I Made My Wife’s Blinds Smart! Easy & Affordable

[@EsotericArctos]

I got mine via the Kickstarter. The production release has a slight modification of the mount. The solar panel no longer is part of the mount, but plugs into the charging point on the side of the mount, so you can use it without the solar panel if you really want to. I found the solar panel is quite good. Even in an area without direct sunlight (but still relatively bright) it still slowly charges even using the blind 5 to 10 times a day. The motors are quieter in the production release also, which is really great. Makes the Soma Tilt sound aweful by comparison. Unfortunately they are not yet able to integrate into Home Assistant or Homekit. What I really love by about these is you can still use the existing wand if you need to and it doesn't lose the calibration. It knows the positon even if manually moved.

[@nmraidernation.6092]

Have installed these in my home for the last 3 weeks and LOVE THEM! So easy to install and the version I received is different in 1- The solar panel is optional and not needed for the install. 2- The holder clip is much smaller and is a tiny square. 3- The are much quieter then your vlog shows, in a completely zero noise room you may hear it but in my house with all the background noise you can't hear them. I loved how easy it was to set up a sunrise to sunset automation, they open at sunrise and close at sunset without blinking an eye. I also set up a automation if the temperature get above my set temperature they close, this will be awesome in the hot summer months Switchbot males great, east ,reliable products for the home Automator. Great vlog yet again!

[@garethjones5068]

Oh to live somewhere where the main concern is keeping cool not keeping warm 🤣

[@CraigsTechTalk]

That is very funny when you put it that way. Just so you know, this sunshine and warmth is getting really expensive. I hope you are doing well my friend

[@730Frankr]

AWESOME review.... I have always wanted to get blinds that are automated...but for two reasons (1) too expensive...(2) not good technology to work with Alexa. This device seems to overcome both...will be researching the price further...but thanks for this video - again great job of producing this video.

[@CraigsTechTalk]

Thank you very much Frank. I really appreciate you saying that about the video production. I had fun getting out of the office. These are nice that they aren't crazy expensive and it takes the blinds you have. You went out and bought very nice blinds, you just add this and they are automated. Opens up way more choice and you have support with the assistants and an ecosystem of other devices to go with them. Thank for watching Frank. Have a great weekend.

[@asprywrites]

What's your opinion of the solar powering, Craig? Is it still efficient after a couple days? Is there a long wait before being fully charged? Does it keep things at 100%? Do you need direct sunlight?

[@Buharialtinee]

Thanks for sharing

[@amandamoore735]

Love the idea but it cloudy a lot here and we have vertical blinds

[@tunayildirim9413]

You can try sansa wand. It works with vertical blinds too, and you can power it with AA batteries.

[@ronm6585]

Thank you Craig.

[@CraigsTechTalk]

Thank you Ron. I appreciate you checking it out. Have a great weekend.

[@moniquem783]

Very nice. If I find my next house before the kickstarter is closed and it has tilt blinds, I’ll definitely snap a couple up. Do you know how much they’re going to be after the kickstarter?

[@CraigsTechTalk]

Hello Monique. I hope you are are doing well. The price is going to be $69 when released. If you back the project now you can get them for $49 for one. They are 29% off for early backers. Thanks for watching.

[@moniquem783]

@@CraigsTechTalk that’s still pretty reasonable! Hopefully I find my next house soon and then can start planning what to do with blinds. I do like tilt blinds as you can adjust them to cut glare and for privacy, but I suspect I’ll make do with whatever blinds are in my next house for a while at least. I think I’ll have higher priorities than new blinds, unless they’re really awful. I’ve had to stop wearing my watch for a few days as I had a red spot coming up on my wrist. I know from experience that if I keep wearing it the spot will turn into a welt that will take months to heal. It’s getting better but not quite gone, so I’ll wait a few more days before trying again. I think I’ll need to start taking it off every time I rinse a few dishes. Doesn’t matter how careful I am it seems to get water under it and I think that’s the cause of the issue. I suppose I can switch wrists periodically too. I’ve got until I move to figure out the best way to make it work for me.

