I’m a smart home expert, and my latest obsession has been smart blinds. Compared to smart bulbs and video doorbells, smart blinds are still relatively new on the smart home market, but if it’s a better night’s sleep you’re after, then you’re going to want to know about them.
Whether it’s a street lamp or the sun rising, external light through your windows can be extremely disruptive to your sleep. Having smart blinds, shades or curtains can make a world of difference, as they can help filter light more naturally, plus you can use an app or your voice to put them up or down.
Here are the five smart blinds I’d recommend looking into to help you get a better night’s sleep. If you’re still not convinced about their benefits, check out 5 reasons why you need smart blinds.
1. SmartWings Motorised Roller Shades
The best smart blinds overall
The best smart blinds you can find come from SmartWings. Not to be confused with the airline, SmartWings offers a range of smart blinds and curtains, including custom models to suit your home. There are plenty of materials and visibility options available from complete blackout to transparent.
SmartWings Motorised Roller Blades are the simplest designs that work well in any household. In terms of smart controls, SmartWings blinds are designed to integrate with multiple smart home systems, including Alexa, Google Assistant, Apple Home and Samsung SmartThings. There are Zigbee, Z-Wave and Matter motors available so you can use voice commands or your preferred app to adjust your blinds accordingly.
All SmartWings blinds are available at SmartWings and select retailers like Amazon.
2. OmniaBlinds Smart Roller Blinds
The best luxury smart blinds
A more premium option is OmniaBlinds. With a range of translucent, transparent and blackout models, OmniaBlinds names their blinds after cities around the world, including Bangkok, Stockholm and even Liverpool.
OmniaBlinds uses Eve MotionBlinds motor – I’ll get to them below – to power their blinds collection. The blinds are compatible with Matter-over-Thread, so Alexa, Apple Home, Google Home and Samsung SmartThings users can seamlessly connect the blinds to their smart home ecosystem. They also come with wireless and remote controls, plus you can set up autopilot schedules to fit into your bedtime routine.
Prices on OmniaBlinds start at £244.
3. IKEA FYRTUR
The best budget smart blinds
Here at T3, we’ve quickly become huge fans of IKEA’s range of smart home devices, including lighting, speakers and even air purifiers. What I like the most about IKEA’s smart home selection is its simplicity – case in point, IKEA has one smart blind product which is available in two different sizes.
The IKEA FYRTUR are block-out roller blinds that block out all external light to darken your room. The blinds can be used with the accompanying remote control, or you can set up the IKEA DIRIGERA hub and download the IKEA Home smart app to unlock a range of smart home controls.
The IKEA FYRTUR is priced at £115 for the smaller size and £145 for the larger sizes.
4. SwitchBot Smart Blind Tilt
The best accessory to add smart technology to your existing blinds
SwitchBot is best known for its robot vacuum cleaners but its Smart Blind Tilt is a clever accessory that adds smart technology to your existing blinds or curtains. If you don’t want to completely replace your blinds, then the SwitchBot Smart Blind Tilt is easy to install and is compatible with horizontal blinds.
The SwitchBot Smart Blind Tilt comes with a solar panel and built-in battery so you can keep it powered in a more environmentally friendly way. Once installed, the SwitchBot Smart Blind Tilt has a high precision motor and light sensor that adjusts as the day goes on to maintain a constant light intensity. Pair it with the SwitchBot Hub Mini and you can set timers and control them with an app and voice assistants.
The SwitchBot Smart Blind Tilt starts at £69.99 / $69.99 at SwitchBot.
5. Eve Blinds
The best solar smart blinds
Eve Blinds power the OmniaBlinds so it only makes sense to include them in this list. Eve is arguably best known for its ingenious weather station, but its customisable smart blinds have become increasingly popular, especially with its solar option.
The Eve Blinds collection includes the Comfort Collection Light-Filtering, the Comfort Collection Blackout and the Light-Filtering and Insulating Solar. The latter is made with a metallic backing that reflects solar energy and filters light more naturally. All Eve Blind are Matter-enabled so can be used with your preferred app and you can create scenes where you can turn off your lights and shut the blinds using your voice.
The Eve Blinds collection is currently only available in the US and Germany.
