Motorised blinds availability to Ireland?

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wexfordman2 wrote: »

Been looking to automate my curtains and blinds for nearly 20 years nowz bit could never justify the price, literally 500 euro or even more per window.

Got some wifi controlled curtains for about 200 euro in amazon, and have to say, mightily impressed, and I went and bought 2 more sets from aliexpress at about 140 euro each. I've seen some motorised blinds that work by inserting a motor into the actual tube of the blind, so might give this a go as well.

Any details on them ?

I seen an ad for these:

https://www.electrablinds.ie/home-page

Keep us posted on how you get on, I've started to look into smart blinds too.

FrankGrimes wrote: »

I got Somfy motors fitted inside the roller tube for blonds Castle Blinds were installing. Controlling them via Velbus relays so they integrate into my broader Velbus and OpenHab controlled home automation setup. They are fantastic, 3metre wide blinds so I was worried motors would struggle but they are flawless and I can do things like automate them coming down when the Velbus weather station I have reads above a certain lux level on a really sunny day, and vice versa on a cloudy day. Not cheap but definitely in the “once it’s there you’d miss it if it wasn’t” category.

Ah, another velbusinian :-)

[Deleted User] wrote: »

After a bit of research I'm going with Fyrtur blinds from Ikea. On price they probably can't be beaten and I've read the firmware gets updated quite a bit

They’ve very limited sizes. I think 140cm is there largest.

ted1 wrote: »

How finicky are they ? Was going to get the ones you linked to and some motors for blinds. Set them to open same time as the kids alarms and lights go on

Sorry, finicky was a typo, meant gimicky (as a concept, but I was saying they are not so much, for example heat retention when they close and open automatically )

. The zemismart ones I bought from Amazon are in my opinion very good quality, the ones from Aliexpress are also very good, but not quite as good quality as the zemismart ones (rail is a bit lighter for example).

That said, I will be buying more of the ones from.ali express, the difference in quality is not major, and I would be happy with either if I had bought them out of a major retail outlet, they are not "cheap Chinese crap" by any means.

Watch some installation videos on youtube, and do bear in mind, you porbably need to put a pelmut up.to hide the rail.

I'll see if I can post up some videos of mine later.

Deleted User wrote: »

After a bit of research I'm going with Fyrtur blinds from Ikea. On price they probably can't be beaten and I've read the firmware gets updated quite a bit

I've ordered one for one of my windows... It's the only window in the house that matches IKEA's sizes... No fault of IKEA, houses in allot of Europe are designed with standardised window sizes...

I had motorised blinds installed by ACME last year. They weren't smart but they could be set on a timer and had a remote control. They were battery powered and only had to be charged every 5 or 6 months.

ACME installed them - they used a brand called Louvolite: https://www.louvolite.com/product-range/motorised-blinds/

The only complaint I had was that the battery in the remote control was difficult to find when it needed replacing but you can get them in Halfords.

Don't bother with the smart/internet connected side of things - it's not worth the money in my opinion and I love my gadgets.

wexfordman2 wrote: »

Any guideline price ?

Not that expensive if I remember correctly. About €200-250 on top of what the custom fitted blind cost on its own. No wires or anything so straightforward install and no additional cost.

wexfordman2 wrote: »

That's is expensive though, a set of curtains can be fully automated for about 150 euro,.integrated to google, Amazon etc and with sxhedules.

A blind could be done for about 60 to 70 euro.with the same features

Ok, if you say so but I find it very hard to believe. I looked into this last year and couldn't find anything at that price range with that functionality.

Why don't you give the OP direct links like he/she asked for instead of criticising my contribution.

Instagram has been listening to me... Just got an ad for these guys:

https://www.blocblinds.ie/blocout?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=socialcpc&utm_campaign=IEProspectingLALs&fbclid=PAAaZ5vfjJLnkkjFk57-S3e8XpTuzqPukdPWd_u0R-Gn8EncYgYsk2SrvThDM

John_Mc wrote: »

Not that expensive if I remember correctly. About €200-250 on top of what the custom fitted blind cost on its own. No wires or anything so straightforward install and no additional cost.

That’s far more expensive that the smart ones who said don’t bother with. ( smart ones are more DIY Install)

ted1 wrote: »

He already did.

No, he actually didn’t. He linked to curtains and the OP asked about blinds.

€ 40,67 44%OFF | Zemismart WiFi Roller Shade Motor for 37mm Tube Smart Life Alexa Google Home Control Support Alexa Google Home Control
https://a.aliexpress.com/_mMZvHZ3

The zemismart ones I mentioned and referred to.

