Does anyone know of a smart kit that can drive a vertical blind. Specifically not a ****ing roller blind that is all Google wants to talk about ?
I joined this site to ask 
Seems the tow movement thing is a problem. I want to be able to open and close AND tilt.
This is for an 8’ window, where a roller blind (which I don’t want anyway) would look crap.
First, let’s make sure we’re talking about the same thing. Terminology in the US and the EU is slightly different with regard to window coverings.
I’m going to use the US terms, but if you are in the UK/EU let us know, and I’ll check if the Terminology in this case is different.
(I should also add that I myself am Quadriparetic, use a wheelchair with limited hand function, so I need voice controls of all our window coverings. So I follow this device class pretty closely.)
This is a vertical blind. The slats run in the floor to the ceiling direction. They typically have two controllers, one to move the blinds from left to right and one to tilt the slats. These are almost always a lightweight vinyl, sometimes covered in fabric. Until recently, the only automation options for these were very expensive custom devices, but there is actually now a less expensive DIY option that just came on the market a few months ago. But more about that later.
This is a “roller blind.“ It is a single sheet of fabric that rolls up onto a horizontal rod at the top of the window. There are several of these that work well with smartthings, including the inexpensive IKEA brand and the expensive, but really nice Lutron Serena brand. But I understand that’s not what you’re looking for.
This is a horizontal blind. The slats run parallel to the floor. Like the vertical blind, they typically have two controllers, one to pull the blind up and down, and one to tilt the slats. Some of the home automation systems in the inexpensive DIY category only do the tilt, they don’t pull the whole blind up and down. Others do both. In the US, these are often in expensive aluminum slats, but might be heavy wooden slats or fabric covered vinyl.
This is a “Roman blind“ which is basically a roller blind with built-in pleats. A lot of people think they look more upscale, but aesthetics always vary from person to person. I like some of them even on sliding glass doors. Like the roller blinds, there are a number of these which work with smartthings, including some from Lutron Serena and Hunter Douglas. These only need one motor control because there’s no tilt.
So, first question: what country are you in? The device selection does vary.
Second question: did you really mean vertical blinds? If so, what size are they, both height and width? And how much space is there above the blinds at the top, since that’s where the motor unit will go. For example, in my living room, I have floor to ceiling vertical blinds, which are 10 feet tall on a 12 foot wall. Pretty similar to the first picture I posted. But there are some vertical blinds which are very close to the ceiling and it can be hard to fit a motor unit there unless you also replace the blinds.
I’m not the original poster, but I am also very interested in possibilities. I’m in the US. My vertical blinds do not have a cord to pull. Instead, they have a wand that can turn to rotate the blades and that can be pushed/pulled to close the blinds. I did find a “robot” for curtains that can push/pull, but the blinds cannot close if they are rotated such that blades are parallel to the the window glass, and they aren’t useful if they are closed but rotated perpendicular to the window glass, if that makes sense. So a device (or a group of devices) needs to rotate the rod then push it to open/close. I can do some electrical by myself, and while I do have a programming background I never tried to program specifically smartthings devices. Any advice will be appreciated. Thank you in advance!
Sorry for delay in replying. Various things in life happened.
Just over a year on and the need for this is still there. And yes we are talking about VERTICAL blinds. That have yet to be fitted, if that helps.
Having spent the last 2 weeks re-googling, the only thing that I have come across is how sly (some might say deliberately deceptive, but that would be to misunderstand advertising) any and all sites are that offer “vertical blind motors”. They all talk about “open and closing” and then all show what I call “tilting”.
Anyway, TL;DR is unless there is something I have overlooked, the only way to achieve what I want is to stick 2 of the tilty motors together and use one for a tilt and the other for open/close.
I also have the distinct disadvantage of being in the UK, where digital watches are still a thing,
Many thanks for such a full answer.
Still need to know the answer to this question from my previous post:
If so, what size are they, both height and width?
That’s because some of the options can only handle smaller window sizes, so there’s no point in bringing them up if, like me, you have very large windows or sliding glass doors behind the vertical blinds.
And, yes, in most cases, if you want both full movement across the space and tilting of the blades then it will require two motors.
as always, thanks for getting back.
I’m starting in the bedroom with a drop of 3 foot and a width of 8 foot. This is a virgin installation, so I am open to makes/models and types of track that go best with any automation.
OK, I’m a little nervous about these, but they do get good independent reviews. Every sale is considered a custom sale, which means they are not returnable. But if you buy from their own website, they do have a two-year warranty so you could go back to your credit card company if you had an issue that they couldn’t fix.
They sell a couple of sizes through Amazon, but you get a lot more choices if you buy from their own website. The height can go from 26 inches to 125 inches
These do have the ability to both rotate the vanes and move the vanes to one side.
The company is yooksmart, and that’s where you will find them in the smartthings app, but they are sold in the US under the brand-name graywind.
They have four different model motors. The one you need for smartthings is the Zigbee option.
Price is excellent in this device class.
You can get a pack of fabric samples for five dollars.
But I don’t know of anyone who’s actually tried them. So I hope someone will post if they have.
That is exactly the sort of inside info I was hoping for - another starting point at least.
Will report back if anything comes of it.
Right, some updates.
First motor was a bluetooth only AM43 model. Very nice with solar charger and totally useless with any smart apps. It fulfilled the POC brief and steered me onto one of these : https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005605858763.html This was ÂŁ35 inc. shipping and arrived 4 days after ordering !
This needs a DC adapter - no batteries. Pairing was a bit of mystery pressing the “pair” button until you get red blinking lights. At that point it was picked up by the Tuya Smart app immediately. Also appeared in Google home automatically.
Operation and programming are quite straightforwards.
HOWEVER, in a comedy special, Google Home seems to be back to front. So when the blinds are open, it thinks they are closed and vice versa. Which means you can’t show off to guests …
Regarding the tilt business - can’t speak for others but with POC in place, I can easily manage with the open-close mechanism.
