Motorized Window Blinds for the Modern Home
Automation in both homes and businesses are definitely on the rise. Anyone who has seen all of the great benefits of an automated home will certainly love it and want to incorporate it in their daily lives.
Smart home includes many devices that can make your home operate for maximum energy efficiency on its own with your input and programming. All devices can turn on and off, adjust, enable or disable, all from the touch of a button on remote control, a wall control, any smart device or by programs. Read on to learn all about the benefits of motorized blinds and the comfort you can expect from a fully automated home.
What is a Smart Home?
A smart home is full of internet-connected devices with the ability to be controlled remotely and perform tasks at scheduled times or on-demand. Your smartphone, which most everyone has these days, enables a fully functioning and automated home.
What Can I Automate in a Home?
Basically, just about anything that runs on electricity can be automated in a smart home. Some of the most popular and most energy-efficient items include lighting, door locks, security cameras, blinds and automatic heating and cooling as well as entertainment systems.
Many years ago, people would purchase a simple plug-in device to automatically turn lights or appliances on and off. This was before coffee pots that have timers in them and before lighting had their own timers in lamps. You would set a time to turn on and a time to turn off any appliance that you plugged into the timer and the timer simply plugged into an electrical receptacle. Some of the ideas behind this gadget were security-related in the case of lighting so that lights could turn on and off and it would appear as if someone is home even when you were out of town on vacation.
Automatic door locks and security cameras usually work in tandem with a security system on your home. If you forget to lock your door when you leave, you can set up a geo fence that will alert you on your smartphone, allowing you to press a button and lock the doors. The latest in security cameras work with your doorbell and show a video of anyone who is at your door. This allows you to press a button, unlock the door to let someone in when you aren’t home, like perhaps a dog walker, and then relock the door after they leave.
Automated heating and cooling can help you to drastically cut down on your HVAC costs all year round. You can program a smart thermostat to a specific temperature and then turn to a lower setting for cooling your home maybe an hour before you return home. Since there’s no reason to keep your home super cool in the summer when no one is there, this will save you on your electricity bills and the reverse is true in the winter when it’s a bit cooler.
What are Motorized Window Blinds?
Motorized window blinds are a great manner to add an additional layer of security to your home or rental properties. You can program them to close whenever you aren’t home so no one can see inside the home. On a sunny day that’s a bit cool, the blinds can open and let some sunshine in so your heater won’t run as much to save you on valuable energy costs. On a hot day in the summer, you can have your blinds close automatically to save on your cooling bill.
What are Smart Home Appliances?
Smart home appliances will work with an app on a smartphone or tablet, which gives you feedback and information. You can turn on your oven to start cooking a meal so it is done when you arrive home. You can command your robotic vacuum cleaner to clean the floors before guests arrive. You can choose from a large list of smart appliances now including:
- Washers and dryers
- Robotic vacuum cleaners
- Security cameras
- Televisions
- Refrigerators
- Dishwashers
- Ovens and microwaves
- Crock pots
- Door locks, light bulbs and thermostats
How Do Motorized Blinds Work?
There are two main types of motorization of window blinds. The first type can be controlled by a smart phone app or through a smart home speaker, such as Amazon Alexa or Google Home. These blinds connect to your WiFi in your home to enable communication with all of your devices by using the internet. All items that are programmed into this system can be controlled with a remote signal or by voice.
The second type of motorized window blinds can only be controlled by a remote control, which may also be voice-activated in some cases. You will likely have a timer system to set a program with your blinds opening and closing several times a day or partially at some of the set times. This type of motorized window blinds can be converted easily using smart switches or smart plugs.
How Do You Add Motorized Window Blinds?
To answer this question, you should first consider if you want to add motorization to your existing blinds or if you want a complete change in your home with new blinds that are automated. Some smart blinds include a motor that can be connected to your existing blinds while others are an entirely new set of blinds that are available in custom fabrics, colors and they are a perfect fit for your windows no matter what size or shape they happen to be.
The DIY Version
If you want a simple version of smart blinds and your existing blinds are operated by a loop cord or a beaded chain and are roller shades, cellular shades or Roman shades, you may be able to add a motor on your own. The motor is a small box that mounts inside your home on the outside, middle or inside of a window frame and the loop cord or beaded chain is fed into the box. The box may have a small solar panel that mounts outside for power during the day and it uses batteries for power at night, or it can be battery operated alone. You will need to install the app for your motor on your smart phone and go through a set up mode. You may need to answer specific questions as to where you mounted the box, which direction the shades open and close and the fully open position and fully closed position of the shades. Then you need to program when you want your window shades to open and close automatically. Note that the DIY versions are all similar in nature and they only work on small windows. If you purchase a DIY kit and for any reason it doesn’t work on your specific blinds, there is not usually a money back guarantee.
Get an Expert
Your best bet is to hire an expert in motorized window treatments to help you. You may be able to simply add automation to your blinds for your convenience and energy efficiency, or you can decide to make a wonderful change to go with your new smart feature and purchase new blinds as well. Professional window treatments come with a guarantee to fit and operate correctly. Expert designers can help you to choose any type of new and exciting blinds for your home or office. You have a huge amount of choices in custom window blinds from which to choose including different colors and materials. Custom window treatments can be made in any size to fit any window or even specialty shaped windows.
How Do You Turn Your Home into a Smart Home with Motorized Window Blinds?
When you choose an expert to help you with your motorized window blinds, you will have all the help you need to set up your programs and they will teach you how to use the app and any other controls available for your specific type of technology in your home. Some motors are not compatible with certain smart security systems in homes and offices. Experts can help you to choose the perfect smart window blinds to incorporate into your existing system in order to save you the expense of needing a new operating system and possibly other smart appliances as well.
Be careful when shopping for automated window blinds, as there are many options that are less than smart and maybe even seen as dumb blinds in a low-quality product. Others use so many batteries to operate them that you will not save much money on energy efficiency because of the need for new batteries every week or so. Choose an expert so you can have many options in making your blinds a smart solution and be well on your way to a smart home.
