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This guide has been updated with new picks. The Lutron Serena Smart Roller Shades and the Lutron Serena Smart Wood Blinds are our top picks. We no longer recommend Graber Motorized Shades.
Shades and blinds provide privacy, and they prevent harsh sunlight from heating up your home and aging your furnishings. Smart versions of those devices do all of that too, but they can also run on autopilot, so you don’t have to lift a finger.
When it comes to smart window coverings, Lutron is a standout. Its Serena Smart Roller Shades and Serena Smart Wood Blinds have both earned top spots for their sturdy hardware and quiet motors, user-friendly app, effortless automation setup, and wide range of design options. However, custom window coverings are often expensive, and Lutron’s Serena line is no exception.
If you don’t need custom sizing and are okay with gray, consider our budget pick, the IKEA Fyrtur shades. They work well, are good-looking, and cost a fraction of the price.
Most smart shades and blinds are custom-size, and they require precise measurements when you’re ordering to ensure they fit. Some may benefit from the help of an installer.
Think about your style needs by room. The blackout shades that perfectly suit the bedroom might not make sense in the dining room.
Some window coverings offer only basic up-down controls using Bluetooth. To use smart features, you’ll often have to add a Wi-Fi hub, which can support multiple shades or blinds.
Most models use rechargeable batteries, which require periodic charging; some may be compatible with a solar charging unit. Other models use disposable batteries.
This option is the best in every way—sturdy, with reliable hardware, a wide range of compatibility, ultra-quiet motors, and straightforward automations.
Compatibility: Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, Google Home
Lutron Serena Smart Roller Shades provided us with the best experience we’ve had using smart window coverings: automations that truly handle everything for you, unobtrusive motors you can barely hear, and a straightforward app with tons of features.
Serena shades are compatible with all of the major smart-home platforms, so you can opt for the one you prefer when you’re creating Automations or Routines or using quick voice commands. In addition to the shades, you also need to purchase a Lutron Caséta Smart Hub.
Lutron sells full blackout, translucent, and sheer shades in more than 100 color and style options, though all of its products are fairly pricey.
This Bluetooth-enabled smart shade comes with a small solar strip, so you never have to recharge the batteries yourself.
SmarterHome MySmartRollerShades blend solid design with hands-free battery charging. We especially like the battery-charging setup, thanks to an included solar-panel accessory. In practice, we think this is potentially a huge benefit for people with hard-to-reach windows or mobility issues, or for those who simply don’t want to bother.
Out of the box, these shades are Bluetooth-only. So a Wi-Fi hub is required to enable smart functionality. One hub can support dozens of shades.
These affordable, standard-size shades offer easy app control, and they integrate with all of the major smart-home platforms.
Compatibility: Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, Google Home
IKEA Fyrtur shades prove that cheaper doesn’t have to mean cheap-looking. These shades will tantalize bargain hunters, if they’re lucky enough to have windows that accommodate the available line of standard sizes. We appreciate the easy-open battery compartment (which makes recharges simpler) and an app that’s nicer than those of some pricier counterparts.
Though Fyrtur shades do come with a wireless remote and transmitter, the IKEA Dirigera Hub is needed to enable smart features. Other than the Lutron shades, the Fyrtur shades were the only ones we tested that provided compatibility with Alexa, Google Home, and HomeKit.
These slick, stellar smart blinds subtly open and close throughout the day based on the position of the sun.
Compatibility: Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, Google Home
Lutron Serena Smart Wood Blinds share the same overall quality of the Serena shades. But these blinds are the most hands-off product we tested for this guide, due to their ability to dynamically adjust automatically. This incredible opt-in feature, called Natural Light Optimization, uses your current location and details about the direction of the sun to automatically open and close the blinds, to provide the best light quality possible while minimizing glare.
An important note: Unlike smart shades, these blinds don’t mechanically raise or lower; only the louvers are powered.