Again, to the OP, and anyone who is interested, I have zemismart curtain rails,and find them very good, and the price is very affordable, I don't have the blinds, but, based on the curtains,.I reckon they are probably a good bet.

One of the rare occasions where I start looking for the ignore function on boards

Ethereal Cereal wrote: »

I suppose you get the quality you pay for really. I think Somfy automated blinds are by far the best, and now whats supplied by ACME.

I cant comment, I havnt used either blind type to be honest.

Ethereal Cereal wrote: »

But https://www.electrablinds.ie/ supply a somfy system, for one blind 150 x 150 @ €242.15
and https://www.blinds-2go.ie/ who supply a generic non branded motor, (I think what wexfordman2 posted above) for one blind 150 x 150 @ €162.56

I didnt post the blinds-2go link, it was a link to a zemismart motor with wifi. The motor fits inside the tube. Again, I have not used this specific part, but have used and have the zemismart smart/motorised curtains which are wifi and IR remote controlled, and find the quality to be very good.

Ethereal Cereal wrote: »

I have 5 rooms in the house to do, so thats not a small amount of money, but still I think having a smart hub compatible system is worth the extra €500.
Also, both those options above are considerably cheaper than ordering from ACME

5 of the zemismart blind motors with wifi control (so integrated to google/alexa etc) would set you back about 250 euro in total. Worth testing with at least one to get confidence. I plan to, just need to order in some actual blinds and check the tube diamater.

https://photobucket.com/u/wexfordman/p/6e9369c0-4d05-443a-b1b4-b551899971e9

Quici video if the zemismart automated curtains. Note, my phone mic is very sensitive, so they sound noisy, but in reality are quiet, if you even listen to the volume level when I lift the curtains to show the motor, it sounds like I am dragging a sheet of plywood across a floor.

The zemismart ones are quieter than the other ones I have, but as I said, I have 3 sets of smart curtains now, and the zemismart are the ones I would recommend , slightly better quality.


Be interested if anyone gets the blinds with the built in motor, it's in my wish list for the moment

Apologies if im repeating anything guys - I've only speed read the thread.

I'll just throw in my experience on the matter (its a bit rambly)
I just installed ikea smart blinds last week. 7 blinds in total (6x80cm + 1x60cm) they are all in a row around a patio door leading into a wrap around window at the end of my extension (window and door are at 2 different levels)

I didn't really research other blinds (until after i installed them).... but i had the whole tradfri light system integrated with alexa and a DIY smart home alarm system, and i know how to hack the tradfri hub to control the blinds myself if i need to.... this is what mainly swayed me towards making the ikea blinds work for me.

ted1 wrote: »

Does anyone know the tube size that IKEA use for their standard roller blinds.

40mm according to this guy @ 2:52 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JU3QduvbkRc - same as somfy.
I actually had one opened up (further details below) - but didnt check the diameter for myself.

blackout (fyrtur) V non-blackout (kadrijl)
They only have 2 types. I actually ended up buying the non-blackout first by mistake. The kadrijl (non blackout) ones are actually a darker grey in colour than the Fyrtur (blackout) ones - i think this is what confused me when ordering online.
Anyway, since i couldnt return them (returns closed, click n collect only during level 5 lockdown) I proceeded to put them up anyway (well i put 2 of them up and just the brackets for the rest). IMO they (kadrijl) are pretty useless. I don't know why anyone would want that level of light coming in.
I ordered the Fyrtur ones and have the kadrijls packed up and ready to go back for a refund when they re-open properly. I've since installed the Fyrturs and they are much better.

See pic of the 2 types side by side -
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xv22UbfgoIMzs_0WIZkTmB9jsm8Cy6Y3/view?usp=sharing

Cutting the blinds
People will prob be interested in this. I had to cut one of them. There's plenty of youtube videos, I had a look around til i was comfortable with the procedure.
This is the one i mainly followed (except i didnt put tape on my tape measure, i remembered the number, like a normal person ) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PL6LPZZoFlo
It was really easy, and you wouldn't notice the cut to the frame - even though i used a blunt hack saw blade.
I'll concede that if you look really closely at the material when the blind is down you may see where the scissors slightly deviated, but there were no frayed edges or anything like that.
Took me a bout half an hour if i had to do another one id say id have it done in 15 mins.
Tip: Mark the frame all the way around and draw a line up the material putting in plenty of measurement points and joining them up. Use a decent hacksaw blade and a decent scissors for cutting the material.
(Note: I only cut the Fyrtur one, the material on the kadrijl is lighter but I'd say it would be ok to cut too)
Also in that video i linked, he doesnt say anything about making a hole for the endcap screw after you cut the frame. I just measured where the old hole was and made a new one, the aluminum was easy to drill. That said, you would probably get away with having no hole/screw at all.
Also, after he cuts the material he leaves a bit of material glued to the tube. This is easy to get off, just run a stanley round it in line with your cut and it peels off relatively easily.
And another thing I just noticed, when he marks the bottom rail for cutting @1:20, he should mark it after removing the end cap as apposed to before.

