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SmartWings makes beautiful, high-quality blinds and shades which are fashionable and preferred. Expert reviewers have given SmartWings window treatments the title of “best smart shades overall”. Furthermore, SmartWings has been given a near excellent Trust Pilot rating. Discover the reasons for SmartWings’ amazing reputation in the smart window treatment niche.
Welcome back to Bud’s Smart Home, my name is Bud. SmartWings recently sent these two Matter powered, thread-based shades. I elected to install these Nowa Honeycomb shades in our guest bedroom. We’ll be taking a closer look at these shades. We’ll address available styles, fabric options, the ordering process, accessories, shade mounting, and smart app setup. I’ll then provide my overall opinion of these shades.
Speaking of my opinion, SmartWings did provide these shades in exchange for my opinion. And that’s exactly what I will provide, my straightforward opinion which is not subject to review or approval by SmartWings. Also know that I am an affiliate for SmartWings and Amazon. As such I may receive a small commission from any sale that is generated from the provided product links. Since your willingness to use my links rests on an arcuate portrayal of the products I feature, I always try to provide an honest and thorough assessment. By the way, the use of my product links does not increase your cost. It does however, help me to defray the expenses of content creation. Thank you!
In prior episodes I have reviewed the SmartWings Blackout Roller Shades, which I installed in our kitchen. I also reviewed the SmartWIngs Outdoor Roller shades that were added to our back porch. These window treatments and shades have proven to be reliable and durable and we consider them as a great compliment to our home.
SmartWings is the first company to implement Matter technology across its entire line of smart motorized window treatments. This matter capability allows seamless integration with prominent smart home platforms such as Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, Google Assistant, Hubitat and SmartThings.
SmartWings motorized window treatments are custom made to your specifications. The cost of these window treatments is comparable to other custom non-motorized window treatments. SmartWings blinds and shades are made with durable and attractive fabrics. They are constructed with sturdy metal headrails and bottom rails. SmartWings shades are also protected with a remarkable 3-year warranty on motors and controls and they provide free shipping on all orders worldwide, with no minimum.
The shades are offered in various light filtering levels to include 50, 70 and 100% light filtering. The 100% blackout shades are ideal for daytime sleepers and media room applications.
The shades are equipped with a lithium-ion battery, which provides a cordless design that is safer for children and pets. The rechargeable battery will supply power to the shade for 4-6 months of daily operation. The motor is fairly quiet, operating at less than 35 decibels.
As one of several expert testimonies, ZD Net has dubbed SmartWings window treatments as “The best smart shades overall”. SmartWings window treatments were compared to several other leading smart shade brands in the May 4, 2023, ZD Net article titled, “The best smart blinds”. The author also verified that SmartWings blinds and shades rated high in the categories of “value for money, quality, and compatibility options”. ZDNET is a business technology news website that explores the latest innovations to help consumers benefit from cutting-edge technology.
Trustpilot hosts an online review platform where consumers rate a purchase or service experience and write a corresponding product review. Customers have given SmartWings a near excellent Trustpilot score of 4.8 out of 5. An astounding 81 percent of customers give SmartWings a 5-star rating. This is good evidence of SmartWings’ unparalleled customer service. Having worked with the SmartWIngs team for over 2 years I can personally attest to the quality of their products and customer service.
The SmartWings website can be accessed at smartwingshome.com. SmartWings has an ever-expanding line of window treatments and accessories to include Roller Shades, Honeycomb Shades, Zebra Shades, Woven Wood Shades, Outdoor Shades, Hardwired Shades and Drapery. They also will provide Fabric Swatches to ensure that the color and fabric of your selected window treatment compliment your homes’ décor.
Once you select the type and style of your shade or blind, you’ll then select a Fabric color. This is where those fabric swatches can be helpful.
Next you will indicate the Mounting Type. Do you want to mount your shades inside or outside the window frame? If your windows have a shallow frame then you will need to select the outside mount. If you have deep window wells then the inside window frame mount may be preferrable.
You must then enter the specific measurements of your window openings. SmartWings provides a detailed section so that you can be sure of perfect fitting shades.
With your measurements verified, you will then select a motor type. Motor types include, Standard, which is controlled with a multichannel remote, or you can select one of several smart home wireless-controlled motors to include the protocols of Zigbee, Alexa, Z-Wave Plus, HomeKit Over Thread or Matter Over Thread. The Matter Over Thread motor is the one that I selected. All SmartWings motors may also be controlled via the optional multichannel remote. This gives guests the ability to control the shades without having knowledge of specific voice commands.
Next, you’ll consider an optional solar panel. My experience is that the motors last nearly six months with daily opening and closing. So, if you don’t mind attaching a charging cable once every six months then a solar panel is unnecessary. I did install solar for these bedroom shades and I also have solar panels with water-tight connectors on my outdoor shades. My kitchen blind is charged twice a year with the provides charging cable.
