SwitchBot E-Ink Home Dashboard review: Much more than a weather station

If you're even slightly familiar with SwitchBot, you'll understand it's a brand that likes to invent ways to make life simpler. Whether that's flicking a light switch, or vacuuming your floor, it's a company that has smart automations at its very core.

And its latest product is marketed as a weather station - but it's so much more than that, it ties everything in your home together in one display.

And it's a clever display, too, because it's e-ink, which means absurdly long battery life, and a simple paper-like layout.

The weather element is surprisingly advanced. Using data from one of SwitchBot's meters, it has a customisable format, which tells you everything from the time and temperature, to wind speed, visibility, and even air quality.

There's also a week-long forecast and sunset and sunrise times, and it's all geared to your location, and you can change things in the SwitchBot app.

And then it gets even cleverer, because it can link up with a calendar and give you a daily agenda on its screen, just by tapping a "button" on the bottom of the screen.

And then it gets cleverer still, because two other buttons can be configured to trigger any sort of automation you fancy. For example, I have mine set up to open or close my bedroom curtains, but you could just as easily have a button set to turn a light on, or start a fan, or even set a robot vacuum in motion. That's how clever the SwitchBot ecosystem is.

There's also a "daily verse" on a separate screen, which displays a line from literature that fits in with the forecast for the day. As I write this, on a hot day, it's quoting "Even the daisies stooped to touch their own shadows in the dry heat". Cute, if a trifle pointless.

This screen also has a "trip guide", and this is quite nice too. Today it tells me: "Similar temps to yesterday. Warmer indoors than out. Light jacket or sweater recommended. No rain expected. Evenings cool to 7C - bring a layer." I can't help but like this, although it probably underestimates how much I feel the cold.

The panel can sit on a desk or mount to a wall. There's a little speaker for an alarm, so it could replace your bedside clock, although being e-ink it isn't backlit. There is a button to turn on a light for a brief moment, but you won't normally see the display in the dark.

What I like about the SwitchBot E-Ink Home Dashboard

I'm a bit of a weather geek, so having such a large batch of data staring me in the face is wonderful. There's just enough to keep someone with just a casual interest engaged, but not so much you need a degree to understand it.

SwitchBot has judged the interface brilliantly, and the fact that it's so customisable in the app makes it even easier to get along with.

It recharges through USB, and you could plausibly leave it plugged in, but there's really no need. The battery lasts for ages. SwitchBot reckons it'll trot on for a year and I can believe that.

It supports up to three sensors, and SwitchBot has a range available, with bundle deals on offer if you buy things together.

I even quite like the price. The RRP is £109.99 for the display alone, but there's usually an offer on at SwitchBot, and Amazon, for example, has it listed for £87.99.

Buy through SwitchBot directly and it's even cheaper, and the bundle deals are very inviting.

The best thing though, in my opinion, is the way it acts as an automation station. I can set it up to turn on a SwitchBot fan if the temperature gets to a certain level, it can close my curtains when the sun reaches them, or it can alert me to an unfavourable change in the conditions.

What I don't like about the SwitchBot E-Ink Home Dashboard

The automation aspect might actually be one of the weather station's weaknesses, too. If you don't have any other SwitchBot products, it is just a pricey weather display, with fewer features than other weather stations at the same money. Some of the functions are enabled with a hub, and you really need to add some sensors to get the best out of it.

Having said that, if you do buy the hub, it is Matter enabled, which makes it more widely compatible with smart home systems like Apple Home. And that will broaden its appeal.

While the night view is great, and means you can see the display in the dark, the button you have to press takes a firm stab - which isn't ideal if you're sticking it to a wall.

The only other thing I might pick at, and this is quite minor, is the display is very basic in its function. Because there is no touch-screen there are no buttons, so you can't cycle through your calendar or change themes. Customisation is through the app only, and the four buttons at the bottom are all you've got.

Overall verdict: Should you buy the SwitchBot E-Ink Home Dashboard

The quick answer to this is yes, definitely. It's one of my favourite SwitchBot devices so far.

The more complicated answer will depend on whether you're prepared to invest in sensors, meters, or a hub. Because that will really maximise the benefits you get from it.

If you're already in a home filled with smart kit, this makes a lot of sense. If not, you're basically just buying a fancy weather station, albeit a surprisingly good one.

My house is full of gadgets, so this is an obvious star buy for me. But if you're just after a weather station you might find it a bit pricey and primitive compared to the specialist kit.

That said, e-ink is a fabulous technology, it's a comprehensive set of data, and it's a really neat, lightweight device that will need charging very rarely and won't have to have a wire trailing from it.

So, when all's said and done, it's hard not to recommend it.