Control options for Motorized Shades

We’ve all operated shades with cords, beaded chains, cordless lift options and even with a remote control, but manufacturers are making life event easier with Bluetooth connections, rechargeable motors, motorized wands and of course smart home integration.

Long gone are the days of climbing a ladder to replace 12 batteries in a wand that never seems to go back into place. Today, you use a USC cord similar to what you charge your phone with. If you’re purchasing something like this, don’t forget to ask for magnet extension pieces that make plugging into the motors easier.

If connecting your new shades to a smart home system is important, let us know up front what type of system you have and we’ll let you know what is required to integrate. Most of the time there are Hubs, or apps that can be used to make the shades talk with your system. Sometimes, we can set these up and sometimes your AV company may need to be involved.

Wand options-

Motorized wands are increasing in popularity because they do allow a seamless operation of the shades for less money. The wands up, down and stop buttons are located on the wand and you plug into the wand to recharge which is also a nice feature vs having to get to the top of the shades. The wands are located off the side of the shade and pretty slim as to not be an eyesore. The downside is you are still walking over to each shade to push the button to operate.

Manufacturers are continuing to move to motorization for shades so expect the integrations to continue to get better, apps to be easier to use, and more bluetooth technology will come out so we’re not having to rely on the internet. Lithium batteries also continue to improve offering longer life between charging times.