SwitchBotHub Mini Smart Remote - IR Universal Remote, WiFi IR Blaster for TV, Air Conditioner, Compatible with Alexa, Google Home, Link SwitchBot to Wi-Fi (Support 2.4GHz)

I bought the Switchbot Smart Hub and a Switchbot button pusher (purchased separately) to be able to turn my computer on remotely on those occasions when I was away from the office and the power went out which would shut down the computer once the UPS battery backup gave out. Once setup and connected, all you have to do is use the app to connect to the Smart Hub and tell it to push the button. A little lever comes out of the button box and pushes the power button on the computer. I've only had to use the setup once, but it was a lifesaver when I did.

This is my 3rd SwitchBot Device and I love it. I have one SwitchBot Bots and to Hubmini’s. My original purchase was the Bot and I got the Hubmini ONLY to be able to have WiFi/cloud control of the Bot to be able to use with Alexa. However, it ended up working even better than I hoped. I have the Bot in my room controlling the device I intended it for, but after some tinkering I discovered the Range for the Bluetooth to the hub was good enough, that I could move the hub mini to another room that’s approximately 30ft+ away and use that to control a fan that had a IR remote. So I could pair it with the fan for control over WiFi and IT still controls my Bot two rooms away. Amazing. I loved it so much, I bought a second hubmini to turn my 15 year old Non-smart TV smart’ish. Between the humming IR function and a firestick, it’s entirely controllable by Alexa.I think my only critique that tripped me up when trying to establish the cloud link between Alexa and Switchbot was the account linking was Case/capitalization Specific. So when you create your SwitchBot account, if you had any lowercase/uppercase letters in your email address, when you go to link it to Alexa, the login needs to be exactly the same case specific (where in 99% of most websites apps, your username capitalization is irrelevant) I thought maybe it was broken process, but once I made sure I had the capitalization mirrored it worked great.

My window AC unit:The remote is in the database but it's in Celsius, there is no control for Fahrenheit. Also the learn function does not work for AC remotes since a AC remote will send a group of commands at the same time. (IE Mode Cold, Fan Speed Medium, Temperature 22C)Take Away: If you hoping to use this for a AC unit there is limited remote controls within the database and learning mode is a no go.For my TV: Toshiba TV + Roku 2 + Sound BarUsing a fill in the blank template, you can easily create a custom remote with the "learn function" on the hub mini. You will need your remote to do this, so if you hoping replace a lost remote you might be disappointed, many of my remotes were not in database. I wish you could rename buttons within the template but you cannot. In fact none of the remotes were in the existing database, not even the Roku remote which is very strange.Take Away: While I was able to build a custom remote the lack of functionality within the app leaves a lot to be desired. Maybe the app will be updated and the remote databases will be expanded in the future. If you don't have the original remote on hand you might want to skip this product.

If you're thinking about getting a SwitchBot device, the hub is a must buy if you plan to use it with a smart hub like Alexa, Google or Apple. I'm in a small apartment and have it hidden behind furniture in my bedroom and still works with no issues with the SwitchBot switch button pusher that's in my kitchen.

What I liked -1. the form factorWhat I didn't like -- Extremely archaic app- Needed to run the initial setup twice to get it to connect to the wireless network (signal strength not an issue)- Does not have inbuilt configurations for receivers/amps- Inbuilt configuration for a product like the Apple TV does not work.- Manual configuration is very slow, requiring multiple steps for each button- Manual configuration does not offer any icons beyond a single generic button- Manual configuration does not offer ability to define layout of buttons- Scenes and Automation don't allow for settings like defining Input selections for devices like TVs and Amps- Range of devices that are recognized is very limited and outdated- Response time is sluggish when communicating with devicesNeedless to say, I am returning this back.

I've been setting up my game room and wanted to build in some automation that allows me to quickly switch from playing, say, my Sega Genesis, to my PS4, and back to my computer, etc. I have some older consoles that need to go through an upscaler (I use the XRGB Mini / Framemeister) but the input switching on that guy goes through IR only. Same with the HDMI switch, my soundbar, and my TV. So I looked into getting a programmable IR blaster that I could connect to Alexa, and it worked like a charm! Now I can turn on smart plugs connected to the older consoles, switch inputs and upscaler profiles, and even switch the lighting, all in one go! Super easy with the Switchbot Hub Mini.One thing to note is, while they advertise you cannot use Alexa commands directly with a custom programmed remote (which is true), one thing that isn't well advertised is that you can create Scenes within the Switchbot app, which can rely on custom programmed buttons. These Scenes can by called from Alexa and used within Alexa Routines, so this worked perfectly for me!Highly recommended!

The price for this is inflated for what it does, but necessary if you want your switch box to work over Wi-Fi. There are several other devices that do the same thing but unfortunately don’t integrate with the SwitchBot app

Works great to add ALEXA control to Power Off and On Samsung TV.