The blinds from SmartWings are surprisingly affordable. We bought a new house recently and replaced all of the old, dirty, ugly miniblinds with Z-Wave blackout cellular shades. They were about $350 or so each, and that included a solar panel for each one so that I never have to charge them. Even the two huge 8-foot wide windows were only just over $500 each.
That is not in the definition of “affordable” for many, especially as mini-blinds are closer to $50 by themselves. That would be over $6,000 to do all our windows, and even more if you wanted the Matter compatible radio. And even it is something in the range of consideration, it would usually need to be at a time where, like you, they were going to replace them one way or another.
It’s no longer shockingly expensive. My front bay had individual white blinds (non-motorised) for privacy. I added a motorised roller blind, with remote, for a couple of hundred quid, including fitting. I later spent £150 for an optional unit that made the blind Alexa controllable. This was very handy, as at certain times of year, the sun through the fanlights can be fierce.
I wouldn’t bother doing a whole house, but that window was totally worth it.
The price has to come down considerably. That price-to-convenience factor isn’t there to improve my life by automating my curtains.
That’s what is holding me back.
And me. I am actively looking, but the price is nuts. Especially if you have blinds wider than Ikea supports.
What’s your budget?
The blinds from SmartWings are surprisingly affordable. We bought a new house recently and replaced all of the old, dirty, ugly miniblinds with Z-Wave blackout cellular shades. They were about $350 or so each, and that included a solar panel for each one so that I never have to charge them. Even the two huge 8-foot wide windows were only just over $500 each.
That is not in the definition of “affordable” for many, especially as mini-blinds are closer to $50 by themselves. That would be over $6,000 to do all our windows, and even more if you wanted the Matter compatible radio. And even it is something in the range of consideration, it would usually need to be at a time where, like you, they were going to replace them one way or another.
It’s no longer shockingly expensive. My front bay had individual white blinds (non-motorised) for privacy. I added a motorised roller blind, with remote, for a couple of hundred quid, including fitting. I later spent £150 for an optional unit that made the blind Alexa controllable. This was very handy, as at certain times of year, the sun through the fanlights can be fierce.
I wouldn’t bother doing a whole house, but that window was totally worth it.
A retrofit is the cheap way to do it. A smart blind is not cheap…