Like the Lutron Serena Smart Roller Shades, these blinds require a Lutron Caséta Smart Hub, and they work with Alexa, Google Home, and HomeKit.
This well-rounded blind includes a solar charger, which relieves you of having to fuss with battery charging or replacement.
SmarterHome MySmartBlinds combine particularly simple installation, clever battery charging, and features that truly let the blinds do all the work. Similar to the company’s MySmartRollerShades, these blinds come with a solar-charging accessory, which helped provide the best experience of any model we tested. These blinds come in a greater size range than Lutron offers, for both width and length, so they may be the best or only option for especially large windows.
MySmartBlinds use Bluetooth by default, which we don’t recommend due to range and functionally limitations. So you’ll need to spring for a SmarterHome MySmartBlinds Bridge to connect them to Wi-Fi and enable smart features.
This option is the best in every way—sturdy, with reliable hardware, a wide range of compatibility, ultra-quiet motors, and straightforward automations.
This Bluetooth-enabled smart shade comes with a small solar strip, so you never have to recharge the batteries yourself.
These affordable, standard-size shades offer easy app control, and they integrate with all of the major smart-home platforms.
These slick, stellar smart blinds subtly open and close throughout the day based on the position of the sun.
This well-rounded blind includes a solar charger, which relieves you of having to fuss with battery charging or replacement.
For a decade I covered smart-home technology at CNET. I’ve wrangled robot vacuums, jumped inside washing machines, hated on smart displays, and appeared in videos as a creepy electrician and Santa—for science.
At their most basic, smart shades and blinds make life far more simple, opening and closing without the risk of tangled strings or accidentally stripped shades. Like traditional shades and blinds, they can shield your home from harsh sunlight, while also helping to insulate it from hot- and cold-air leaks. And they ensure privacy from that nosy neighbor (you know the one).
But what makes smart models so appealing is that they can be scheduled, using an app, to go up and down at a particular time of day, every day, and you don’t have to lift a finger. That’s especially valuable if you have lots of windows or windows in hard-to-reach places. Using a voice command or an app, you can trigger one or several of these smart models any time you like. And when they’re set to open and close at different times, these shades help to boost your home’s security, by making it look as if someone’s home (this is especially effective when combined with smart lighting and smart plugs).
These devices all require a hub (which plugs into your router or into a wall outlet) to connect to Wi-Fi and enable smart functionality. SmarterHome MySmartRollerShades and SmarterHome MySmartBlinds are slight exceptions since they work over Bluetooth out of the box, but you still need the companion Wi-Fi bridge to get full smart capabilities.
Each Wi-Fi hub is slightly different, but they all help extend the connection range, allow for new features via firmware updates, and support adding dozens of branded devices. For instance, one Lutron Caséta Smart Hub can handle as many as 75 Lutron products.
Once online, these gadgets communicate with your battery-powered shade or blind, just like any other smart-home device. Use the app to open and close or to raise and lower your window coverings; create a set Schedule based on your daily habits; ask Alexa, Google Assistant, or Siri to open your shades or blinds for you; enable features that adjust them according to sunrise and sunset estimates in your area (or slowly throughout the entire day); or design automations with multiple smart-home products as part of a daily routine.
Smart shades and blinds look just like regular window fixtures, but they have motors and battery compartments hidden in their top railings.
With the exception of the IKEA Fyrtur shades, all of the shades and blinds we tested are made to order. It can take several weeks for custom window coverings to be delivered, since it’s unlikely that a company has a product with your exact specifications already sitting around.
Each company will ask you a series of questions to create your custom order, including:
These products are DIY, but they do require drilling (with the exception of the easy-to-install SmarterHome MySmartBlinds; more details on that later). Some of the shades and blinds are heavy, and it might help to have a second person on hand to assist.
While some companies offer plug-in options for installation, we focused exclusively on battery-powered models here.
