Home technology has advanced to a point where just about anything can be interactive. Regular objects you may never have thought you could have remote control over, can now do precisely that… Just like the blinds of your windows. Today we look at How to Turn Regular Blinds into Smart Blinds.
So, we know that motorized blinds are already a thing, right? But perhaps you’re not too sold on making the financial investment on simply getting custom made smart blinds installed. These do tend to come at a bit of a hefty price, and require external labour and, well, we don’t all have the means. You’re possibly wondering: can existing blinds be motorized?
The short answer to this is yes, absolutely. There are many companies out there that offer the service of building and installing motorised blinds throughout your home. However, it is entirely possible to cut down that expense and simply motorize your existing blinds. There are a couple of entirely DIY solutions to having your very own smart blinds without having to alter your whole curtain or blind setup. Today, we look at these available options if you’re wondering are motorized blinds worth it.
What Makes Smart Blinds Smart?
So, it’s all good and well that there are electronic blinds available on the market. Also that you can turn regular blinds into smart blinds. But what exactly makes a set of smart blinds “smart” per se? Well to answer that briefly, smart blinds in particular can be controlled remotely through your home wifi network. You’re able to control them using smart assistants such as Amazon Alexa as well as Google, amongst others. This would essentially give you voice control over your blinds, whilst you can also control them through a mobile application when you’re away from home.
How to Turn Regular Blinds into Smart Blinds
So before we dive into the basic ins and outs of how to make your dumb blinds smart, let’s discuss a quick formality.
Blinds and curtains pretty much come in a variety of forms, right? The most common being honeycomb or cellular shades, mini-blinds, roller shades, cordless and corded blinds etc. There are a few options available for motorizing depending on these particular types of blinds and curtains. Let’s take a look at the available options, shall we?
1. MySmartBlinds Automation Kit
The key method to turn your regular blinds into smart blinds involves the use of a motor that is attached to your existing blinds. The first motor of this type that we recommend is the MySmartBlinds Automation Kit. A popular and wonderful smart home choice, really. The automation kit is fitted into the head-rail of existing corded blinds for functionality.
A common concern when it comes to developing smart homes overall is the added concern of electricity consumption. Having more smart gadgets can sometimes equate to a heftier bill. MySmartBlinds tackles this concern by making their automation kit solar powered. While it does come with a chargeable battery, the solar panels area notable feature for this smart home product. MySmartBlinds does require a little effort to set up. However it is completely doable to set up and get going in home all on your own. Hence wiping out the need for some company coming to install motorized blinds on your behalf.
Pros and Cons
Some of the cons of this product is the lack of compatibly with various types of blinds. MySmartBlinds cannot accommodate roller shades, mini blinds, cordless blinds, cellular or honeycomb shades. They are limited to horizontal corded 2″ to 3″ blinds.
They have an awesome mobile application however, compatible with both Android and Apple devices. The app enables you to have advanced control over your blinds. This would include the ability to toggle the angle of how open your blinds are. Even better, you’re able to schedule daily times at which your blinds open and close automatically. MySmartBlinds Automation kit is also compatible with both Alexa and Google home, so it can be controlled by your voice.
Check out the pricing and additional reviews on MySmartBlinds Automation Kit here on Amazon.
2. Axis Gear
A great alternative to MySmartBlinds is the Axis Gear blind control. This is a wonderful product to turn regular blinds into smart blinds. This is primarily because Axis gear is a little more versatile in terms of the types of blinds it can control. The Axis Gear’s functionality depends primarily on the fact that it attaches to the existing rotating chain of a set of blinds. This means that whether it is a set of blinds, curtains or roller shades, Axis Gear will be compatible as long as there is a rotating chain to open and close the blinds/curtains. The size and such of the blinds is immaterial.
Pros and Cons
The installation of this device is amazingly simple. It is truly minimal labour, requiring you to only attach the rotating chain of your blinds to the inner motor of the device. You then need to position it appropriately on your wall. It is honestly really quick and easy.
The Axis Gear blind control offers a great mobile application for user interaction. The app works with both apple and android devices. The app allows you to control how far open the blinds open by percentage as well as allowing you to close your blinds/curtains. You are able to schedule open and closing times throughout the day, week or month so you never have to think about it. The device is also Zibgee enabled, meaning it is compatible with Alexa for voice control.
In comparison to MySmartBlinds, the device is not solar powered, so you will need to plug and charge it. It is also not compatible with Google Home.
Find out the pricing and more for the Axis Gear here on Amazon.
Purchasing New Smart Blinds
These are great ways that you can turn regular blinds into smart blinds. But if you have the budget and you’re simply not keen on going the DIY route for blind automation, you simply choose to purchase new smart blinds. These would be installed by a company and there are certainly options out there there that can be paired with Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa as well as Homekit.
A great example of these would be Ikea’s “Kadrilj and Fyrtur” wireless, battery operated smart blinds. These can be operated through Alexa, Google Home and Homekit.
Another great alternative in this regard is Lutron’s Serena Smart Shades. These are are also compatible with all of the above, offering custom designs for each your windows, right from their website. You can also select between roller style and honeycomb for your smart shades.
Conclusion
Overall, it’s really up to you whether you’d want to take the DIY route or to get new smart blinds installed. It’s all about whether you have the time and the budget. But one thing’s for sure, your smart will be all the smarter with whatever form of smart blinds you go for.