Written by Dino K.
Welcome to the Smart Home Founders series, where the founders of leading smart home companies get to tell their stories. In this edition, we interviewed Connery Lee & Richard Mou, the founders of SwitchBot, a leading innovator in the modern smart home space.
SwitchBot aims to make homes smarter and more engaging without requiring full-scale renovations. The team is driven by a desire to create accessible, fun, and interactive products that improve everyday life.
SwitchBot believes completely re-fitting a home with smart products is neither economically viable nor great for the environment. Therefore, SwitchBot is dedicated to bridging that gap, offering innovative retrofit solutions for everyone, everywhere, one smart device at a time.
Hey Richard and Connery! Thanks for joining me today. Could you tell us more about the origins of SwitchBot? Where did the initial idea come from?
CONNERY: “Before SwitchBot, I was working as an engineer for a smart home company in Singapore. When I moved to China and began living there, I realized I couldn’t turn off my light switch from my phone without replacing it with a smart one. Since I was renting, I didn’t have permission to install a new one or make other modifications to the traditional switch. So, I started thinking about designing a simple robot that could retrofit onto the wall switch and toggle it on and off with my phone. This is how the idea for our first product was born, the SwitchBot Bot.”
When did SwitchBot launch its first product? Did you use Kickstarter?
CONNERY: “Yes, the release happened in late 2016 on Kickstarter. We wanted to offer a simple, easy-to-use solution for toggling a light switch. Creating retrofit smart products that are easy to use was and still is a core value of SwitchBot. For example, if you needed to control a light switch, you could retrofit a SwitchBot Bot. If you wanted to control your curtains, you could install a SwitchBot Curtain or a SwitchBot Lock for your traditional lock. Our users do not need to replace anything—they just need to retrofit.”
“This got me thinking, which technology is most straightforward and available everywhere? In my previous company, we used Zigbee and Z-Wave, but those protocols required controlling a hub. When I started SwitchBot, I wanted to allow my users to control our products only with their smartphone—which has Bluetooth. For most users who don’t know anything about IoT or Home Automation, Bluetooth allows them to use our devices quickly and easily. This led me to explore Bluetooth and develop our own BLE mesh technology, which almost all our products use today.”
With Bluetooth, you cannot control the device remotely. You still need a hub to connect to the internet and access your devices outside your home. Did you have a hub to bridge this gap in the beginning?
CONNERY: “Yes, we also had a smart hub in the very beginning. My experience as an engineer in my previous company allowed me to design and create a Wi-Fi hub that our users could use for internet access. It was cleverly shaped like a cloud, signifying the Bot could connect to the cloud. There was an LED inside, too, which made it playful and colorful.”
Where did you produce your first SwitchBot Bot? I know you have your own factory now.
RICHARD: “Initially, we outsourced manufacturing to several companies in Shenzhen, including injection molding. Back then, many companies offered these kinds of services to startups like ours, helping us get off the ground. However, we ultimately chose to assemble the Bot ourselves, allowing for much better quality control.”
CONNERY: “Yes, we assembled the first batch of 200 units ourselves, working for two consecutive nights.”
How did you two meet and join forces? Was it at the very start of SwitchBot or a little later
RICHARD: “We met at the very beginning of SwitchBot in 2016. Connery had already launched the company with Bruce, our CTO. Back then, I was busy with my own startup called Welle. Welle was a sonar-based gesture control gadget that could make any surface interactive. I did my own Kickstarter campaign, but ultimately, my company did not do very well. I got in touch with Connery, and as our product ideas aligned, I joined SwitchBot, and we started working together.”
CONNERY: “Before Richard came on board, we had a prototype of the curtain robot. After we joined forces, we released the first SwitchBot Curtain robot in 2019. That was our second Kickstarter campaign and our second official product launch.”
Was the SwitchBot Curtain your first really successful product?
RICHARD: “Well, the Curtain Bot had a successful product launch and did very well as a unique product in the smart home market. I did a lot of market research back then in an effort to set the price right, but I did not find anything similar. So yes, the Curtain Bot was very successful and the first of its kind. However, this was the year we also launched the Hub Mini in Japan.”
