Bluetooth tags are handy for finding your belongings – keys, wallet, bags – but SwitchBot’s latest product has an added feature: it will also act as a safety alarm.
In an ideal world, we wouldn’t need these products. But we don’t live in an ideal world. We live in one where, for as long as I can remember, someone somewhere has been marketing high-pitched alarms to women as a deterrent to would-be attackers.
For those who didn’t buy into it, the bunch of keys held in your hand as you walked offered a small amount of reassurance. Others swapped tips about whether it was better to carry a small bottle of hairspray in your bag or a bottle of perfume.
So we are back here again. The SwitchBot Safety Alarm, however, offers more than just a loud alarm. The small device clips on to your keys, allowing you to find them via Bluetooth when in range of your phone, or tapping into the power of the Apple Find My network when you are not. The SwitchBot device will easily slot into your Find My app with a few taps on the screen.
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Looking closer at the device and you will spot a few extra features. There is an LED torch built into it, with two brightness levels, should you get stuck in a dark spot. On the back, you can see a small speaker grille for the surprisingly loud alarm.
To get the full range of features, you need to add the alarm to SwitchBot’s app. That allows you to grant it location permissions, so it can slot into your smart home set-up in conjunction with a SwitchBot Hub, or send your location to an emergency contact if you need help.
Setting up SOS notifications to alert an emergency contact is fairly simple. There are two options for this: a visual and sound alarm, where the pin on the device is pulled; and the silent alarm that will subtly communicate your need for help to your nominated contact.
The first is definitely the most impactful. Pull the pin – it needs a sharp tug so it is unlikely to happen accidentally – and immediately a 130dB alarm sounds, while the LED light flashes to draw even more attention to you.
It is surprisingly effective. The alarm is loud. So loud that when I made the mistake of pulling the pin in an enclosed space, passersby stopped to see what was making the racket. Luckily, it is difficult enough to activate accidentally and it can be silenced by replacing the pin. Not before it sets your ears ringing though.
[ Smart and safe homes: How tech can help you stay secureOpens in new window ]
If you have SOS notifications set up, your nominated contact will receive an email alert shortly after the alarm is activated, asking to check in with the tag owner to be sure they are OK, while those in your family group will get a notification on their SwitchBot app.
That feature requires your phone to be in range or a SwitchBot Hub to be nearby to be carried out successfully though, so if you find yourself stuck without your phone while out, the alert can’t be delivered.
The silent alarm, meanwhile, can be triggered by pressing and holding the button on the front of the device, sending location notifications and to your family and alerts to emergency contacts via email. Again, it requires a connection with your phone or hub.
If you have any SwitchBot security products, the tag can also act as way to disarm your alarm, or run certain automations as you get home – turning on lights, opening curtains, sending an alert that you have arrived home and so on. These are add-on features that won’t be for everyone, but they can come handy if you have already bought into the SwitchBot ecosystem.
The most useful extra feature though should have been the ability to use it to track down your phone. Unlike some tags, the SwitchBot Safety Alarm will ring your phone – if it is in Bluetooth range, that is – by double pressing the button on the front. It didn’t always work for me though. While the app told me the safety alarm was trying to locate my phone, it failed to connect, even when the device was sitting right next to my smartphone.
Good
Small enough to fit on your keys, but not so small that using the alarm features is fiddly.
While this is primarily a safety alarm, it also works as a way to tag your belongings – and yourself – through Apple’s Find My.
Bad
No Android Find Hub support. Bluetooth connection wasn’t always reliable.
Replacing the battery requires a small screwdriver, which is less convenient than simple Bluetooth tag competitors.
Everything else
Tag can be used as an NFC controller for other SwitchBot security devices.
Verdict
Small enough to carry regularly, a useful device that was only let down by the sometimes patchy Bluetooth connection.
