2018 - Current: Custom Graber Virtual Cord Z-wave+ Shades & Bali Autoview Z-wave+ Shades

Reminder, (I’ve only had 6 responses in total so far):

To anyone experiencing this issue (whether you purchased through us or another retailer) please fill out the form. This includes Bali Autoview motors as well: https://goo.gl/forms/v2zJoqd4ETui2vG92

The issue in question is when controlling the shades, they move a bit then flash red and stop. After that it takes multiple attempts using the remote to move the shade.

Discount Updates as well as product updates:

SmartThings coupon has been extended for the Z-wave shades as well as general motorization (because I love you guys :grinning: )

The video contest has been extended by a month… simply since we had an overwhelming number of requests come in on the 30th asking for an extension.

Product Update
Motorized Skylight Shades: These are not available with z-wave, however, a wifi bridge is now available. It will let you set schedules as well as connect with Alexa (only open/close supported for now with Alexa). It will also allow in app control of the shade. Essentially a glorified smart remote. Also these shades have been updated to now come with a built in rechargeable battery with a solar charger available.

For links please check the discount post: https://community.smartthings.com/t/2018-current-custom-graber-virtual-cord-z-wave-shades-bali-autoview-z-wave-shades/115458/4

Multi Channel Remote Update: Video of it in operation will be up in a few days. The remote also lets you set limits etc using a menu and for each channel rather the normal way of holding the 2 button remote down for a specific time period.

Got my first motorized shade yesterday and installed it. Looks great!

I followed the directions to pair with my SmartThings Hub. Success!

I continued to follow the directions to pair the remote with SmartThings so I can control the shade with it. Success! Kind of.

For some reason the remote ALSO took control of a dimmer switch in my family room that has nothing to do with the shade. So I can control the shade with the remote, BUT it also dims the family room light on and off at the same time the shade goes up and down!

I can’t figure out where in ST to tell it what that remote can control and what it can’t. Is that possible? Or any other ideas to fix this one?

We’ve seen that twice before. Just repair the dimmer switch back to ST and it should fix itself.

Hi Neal,
I have removed the offending shade from the ST hub. It is operating on its own with one of the Graber single shade remotes (also removed from ST). This arrangement has been operating flawlessly now for nearly a week.
I would like to automate this. Please let us know when there is a solution to this issue. Thank you.

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Thank you. It wasn’t the easiest process but removing the dimmer switch AND removing the remote, then re-adding both of them one at a time made it all work right.

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Any thoughts on the Somfy Wirefree Solar Pack working with these Graber shades?

The Graber 1- and 10- shade power packs/transformers put out 12V per shade. This solar pack puts out 12V. The Graber VirtualCord is powered by a Somfy motor. So voltage output to drive the motor is the same. The 10 batteries should have enough power for multiple days of low solar energy so I don’t think that cloudy days are an issue. Connector in the Graber 8-battery pack and this solar pack may even be the same which makes install super simple.

[1] https://www.somfysystems.com/products/9019235/wirefree-solar-pack
[2] https://www.floridaautomatedshade.com/Somfy-12V-DC-Wirefree-Solar-Pack-9019235-p/9019235.htm

It’s only officially compatible with the RTs motors and would require splicing. We haven’t personally tried it.

Thanks for the quick reply.

Question: What is “RTs”? Is that a model of motors?

If splicing is the only holdback that is a rather simple fix.

RTS is somfy’s standard RF protocol (Radio Technology Somfy). If you splice you would be voiding your warranty, I don’t recommend it, at all.

The new remote looks interesting. The individual remotes / SmartThings, Logitech and Google Assistant integration do the job for my 15 shades in 9 rooms, so I might not need this. Do you mind adding it to my account so I can see the price?