[@marymadigan9707]

Nice one 👏😎🇮🇪

[@CraigsTechTalk]

Thank you Mary. I appreciate you watching.

[@ainschuntayleuhn1147]

Impressive Tech.

[@CraigsTechTalk]

It is pretty cool. I like how easy this stuff is getting. I hope you are doing well.

[@BreakTime10101]

Great video. Can you manually control a light switch with a Switchbot hooked up to it?

[@CraigsTechTalk]

Thank you very much. You can manual control the switch still. If you turn it on and the switchbot thinks it is off, you just tell it to go the opposite way to get back in sync. But it does not stop from normal switch use

[@thomastevis8655]

Awesome videos sorry I’m so late

[@CraigsTechTalk]

Thank you Thomas. You are right on time. Thanks for watching.

[@brainguynyc8729]

I thought this was not available yet as it’s on kickstarter. I’m confused!

[@CraigsTechTalk]

This is only available to order on kickstarter now. It scheduled to deliver before Christmas of this year

[@brainguynyc8729]

@@CraigsTechTalk so how did you get a unit?

[@NFAslan]

We have cellular blinds and so far no one has invented anything for those yet! Short of replacing them with an entirely motorized blind, which is super expensive. Getting close though!

[@CraigsTechTalk]

I understand what you are saying the only blinds in the house are in my wife’s office. All the rest are cellular and most are black. Good luck.

[@NFAslan]

@@CraigsTechTalk Lucky wife gets the cool tech!

[@iGageit]

Can you hack it into HomeKit?

[@CraigsTechTalk]

I am going to have to look into that. I have most of my other SwitchBot stuff showing up in HomeKit. But I didn't check to see if it sees this. I don't think it will yet. Not until someone updates the SwitchBot extension.

[@Bigglare]

I'll wait for you know what...

[@CraigsTechTalk]

That's awesome. Hopefully soon. Just a hub away from it happening.

[@leonnewhall7088]

This thing is nice but it's way too expensive $50 are you kidding me I'll get up and close the blind myself

[@cheapme1850]

Actually this is very cheap compared to some of the home automation stuff, especially blinds. Even cheap cameras run $30. For $70, I may try this out. Like I’m this vid, the main blinds I need to worry about are the big ones that people can really see in at night.

[@asprywrites]

@@cheapme1850 it's cheap compared to some other automated blind openers I've seen. Cheaper by at least a hundred, even...

[@moniquem783]

There are different reasons for wanting automated blinds. It’s not just laziness. Privacy is an issue for some, temperature regulation for others and many more. For me, I have a circadian rhythm disorder and am hoping that if I can slowly expose myself to natural light earlier in the morning, I might over time be able to sleep earlier, or at the very least sleep at the same time each night rather than cycling the clock as I do now. Bit tricky to get up and open the blinds when you’re asleep. Compared to other automated window coverings, this thing is incredibly cheap! I recently automated my coffee machine and there was no way of doing it for less than $100 (Australian, so about $70 US). I have a monthly budget that I allow myself to spend on smart stuff and then I prioritise what I want to automate based on what will make my life easier and what will make me laugh every day. Telling Siri to make a coffee makes me laugh so I decided it was worth it. If I wake up during the night and need to use the bathroom I tell Siri and she turns on red lights at 10% brightness so I can see where I’m going but don’t mess with my melatonin levels which white light would do so I can go back to sleep easily. I did that before I did the coffee machine as it was a higher priority. Everybody has different priorities based on their situation 😊

[@cheapme1850]

@@moniquem783 Very good points. For me, I come and go a different hours and I like to open my shades during the day, close them during the night. I'd like to have them close automatically on the days that I get home late, especially in the fall when it gets dark early. I'd definitely think this is a good automation idea - instead of another LED light strip.