What Motorized Blinds Work With Alexa?

“Alexa, open the blinds.”

If you own motorized shades, this might be a very familiar phrase to you. With so many smart home devices available for purchase, motorized shades are among the easiest to control with voice commands through Alexa, your smartphone, or other smart home devices.

Today, we will go over what an Amazon Alexa is, what motorized blinds are, and how smart home integration and voice control technology are changing how we shade our homes.

What Is an “Alexa”?

“Alexa” refers to a smart home device created by Amazon to provide voice-command capabilities within your home. They basically look like a speaker. You can plug Alexa in anywhere in your home, or you can place multiple devices throughout your home. You can ask Alexa for information, or you can give it commands if you have some of your home functions linked to your device. For example, you can use commands such as:

• “Alexa, add eggs to my grocery list.”
• “Alexa, play some jazz music.”
• “Alexa, what is the weather like today?”

Alexa is a cloud-based voice service that is always listening for the wake word “Alexa”. When Alexa receives this command, it activates and processes your request. There is also a smaller version of Alexa; they are called the Amazon Echo devices.

It used to be that we used Alexa mainly for asking questions, making lists, and playing music. However, with the advent of smart home integration technology, we can now use Alexa to control so many things in our homes, from lights and thermostats to motorized blinds and motorized roller shades in our homes.

What Is a Motorized Blind?

“Motorized blinds” are motor-powered window coverings that open and close with the use of either one or two motor units that are hardwired into your home’s electric system. The motor unit then rotates or slides based on what you want according to your preference, whether it be up, down, open, shut, or however your blinds move. They can be operated via remote control, with your smartphone, or by voice through your smart home system.

Motorized blinds are great for any home. They help people save time, increase privacy security, protect furniture, and they can offer protection for infants and pets by eliminating long strings that dangle from the windows. They can also make it easier for people with physical limitations to operate their window coverings. In addition, with the use of smartphone pairing, you can close your automated shades and blinds even when you aren’t home, and set timers or create schedules for them to open and shut at different times of the day.

Difference Between Motorized Blinds and Shades

Motorized blinds and motorized roller shades are both motorized window treatments that use the same technology. The only difference is what kind of window covering style you prefer, whether it be a shade or a blind. People use “shade” and “blind” interchangeably to refer to window coverings, but if we are getting technical, there is a difference between a shade and a blind.

The material and look of a window shade can be described as gathered stacks of fabric that may be pleated, flat, or look similar to an accordion. Shades are very versatile and come in many colors and materials. You can get smart shades, just like how you can get smart blinds. You can control your smart shades the same as your blinds, with your smart home control system, like an Alexa.

Window blinds are usually made of harder materials, and they are slats laid horizontal across the width of your window. In addition to being able to pull blinds up and down, the slats also open and close.

Operating Motorized Blinds With Alexa Voice Control

Motorized blinds work with Alexa by becoming fully integrated with your Alexa smart home system and working directly with her voice commands feature. With this integration, you can schedule your smart blinds to open and close at specific times of the day or night through a simple phrase on your smartphone or computer. You can also state a voice command like:

• “Alexa, open the blinds in the master bedroom.”
• “Alexa, close the living room blinds.”

Some smart blinds work better than others when controlling them by voice command. For instance, some motorized shades have a slat sensor in the upper stack of each slat which allows it to be heard throughout the entire room when being opened or closed by Alexa through smart home technology.

It is important to remember not to raise or lower the motorized blinds by yanking on them if Alexa’s voice commands are not working, like in the event that your power goes out. This can damage the motor and void your warranty. Loss of operation in the event of a power outage is probably the biggest disadvantage of automated shades. Alexa doesn’t have a battery backup, and your home likely doesn’t either, unless you have a generator or a bank full of stored solar power.

Where to Get Motorized Blinds That Use Alexa

If you are not sure where to find motorized blinds that work with Alexa, there is no need to worry. We have done all of the research for you and can help you find motorized window coverings that work with your smart home device.

At Treaty Oak Shade Company in Austin, TX, they specialize in working with your motorized shades and roller shades through smart home integration technology and Alexa voice commands. They will take your measurements, help you pick out materials, style, and color, assess your home’s electrical hookup situation, install your blinds, and integrate them seamlessly into your smart home automation system.

Why You Shouldn’t Install Them Yourself

Technically, you can work directly with a manufacturer to order your own motorized blinds, install them yourself, wire them to your home’s electrical system, and connect them with your smart home device without hiring a professional team. However, that is a massive undertaking that most people are not up for. The team at Treaty Oak Shade Company is fully equipped and prepared to do your installation properly and quickly.

In Conclusion

Even though motorized blinds are not a new innovation, smart home technology has changed how we use motorized window coverings in our homes today. Now you don’t have to get up to close or open them manually with a standard wall-mounted switch anymore. Instead, you can do all of this from within your own home using voice control.

If you’re interested in motorized blinds that you can integrate with Alexa at home, contact Treaty Oak Shade Company today. They specialize in motorized shades, motorized roller shades, motorized window coverings for smart homes, and many other types of window treatments. They will inform you of all the latest trends in Austin window fashions, help you figure out how to integrate motorized blinds into your home’s smart home automation system, and install your motorized window treatments on site. Get started today!