I have tons of large windows. I put remote blinds on them about 12 years ago. Only thing I regret is not going black out on them. Tons more options today for controllers and automation than there was when i got them. They weren’t cheap. I waited for them to go on sale at Home Depot or Lowes before buying them. Also, go in knowing what you want, know what controllers are available and order it all at once. Buying the controllers with the blinds was 1/4 the price of trying to buy them after the fact. Don’t expect your local big box store sales person to know a damn thing about motorized blinds.
I would love to, but I think that because I like the window coverings we have. I would rather augment what we already have
The price has to come down considerably. That price-to-convenience factor isn’t there to improve my life by automating my curtains.
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…
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.
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?
I’ve done it and it’s the best! Remote controls next to each set of windows plus voice control through google.
“Hey google, close the blinds” or my morning routine is “Hey google, good morning” which opens the blinds, plays the news headlines, weather and traffic for my morning commute.
It’s also possible to close them when sun sets and open during sunrise, but I don’t bother with that.
I bought the smart ikea blinds for 4 transom windows about 20ft in the roofline to help keep the heat out in summer. We originally were going to get pull roller shades and a stick, remote ones through the local window treatment company were super expensive. Can say no complaints yet. We did a hack to hardwire the ikea ones so we dont have to charge the batteries which has helped us not have to climb up there every time. Id love to get them in the rest of the house especially our back glass sunroom.
It makes a lot more sense for blinds than curtains; blinds can be a bit of a pain to open on a conventional chain - I’ve motorised and automated mine, with power direct to the blinds (which was possible when rewired the house). Really great being able to open/close these with Alexa, and automate + group these. Was relatively cheap too, got majority of parts off of Aliexpress.
My window frames are power actuated. Can open/close from my phone, Alexa, and automatically based on temperature. It is one of the best home automation things I have done. It is for sure the most practical. In the spring and fall, it totally negates the need for heating and in the summer it cuts down the need for A/C to maybe 5-6 days per year.
I have a Switchbot Curtain and just ordered a Tilt with the hope that I can make it work with some vertical blinds that twist but don’t need to slide open. I would probably not buy window treatments that have the automation built in. I prefer to be able to change the curtain bit without having to re-buy the technology. The only time I might buy a pre-existing setup is if I could reconstruct it to create my own custom window treatment.
It is actually incredibly easy to DIY the curtains, roller shades and Roman shades themselves. There are roller shade kits that I think just require spray glue to attach fabric to the shade piece. For curtains and Roman shades you really just need to be able to sew a straight line and follow instructions. Small local fabric shops (and maybe places like Joann Fabrics) often have classes or will teach private lessons, and you can sometimes rent time on the sewing machine (plus have staff nearby to troubleshoot and answer questions). If the guys out there think it’s not manly to sew, take a cue from my hammock camping friends and call the sewing machine a “thread injector.” (And if you’re looking for a date, the odds are in your favor when you’re the only guy in a class of 8!) My only caveat is that home dec fabric is NOT cheap.
My Switchbots open the curtains at sunrise and start closing them as it gets dark. I live in a fish bowl, and I don’t love the idea of people being able to see everything I’m doing at night. The most important thing they do, however, is close the curtains when the inside temp gets to 74, because that means the sun is baking my south-facing glass front doors and the dog is suffering. In the summer they will also turn on the AC.
Have Switchbot curtain robots on one of our windows. I love them and want to put them on all of our curtains.
My wife hates them. End of project.
Remote control, voice control, daylight/sunset, scenes, bed occupancy sensor, light lux sensor, motion sensors, and an nfc tag. I use them all depending on the automation.
Considering, but on the ‘tail end’ of automations.
In part, the cost individually, as well as the reliability, or so far, mediocrity of Home/HomeKit. May reconsider once I get HA running, but the current place has a LOT of glass in it, so it would be piecemeal and strategically once I believe reliability is actually there.
If I had enough eddies I’d do every window.
We have curtain openers and love them! Open in the morning, close as it gets dark. Helps control the temps in the house. We’re big fans!
I may in the future but not planning on it. I almost never raise or lower my blinds. Bedroom curtains stay shut and must in the house stay open. While automating them would serve my inner geek, it adds expense and another thing to troubleshoot when they break.
No, but only because I have an unreasonable loathing for the phrase “window treatment.”