Next you’ll consider the need for a remote controller. Your options are None, 5-Channel, 15-Channel, or a Helix Eight Channel remote. The multichannel remotes let you control your shades individually or as a group. The Helix controller allows you to conveniently dial the shade to a specific percentage opening.
Next you will indicate which side of the shade that you want your motor installed. My preference is for the right side, being that I am right-handed.
And lastly, you have the option to add a Room Label to each purchased Shade. This helps ensure proper shade placement assuming you order multiple shades.
The SmartWings Nowa Light Filtering Honeycomb shades we received were nicely packaged. The box contents included easy to understand installation pamphlets, a 5-Channel remote, charging cables, mounting brackets, fasteners, solar panels and a glove and tool kit to aid in mounting.
SmartWings provides clear installation instructions which made it easy for me to mount my shade. The shade mounting brackets are designed with channel clips that fasten in to a track on the rear of the shade housing. Once you mount the provided brackets on the wall surface, the shade is easily snapped in place.
Once the shade is mounted, you must then wake the motor to exit sleep mode. To wake the motor, hold the programming button on the motor head until the motor jogs once.
To begin paring of the roller shade, just press the motor head programming button for 6 seconds until the motor jogs twice, then release the button. The solid red light indicates that you have entered paring mode.
To add these Matter shades to SmartThings, just open your SmartThings app, place the motor in pairing mode, and the app will automatically discover the shade. The app will then request that you scan or manually enter the matter QR code. If you are using an iPhone, the app will first setup your device within your iCloud account. After iCloud setup, your device will connect your shades to your SmartThings hub and register it with your SmartThings account. If you have the Alexa app connected to your SmartThings app as your dedicated voice assistant, your shades will be added to the Alexa app as well.
Using the provided remote, you can now test the pre-programmed upper and lower limits. If adjustments are required, just follow the easy instructions for adjusting the shades limits.
What are opportunities for improvement of these shades? Let’s first discuss sound level. I don’t know if you noticed, but I characterized the shade motors as “fairly” quiet. Although I would not call the motors noisy, they are loud enough the you would notice them in a quiet bedroom setting. Especially when operating two blinds simultaneously. If SmartWings could lower the motor noise this would be a welcomed improvement.
The second item would go in the category of missing accessories. Although my shades were supplied with USB-C charging cables, there was no charging bricks included. I realize that most smart homes have one or more chargers lying around. However, I was concerned with having the proper voltage brick when charging my shades. I reviewed the pamphlets and was not able to confirm the appropriate voltage specs for the charging brick. I was fortunate to have a two SmartWings charging bricks from my former blind kit that I used to charge my two shades.
Although I did not have this next issue, some customers with inside mounted blackout shades expressed concern about light bleeding around the sides of the blinds. This sometimes happens despite one’s best effort to fit the blind properly within the widow well. SmartWings actually has a solution for this problem. SmartWings makes “Side Tracks” that block light along the sides of black out shades. They come with magnetic strips so that the light blocking tracks can be removed and then re-attached as needed. Removal of the side tracks may be necessary when removing screens or when tilting your widows inward for cleaning.
Lastly, let’s discuss the elephant in the room. Cost is one of the biggest deciding factors when buying window treatments. Custom window shades are no doubt costly. And the quantity of accessories that you add can cause the price to rise quickly. Although the cost of SmartWings motorized shades is comparable to custom non-motorized window treatments, the cost for standard vinyl box store venetian blinds is much less. For some, standard box store blinds are the ideal solution.
The price of the shades which I installed in our guest bedroom were valued at $390 each. That totals to $780 for the pair. This is incudes the cost for the optional solar panels at $50 per panel and a single five channel remote at $16. This pair of blinds would cost $664 dollars, minus these optional accessories.
Of course, certain SmartWings window treatment selections will be more expensive based on window size and the type of materials selected. Keep in mind that when you decide you want to purchase smart blinds, it should be an investment that you’ll be able to enjoy for years to come. SmartWings blinds are built to last, and are priced accordingly.
If you are still reading this article, I must assume that you are a serious buyer interested motorized smart shades. So, should you invest in SmartWings shades? If you are the sort of person that seeks the least cost blind or shade and you shy away from technology, then a simple manual shade will likely be your best window treatment solution. However, if you are seeking the convenience of a stylish, reliable and easy to install smart shade that can be controlled by remote, a smart routine, or with voice commands, then I would have no hesitation in recommending SmartWings. They are an attractive, well-constructed, easy to install solution for your smart home. Bottom Line: SmartWings is first in class, offering a wide variety of smart blinds and shades that are sure to complement your home.
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🔵 ZDNet Review: http://tinyurl.com/mu7nmrce
🔵 Amazon Product Affiliate Links:
🛒- SmartWings Store: https://amzn.to/4a6u05N
🛒- SmartWings Blackout Cellular Shades: https://amzn.to/47QUDtc
🛒- SmartWings Light Filtering Cellular Shades: https://amzn.to/47QUFRQ