Soma has the complete suite of smart integrations, with Alexa, Google Assistant and HomeKit in the line-up. You can trigger around sunrise and sunset, which is pretty neat. It's far better to set up schedules and triggers in the app, rather than do it manually – as one small blind took around 5 minutes to fully open or close. We're pleased that the Smart Shades 2 are 4x faster than the original, and a little quieter as well. The first generation was noisy and really really slow – comically so. Once Soma is fitted you can control the blinds from your smartphone – but there's no button control on the unit itself, which is a shame. There are also holes to screw in the unit too for a more sturdy fit. We've been testing them and they're so easy to fit – and once the unit is charged up, it took next to no time to hook it on and use the sticky pads to mount to the wall. There's no need to buy new roller shades or get a bespoke fitting, as long as your blinds have link chain it should be plug and play. These little units attach to your wall, and chow down on your blind’s link chain, essentially replacing your hands in the equation. Now out with a second edition, the Smart Shades 2 are visually unchanged, but address our main complaints with the original. If you’re looking for a retrofit option, Soma is the avenue to explore. Obviously with the array of voice assistants available you can have these smart blinds operating within routines, trigger automations and the like and there's also the option to keep things simple with a remote or the SmartWings app.Ī truly top pick, with no extra hub needed if you've already got a smart home system setup in your house. The built-in whisper-quiet motor that operates at just 35dB and there's a 2200mAh Lin-Ion rechargeable battery on board that offers around 4 to 6 months of battery life, so there's no need for ugly wires. Installation, whether you opt for inside or outside mount, is a breeze and we've been massively impressed with the effectiveness of the black-out finish we've had on test. Its blinds work with all three major ecosystems: Alexa, Google Home and HomeKit, plus there are also Zigbee models for SmartThings users and Matter compatibility is coming as standard too, as well.Īdd to that Thread, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and its own sub-1GHz standard (which the remote in the box operates with) and you're looking at an option where nobody should be left out. Whatever your preference SmartWings has you covered. When you choose the style, color and size of the blinds you want (and what you side you want your motor on) you also select how you want your connected shades to sync with your smart home. SmartWings has one of the most comprehensive smart blind solutions going, not only letting you choose the exact size, color and style of blind you want but also the smart home ecosystem you want it to live within. In the meantime, here’s your smart blind picks.īuy now: | From $154.99 With a motor, a couple of sensors and a controller you can effectively make your own smart blinds as a weekend project. Ikea has also entered the market recently, albeit with a slow roll out of its Trådfri connected electronic blinds.įinally, you can do this yourself from scratch. There a handful of motors on the market which can be used to automate the process – which you can then start integrating with your smart home tech. Taking advantage of these generally means having a roller blind with a chain mechanism. There are always boutique options out there for home automation, but increasingly, older, analogue, motorized, blinds can be reverse engineered into being smart. You can go out and order made-to-measure electric blinds and roller shades – but that’s the expensive option from the likes of Lutron and Somfy. Also, in many cases prices depend on so many factors, you'll need to dive in and explore. If you're doing it properly, you'll need to speak to some of the brands below and really get a bespoke option – and we're not just talking about colour and size, and whether it fits inside your window frame, or over the top.Ī lot of the big players are still pretty old school in terms of the tech - so bear with us while we try to unpack that. However – choosing, and then installing, the best smart blinds isn't always easy task. There are now a host of different options open to those looking to control blinds and shades remotely – and as you’d expect, compatibility with the latest smart speakers and voice assistants including Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri via Apple HomeKit is the hot topic. Smart blinds hark back to the days of luxury home automation, but there are now stylish and simple options that don't cost the earth.
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