Wow - Aeon Labs is dropping some ridiculous stuff. Please know this is not an ad - I’m just an HA nut and love to share and talk about new products coming out.
Wow! If this works well, I will literally take the physical blinds off of all of my windows on the first floor. Such a cool idea. Who needs actual physical, motorized blinds on each window?
Thoughts guys? Anyone else see crazy potential for this?
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RBoy
(www.rboyapps.com - Making SmartThings Easy!)
2
You can get Smart Films from a lot of vendors todays (without Z-Wave), just pair it up with a Z-Wave swtich and you’re done.
Hope you realize however a couple of things about Smart Films (I was considering it a for a while)
They aren’t 100% opaque, it varies between 80% and 90% depending upon the color of the films (yes you can get different colors)
They needs to be in the “ON” position as long as you want them clear. When you want it dark turn it off, so if you’re planning to use this on your “daylight” window - be prepared for a lot of electricity usage, esp when the windows starts adding up.
Great thoughts @RBoy - thanks! That was one of the things I was actually really interested to see if anyone had experienced - how clear are they? Sounds like it does block some view even fully “open,” which really sucks.
Can you list some of the other vendors you have found this from?
RBoy
(www.rboyapps.com - Making SmartThings Easy!)
4
don’t remember offhand just google smart films or check amazon.
Have you found any z-wave enabled bind motors? I just found one on Amazon.
they have those 110v plugs, so you can use any zwave enabled power socket. Personally, I don’t have one. The only reason was the price, and my windows are pretty old to stick these on it
@beckwith - yeah, it may be a while. Love the concept though. I think this is where things are going, moving away from physical blinds on each window. So much cleaner and more modern.
I would think eventually it will start being built into the glass and sold that way, but like you said…don’t hold your breath!
I guess Smart Tint is the only viable (and expensive) option right now.
I honestly haven’t really even looked that much because it just seems so bulky to have all those motors put on, and then I can see my kids breaking it…yada yada. It would be nice for them to be automated, but I don’t think it’s enough of a priority for me at this point to go through all the hassle, etc of trying to get the jimmy-rigged Somfy setup that is currently available.
One other thing to consider… and that is if you have sealed dual pane windows, be prepared for window tints to blow the seals (or worse yet, shatter the glass). The tints absorb light which generates heat, causing the gas between the panes to expand.
@scottinpollock interesting! I’ll definiltey have to keep that in mind. I have newer windows on my home (about a year old), so I would be ok with putting the film on them, but per what you mentioned, would definitely want to test with one window first. Thanks!
