're using BLE in the same fashion as ZigBee so you should only need one hub for your whole house if they're spaced in range of each other. This is a big advantage over the Zenismart IMHO.

[@TheHookUp]

@@futurecactus True, but you don't need to buy a hub for the zemismart one, it just comes in the box. The range on the switchbot is great though.

[@joshuarozario5654]

Today most people build their smart homes around a specific smart ecosystem (Apple HomeKit or Alexa or Google), helps to identify the eco-system in the title or description to make it easier for viewers to engage with the right video.

[@barrycorns23]

I bought 2 switchbot for a large picture window. It was so easy to set up and it was so quiet, i don't understand when people say its noisy im buying 2 more for the patio doors

[@iblackfeathers]

i’ve been frustratingly waiting for this switchbot rod curtain opener for over 3 years - and by principle did not do the crowdfunding route, because of the bad experiences and risk with crowdfunding in general. i’ve kept an eye on their website, their covid closure with claims of availability in october, their re-opening and still no rod version... and they have been artificially “sold out”/“out of stock” of the rod version... only the rail version is being sold... now say they will be released after thanksgiving. maybe next year i can actually buy this thing, the hub, and the remote. still more waiting. so, in my mind, this product is not actually out yet for regular consumers. it’s still too early and should have been out 4 years ago.