When deciding which smart shades and blinds to review, we considered the best combination of features and options. We looked for models that checked the following boxes:
Along with those requirements, we also looked for models that:
When we test smart shades and blinds, we’re looking for:
To test shades and blinds, I requested custom models to fit four specific windows (in my dining room and living room) that measure 27 inches wide by 73 inches long. Outliers included the IKEA Fyrtur and the Lutron Serena Smart Wood Blinds. The closest IKEA Fyrtur ready-made model that fit my windows measured 27 inches wide by 76.75 inches long. And although Lutron’s blinds are custom-made, the longest option available was 72 inches. So I requested one that was 27 inches wide by 72 inches long (an inch shy of what I needed for my window).
I then installed each one in turn, noting the installation and initial configuration process—including getting the Wi-Fi hub online and connecting the remote (when applicable). I tested each model’s app to open and close or raise and lower the shades and blinds on demand, and I also created schedules to confirm that they responded reliably. I tested them with Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and Apple HomeKit on my iPhone, depending on product compatibility, and I used commands with their respective voice assistants to see how well they worked.
I also tried out any advanced settings, such as the Natural Light Optimization feature—available with Lutron Serena Smart Wood Blinds—which dynamically adjusts the blinds throughout the day based on the position of the sun.
This option is the best in every way—sturdy, with reliable hardware, a wide range of compatibility, ultra-quiet motors, and straightforward automations.
Lutron Serena Smart Roller Shades skillfully combine all of the things you’d want from a connected window covering: easy-to-configure automations; the quietest motor of any model we tested (including other Lutron products); compatibility with Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and Apple HomeKit; and a sturdy, attractive design available in multiple styles and color finishes.
The Lutron Caséta Smart Hub, sold separately, is required to enable Wi-Fi and any smart functionality in the Lutron app and with its supported smart-home platforms, including voice control. One hub works with as many as 75 Lutron devices. This hub connects to your router, and it was very simple to set up via a tutorial in the Lutron app.
If you want a remote control, you can also buy a Lutron Pico Smart Remote separately. One remote can control multiple Lutron devices, as long as they’re within 30 feet of the remote, according to Lutron.
They’re whisper-quiet. A motorized shade isn’t going to add much convenience to your life if it’s distractingly loud. Most of the models we tested were quiet enough to not be especially noticeable, if you aren’t trying to hear them. But Lutron’s roller shade was by far the quietest of the bunch.
Combine this model’s quiet motor with its ability to automatically open and close on a set schedule or to change seasonally with sunrise and sunset, and you hardly even notice they’re there.
They are fuss-free. I created multiple Schedules, including one for sunrise and sunset, and these shades worked seamlessly, which was pretty delightful. I especially enjoyed walking downstairs in the morning to shades that had already opened without my having to do anything. At sunset, they automatically blocked the direct bright light that typically streams into the living room at that time of day.
There are tons of style options. Lutron’s roller shades are sold in three styles: blackout, translucent, and sheer. Among those three main options, there are dozens of color choices per style, totaling over 100 possible finishes. Along with the opacity and color finish, you can select whether you want either an “architectural” or fabric valance (a cover that hides the top portion of the shade).
The architectural valances are Lutron’s modern offering, and they come in white, black, bronze, or silver finishes. Fabric valances match the fabric you select for the shades. If you don’t want valances, you can pick whether you want the fabric to drape over or under.
The hardware is as sturdy as it is good-looking. Lutron’s roller shade is solidly built, and it feels especially durable compared with all of the other models we tested. We’ll have to use it long-term to give an official verdict on how it holds up over time. But it seems perfectly capable of lasting for years without issue.
As a result of that durability, this shade was also the heaviest model we tested. During installation, I enlisted help from a second person to hold one side.
They use a lot of batteries. While the number of batteries varies based on the size of your custom shade, my 27-by-73-inch shade needed a comically high number—eight D batteries, for an added $17. Lutron notes in its FAQ that battery longevity is variable, depending on use, but that typically you should be able to trigger them “thousands of times” before shades needs new batteries.