CONNERY: “The Hub Mini saw an even bigger success and was almost considered a commodity in Japan. It’s equipped with an IR blaster, which proved incredibly popular since Japanese people use a lot of remotes. Our IR code database is extensive and suitable for the Japanese market, which was a key factor in the Hub Mini’s success.”
“The Hub Mini was the first device to combine the functionality of a smart home hub and an Infrared blaster. Before that, there were almost no devices on the market that did both. The Hub Mini combined both and also offered remote control for our SwitchBot Curtain and Bot, making it a big hit. Then, we moved on to develop other, more traditional smart home devices, like our smart lock.”
How did your smart lock perform upon release? Given the variations in locks globally and the established market, I imagine you faced challenges.
RICHARD: “Yes, you are right. Smart locks were already a thing in some areas of the world. You had Nuki in Europe, Xiaomi in China, and others elsewhere. However, there were very few in Japan, and we recognized a demand existed there. We conducted some research and decided to proceed with the release of our own smart lock.”
CONNERY: “I would also say that the existing smart locks on the market were not really good. You still needed to take out your phone, open an app, and tap a button to unlock it. We designed a fingerprint keypad that you would install on your door and just use your finger to open it.”
How has SwitchBot’s move into developing traditional smart home devices, like plugs and sensors, performed in such a crowded market?
RICHARD: “We haven’t seen the same level of success in the traditional IoT device space. However, we maintain our innovative approach with these products, too. For example, our smart plug includes two separate chips for power monitoring, a unique feature at the time. Our contact sensor integrates a motion sensor that differentiates when you go inside or outside the door. We also opted for a white lens, enhancing its aesthetic appeal compared to the standard plastic lenses used by others.”
Was using Bluetooth for your sensors and other devices considered a drawback in Europe, given the users’ preference for Zigbee and Z-Wave?
RICHARD: “I think Bluetooth has its own merits. It’s cost-effective for consumers, and when you compare it to other protocols, Bluetooth still surpasses them in many ways. Companies like Xiaomi and others that use Bluetooth gave us a good idea of its power. Sure, some communities are used to Zigbee and Z-Wave, and they adapt to using those, but I think Bluetooth is much easier and more convenient to use in a smart home. For example, Homey supports Bluetooth, so the devices get quickly auto-discovered and added.”
What are your thoughts on Matter and Thread? Bluetooth is part of Matter, but only for commissioning and onboarding devices?
CONNERY: “I still think the two most important protocols for us are Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. We are exploring Zigbee and Thread, but Wi-Fi and Bluetooth will remain the foundation of SwitchBot devices.”
“Our upcoming Smart Lock Ultra will be Matter compatible through our Matter hubs. We also support Matter without a hub for our Wi-Fi devices, like the S10 Robot Vacuum and the Air Purifier. You can bridge all other devices to Matter via one of our hubs, the Hub 2 or Hub Mini.”
Your robot vacuums are very popular in Europe. What’s next for SwitchBot in terms of innovation? Where do you see SwitchBot in the next few years?
CONNERY: “Yes, the S10 Robot Vacuum was the first of its kind. It includes a wet station that you attach to your home plumbing system to dispose of dirty water out of the drain. It can also refill your SwitchBot humidifier, so you do not have to do it yourself.”
“Our next product will be an AI household robot. We want to fully embody AI in the smart home. We’ve equipped a robot prototype with all sorts of sensors and cameras, allowing it to monitor what’s happening in your home in real time. It can analyze patterns, learn your habits, and detect anomalies. All data will be processed on a new, powerful hub with edge computing capable of large-scale data analysis and execution through your connected devices and appliances.”
RICHARD: “We believe the current smart home is at version 1.0. People have been focused on 1.0 for far too long. SwitchBot wants to move into version 2.0, where AI is integrated into your home and all your devices. We strongly believe the 2.0 version of the smart home will need very little user interference. Household robots and AI will handle everything, utilizing data from sensors and cameras to manage your devices.”
Your current products have specialized designs, like a robot vacuum optimized for cleaning. Do you envision a future with more general-purpose forms, like humanoid robots? Or do you believe specialized designs are better suited for specific tasks?
CONNERY: “We are also doing that. We are already developing a humanoid robot prototype. ”
Okay, guys, thanks for joining me today. It was nice learning about SwitchBot and its journey!
CONNERY: “Thanks for having us! Goodbye, and until next time.”
