SwitchBot Curtain 3 – a little robot that opens your curtains for you

Every morning starts the same way: alarm, groan, and a stumble to the window to pull the curtains open. In the dark. With your eyes half closed.

The SwitchBot Curtain 3 is a small battery-powered robot that clips onto your existing curtain rod and pulls the curtains open or closed for you. On a timer, from your phone, or by voice. You don’t need new curtains, new rods or an electrician.

It’s the laziest gadget I’ve written about in a while. I mean that as a compliment.

What is the SwitchBot Curtain 3?

It’s a white plastic unit about 8 inches tall that hangs on the rod right behind the first curtain ring. A motor drives little wheels along the rod and drags the curtain with it. SwitchBot is a smart home brand that makes small retrofit gadgets like this, including the SwitchBot button pusher that presses dumb light switches for you.

The Curtain 3 comes in two versions: one for round rods (the one I link below) and one for U-shaped rails. Check which one you have before you order. SwitchBot says the rod version needs a rod at least 5/8 inch thick, including the thinner part of an extendable rod.

How does it work?

Setup is three steps, says SwitchBot: hang it on the rod, stick on the positioning magnet that marks where the curtain should stop, and pair it with the app. Then you can open, close or set the curtains to a percentage, and make schedules. Open at 7:00, close at 22:00, done.

On its own it talks Bluetooth to your phone. Add a SwitchBot Hub (sold separately) and it works with Alexa, Google Home, SmartThings, Siri Shortcuts and IFTTT. With a Hub 2 it also works through Matter, so you can use Apple Home.

Features

• Pushes curtains up to 15 kg (33 lbs), more than twice the thrust of the Curtain 2, says SwitchBot
• Silent Mode runs the motor below 25 dB, slower and quieter, for opening while people sleep
• Battery rated for up to 8 months, recharged with a power bank while it stays on the rod
• Optional solar panel (sold separately) that SwitchBot says needs about three hours of sun a day
• 1-year warranty

The good and the not-so-good

The good:

• It’s a gentle wake-up trick. Daylight pouring in at 7 is a nicer alarm than a phone. Pair it with a sunrise lamp like the Philips Hue Twilight for the dark winter months.
• Closed curtains on a schedule make the house look lived-in when you’re away.
• It’s renter-friendly. No drilling, no wiring, and it comes off when you move.

The not-so-good:

• Curtains that open in the middle need two units, so double the price.
• SmartHomeScene found the rolling noise more obvious in normal mode, and that the sound depends on whether your rod is wood or metal. Silent Mode is quieter but slow.
• That 8-month battery figure is from SwitchBot’s lab test with one open and close per day. Use it more, or in Silent Mode, and you’ll charge it more often.
• Amazon buyers give it 4.0 out of 5. Good, not glowing. At least one buyer review complains that it gets stuck a lot.

Who is the SwitchBot Curtain 3 for?

People who hate dark mornings, people with tall or hard-to-reach windows, and people who are building a smart home on a renter’s budget. It’s a fun gift for the gadget lover who already has smart bulbs and wants the next thing.

Skip it if you have blinds instead of curtains. SwitchBot makes a separate Blind Tilt for those. For more bedroom gear, see our sleep gadgets roundup.

Where can I buy the SwitchBot Curtain 3?

SwitchBot sells it through its own store on Amazon US, in rod and U-rail versions and in multi-packs. SwitchBot’s own shop listed the single rod version at about 100 bucks at the time of writing (October 2026), and the Amazon listing started at about 80 bucks with a discount.

The sun comes up either way. Now your curtains do too.