The New SwitchBot Curtain 3: A Refined Upgrade

Automated curtains are smart home upgrades that quickly shift from a novelty to a necessity. Living here in the northern hemisphere makes you acutely aware of the sun's dramatic seasonal shifts, a reality magnified by my home's large, sun-facing windows. The challenge is harnessing it, blocking out the relentless 3 AM summer sunrise to get some sleep, while maximizing every precious minute of passive solar heat during the dark, low-sun winters. This isn't a job for a simple timer; it demands a dynamic system that can react to the sun's cycle and intensity. That's why my home curtains are managed by a fleet of SwitchBot Curtain 3 motors.

Following the core philosophy of OptimHome: a device only earns its place here if it can run locally, and even better if it integrates with Home Assistant. Despite my usual aversion to proprietary ecosystems, SwitchBot created a powerful, near-silent motor that, most importantly, could be tamed for local control.

So when SwitchBot released a supposedly "upgraded" version of the same Curtain 3, my first thought was, "Why?" With many of them already humming along quietly, what could justify a new purchase? It turns out, the answer lies in a series of small, thoughtful refinements that address the lingering annoyances of a long-term user, especially one dedicated to a seamless Home Assistant setup.

The Real-World Fixes: Mounts and Magnets

The original Curtain 3 wasn't perfect. My biggest operational pain came from my home's telescopic IKEA curtain rods. That small bump where one rod slides into the other was an occasional point of failure; it required a special sticker to help the bot glide over. Switchbot first provided metal stickers and then moved on to rubber/silicone ones later on. They mostly worked well, but it felt like a workaround.

The new model eliminates this problem. The tweaked roller design, termed RoverHook by the company, powers over the gap without a second thought. It’s a big fix that improves day-to-day reliability.

The other massive upgrade is the new positioning magnet system. These new magnets are tiny, powerful, and discreet. They come in both black and silver, allowing them to blend into the rod instead of looking like an obvious add-on. This is perhaps the best functional upgrade for anyone who values home aesthetics. It’s a clean, elegant solution that ensures my curtains close perfectly flush every time, a detail that brings a surprising amount of satisfaction.

Under the Hood: The Evolution of Internals

Naturally, I had to see what changed inside. Popping open the case reveals a familiar layout: the same robust motor and 3350mAh battery. The evolution is on the PCB. It’s a revised board with the most significant change moving to a 3-wire battery connector. This strongly suggests the addition of a thermistor for temperature monitoring, which is a nice iterative move for improving the safety and longevity of the battery during its charge cycles.

Heart of the Matter: Local Control & Home Assistant

For me, the SwitchBot app is a tool for two things only: initial calibration and firmware updates. The real control center is Home Assistant. The new Curtain 3 shines here, offering two distinct paths for local integration. SwitchBot is actively engaging with the open-source community by earning the 'Works with Home Assistant' badge for select devices and maintaining the official integration.

Your first option is the direct official SwitchBot Bluetooth LE integration. This is my preferred method for its simplicity; no hub is required. My existing ESP32-based Bluetooth proxies pick up the new motors instantly. One quirk to be aware of: if you pair two motors to open a single curtain from the middle, the SwitchBot Bluetooth integration will see them as two separate devices in Home Assistant.

This is where the second path comes in: Matter. Using the SwitchBot Hub 2, you can expose the curtains to your network via Matter. The beauty of this is that the hub handles the pairing logic, presenting a set of two motors to Home Assistant as a single, unified curtain device. It’s a cleaner approach, especially if you’re building a standardized, local-first smart home. However, there is a caveat of missing additional attributes for the last run, light level, battery, and calibration status.

A fantastic discovery was how the device handles its new default "QuietDrift or Slient" motion mode. You can set this as the default operation in the app, and thankfully, Home Assistant seemingly respects this setting. While you can't toggle between Normal and QuietDrift from within HA, all your local commands will execute using the mode you've selected.

Battery Life and Solar Power

Based on the daily operation of my older model Curtain Motor 3s, I consistently get between 4 and 5 months of real-world use in Silent/QuietDrift mode on a single charge. Given the new model’s focus on optimization, I expect that to be the baseline, if not slightly better.

However, pairing it with the solar panel makes battery life a non-issue. The device stays topped up indefinitely as long as the window gets decent sun. The hidden benefit for us data hoarders is that connecting the solar panel exposes an ambient light sensor to Home Assistant. This provides a constant stream of light level data, which is invaluable for creating more intelligent automations: move to the best charging position, closing curtains when the sun is harshest, or turning on lights when the room gets dim, all based on real-world conditions.

Final Verdict: An Enthusiast's Upgrade

Is this new Curtain 3 a revolutionary product that demands you replace your existing setup? No, but for a new buyer looking for a simple install or good value for their money, there are very few choices on the market. SwitchBot shines amongst them, especially if the goal is deep integration with Home Assistant via Matter or local Bluetooth.

For an existing user like myself, the appeal is more nuanced. The superior handling of telescopic rods and the elegant new magnet system solve real-world annoyances. While I won't be replacing all of my previous-gen motors, any new curtain I decide to automate from here on out will undoubtedly get this upgraded model.