Joe TriesSmart shades and blinds
Smart shades are the most satisfying automation in a house and the most annoying to buy, because they are sized to the window. Measure twice, and decide the power source before the fabric, since recharging a dozen shades by hand gets old.
- In the catalog
- 10
- Work without a hub
- 3 of 10
- Hub required
- 6
- Most common radios
- Bluetooth LE, Wi-Fi, Z-Wave, Matter
- Price range
- $33 to $684
What decides compatibility
- Power is the real decision: rechargeable battery, solar panel, or hardwired. Battery shades need a ladder a few times a year.
- Inside mount and outside mount need different measurements. Getting this wrong is not returnable on custom sizes.
- Many use a proprietary radio and a bridge. The bridge is what connects them to your home system.
How these connect to your system
A works-with badge does not say how the device gets there, and the path changes what you get. Direct means the maker built the integration and the device's own features tend to come with it. Via Matter means the standard controls work and anything unusual about the device may not carry over. Via a hub means you need a second box, usually the maker's own, before it works at all.
- SmartThings7 work with itDirect 5Via Matter 2
- Home Assistant7 work with itVia Matter 2Via an add-on 5
- Google Home5 work with itDirect 1Via Matter 2Via a hub 2
- Alexa5 work with itDirect 1Via Matter 2Via a hub 2
- Hubitat5 work with itDirect 5
- Apple Home3 work with itVia Matter 2Via a hub 1
Smart shades and blinds we list
Filter and compare these in the catalog
Lutron Serena Shades (Roller Battery)
Lutron · Smart shades · Lutron Clear Connect
Hub requiredAppleGoogleAlexa
$684
Meross Matter Smart Roller Shutter, MRS100MA
Meross · Smart shades · Matter
No hubSmartThingsAppleGoogleHome AssistantAlexa
$40
Meross Matter Smart Roller Shutter, MRS105MA
Meross · Smart shades · Matter
No hubSmartThingsAppleGoogleHome AssistantAlexa
$61
Shelly Pro Dual Cover/Shutter PM
Shelly · Smart shades · Wi-Fi
No hubGoogleAlexa
$130
Shelly Wave Pro Shutter
Shelly · Smart shades · Z-Wave
Hub requiredSmartThingsHome AssistantHubitat
$139
Shelly Wave Shutter
Shelly · Smart shades · Z-Wave
Hub requiredSmartThingsHome AssistantHubitat
$41
SwitchBot Roller Shade
SwitchBot · Smart shades · Bluetooth
Optional hubGoogle
$170
Third Reality Smart Blind
ThirdReality · Smart shades · Zigbee
Hub requiredSmartThingsHome AssistantAlexaHubitat
$148
Third Reality Smart Blind Gen2 (Motorized Honeycomb Shade)
ThirdReality · Smart shades · Zigbee
Hub requiredSmartThingsHome AssistantHubitat
$182
Zooz 700 Series Z-Wave DC Motor Controller ZEN53
Zooz · Smart shades · Z-Wave
Hub requiredSmartThingsHome AssistantHubitat
$33