Home Window Shades Get Smart — Part 2
22 August 2021
Installing smart blinds, shades and drapes isn’t usually the first choice for people incorporating smart home tech, but there are numerous benefits to installing smart window coverings. Since researching information for last week’s post on smart window shades, I’ve run across other options to consider. And these also fit well into my overall plan to automate our new home with Zigbee or Z-Wave versus wifi. Zigbee and Z-Wave devices are not dependent on the internet as they operate on more of an edge compute approach.
A homeowner may want to automate the operation of window coverings differently depending on the room that they are located in. For example, a living room, or great room, may be decorated with expensive furniture or art that needs to be protected from the sun. On the other hand, a kitchen may benefit from more natural light shining in so visibility in the room is optimized. Bathrooms and bedrooms will prioritize privacy unless the home is located in a rural setting or on a large property, without nearby neighbors or public access.
But getting back to those “numerous benefits” of smart window treatments. Here are some to consider:
- Daylight harvesting — When the sun is not shining directly into a window the window treatment can be automatically opened to provide indirect light into the room that minimizes the need for using electrical lights during the day
- Solar heating — In the winter, smart window treatments can be opened to allow the sun to shine directly into a window to help heat a room. When the room gets too warm, or when the sun is no longer shining directly into the window, the window treatment can be closed to provide additional insulation against heat loss through the window. In the summer, smart window treatments can be closed when the sun is shining directly into a window to reduce solar heat gain and save on the energy required for air-conditioning your home.
- Glare reduction — Smart window treatments can be closed when the sun is directly shining through a window to reduce glare
- Safety — Smart window treatments can be automatically opened during an emergency to make it easier for family members to exit the home if normal pathways are blocked by fire. It also allows first responders to see into the home to help find anyone who has not been able to get out by themselves. In the case of a burglary, opening window treatments allows neighbors and first responders to see what is happening in the home. Finally, having window treatments automatically closed in the evening keeps outsiders from knowing whether family members are home or not.
- Privacy — It is very easy for passersby to see into a home at night when lights are on in the home. Smart window treatments can be automatically closed at sunset to protect the privacy of the homeowners.
- Security — Programming smart window treatments to open and close during the day can make potential thieves believe that someone is home, just like programming smart lighting to periodically turn on and off.
- Protection of valuable furnishings — Smart window treatments can be closed when the sun is directly shining through a window to protect expensive furnishings and artwork from damage from the sun.
Graber offers a wide range of motorized blinds and shades including cellular shades, solar shades, roller shades, pleated shades, natural shades, sheer shades, layered shades, exterior solar shades, faux wood and composite blinds, wood blinds, vinyl blinds, and aluminum blinds.
Graber window treatments are primarily sold by professional dealers and designers. However, Costco members also can purchase Graber window treatments, including professional consultation, measurement, and installation services, through the Costco website. In addition, for people looking for a DIY solution, they can also be purchased online through ZebraBlinds.
Graber has a variety of shades — cellular, solar, pleated, roller, natural and roman — with Z-Wave motor technology. There are key advantages to Graber’s their deciding to use Z-Wave technology into their shades. Here are some of them:
- App control — Both iOS and Android work with the Graber Gateway and a 2.4GHz, password protected wifi network.
- Voice control — Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant are integrated into the Graber Gateway and a 2.4GHz, password protected, wifi network.
- Multiple power options — a rechargeable battery pack, AA lithium battery packs, plug-in transformer and a multi-motor power supply are available.
- Handheld remote control — There are 2- and 3-button remote control options for those that may not want to use a phone app or voice for control of the shades. There is also an optional wall plate mounting kit available
- Smart hub integration — The shades can also pair with Z-Wave hubs like SmartThings or Hubitat, for more advanced smart home integration.
As stated earlier, Graber shades are intended to be purchased through a dealer with skills to guide you through the process of choosing shades for your home, measure your windows so the shades fit properly, and install them. That being said, using the instructions that are included with the shade, someone with reasonable DIY skills could install it themselves.
If you purchase a remote control with your Graber shade, it will come already paired with the unit. The first step is to validate that the upper limit, lower limit, and home position (factory set halfway between the upper and lower limits) are set properly with the shade installed. The “Standard” remote only includes two buttons (up and down.) The “Plus” remote adds an additional button that can be used to stop the movement of the shade or send it to the home position. The “Premium” remote includes a small display screen and 12 channels that can be used to control up to 24 shades.
If you want to control your shades with the Graber smart phone app or use either Alexa or Google Assistant voice commands to control your shades, then you will need a Graber Gateway to integrate your shades with your home’s wifi network.
Installing the gateway is fairly easy. First you will need to install the Graber Motorization app from either the App Store or Google Play.
Adding Alexa control of your shades is also very easy to accomplish. Using the Alexa app simply add the “Motorized Shade Control” skill, link the skill with your Graber account, and discover devices. The skill allows you to control the shades using voice commands such as “Alexa, open the shade” or “Alexa, close the shade 75 percent.” As we’re already an Alexa integrated home I’m especially excited about this as it’ll be an easy capability in our new home to adopt.
More advanced control can be accomplished by creating routines in either the Graber app or using the Alexa app (if you have linked your shade with Alexa). In the Graber app a routine can be triggered in three ways:
- By a defined-time interval
- On a daily, weekly, or monthly basis at a predefined day/time
- Once on a specific date/time
The routine can then be defined to open the shade, close the shade, send the shade to the “home” position, or set the shade to any predefined position.
In Alexa routines, a pattern can be created to send a shade to a specific position using a voice command, on a schedule, based on a smart home event, and more.
For more advanced smart home control, Graber motorized shades with Z-Wave motors can be linked to both SmartThings and Hubitat Elevation hubs.
Another great aspect of the Graber Z-Wave shades is they are reasonably priced compared to other smart motorized shades on the market. And they are available in a wide range of fabric choices and designs. The “Visualizer” tool on the Graber website makes it easy to choose a shade that fits the look you’re looking for, regardless of what room.
Graber has battery powered Z-Wave shade options, so retrofitting wiring to windows in a home isn’t required. Of course, as we’re doing a new build we’ll plan for low voltage wiring at the window frames as I’d prefer not to install shades that will require battery charging or changing in the future.
Finally, while Graber window treatments are primarily sold by professional dealers and designers, they can also be purchased online if you have the DIY skills to install the shades themselves.
On our home building plans in general, on Friday, the price of framing lumber fell to $399 per thousand board feet, according to Fortune. That marks the 11th consecutive week that the price of lumber is down.
This is fantastic news as it signals the possibility of us getting our foundation poured before the end of the year. This would leave us framing over the winter which could be problematic though considering the amount of network wiring I have planned. Hopefully we don’t have another heavy snow winter like last year if we move forward. The alternative is to wait until early 2022 to get started.
Debbie and I appreciate all the comments and feedback regarding our new home project. Please keep them coming as we’ve gotten some great ideas to incorporate into our plans. And let us know how we can help you with your home planning or smart home projects. Until next week …
In full disclosure, I’m not an affiliate marketer with links to any online retailer on my website. When people read what I’ve written about a particular product and then click on those links and buy something from the retailer, I earn nothing from the retailer. The links are strictly a convenience for my readers.
