SwitchBot E-Ink Dashboard, Hue Price Hikes, and Zemismart Matter IR

This week SwitchBot shows a home dashboard with an E-Ink display, Philips Hue raises prices on older products, and a firmware update bricks a handful of Hue Bridge Pro units. Zemismart adds infrared control with Matter, and we have a tip on using sensors as automation triggers.

SwitchBot E-Ink Home Dashboard: A Weather Station with an E-Ink Display

SwitchBot has unveiled the E-Ink Home Dashboard, a weather station with a 7.5-inch E-Ink display and front lighting. It shows indoor and outdoor temperature, humidity, air quality, a 5-day forecast, and up to five calendars. Two freely assignable buttons and up to three additional sensors round out the set. Through the SwitchBot Hub it becomes Matter-capable and shows up with its sensors and buttons in Apple Home.

Hue Bridge Pro: A Firmware Update Bricks Some Units

A firmware update rolled out since June 4 bricks some Hue Bridge Pro units. Affected devices show only a red LED and cannot be reset. Signify says fewer than 100 units worldwide are affected, mostly where automatic updates were disabled and older firmware was still running. Affected users get a free replacement but have to set up their configuration again.

In Brief

Philips Hue: Price Increase for Older Products

After Apple, Signify is raising prices too. About ten older Philips Hue products are affected, with increases of 5 to 15 euros. The Play Lightbar two-pack goes up to 149.99 euros and the Xamento ceiling light to 234.99 euros. Signify cites sustained cost increases in materials, components, and logistics. Newer products from summer 2025 onward stay unchanged.

Zemismart: IR Bridge and IR Thermostat with Matter

Zemismart is launching two infrared devices with Matter. The Smart Zigbee IR Bridge controls TVs, air conditioners, and fans through the Zemismart Hub. In Apple Home, AC units appear with full thermostat controls while other devices show up as simple switches. The second model is a Matter-over-Wi-Fi IR thermostat with built-in temperature and humidity sensors that needs no hub. Both cost around 35 euros each.

Worth Watching: The SwitchBot E-Ink Weather Station in Detail

Simon from HomeKit News takes a look at the new SwitchBot weather station and shows how the E-Ink display presents data and which views you can customize.

Tip of the Week: Use Sensors as Triggers

Temperature and humidity sensors are more than just readouts. They make great triggers for automations. The fan switches on, for example, as soon as the humidity in the bathroom rises above a certain value. The Apple Home app can already do this, and with Controller for HomeKit you can combine multiple conditions and devices more flexibly.