They’re top-shelf expensive. Lutron roller shades are a premium product with a premium price tag. My one shade cost about $965, including the $80 Lutron Caséta Smart Hub (one hub can manage up to 75 devices). By comparison, the SmarterHome MySmartRollerShades model cost about $620, including a $109 Wi-Fi hub.
Even the smallest shade Lutron would let me build online—with the exact same specifications otherwise–still cost a whopping $890 (with the $80 Lutron Smart Hub added).
Review Lutron’s privacy statement for more information.
This Bluetooth-enabled smart shade comes with a small solar strip, so you never have to recharge the batteries yourself.
SmarterHome MySmartRollerShades aren’t available in as many design options as Lutron shades. They don’t have the same premium hardware. And they are’t as widely compatible with other smart-home platforms. But they work perfectly well, they’re good-looking, and they cost hundreds of dollars less than our top pick.
Unlike the models available from Lutron, these shades come with a rechargeable battery that gets topped up by an included solar panel strip. That could be unwieldy, so we especially like that the solar panel is tucked away from view.
MySmartRollerShades are Bluetooth-enabled, but they require a SmarterHome Wi-Fi hub for full remote access and voice assistant support.
The solar panel charger is very clever. The motor and battery design is unobtrusive (the battery is built into one side of the shade), and its included solar strip means it’s possible to keep the battery charged without ever having to mess with it again.
Unlike other battery-powered shades, which have to be charged or replaced, the solar strip connects to the window or the shade (facing outward, of course) and then plugs into the battery. If the window gets direct sunlight for at least “a few hours each day of the week,” according to SmarterHome, you could potentially keep the battery fully charged with no further intervention.
In case the area doesn’t get quite enough light to stay charged, the battery has a Micro USB port for additional charging.
The Tilt app is simple to use. The Tilt app for SmarterHome MySmartRollerShades is easy to navigate, thanks to an uncluttered, uncomplicated design.
I especially like how you get a visualization of the shade on the device page, so you can see its current position even if you aren’t in the same room. Then you simply slide your finger up or down along the right side to raise or lower your shade.
I also like how the same device page tells you at the bottom how much battery you have, whether it’s connected to solar power, and whether you’re connected to Bluetooth or Wi-Fi via the optional hub.
Smart-home integration is limited. The only compatible third-party smart platform is Alexa. And using it can be clunky. In the Tilt app, you first have to create a Routine, which you can then trigger in the Alexa app.
I created a Good Morning routine in Tilt, and it opened the shade every morning at 7 a.m. From there, I enabled the Tilt skill in the Alexa app, which automatically recognized the Good Morning routine I made in the Tilt app. To test it, I used Alexa in the app and said, “Run Good Morning.” It worked fine, but it added a layer of needless complexity for those times when you just want to use basic open-and-close commands. The only value may be the ability to integrate with other Alexa-compatible devices.
Review SmarterHome’s privacy statement for more information.
These affordable, standard-size shades offer easy app control, and they integrate with all of the major smart-home platforms.
IKEA Fyrtur shades offer the best overall value of any product we tested, due to their mix of affordability, appealing design, and support for Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and Apple HomeKit. We particularly like the easy-access battery compartment, which makes the rechargeable battery simple to remove, charge, and replace.
However, IKEA's shades aren't customizable, either in size or color. But if one of the sizes matches up with your windows, this is a great, affordable alternative to expensive custom products.
One long-term tester has Fyrtur shades in their kitchen to block blinding direct light in the evening. The shades are set to lower automatically at a specific time every day and then to open again at sunset. This tester noted the usefulness of the shades operating without their having to do anything.
The battery is easy to access. There’s a little trap door on the front left side of the Fyrtur shades. Pull the tab to open the swing-door compartment and remove or replace the rechargeable battery.
This is especially easy because the Fyrtur shades don’t have a valance or any other cover on the top that needs to be removed. Instead, they have a sleek metal top that integrates nicely with the rest of their modern aesthetic. So the easy-open battery compartment is able to be located on the front of the metal design without detracting from the overall style.
