Are you the one looking for smart blinds?

It is the current trend to upgrade to smart blinds.

One of my close friends wanna upgrade a couple of old blinds into smart ones, so he started searching on the internet.

Due to information overload, he ended up totally confused.

So, are you also the one who wants to know about the best smart blind options?

If yes, then this post is definitely for you.

Working as a Smart Home Consultant helped me to interact with different types of people.

One of my clients from California wants to set up a smart office.

As per my knowledge, he has a good budget to invest in his smart office.

Folk! I love such clients because it’s really easy to install high-end smart home devices.

The problem arises when the budget is the constraint, and we have to look for products that are cheap yet effective.

Anyway, I don’t have so much money so I planned to try some tricks to make my dumb blinds smart.

This post is meant for those who have a limited budget, and can’t stretch the budget for the smart home.

Best Smart Blind Kits

Being honest, keeping in mind the budget, I don’t have many options to offer you.

As a smart home consultant, I also keep an eye on the new products getting launched in this category.

The benefit of trying new products is that they not only have innovative features but also comes at a low to medium price.

Generally, I maintain a distance with the branded products in this category.

If I couldn’t find a good private label product, then only I opt for the branded one.

Blind Engine

If you’re a smart home enthusiast, then you’ll be aware of the Blind Engine kit.

From the day of launch till today, Blind Engine has taken the start home community by storm.

Needless to say, it has earned lots of credibility and respect because of the value for money features.

Moving further, let’s throw some light on the features that make it a great product.

• You can control it with a mobile phone
• An option to control multiple blinds simultaneously
• It also has a voice control feature that you can exploit using voice assistant such as Google Home, Alexa, etc
• Location Recognition Control
• Emergency Auto-Stop, an important feature that takes care of any abnormal activities such as catching fire, an abnormal increase in pressure or weight, and so on.

I’m a big admirer of motorized blinds and shades.

Installing blinds can be tedious and expensive if you’ve planned to install it in a large number of windows.

Though the blind engines don’t get tons of raving reviews still I’ll recommend this product.

I’ve got great feedback from my clients after I took a risk and recommended this product.

To my understanding, people have miscalculated its features, and the expected a lot more.

The good news is that it comes with a caveat, and do I need to say the kind of weight it supports, amazingly high weight.

Blind Engine claims that they work with different blinds and shades.

I cross-checked, and they are true to their claim.

To name a few, they work well with roman shades, roller shades, roll type curtains, horizontal blinds, and also verticle blinds.

On the other hand, they aren’t the one that you should try with cloth curtains, pull cord blinds, blinds with large connectors, blinds with lock buttons, and cordless blinds.

If we talk about its working, then you will be astonished to see its functionality.

It comes with two different gears that can work well with normal string cords, small ball chains, and large ball chains.

The capacity also plays a crucial role in selecting a particular product.

Blind Engine has a decent maximum capacity of 10ft by 10ft and can hold up to 15lbs of weight.

However, these numbers may differ depending upon the variables like type and cloth.

The installation of this blind is very easy, and will not take more than a couple of minutes.

I highly recommend this product, but at the same time, I urge you to cross-check its compatibility.

It’s perhaps the most cost-effective product in the category and really performs well against the odds.

In case you are interested, you can check the price on Amazon.

MySmartBlinds Automation Kit

The smart gadgets are definitely enticing.

However, these kits are also responsible for increasing the electricity bill.

I love smart blinds, but at the same time, I’m worried about the bills.

The smart blinds can be controlled by the voice, amazing isn’t it?

So, my honest intention is to provide you with a feasible solution rather than aggravating the problem.

MySmartBlind comes into the picture because of its idiosyncratic features.

Well, you don’t have to plugin because MySmartBlind works on SOLAR power.

As compared to the Blind Engine, these are difficult to install.

Personally, I feel compatibility is also a big issue.

You’ll be astonished to know that they are only compatible with 2″-3″ horizontal blinds.

From the business perspective, they must be compatible with mini blinds, roller shades, cordless blinds, and honeycomb style shades.

On the positive side, they have an app that is compatible with both iOS and Android, and I don’t have any problem as such after the installation was done.

The app gives you an option to set up the daily and weekly schedules to let them go up and down.

For voice control, you need to couple them with Alexa or Google Home.

The Smart Blinds DIY Option

If you’re one of those stubborn guys who love to do it themselves, almost everything.

Well, it is possible to make the blinds on your own.

It may take more time but will be less time-consuming for sure.

Buying New Smart Blinds

Well, if I’m unable to convince you till now, then I’ll ask you to buy a new one.

There are people on this planet who are scared of installing idiosyncratic accessories to make existing blinds smart.

There is NOTHING wrong in that, and I welcome the decision.

You can buy a new smart blind and get it installed or take professional help for installation.

There are really some good companies in this domain.

You just need to check the customer reviews and buy one.

However, I’ll recommend you to try Lutron.

It’s worth every penny spent.

Other than Amazon and Google Home, you can also control them using Homekit.

Lutron offers smart blinds off the shelf. Don’t believe me?

Right away go to their website and create custom designs for the windows.

For smart shades, you can choose from honeycomb and roller styles.

The smart bridge works with SmartThings, Nest, Wink, Logitech Harmony, and Sonos.

In case, it interests you, then I’ll advise you to go to the Lutron website, and check for all the possibilities.

GOOD NEWS…

Ikea announced that they will bring their smart blinds to the US soon. 

The Ikea smart blind will definitely have an upper edge as compared to its competitor.

Don’t believe me?

Well, they’ll have a built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery, and my prediction is that they will cost less as compared to Lutron.

Waiting for Ikea Smartblinds may be fruitful.

CONCLUSION

Check out our last article.

It will definitely add value.

So, what do I personally recommend?

Well, it totally depends on your budget and comfort level.

Personally, I prefer Blind Engine because it saves me time.

If you’ve enough time to spend, then you can go with other aforementioned options as well.

I hope you liked this piece of information.

Feel free to contact me for any doubt or queries.

Remember, sharing is caring…!