Planning to do some remodeling and looking for some ideas. I don't need Long Range. I just want locks and blinds that work. Currently using Neo smart blinds with roller shades & alexa to control my blinds at home, but they are not native Zwave or Zigbee and hit or miss (I wrote the HE integration for them, so thats probably my fault :)). My current locks are
Schlage BE468/BE469 zwave locks and they absolutely suck. Random battery failures, fall off zwave often. They are 7-ish years old.
Looking for things that I don't have to babysit, but also not break the bank. TIA
I recently replaced my August locks for Eufy Family lock E34 and E31. Both the palm model and fingerprint model have been working great. They have rechargeable batteries with a backup battery so you can use the lock while charging the main battery. For smarthome connection they use Matter over thread. I use a google hub for the thread bridge and the locks have worked great on the Hubitat C8.
iBlinds are a reasonably priced option for horizontal blinds...they are an "add-on" to whatever blinds you have or purchase. You install an iBlind motor in the valance of each blind. They are Z-Wave. Many folks around here w/them.
There is built-in iBlinds driver support, and also a community driver:
I have five, had them for years. Since the C8 w/it's external antennas they have been very reliable.
I use Switchbot Blond Tilt connected to the Switchbot Hub 2 brought into HE via Matter. I use the SwitchBot Curtain 3 as well the same way. I have had several different locks and honestly the Aqara U100 Zigbee lock has been my best experience to this point.
I know absolutely zilch about Matter. I've had my head in the sand for 2 years. I do have a modern Apple TV 4K and a Hubitat C7. I guess I need to figure this out.
Matter still is not perfect. A long way from it. However, there are ways it is becoming more and more useful such as these instances. There are several threads on here that does a really good job explaining the Switchbot and matter discussion. It just gives more options.
I just installed 6 Switchbot blind tilts. These work very well. With much help from @LearningHubitat I got them setup using Matter. A bit of a learning curve but not bad at all. I would recommend these for any horizontal tilt blinds with a wand.
I use Kwikset Zwave lock. It has never failed; not once.
For blinds, I bought a Bond Bridge and paired the RF remote for my blinds with the Bond, integrated the Bond to the Hubitat and set up automations. It works 99% of the time.
If I were remodeling/renovating the single biggest thing I would do is run low voltage wire to power motorized blinds.