For me personally (considering myself mildly handy), even though ikea say they aren't for re-sizing, I would not let this get in the way of a purchase.

Installing (physical)
you need to fit 2 brackets to the reveal or you can fit them to the face of the wall above the window. I just put mine up with brown rawl plugs as the plasterboard was dabbed on and there was a decent (but not huge) gap between it and the steel lintel above. They are well secure IMO. I didn't want to go drilling into the steel.
The position of the brackets can be anywhere along the frame tracks (obviously try space them out to carry the load evenly) ....but this gives you a bit of leeway - e.g. if you have battens you want to go into you can move the bracket along to match. In contrast, with blinds that have end fixings - there is only one place you can drill your holes - downside of having the frame though is that the blinds are a bit bulkier and sit a bit lower than traditional end fixed blinds.

Max drop length
Setting the max drop on the blinds was really easy, you just lower the blind to the level you want using the buttons on the frame of the blind, and double click one of them when its at desired level. After this your blinds will never go lower than that level. (theres a way to undo it, i cant remember the details, particular button combo or something)
One set of my blinds were at the max 2m but the other was about 1.4m because of the window sill.


Installing (app + controls)
Each blind comes with battery, charger, signal repeater, and up/down switch.
The book that comes with it kind of contradicts what the app says. Its like the book is telling you how to install it so it can be run standalone with the switch. In this case the repeater is mandatory.
My advice is if you intend running the blinds from your hub (i.e. using the ikea app on your phone or alexa/google assistant) then ignore the book and go straight to the ikea app to install it. Each controller can control up to 4 blinds, and I used the book's instructions to pair 2 controllers to a set of 4 and a set of 3 blinds.
Then when i went to the app to use it from there, i basically had to go through the whole pairing process again, pairing the controller(s) with the blinds after i had paired the controller with the hub.
I still have a repeater plugged in, but I'm not sure I need it, and I havent gotten around to trying it.
All that said, its not the hardest thing in the world to do.

Using them with alexa
This is predominantly how we control the lights so wanted the same with the blinds. In summary it works well for opening and closing - no issues at all. Added all the blinds (blind 1, blind2, blind 3 etc etc) to a group and away you go - alexa, close "the group name" blinds.
However for some reason, alexa doesnt support the percentage feature for groups.... but it does for individual blinds. So i can say alexa, set "blind 1" to 50% - but i cant say alexa set extension blinds to 50%.
Now, to get around this i set a routine called "blinds halfway" to set each individual blind to 50% when i say "Alexa, blinds halfway". But because i had "blinds" in the name, alexa seems to take this as an attempt to use the blinds smart device feature, rather than recognising its one of my routines.
So i dropped the "blinds" from routine name.... and it worked...once!
At the moment, If i press the button for the routine it works, but if i say "Alexa, halfway" i get a funny error tone back from her. Not sure what the issue is, but i think i'll be able to resolve it.
One thing to note if you have multiple blinds in a set, whether you use the physical controls, your home assistant or the app... the blinds don't all go up/down at the same level. They will all stop where they are supposed to, and they move at the same speed, but they start moving at slightly different times meaning they are not in an exact straight line when they are opening/closing. The difference I am talking is max 30/40mm. Most people wont care, it can annoy some people though.


Over-all I'm happy with them in general and how they work. The biggest negative is the size constraint. On one stretch, Ideally I would have liked 2x 1.6m blinds instead had to go for 4x .8m. This results in a gap of about 40mm between each blind side by side when they are down.

Hope it helps someone decide.

Anyone see a good price around Amazon DE / ES / FR on battery ones?

See the powered ones available for about €50 here: https://www.amazon.es/dp/B08R77YZWZ?tag=haggle-android-es-21&linkCode=ogi&th=1&psc=1&ref_=d6k_applink_bb_marketplace (albeit from Spain with an EU plug presumably)

EDIT: Spotted Krusty's post above. Option from BangGood looks solid.

Torn actually.. internal WiFi model but mains powered Vs external WiFi but battery powered.

wexfordman2 wrote: »

I would go for the powered version for definate as long as you can get power to it.

Yeah - haven't even gotten the blinds installed yet so I have the option but problem is a lack of plug points on RHS where I'd need cable to go (at least for the option for manual use).

Could run an extension point behind couch in front of it I suppose.

Like the idea of battery and reputable ones do last months - though not sure about these ones.