Why You Should Use Smart Technology to Control Your Blinds

Getting enough natural sunlight in your living space is vital if you wish to feel good and stay healthy, and focusing on the blinds is the easiest way to do that. Controlling blinds through motorization might not be on the top of your list of priorities, but it’s still a thing you should take into close consideration, especially if you desire to brighten your home. So, if you’re looking for ways to control your blinds easily and effectively, here’s how you can do that using smart technology.

Want to learn more about automated blinds and shades? Check out our two cornerstone articles on the topic: Automating Window Shades in the Connected Home Era: Part 1 and Automating Window Shades in the Connected Home Era: Part 2.

Graber offers a wide variety of shades with their Virtual Cord motorization option, which have a built-in Z-Wave radio for integrating with various smart-home automation systems. Image: Digitized House Media. — Graber offers a wide variety of shades with their Virtual Cord motorization option, which have a built-in Z-Wave radio for integrating various smart home automation systems. Image: Digitized House Media.

Why Embrace Smart Technology?

This is the first question people generally ask when talking about using smart technology to control their blinds, but the reason is more than obvious—we’re already using smart technology in almost every aspect of our lives, so why not here as well?

Hunter Douglas Silhouette shades with their PowerView Motorization option are a smart option for your windows. Image: Hunter Douglas.

Motorized blinds and shades—such as the Hunter Douglas line of PowerView Motorization shades—come with a number of benefits, from saving on energy costs and turning your living space into a smart home to helping you control your sunlight exposure easily while making your home safer than ever. These are the reasons why smart blinds are getting more and more popular with people all over the globe, and why you too should consider them as an upgrade to your home.

How to Start Using This Technology?

Bintronic automated sheer roller shades are among the many options in the market. Image: Bintronic.

In order to make the most of your smart blinds, you need two things—blinds that are motorized and ready to be controlled by smart technology, and appropriate software you can use to actually control them. Installing smart blinds on your own is always a reasonable option, especially if you wish to save some money in the process, but relying on a blind automation specialist with a bit more experience and knowledge could be better in the long run.

Ultimately, when it comes to choosing smart blinds, you will find many different smartphone apps on Apple iOS and Android devices and even voice control with Amazon Alexa, Apple Siri, or Google Assistant among the myriad control options available. Given so many choices, you will benefit by doing some research to find the blinds that coordinate well with your home’s interior design mantra and also work seamlessly with the mobile devices and connected home automation accessories you may already have.

Who Should Use This Technology?

There are no restrictions when it comes to using motorized blinds and smart technology, and everyone around the world can use it freely. Whether you’re a morning person who likes waking up early and seeing the sunrise, or someone who likes sleeping in surrounded by total darkness, these automated blinds can be a great solution for you.

People in certain parts of the world could find these blinds even more useful, especially those who live in hot regions such as Australia, where solar heat gain through windows can impose a significant penalty on energy costs. For example, that’s why many Aussies are getting motorised blinds in Sydney and syncing them with smart home automation systems so they could make their home the ideal environment and help them get just the right amount of sunlight they need.

Through an app, these systems can be easily set to open and close the blinds on a schedule to keep the home and its residents comfortable and safe while holding down utility costs.

Can I Do it Myself?

Lutron Serena Shades are integrated with their Caséta Wireless lighting system, and can be included in lighting scenes through settings in the Lutron smartphone app. Amazon Alexa, Apple Siri, and Google Home voice commands can also be used to control these shades. Image: Lutron.

If you’re simply looking for new DIY projects to invest your time in, installing off-the-shelf automated blinds such as those from the Lutron Serena line might be just the thing you’re looking for. On the other hand, if you are handy and resourceful, doing it on your own from the ground up through a design and build approach might seem complicated and hard at first, but it’s actually doable if you get organized and know what you’re trying to accomplish.

So, either way you choose to go, you can get all the equipment you need and begin introducing smart technology into your home, one window at a time.

Reap the Benefits of Smart Blinds

Controlling your blinds using smart technology isn’t as difficult and unusual as people generally think, and it could easily be one of the best home upgrades out there. Trust us, you’ll fall in love with this technology as soon as you start using it, and will wonder how you ever got along without it.

Guide to the Connected Home