How is your control end going on this? I have new windows and am starting to look into shades.
My WAF isn’t real high on this and won’t be if it’s some convoluted hodge-podge system.
Just trying to figure out my options. I’d really only have a couple shades around the house that could even justify it.[/quote]
I have been very busy with work the last 4 weeks, so I haven’t had much time to do a lot with it. I have installed the 4 shades, they are operational under the lutron hub, and with the caseta bridge, they show up under ui7 in my vera Plus. I understand you question to mean that you don’t want a system that is convoluted, non intuitive, and basically more trouble than it is worth.
I use the lutein app to set up automatic actions, like opening and closing at certain times, and certain times in relation to sunrise and sunset. I figure this saves me wear and tear, so to speak, on the Vera.
Lutein hub integrates with Amazon echo, but as of yet, the Serena shades are not controllable directly. I have tried some limitedvcontrol through the echo bridge, but need to refine it more to see if this is viable.
New to the forum, I am an avid smartthings user and been using smartthings for 6 months. We’ve recently introduced z-wave integrated shades (so no hub or bridge required). It integrates as a dimmer switch and offers full control. The shades are manufactured by Graber and the Motors are by Somfy.
I’m reviving this thread from the dead… about to embark on new window treatments for several rooms. Thought if there is a time to go with connected blinds or something, this is it.
I’d love to hear what those of you on the fence did and how you feel… And for those who already had a decision, how has the product held up over the last handful of months?
Like someone else said, my wife won’t be on board if it’s unreliable. But if I could tie it into scenes for automated function that may be the winner.
[quote=“lay3r3”]I’m reviving this thread from the dead… about to embark on new window treatments for several rooms. Thought if there is a time to go with connected blinds or something, this is it.
I’d love to hear what those of you on the fence did and how you feel… And for those who already had a decision, how has the product held up over the last handful of months?
Like someone else said, my wife won’t be on board if it’s unreliable. But if I could tie it into scenes for automated function that may be the winner.[/quote]
Hey, I have 5 Lutron Serena battery operated shades in use. In general I am pleased with them. They are paired to the Lutron caseta hub, and then into Vera via the casetaconnect plugin. Using the HAbridge, echo/Alexa control is possible (at present direct control via Alexa and the Lutron hub is not supported)
Some thoughts: opening and closing is generally slow. If you have to rush over to the window and move the shades up, you can do it a lot faster manually (edit, by this I mean on regular Manual shades]. I find the ones I am most pleased with are in low use rooms and areas which are inaccessible. In the low use rooms, automated actions are useful. In the inaccessible area, this is the only feasible way to regulate light from that window.
My Vera unit is a little temperamental with the plugin, although recent version are better. Basically, the plugin would stop working. I sometimes have to uninstall then reinstall. This would require me to place the shades in the proper rooms again. I would also need to reconfigure the HA bridge and Alexa. For 5 shades, it’s not a big deal.
I have the Hunter Douglas Powerview shades. In theory, and most of the time, they are great. I (with a large assist from this community) figured out how to get them to operate via VeraPlus, though that process has left residual stuff on my Vera that a tech and I are trying to clear out.
Had a major issue with them over the weekend (after about 6 months). Hunter Douglas is working the problem and will have a solution shortly (they say).
All in all, I think that the HD remote control system, alone, is pretty stable. The phone app, which is the only way to automate them, leaves something to be desired, not a lot of options for customizing actions other than timing. The vera system allows much more flexibility with a learning curve if you don’t know LUUA coding.
Hey All… I’m glad to see this thread got revived. I have some related questions I’m hoping you all will have some experience with.
We are currently building a new home, and I’m trying to integrate as much Smart-Home functionality as I can, with the least amount of physical components. I don’t want a big hodgepodge of different components and protocols to deal with. With that said, the basis of my home automation network will be based on Apple’s HomeKit. Everything we have purchased so far, or plan to purchase, integrates perfectly with HomeKit and accomplishes what I want.
