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Smart Blinds

The advantages and disadvantages of smart blinds

Enclosed is a list of advantages and disadvantages of smart blinds including the way they operate, indicative costing, durability, means if powering them, and whether they are worth it. When it comes to putting together your smart home, motorized blinds are quite a luxury and offer many advantages beyond security, comfort, and convenience. No longer do you need to walk up to the blind to adjust it. Smart motorized blinds allow you to control the amount of light entering a particular room from your phone. Motorized blinds can raise or lower your venetian or roller blinds simply with a push of a button instead of manually using a pull cord to lift or pull down your blinds. This becomes possible via a small motor that controls the tilt mechanism for venetians or a tubular motor for roller blinds. These motors are usually connected to a power source (e.g., 240v). There are multiple types of motorized blinds with different power sources and mechanisms.

The most popular and simplest to install is one with a battery as a power source. Usually, where a 12V battery tube is used it is supplied with rechargeable lithium batteries. However a more durable solution is connection to mains power but that comes with additional cost as an electrician is required to wire the 240volt connection to the blinds. A continuous power source can be hard-wired or the plug-in type. The plug-in power will need an outlet for your power source, which is an advantage if you already have your windows close to an outlet. The plug-in type of motorized blinds is best for larger types of windows that may drain batteries with frequent use. If you want to cut costs on your electricity usage, a solar energy source is also available. The solar power alternative usually comes as a slimline solar panel which includes a rechargeable battery that is connected to the panel. The panel shade or panel collects the energy from the sun throughout the day, making it an energy-efficient source that is suitable for homes with a lot of windows.


Advantages of Smart Blinds 1. Convenience: Motorized blinds are a great investment for homes with multiple blinds as they cut the time and effort in opening and closing your shades. “Siri, close the lounge room blinds” In addition, full remote control doesn’t require you to be in the same room to open or close your blinds. You can be in an adjacent room or in another town to automate the control of your window blinds.
2. Efficiency & Automation to Ensure Maximum Comfort: While motorized blinds offer convenience, they utilize the natural light and ventilation your windows provide for your interiors. Easily automate or program to open or close according to your preference, even when not at home. You can also choose to link your blinds to the weather and have them automatically close if the sun is strong and the outside temperature reaches a predetermined level. It lowers the need for your air conditioning systems to work hard to bring the temperature to a comfortable level.
3. Safety: An automated window blind eliminates the need for dangling drawstrings which often knot or get in the way. Young children are also tempted to play with the pull cord tassel from manual blinds that can get tangled or pulled down, causing damage to your window blinds or, worse, causing accidents.
4. Security: Motorized blinds can be programmed to open and close automatically at a specific time and day, or alternatively be connected to a smart alarm system to close the blinds automatically when the house is armed. You can give the impression that people are at home by operating lights and blinds automatically which will discourage intruders from trying to break into your home open your home. This is called “mockupancy”.
5. Prolong Blind Life: An erratic or pulling the chord the wrong way too often can damage the slats or strings of your window blinds. With motorized blinds, you have precise control with accurate and safe operation, prolonging your blinds’ service life.
6. Neat Appearance: The cordless built motorized blinds not only prevent accidents caused by playful young kids and pets but eliminates the eyesore of drawstrings, leaving you with neat and unobstructed blinds.
7. Quiet Operations: Aside from the convenience of operating your window blinds via your phone or voice, quality models of motorized blinds operate very quietly. Moreover, the motor systems are concealed while working silently. In addition, the motorized mechanism is not only available for blinds, but there are also motorized models for curtains, roller blinds, venetians and other types of window hardware.

Disadvantages of Smart Blinds 1. Consume power: Like your desktop computer or mobile phone, these gadgets won’t function without power which is most likely to deter homeowners from opting for motorized blinds. Although, there are available motorized blinds that have backup batteries or solar energy converters in case a power outage occurs. But still becomes an inconvenience for areas that have frequent power outages, and with technology, we know that the possibility of glitches can still occur.
2. Costs: The upfront cost of smart blinds can be expensive, especially for the higher-end designs with smart-tech and voice integrations. For example, solar-powered and hybrid models (combination of plug-in and solar) will cost even more, especially when they can have preset settings and is controllable through smartphones.
Another added cost is when you want to conceal 240 volt wiring for motorized blinds (or mount a plug-in power source) as you need a professional electrician to perform the installation. While this option costs more upfront, you’ll still save a lot by going for a battery powered alternative to 240 volt power supply. This will help cut your energy bills, not to mention the convenience and time-saving advantages it provides. The only problem with batteries is they run out and the thought of charging a window blind doesn’t appeal to many people.
3. Technological Difficulties: people who are not comfortable with smart devices may find the operation arduous. Moreover, technical difficulties may arise just like any tech device where malfunction and glitches may occur, especially for low-quality models. Damaged or malfunctioning motorized blinds will need professional repairs, although most motorized blind suppliers provide warranties. You’ll also find plug-and-play options for motorized blinds that don’t need any complex configurations to operate.

Costs of Smart Blinds As of October 2021, motorized blinds cost between $350 to $700 per window (depending upon size). If you plan to make it a DIY project, you’ll save around $35 to $75 per window as there are motorized blind kits that offer easy-to-follow instructions for homeowners.
To provide a estimate for you, a 120cm x 90cm standard window will cost you around $220 to $350. The more windows you have, the more savings you get for a DIY installation. Materials:
• Basic Motor: $220 to $350
• High-end Tech Motor: $350 to $1000
• Blinds: $25 to $200
Installation Cost: Using our 120cm x 90cm size window as a basis, you’ll spend around $500. Add 3% per additional square metre to your cost. So, for instance, a 1.5 square metre window will cost you $560 for your installation cost.
Factors to Consider: Aside from the window size, material choice, motor, and modifications, geographical location can also influence your motorized blind cost.


Are Motorized Blinds Worth It?

Overall, even with all the pros and cons of motorized blinds, they’re still a worthy investment for homeowners who seek convenience, safety, and aesthetic appeal and can afford the upfront cost of installing smart blinds. Quality-made electric blinds can also last a lifetime and provides presets that automatically adjust your blinds for efficiency in your lighting and ventilation, ensuring a comfortable interior. Motorized blinds can be an ultimate energy-saving system for homes with many windows that have large or hard-to-reach windows.



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