Hi, I'm looking for a supply of cellular blinds* that can work directly with Hubitat, most automated systems are wanting to use WiFi and probably IFTT, does anyone know of any options?
(* I need bespoke sizing so can't use anything off the shelf such as the Ikea type of kit)
Might look at Bali - they have a ZWave option for their motorized shades.
Zebra blinds has Graber z-wave cellular shades that have somfy logic.
Size is custom cut to order.
I use zebra blinds throughout my home, We are very satisfied with them.
Has anyone come across a motorized blind manufacturer that supports two-part cellular blinds? Ie the style where you can toggle between a sheer blind and opaque blind, in addition to raising and lowering the blind.
I'm now thinking options are limited, at least in the UK, so considering looking into the idea of seeing if the blinds can be simply driven from a 24v supply then using a Zigbee 24vDC driver to operate it.
I don't know about availability in the UK but I have Bali cellular blinds. I had them custom fit for a bay window. They cover the whole bay from side to side and ceiling to floor. It is about six feet from the top of the bay to the floor. They have been working great for more than a year.
The only thing I didn't like was the power options - at least here through Home Depot. You can get them with battery power or a power supply. They both cost about $54 per blind. The battery holder is just a piece of plastic that holds AA batteries. I wanted to hard wire them all together so I didn't want any power options. I still had to buy three power supplies.
They are an odd voltage - 18v if I recall. They use micro USB connectors so I just got some standard USB Y cables to connect them together and a transformer that could handle all three at the same time.
Other than ordering the extra power they have been working great. I have them paired to HE and they open up in the morning automatically. I use a virtual switch to tie them into Alexa and I can issue a voice command to open or close them. They work great with HE.
Location is a critical detail when it comes to device availability.
Zebrablinds sells graber blinds online in the US and Canada. Bali blinds are sold in big box stores in the US (and maybe canada?).
Both are different brands made by Springs Window Fashions, with Somfy motors that include z-wave control.
I recently got some “Shangri-la” shades from Yoolax. They are not cellular shades however, but might be worth a look. They have been working well for me. The Zigbee motor option works with the IKEA shade driver. Was able to pair without any problem. I have had them for about a month now, and haven’t had any issues so far.
Yoolax also has some other options/styles including cellular shades. If you really want cellular you could get two, one inside mount and one outside mount. But that’s kind of pricey.
The “Shangri-la” style is the only offering they have that’s all-in-one in a single shade.
https://www.amazon.com/Yoolax-Motorized-Window-Shangri-Filtering/dp/B07SWY7Z62
"Smart" (read - motorised) window coverings are hideously expensive in the UK, I've spoken to a few companies about a 1m x 2m horizontal blind for a ceiling light. Even a very basic DIY option was quoted at ÂŁ2200, and that's the cheap end of the range so far. I'm a general tinkerer/maker so I'm well aware of materials cost, to me that's extracting the urine. I don't mind paying for the design input and machine time but...
I've pretty much decided to move over to home assistant at this point anyway, so once I've finished the house build I'll dive into the microcontroller rabbit hole and build my own. It's a good excuse to add a 3D printer to the arsenal. I've been working on a way to utilise the cheap IKEA cellular blinds recessed into an aluminium U channel, resizing can be wasteful but it's not overly difficult.
@jason5 - I researched this a few months back and haven't seen anything at all, obviously it's a constantly evolving market but given the price constraints on a standard roller blind I wouldn't even like to consider how much you'd pay for such a system. Having said that, it would be quite difficult to implement.
I fear you’re right. I’m half tempted to try designing one. Not this year though...
Thank You!
That's could be a good choice for me
I dont see anything on that link providing, or allowing to select a "zigbee motor option"?
When you customize the order in the power and remote section there should be an option for "Smart Motor." That's the Zigbee version. I took a quick look before writing this and it appears it may be out of stock again. The $999 price for the option is their way keeping people from placing orders when it's out of stock.. I don't know what they would do if you ordered it at that inflated price when out of stock, but I wouldn't risk it. Why they do it that way don't ask me.. The only thing you can do is to check back periodically for it be back in stock, then order when it is... The actual price of the option, at least when I ordered mine, was around $14 extra.
When I first found out about these blinds the smart motor was also out of stock.. It took about a month and half before it was back in stock. If you do end up ordering them at some point, be sure to get at least one matching remote for the smart motor. You need it to do the initial configuration of the blinds.. I got three blinds, but only ordered one remote, which I used to configure all of the blinds.. Then put it in a drawer for safe keeping after I paired them to my hub.
I built my own using a ESP8266 and servo motors. I essentially retrofitted my current blinds. I used a servo motor and a custom designed 3D Printed gearbox to attach to the rod which turns to open and close them. Since it moves approx 90°, this was easy to do. I then programmed the ESP microcontroller to move the servo.
I have the ESP setup hosting a small web server and can send them commands via HTTP to open, close, and partially open them. I then use webcore to send the commands.
If you already have motorized blinds, I assume it would be fairly easy to use the ESP board to control them to move one direction or another. If their not motorized, you just have to assess the blind type and decide what motor would be best to do the job.
I would also recommend hardwiring them, even if you have to run a cable up to them. I tried some tests with batteries and small solar panels to charge the batteries, and even if they only moved two times a day, at less than 1A draw for a couple seconds, they would be dead in a couple weeks. Even with the solar panels, as you would need a pretty large one, and a lot of sunlight to keep it charged. I just have a 6V source plugged into an outlet nearby, and used a cable hider ran up the side of the window. Blends right in, and if the blinds are down, you can't tell its there unless you really look for it.
After looking for like a year, go with zemismart if u care about budget. Any custom color and size for about $115. Just email, them and customize . Tell them you want zigbee and not wifi. I personally got battery not plug in. The shades come in 1000 2 tone colors and are custom cut. They actually outsource the shades to shade maker then zemismart installs the motor. My 38x64 windows came to $125 because they added $ for zigbee and rechargeable battery.
That said, if cost isn’t a concern, I’d use zebrablinds but I’m doing 12 windows and they want $250. A $2000 premium as zemismart said they’d come down on price when I order all 13. I ordered 1 just to see Zemismart Tuya WiFi Electric Cellular Shade Customized Honeycomb Blind Built in battery Alexa Google Home Timer Control
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