When it comes to Smart Shades, things get a little more complex. I have decided that I want to standardize on Lutron shades, because they have a Caseta Hub that is HomeKit enabled, so we’ll be able to integrate blinds, lights, and now Hunter fans into our HomeKit enabled system.
My one issue is that in one of our rooms, we have a 12 foot wide (144") transom window. It’s huge. The only motorized shade I can get that fits a window that big is Bali. As mentioned earlier, they are available and supported by Lowes and Home Depot, which is a major plus. Since Bali is powered by Somfy, I checked their webpage, and supposedly Somfy systems are compatible with Lutron Caseta, although multiple adapters are required.
Has anyone had any experience with getting a Bali/Somfy share to work correctly with a Lutron Caseta hub? Or does anyone have a better suggestion for a HomeKit compatible shade that will go up to 144"?
We also have wide and tall spaces and are also remodeling our house. And, I’m wondering what decision you have made about your wide shades and what vendors you chose to use, as we also have some very wide areas.
I am weighting the higher price of Hunter Douglass and Powerview, as well as fabric choices for rollers shades, against ease of setting scenes and times lags (potentially) with hardwired solutions for Lutron, Somfy with Bali or Graber, or Q Motion. I would appreciate any input you have on this issue.
How wide is wide? I’ve got two HD powerview shades (duette honeycomb) that are about 60" wide and about the same in height. I can get the exact numbers if you need. I’m supplying the required 18v via hard wire to a central power supply rather than using their battery packs or bricks. Can’t say that I’ve had any difficulties with the individual shades. Initially one of the large shades did not have the lower limits set properly, it would almost close, but not quite. Fixed it by resetting the limit via their clear instructions. I did have an issue with the hub, but that has been cleared up (I hope!) with a replacement hub that HD provided at no charge. Tech support was fine, though they never gave me a specific cause of my mysterious problems. They were more than happy to send the replacement hub and offered to hand hold the change over, but I didn’t need it.
Make sure you have enough repeaters, that was the advice I got. You get one with the hub and I bought 2 more. I’ve got a hand-held pebble and two wall mounted controllers for 3 rooms of shades. I bought a scene controller, but I never used it. Once I got control via my VeraPlus I don’t use the HD app, but you need the app to get the scenes set up via the hub. I don’t believe you can get Vera to control the shades without the HD Hub.
I like the HD Powerview line because the header is very small, the width of the units is quite small. I was able to mount them in a home made track that is not intrusive at all. The track helps to keep the shade aligned, miss the window handles at the bottom, and when the window is open and the shade is part way down (during the summer) it keeps the shade from blowing around.
Aaron, scroll to the top of this page, I posted pictures of the “track” a while ago. They are made out of 2 pcs of outside corner molding. What I did was put two pcs on one side of the window and the inside pc of the opposite side in, then mounted the shade, then added the final piece of track. Makes it tough to remove the shade if there’s a problem, but makes a really nice finish to the installation.
I see it… looks good. My window wells are not as deep; 2x4 construction, not 2x6
Did you do direct wire power or battery? My concern is I have several windows in a row (2 sets of 4) and hiding the battery packs might be tough. Not sure how big the packs are
I did a direct wire to an 18V power supply in another room, which is plugged into a UPS, so even if the power goes out, I can still operate the shades. I used 18ga wire from each shade to the power supply, which is more than adequate to run the shades. This wiring was done many years ago in anticipation of powered shades.
The “brick” that is supplied with the windows is larger than a laptop computer brick, but the shades also have the option of a battery pack (one per unit) that is clipped onto the shade top rail, on the glass side, so it’s not seen. Very clever. They provide the initial batteries (plain AA, 12 each I believe). You must choose one or the other, I went with the battery packs and now have a lifetime supply of AA batteries. I don’t use them so I can’t speak to longevity.
My construction is 2x4, so the depth of the windows is normal. The inside of the track sticks out from the frame about 3/8 inch, but it matches up with the mouldings around the windows, so it appears to be seamless. My wife is pleased with the look.