No other smart shades can match this model’s low price. The 27-by-76.75-inch size most closely matched the 27-by-73-inch size of my windows. While the other models I tested rose well over $600 per shade for that size, with some costing closer to $1,000 (I’m looking at you, Lutron), the Fyrtur shade cost only $140 (including a small remote).
Like the other models we tested, though, you do have to buy IKEA’s Dirigera Hub separately to give these shades smart capabilities. This setup was easy enough (a big improvement over previous configurations with older IKEA hubs, according to another tester).
I did find it confusing that IKEA has two different smart-home apps—the IKEA Home smart app, which works with the Dirigera Hub, and the IKEA Home smart 1 app, which works with the Trådfri hub. Fortunately, IKEA clearly specifies in the app description which app works with which hub, but it seems needlessly complex. You could use either hub (and its app) for the shades, but the newer Dirigera is faster and has a better app.
The hardware isn’t included. In a bizarre omission that’s prompted posts on Reddit, the IKEA Fyrtur shades don’t come with the screws you need to mount them. Sure, most people have random leftover hardware lying around. But unless you have the exact right size—or you don’t mind a makeshift, mismatched installation with assorted screws—you might have to make a trip to your local hardware store to get the correct mounting hardware.
Review IKEA’s privacy statement for more information.
These slick, stellar smart blinds subtly open and close throughout the day based on the position of the sun.
Lutron Serena Smart Blinds are attractive and easy to install, and they work with Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and Apple HomeKit. Their standout feature, Natural Light Optimization, automatically opens and closes the blinds at different angles throughout the day to account for changes in the light—and it works beautifully.
As with Lutron’s shades, with these blinds you’ll need to buy the Lutron Caséta Smart Hub separately to connect them to Wi-Fi and enable any smart capabilities.
The blinds are not motorized. It’s worth noting that motorized smart blinds do not raise and lower as shades do—their louvers open and close. That said, opening and closing these is easy and cord-free: Simply lift them from the bottom to the desired level and release. The blinds stay in place without needing a cord or any other manual controls. Gently pull down to lower them.
Natural Light Optimization is awesome. You can set these blinds to open and close for sunrise and sunset, and you can also enable Natural Light Optimization to automatically adjust the angle of your blinds’ slats all day, based on the position of the sun.
One window in my living room faces west, which just happens to be where I installed my Lutron blinds. Because of the direction the window faces, bright light streaks in starting in the late afternoon. Most of the time, we get up and lower our shades manually until the sun is a little less intense. With Natural Light Optimization, the blinds made micro-adjustments automatically throughout the day, so we never once had to make our own tweaks to avoid a blinding glare.
The manual lift works really well. It isn’t just the smart features that stand out on these blinds. If you’ve ever wrestled with a cord to either raise or lower blinds, you know the struggle of trying to get the angle just right before they cooperate.
Lutron’s clever design ditches the cord entirely, so you can simply lift from the bottom to raise your blinds to the desired height. When you want to lower them, pull down gently.
They require 12 AA batteries. Like Lutron Serena Smart Roller Shades, these blinds use a lot of batteries. Instead of eight D batteries, the smart blinds rely on smaller AAs—and Lutron specifically recommends lithium AAs (which run around $35 for a pack of 12). Lutron claims batteries should last for “thousands” of runs before needing to be replaced, which is at least somewhat reassuring. We’ll keep an eye on that and report back if there are any interesting developments.
Review Lutron’s privacy statement for more information.
This well-rounded blind includes a solar charger, which relieves you of having to fuss with battery charging or replacement.
SmarterHome MySmartBlinds offer the same solar panel accessory as the SmarterHome MySmartRollerShades for easy ongoing charging. They also provide a remarkably friction-free installation, due to their SmartLock mechanism (this is a built-in lever that extends a brace against the wall so the blinds hang using compression force—no screws or nails).
