Switchmate Slim for Rocker Light Switches by SimplySmart Home, Timer, Automation, DIY, Snap On, No Tools, No Wiring, Smart Lighting, Smart Home, Bluetooth, Google Assistant, iOS, Android, App, Motion

I'm very ambivalent about this device. First of all I think it's a GREAT idea in theory. My home is full of home automation from energy monitors to in-wall switches to wifi light bulbs. However, for my mom's house I wanted a way to bring some level of automation without having to go "all-in".I went in with expectations of using the motion sensor and simply being able to remotely program the timers on the device. I already knew that it wasn't Homekit capable or capable of being remotely controlled--I was fine with that.The motion sensor function works fairly well. The range and detection angle seems to be fairly low (maybe 45 degrees vertical and about 4-6 feet away). It works reliably and you can set a time window for when you want the switch motion-activated (and for how long you want the switch to remain on).My main issue is with the timer function. I have two of the switches set to come on in the evening and turn off in the morning. However, I've found several times where it would not turn off at the scheduled time. The timer function just does not seem that reliable.Other comments: - The bluetooth range is really short--shorter than any Bluetooth device I've ever used (even headsets). I would say it's less than 40 ft line-of-sight. - The touch sensitve button on the front is overly sensitive. If you just brush up near the switch thats enough for it to trigger. - There's no indication of the state of the switch just by looking at it. This one is a tough one to solve but if you have a switch for an outdoor light, there's no indication of what state the switch is in unless you look at the light. - From what I've read, the device does have WIFI built in but it's not activated yet. I think they're working on getting it power-efficient before enabling that feature in a future update.

The main purpose: turn the ceiling light switch 💡 on and off from a distance works exactly as expected, with a further range than I expected. Rarely, I have to wait a second or so for the app to connect, and 2 or 3 times (in 3 months) I have had to restart the app, but that is far more reliable than the WiFi bulb I use in a lamp.My secondary use, a light “alarm” clock, works but with limitations. Perhaps future software can address these. First off, “multiple” timers equals exactly 2, each with an on-at/off-at setting. Secondly, there’s no Daylight Savings vs Standard Time awareness and no way to change or check the unit’s clock. One has to calculate +/- an hour to get the desired time. Otherwise, it works as expected.The touch button also works as expected— very useful not to have to find your phone if you’re next to the light switch, as the WiFi bulb requires. There is a whirring click when the switch is toggled, no matter how it is activated, but we don’t mind this.I am still on the original set of batteries, reported at 76%, the unit having been in use almost 3 months.I turned off the motion sensor feature since it’s not useful to us, to save battery & avoid unwanted triggering if the switch.I also don’t want to use it with Google Assistant or cloud services, so I can’t speak to that functionality.Voice activation always yields a “microphone busy” error, but this is not something I need.Installation was fairly simple, certainly easier than rewiring the switch.

I use this for the porch lights. I haven't had any technical issues so far since having it for a a couple of weeks. It turns off and on when it supposed to so the timer works. Wished it was wifi compatible so i can turn it off or on when I am away from the house, but all good. They say you can link it up with Alexa or something, but I ain't go no Alexa to try it on. You will have mess with the placement of the switchmate because it didn't work too well when it was leveled on the lightswitch. It wouldn't actually toggle the switch unless it was kind of placed cock eyedley on the switch plate. just look at the pic...but all good it still works.

UPDATE:It is with heavy heart that I write this, TRUST THE POOR REVIEWS. This thing is the pits. I only want to use one timer function everyday for the front porch light switch. That's it, nothing fancy. I don't use any of the other interesting bells and whistles although I'm sure they are just as unreliable. It will work less than a week before it somehow forgets the only timer I have set and the light is left on into the next day. When I notice and open the app the toggle for the one timer is turned off and the times I have input are reset to the default as if I never set it up. I have to set it up again, each time as if it is the first time whereas it works for less than a week before the issue repeats. Most frustrating purchase ever. Save your sanity and money.OLD REVIEW:Ok, there are several caveats to my review of this product. Firstly, I only wanted essentially a timer to turn on my existing front porch light later at night and until the morning for security. I didn't want it to come on right at sundown to minimize spider and bug activity during temperate months. This product allows me to keep my existing porch light with what should be minimal hassle...more on that. I purchased it from amazon warehouse so the one I got was cheaper than the regular price and had been returned, the app allows you to see the battery life (2 AA batteries included) mine started at 70% which isn't a big deal but then I realized why.According to the instructions, all you do is put in the batteries, download the app and your phone and switchmate become friends via bluetooth right away. Mine immediately needed a firmware update which I approved. The app allows many different options - motion detection (minutes of duration vary as do the hours you wish to enable it), two timers (with each days of the week customizable) and a "welcome home" feature (which supposedly turns the light switch on once per day when you get in range). There is a button to use if your switch plate is reversed which is nice if that applies to you as well as available battery percentage. You can personalize a name for each unit to differentiate if you have more than one controlled by your app. Make sure you see all these options in your app, the first one I downloaded did not have all these and as a result, even though my app would control my switch mate on and off manually none of the other options worked and it would turn the switch on and off every minute or so regardless of my inputs without my touching it or there being any movement or light changes with the blue light constantly on. I kept changing the options for the timer and even electrical taped the motion/light sensor and it kept turning the light off and on making me look like an escaped mental patient to my neighbors (more so than usual). It ran my battery down to 30% before I did a factory reset (available in the app), removed the batteries, deleted the app and started over. Then the app I downloaded next had a lot more options than it did the first time. I pushed the button with the blue light on the unit right away, the light went off and it suddenly worked as advertised. It stayed off and toggled on and off only according to my single specified timer.This was way more than I really needed since just a basic timer would be fine for me. It is fairly small and allows me to access another light switch on the same plate easily. It doesn't stick out too much or get in the way. The switching is kind of loud, there is a mechanical sound to it that you will notice at first but like all sounds in your home I'm sure it eventually fades into the background once you get used to it. Also, the app has a big 'Link Google Home' option available if you use that, I just used the app. While there is an Alexa skill for Switchmate, the Switchmate app only allows you to link to Google. There is no Alexa code that comes up to link them so, forget that. Of course, I’m skeptical about trying all the available options now since it didn’t work at first and now that I’ve got it working I don’t want to jeopardize that. I had no issues with it getting stuck or not flipping the toggle entirely. The timer works regardless your phone is linked via Bluetooth or not. For reference, I use an iPhone. So after a lot of bad noise, it does exactly what I want it to do so I took off one star for the early frustration and based on the reviews most people aren’t making it beyond that. I think as long as you expect to be flummoxed initially and want to throw it into the street and pull your hair out you will know what to expect and then you won’t be blindsided for that part of the installation so to speak. It will eventually work if you stick with it but make sure the options available work for your lifestyle or purposes. Also, it says there is “voice control” but really you just speak into the app, not directly at the device. Not sure how it’s easier to push the voice button and then talk instead of just pushing the on button. I am actually surprised more of these aren’t on the market because it is a really good idea.

So I purchased this product expecting it could be managed using Alexa. The tool connects pretty easily to the switch without any wiring and can also be managed remotely using the switchmate app. However when trying to connect to it using Alexa, the Alexa pairing option is not present on the app. When I contacted support, I was told that I would need to purchase Switchmate zip or switchmate power in order for it to pair with Alexa. This was not clearly described on the product description.