GoKawiilFans are one of those categories where true innovation is kind of hard to find. Ultimately, it’s just there to cool things and circulate air. SwitchBot recently launched its new SwitchBot Standing Circulator Fan, which caught my eye for its built-in battery and Matter (and therefore Apple Home) compatibility. Let’s take a closer look at what this portable fan actually offers and what you need to know before picking one up.
HomeKit Weekly is a series focused on smart home accessories, automation tips and tricks, and everything to do with Apple’s smart home framework.
The idea of a battery-powered smart fan is fantastic this time of year. Having the freedom to move a fan from the bedroom out to the porch without worrying about finding a power outlet is a huge convenience. SwitchBot also built the SwitchBot Standing Circulator Fan to convert between a shorter desk fan and a taller standing fan. Especially with summer coming in the US, I love the option to take it outside on the porch for an evening dinner.
Apple Home support
One thing to note on the Apple Home support is that you cannot just unbox the SwitchBot Standing Circulator Fan and connect it directly to your Apple TV or HomePod mini over Wi-Fi or Thread. To get the Standing Circulator Fan to appear in the Apple Home app, you must first pair it with a SwitchBot Hub.
While I appreciate that SwitchBot is adopting the Matter standard, requiring a dedicated bridge to act as the middleman is slightly frustrating, but it’s better than no Matter at all. If you already have a SwitchBot hub for other gear, this is not a big deal at all. However, if this is your very first SwitchBot device, you need to factor in the hub cost to get the smart home integrations you actually want.
Once it’s in Apple Home, you can trigger it from your iPhone or Apple Watch or run it through scenes and automations paired with other accessories.
Battery life on the SwitchBot Standing Circulator Fan
The actual fan features a built-in 2400 mAh battery, letting you run it without a power cable. SwitchBot claims it can run for up to 28 hours on a single charge when using “Baby Mode”. If you are blasting the fan at full speed on your back porch in the middle of August, you should expect that battery life to drop significantly.
In the SwitchBot app, you can adjust speed from 1 to 100%, allowing you to dial in the exact airflow you need to save battery. It also operates at only 22dB when kept in those lower sleep modes, making it a great option to leave running next to your bed at night or while a baby is taking a nap.
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