I just caught up on posts since last November and have a few questions:

  1. I have routines set up to open at sunrise and close at sunset - almost always, there’s a few shades that don’t close/open.
    a. Sometimes I can re-send a command (re-run the routine, or bush the shade button) and they’ll respond, sometimes they still don’t do anything. Any idea what might cause this?
    b. When they don’t respond to a 2nd command, they also don’t respond to a physical push on the button on the share. In this case, I have to touch the battery pack to wake it up. It’s like there’s no power going to the share and touching it makes the electrons flow again. The packs are fully closed and there’s definitely good contact …

  2. I have the issue where some shades are killing batteries faster than others. I am using IKEA LADDA 2450 (rebranded eneloops) rechargeable batteries. For some shades I don’t have to recharge them for months, while others need charging every few weeks.

  3. I don’t have the issue of shades opening a little bit then flashing red (yay!), but I’ve seen them open 10% then stop. In those cases, touching the battery pack or sending manual commands only makes the motor whine, indicating a dead battery that I need to recharge.

I should add that I have Z-wave switches in all rooms, so the Z-wave mesh is very strong. The lights always respond to all commands.

Hey Dan,

added to your cart. Also can you submit that form and include points 1 & 3 in the notes? https://goo.gl/forms/v2zJoqd4ETui2vG92

For point 2, can you send an email to support@zebrablinds.com also indicate which shades they are and if it’s the same shade all the time.

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Thanks! I’ll submit that form as well. I’ve been really bad at tracking which shades kill batteries (it’s not always the same ones), I’m always charging them! The 12 battery charger from IKEA helps, but it seems it doesn’t charge as much as the 4 battery charger (thus requiring more frequent charging).

To help, I’m going to start a spreadsheet and keep track of when each one got charged and how long they last.

Is the usage of lithium AA batteries a “hard” requirement for any reason? I would prefer to use NiMH since I have a ton of them (Eneloops) lying around and rechargeable is nice. Plus the cost of Li is a lot higher then NiMH.

The voltage would be a bit lower but guess is the radio circuitry is running at 3V3 or 5V anyway so maybe the motor just moves a bit slower.

NiMH would work but from my experience would need recharging every 3 - 4 months. I ended up switching all of mine to the plug-in because after a while switching out batteries was an inconvenience I didn’t want to deal with.

That’s what I use (the IKEA rebranded version) and I have to charge them often (about once a month), with daily usage. The shades stop working when the voltage drops to about 1.22V on each battery. Fully charged they go up to 1.45V and show a 70-80% charge in ST.

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@ZebraBlinds, I added some open/close sensors to a few windows. Do you know how I can force the blinds to only close to 60% if the window is open? The windows slide up to open, and I don’t want the shades to fully close if it’s open to keep them from blowing in the wind.

I was thinking there might be al smart app that will trigger when I close the shade and if the sensor is open, dim the shade to 60%. I don’t mind if it closes first, then re-opens. I couldn’t find an app that does this … It’s probably doable with CORE, but I didn’t play with that yet, and would rather not.

Hmmm, I am thinking it might be possible with Smart Lighting but, I think the limitation would be that it would move the shade to that position anytime the window is open. Let me check tomorrow once I get home with one of my shades. I don’t remember all of the triggers and conditions etc available in Smart Lighting.

@neod192

So with a few limitations it’s possible. In smart lighting under which devices you want to control. Then under what do you want to do set as Turn on & Set Level. For the Trigger select Open/Close, select the sensors and Turn on when Opened. Now for this to work only when you need it you will have to setup a virtual switch and under more options select Only if switch, select the switch and is on. That way it only does it if that switch is on. Now the downside to this is that, it will only run when the window is opened, it won’t necessarily run when the window is open and the shade is closed. For something like that you will have to use WebCore.

Hey Neil, any update on a resolution to the moving 10% and then stopping issue. Its been months now. All I keep hearing is that Zebra blinds knows what the cause is and is working on a fix. Any idea when we will be taken care of? I spent $1700 with you guys and notified of the issue almost right away. I don’t ever hear anything from support. I’m starting to feel pretty ignored. Are people still buying these? Where does the satisfaction guarantee come into play?