Quite some time ago we wrote a guide covering various ways to achieve automation of Blinds and having just installed a sixth Blind in my own home I thought it was time to revisit that article and see if it needed updating.
Having gone over it with a fine toothed comb, it's strange to say that nothing much has changed in the two and a half years since the article was written! All the products listed in the guide are still current and available. And as far as we can see, no new methods of integration have presented themselves during that time.
What *has* changed however is the Blind systems themselves - a quick google search will show a whole host of new players on the market as well as evolution of devices from existing manufacturers.
That side of things can be incredibly confusing and definitely isn't something that we ourselves get involved in - sure we can advise you on an appropriate integration method .... but on the ins and outs of motor types, switches, brackets, tube lengths, blind weights, remote controls, etc, we're pretty clueless as that's not where our expertise lies!
Fortunately we work closely with a fantastic company called Newblinds who are incredibly knowledgeable in all those areas.
With the Spring and Summer months fast approaching, now's the time to be thinking about expanding your Home Automation system to cover Blinds or Curtains, so Newblinds are well worth making contact with:
Newblinds House
Unit 8, Chichester Road
Romiley
Stockport
SK6 4BL
0800 169 3765
customer.services@newblinds.co.uk
It's also well worth checking out their Blog too!
My own preference when it comes to Blinds themselves is for Somfy RTS with a battery pack - these are a doddle to retro-install as they are completely wirefree and in most cases if you're replacing an existing blind you can even use the existing bracket mounting holes!
Integrating these into my Home Automation system is equally simple using an RFXtrx433E - easy to achieve with Vera but slightly more complicated with Fibaro.
My sixth Blind (from Newblinds of course) is now installed in the kitchen and integrated into my Home Automation system so that it not only raises and lowers automatically based on schedules, but also when the temperature outside rises and the sun is shining directly through the window. This has proven to be very beneficial over the past few summers in other areas of the house to help keep a lower temperature inside when it's warm outside. We also noticed considerably less sun-bleaching on our furnishings and wall coverings!
We hope that you find this article useful and as always, feel free to contact us with any questions, or even just to chat about your latest Home Automation successes.
See you soon,
Martyn