Do-It-Yourself Window Blind Automation Guide
Smart technology is showing up everywhere, including the home. Compared to improvements like smart security systems, smart indoor climate control, and smart entertainment systems, automating your window coverings is a relatively simple and inexpensive upgrade that can make a big difference in your comfort and convenience—and in your wallet.
Like regular window treatments, smart blinds and shades offer privacy, control the amount of outdoor light that comes into your home, and help block out heat in the summer and retain warmth in the winter. The difference is that instead of manually controlling your blinds, technology does it for you with an app or home automation platforms like Alexa or Google Home.
There are many reasons smart blinds are gaining popularity all over the globe, and it’s not as complicated as you think to switch, especially with tilt’s Blinds Automation Kit. It’s time for you to bring your window treatments into the smart age and start reaping the benefits yourself.
Benefits of Automated Blinds
Convenience
While people choose automated blinds and shades to enjoy different benefits, most would agree that a major benefit is convenience. Automating your window coverings frees you from a repetitive, daily task—sometimes in hard-to-reach places. tilt smart blinds and shades control the temperature and lighting in your home, so you don't have to.
You can open or close smart blinds at the touch of your smartphone screen, or schedule blind adjustments to occur throughout the day. The blind’s built-in temperature sensor can monitor the temperature and adjust on its own to maximize comfort and energy efficiency. However you choose to automate, smart blinds leave regular blinds in the dust when it comes to convenience.
Energy Savings
We buy HE appliances, strategically set our thermostats, and take other measures to increase energy efficiency in our homes. But every residence also deals with the energy impact of windows. According to the Department of Energy, about 30% of a home’s heating energy is lost through windows in colder seasons, and about 76% of the sunlight that hits a standard window becomes heat. This makes your windows a significant concern when it comes to energy efficiency.
All window coverings can help prevent heat loss in the winter and block out heat in the summer, but automatic indoor blinds and shades give you a quick and convenient way to save energy and money. Decide how hot or cold you want your room to be, or enable the energy saving mode and your blinds will automatically work to maximize your home’s energy efficiency. You don’t even have to lift a finger. Install the solar panel and boost your energy savings even more by letting the sun power your blinds.
Plus, with the energy savings, your smart blinds/shades pay for themselves!
Safety
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) considers window coverings with cords as one of the top five hazards in the home. Pull cords, looped chains or cords, and lifting loops all present safety risks to children and pets. In 2018, the Window Covering Manufacturers Association and the CPSC developed a new industry standard that requires most window covering products sold in the United States and Canada to be cordless or have inaccessible or short cords.
Automated blinds do away with the need for traditional cords and chains. This makes them safer for all members of the family.
Security
According to 2017 crime statistics from the FBI, almost three burglaries are committed every minute in the U.S. When you are away, the ability to remotely control your blinds or set a schedule that gives the appearance that someone is home is a valuable safety feature. Automated window coverings can make your house less of a target by helping to fool would-be thieves into thinking the home is occupied.
Privacy
Automated blinds allow you to set your own personalized schedule to maintain privacy. You could schedule them to close when you leave and open when you return home, or set your blinds to follow the rising and setting of the sun. Keep strangers from looking into your home when you don’t want them to—even if you’re not there.
Comfort
Almost every home has rooms that are hotter or colder than the others. However, using central air to keep all rooms at comfortable temperatures can be tricky and inefficient. Automated blinds and shades can monitor the temperature room by room and adjust accordingly in that room to maximize comfort.
Smart Home Integration
tilt smart blinds and shades can integrate with Alexa and Google Assistant, allowing the smart hub to coordinate your window coverings with your schedule, time of day, weather, and temperature. Tie them to smart lighting to maximize daylight and cut down on electricity usage, and enjoy voice control and access from anywhere.
UV Protection
It’s easy to see how automated blinds increase convenience and comfort for homeowners, but they also protect furniture, floors, and art from the damage caused by sunlight. Over time, UV rays can fade colors of furniture, flooring, or other decor. People often fail to change the position of blinds to account for the position of the sun, either because they don’t think about it or aren’t home. Automated blinds take care of these problems automatically, extending the life of possessions inside your home as well.
Good for the Environment
Across the globe, people are taking steps to become more environmentally conscious. Solar power is a great step to use more renewable, clean energy sources. However, not everyone can afford a smart car or solar panels on their roof. tilt’s automated window coverings are an affordable way to do more for the environment.
A small solar panel comes with your tilt system, so you can use the power of the sun from the start. You don’t have to worry about charging or throwing out a battery. Not only do you save money on your energy bill, but you use less energy and help the environment at the same time.
Technology for Everyone
Whether you’re a morning person who likes to see the sunrise or a night owl who wants to keep morning light out so you can sleep in, an automatic blind system can work for you. People who live in hot regions may find smart blinds or shades even more useful, where they can help combat solar heat gain.
Automated blind technology is extremely user-friendly. tilt’s easy-to-use app gives you complete control:
- View and control all the rooms in your home
- Check battery levels and see when solar charging occurs
- Set daily and weekly schedules
- Use triggers to adjust your lighting when certain events occur
- Set favorites for quick access
- Enable sun-tracking
- Choose Energy Savings mode
This technology isn’t restricted to those who can or want to purchase new blinds or shades either. tilt offers easy-to-install retrofit kits to convert existing blinds/shades with a few simple steps.
Transform Ordinary Blinds into Smart Blinds
Upgrading your window coverings isn’t as difficult as people generally think. tilt’s Automation Kits let you easily turn your regular blinds or roller shades into smart blinds/shades (solar panel included). With these kits, you’re just minutes away from a home upgrade.
Simply install and enjoy features like:
- Automated tilting
- Simple scheduling
- Sunrise and sunset automation
- Energy savings
- Solar charging
- Voice control
- Connectivity to your home automation system
Our step-by-step instructions walk you through the DIY installation of your Blinds Automation Kit or Roller Shades Automation Kit. But if you’d rather sit back and let a pro handle installation, we can connect you to one from our network of installers.
NOTE: The Blinds Automation Kit fits all major brands of 2 to 2 1/2 inch horizontal blinds and is not compatible with mini blinds, roller shades, cordless blinds, or cellular/honeycomb shades.
Smart Hub Integration
You can control your tilt blinds and shades through the app with Bluetooth connectivity, but it’s also easy to integrate with your own home automation hub. The tilt Smart Bridge is compatible with Alexa and Google Assistant and gives you voice control and access from anywhere. Imagine the ease of simply telling your Alexa controlled window blinds what to do.
As an added perk, when your Wi-Fi goes down, along with your home automation system, your smart window coverings will continue working. Bluetooth connectivity keeps them up and running. Your scheduled preferences are also stored and remembered in tilt’s smart blinds motor, so no matter the state of your Wi-Fi connection, you’re covered.
Smart Blinds Made Simple
tilt takes the intimidation out of home automation. Our simple, tool-free installation is designed for a DIY project that takes minutes, not hours. But if you don’t want to do it yourself, a pro from our network of installers can take care of it for you. Unlike other smart blinds, you don’t have to have a home automation system. But if you do, full integration with Alexa and Google Assistant is a breeze. All this combined with competitive pricing makes tilt the smart blind solution for people who simply want to enjoy the benefits of automated blinds and shades, not delve into the technical details.
Elevate the way your home functions by converting your existing blinds or shades to smart blinds/shades, or get all new custom-made window coverings delivered to your door. Before long, you could be enjoying all the benefits of automated blinds or shades.