Like SmarterHome’s shades, the blinds work over Bluetooth out of the box. But you’ll need to buy the Wi-Fi hub separately if you want to use Amazon Alexa as a smart-home platform. Oddly, the hub for blinds is different than the one for shades, and it’s frequently sold out (more on this below).
SmartLock installation is foolproof. None of the shades and blinds were especially problematic to install, but SmarterHome MySmartBlinds were completely tool-free and therefore the easiest to install by far. Instead of using a drill to mount the bracket with hardware, you use the included adhesives. Then you simply position the blinds where they need to go and use the locking lever to secure them in place. That makes these blinds an especially great option for renters who want custom window coverings but can’t drill holes or make any other major changes.
The solar panel charger is excellent. Like MySmartRollerShades, SmarterHome’s MySmartBlinds come with a solar panel accessory. You can either mount it to your window with the included adhesive or use the clear plastic brackets provided to hang it from the back of the blinds.
Plug the panel into the battery and, depending on how much light the area gets, you might never have to think about the battery again.
We love Sun Tracking and Gradual Tilt. We enabled Sun Tracking to adjust the blinds automatically based on our local sunrise and sunset times. Gradual Tilt adjusted the blinds slowly over five minutes for a more subtle shift. While not quite as impressive as Lutron’s all-day Natural Light Optimization feature, these settings helped the blinds fade into the background, and they work with very minimal effort on my part (which is exactly what you want from any smart-home product).
You need a different Wi-Fi hub than the one required for shades. While the Wi-Fi hub for SmarterHome shades and blinds costs the same and looks identical, you can’t use them interchangeably, which we think is short-sighted.
SmarterHome says most people either get all shades or all blinds, so this isn’t typically an issue, but it’s something to keep in mind if you plan to mix and match them for whatever reason (since you’ll need to buy both hubs for a total of $218, if you want them all to connect over Wi-Fi).
The app needs work. While the shades use the Tilt app, these blinds use the MySmartBlinds app, which isn’t as good. For example, the device page doesn’t have the same opening/closing visualization as the Tilt app. So there’s just a big empty space where the blind visualization should be and a spot on the far right side to slide your finger to open or close the blinds.
SmarterHome is working on combining the two into a single app, but it isn’t available yet. If you don’t plan to mix and match SmarterHome shades and blinds, this won’t be an issue. For those few who do, it’s a definite inconvenience until the apps are merged.
Review SmarterHome’s privacy statement for more information.
If you want a smart shade to boost energy efficiency: Lutron Serena Architectural Honeycomb Shades are a cellular-style model we tested and really liked. Lutron claims the shades’ unique shape helps insulate windows from heat and cold transfer. As with other Serena devices, these shades work on the same app, with the same lineup of features as its roller shades, including compatibility with Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and Apple HomeKit.
We are looking at retrofit devices, which let you add smart capabilities to an existing shade or blind.
We no longer recommend the Graber Motorized Shades. In recent tests, we had a critical issue with the app: We were told to update the time zone, which was already correct, and then we were stuck behind a pop-up window and couldn’t use the app. We were also unable to integrate with Alexa at all. A Graber representative confirmed that the Alexa glitch was a known issue and claimed it had been resolved. But other users have continued to experience the same problem for months.
This article was edited by Jon Chase and Grant Clauser.
Megan Wollerton is a product tester and an award-winning feature writer. Previously she spent a decade at CNET reviewing all manner of gear and writing long stories about nature. Before that, she blogged for NBC's Syfy Channel. When she isn’t overusing the em dash, Megan is either spending time outside or tracking down the best desserts in a 100-mile radius.
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Automatic Sliding Gate Motor Wirecutter is the product recommendation service from The New York Times. Our journalists combine independent research with (occasionally) over-the-top testing so you can make quick and confident buying decisions. Whether it’s finding great products or discovering helpful advice, we’ll help you get it right (the first time).