Smart Blinds and Smart Window Shades

Impressive, Convenient

Block out the outside world with just your voice

Latest Update 8/1/21

Topics covered

Hardwired vs Battery
Wireless technology
Customization

Things to consider

The investment for your home
Be realistic about cost savings

Overview

Smart blinds are one of the most expensive things you can add to your home, and the results of their impact are mixed. Some clients absolutely love their blinds and say it’s their favorite improvement, and others think of them as expensive gimmicks.
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The reason why people love the smart blinds boils down to two reason 1) going to sleep with the windows open to stay cool but then waking up without the sun in your eyes, and 2) keeping the sun out as it rises or sets to make the light more palatable in your home. Automating the blinds with the movement of the sun can make your life magical, but it can also enable you to have all the blinds come down at will, when you host a movie night or other event.
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While blinds at differing levels of transparency will block out light, many experts agree that interior curtains do not block much heat. If you want to block heat from coming into the home, you must install blinds on the exterior of the home, which is possible but not common. Thus, interior blinds are all about convenience, not about cost or energy savings.

We have noticed that most battery-powered units are noisier and have less consistent connections than those that are wired, but the cost of purchasing and installation is significantly lower. Our recommendation is to join with our favorite lighting brand, Lutron, because they use a proprietary wireless technology that significantly enhances their responsiveness. Otherwise, smart blinds are WiFi enabled or can use a RF (radio frequency) hub that may or may not have good range or smart home integrations.

Top Lights, Top Blinds

Lutron Serena Shades

Lutron blinds use the same hub as the other Lutron products, which enables them to have fantastic responsiveness. Plus, their motors are some of the quietest we have tested. Lutron is limited because they do not have overhang shades like other companies, but combining dumb shades with Lutron switches is our favorite way to bring everything into one system.

Works with

buy now from serena

Detailed review - Serena Shades

Lutron makes interior shades of most types and styles to fit any home. The technology integrates with the same hub that controls lights and fans in the Caseta line, which we are huge *fans* of because of the reliability of the proprietary technology. The motors for the shades and the reaction time when talking with HomeKit or other smart home systems is second to none.

For most every shade, you will have to consult with your local shade store to custom make the shades for each of your windows, and more likely than not, you will have to hire a separate electrician to wire them. Do your research about what the most compatible technology is for your smart home before you ask for quotes, but we guarantee everyone will be happy with Lutron technology in their homes.

Scandanavian Design is affordable

Ikea smart shades -fyrtur

IKEA wants these shades to be from the FYRTUR, but after a bumpy launch, they are here to make a splash. Noisy, power-hungry, yet incredibly affordable, these are the shades to get for anyone not in the luxury market - if they fit your window.

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buy now from IKEA

Detailed review - ikea fyrtur

IKEA has been back and forth with their app reliability, their battery life, and smart home compatibility, but they are now finally here. IKEA only makes a few particular sizes of window shades (up to 48" wide) which have varying levels of length. The great news is, the length of each of these blind is customizable up to the max, but if the width doesn't work, these will not work for you.

The app is not exactly straight forward, and the battery life is not great, but once you get these blinds integrated into your smart home ecosystem, you won't need to think about them - which is the top honor we can bestow upon a product.

Swish and flick

Leviosa Shades

Besides having a fantastic name, Leviosa Shades are making quite the inroads into the smart home market. Impressively they work with all ecosystems including Control4 or RTI and use standard 12V wiring (or battery) which means swapping or changing later is an option. Their price point and quality do not disappoint.

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explore now on leviosa

Detailed review - leviosa shades

First, something you might not consider is that most motorized blind solutions use a hidden 12V wiring (but not Lutron) and Leviosa is no exception. This is critical if you are building or renovating a new home, as the wiring that you chose to run to each window will limit what you can install. We highly recommend Lutron shades but if you wire for standard 12V, which could be done over ethernet from a powered hub, it will offer great flexibility. Leviosa also offers 120V adapters if you want to retrofit an outlet near them, or even battery power, which they claim lasts 2-3 years and is the longest battery life we have seen claimed for motorized shades.
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The build quality is on par with those other industry leaders but for significantly less money. The motors are quiet and quick (on the hardwired ones we have seen) which make these a serious contender. They have a number of shade colors and transparency levels to suit your needs, and their sales team is responsive and can work with you for any special requests.

On the website and in press releases we can see that these shades connect with a LOT of different smart ecosystems including home mainstays like Control4 and the newer players including HomeKit, Alexa and Google. They are also driving forward to integrate with others including Savant, Wink, and Crestron, seen here. The integrations have not been perfect or seamless like Lutron, but they work well enough once they are set up and therefor receive a solid endorsement from us.

Honorable Mentions

Axis Gear

Do you have a chain-controlled roller shade? Then Axis Gear is the solution for you. These are fantastically priced (comparatively) and incredibly reliable.

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buy now on axis

SOMA 2

Like the Axis Gear, these chain-powered shades are a solid performing option but the battery is sub-standard and annoying to constantly charge.

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buy now on SOMA

Hunter Douglas PowerView

Hunter Douglas is a big name - especially in California for custom blinds. Their solidly-performing PowerVeiw smart blinds can work with any home system and do so well.

Works with

buy now on amazon