Automated / Motorised blinds and blind systems

Blind Corner have been trading in the window blinds arena in the UK for over thirty-five years.

One area of expertise is Automated and Motorised blind systems.

Why Motorise? Why Automated?

Automated interior blind systems are becoming increasingly popular in the domestic and commercial market due to them becoming more affordable. In the past the motors had to be hard-wired, causing a significant amount of electrical and cosmetic work to be done on installation. With the emergence of battery-operated systems this cut back on some of the added costs. But the batteries were not cheap, and so motorised window blind systems were still outside the average person's budget for window dressings.

In recent years changes in child safety standards really focused attention on blind operating systems and how to improve them. When trying to make blinds safe, using a motor rather than cord and chain is a no brainer. There are also solar charging battery motors, these save you having to remove the battery for charging. But child safety is not the only benefit, this Motorised blind technology really helps those with limited mobility. You can control each window with a remote controller or can control all the windows in your house by linking them into your home hub system. Meaning you can pre programme times for the window systems to open and close.

For some this may still be a luxury, but for those who really need the help Motorised blinds and Automated blinds can be life changing.

Automation and Home hub

Motorisation and automation is now playing a role in the blind industry, with the price lowering many more are ordering them. There are many facets to the world of automation and motorisation. Let us start with motors, blind corner uses three suppliers for motors, Eclipse, Louvolite and Somfy.

Somfy is great for continuity and ease. They supply everything needed in a full home automation system. Their hub system is TaHoma, you can access the interface from phone, tablet or computer. If a customer was looking to automate their entire house from scratch this would be a good option. Somfy is easy to use and set up, it all comes from the same company so there are no compatibility issues.

Next there is Eclipse. Eclipse motors are great because they fit standard slotted tubes used for rollers. Which means if you had a blind made 2 years ago and decided to have it automated, we could literally sell you the motor and that would be you sorted, yes that simple. At present our customers have us set up their blind systems, but once you understand how it is done there is nothing stopping you adding more in the future without the expense of a fitter. The hub system Eclipse use is Neo smart blinds and the interface like the Somfy system can be accessed via phone, iPad or computer as well as Alexa. Yes, this one is voice activated. Neo integrates with Alexa with ease, you give your command and watch. For us Eclipse is versatile, you can have up to 15 blinds on one remote control and the fact you can use the motors on pre-existing tubes allows us to keep the cost down.

Louvolite is next up, their system one touch also links into the Neo smart blinds hub. Both interact with Alexa, both use the same hub system, but you have to sign into either Eclipse or Louvolite to access your control interface. The big bonus with Louvolite is that you can activate vertical blinds, this is not yet offered by any other company. Louvolite are the only suppliers at present that offer vertical motors. The only downside for the one touch system is roller tubes, we have to get specialised tubes in to fit their motors, obviously this has a knock-on effect with costs.

All three systems are good and there is not a lot to separate them from each other. Each is straight forward to set up and use. The hub systems are pretty generic so again easily understood even if you are not used to it. The cost for each motor is around the £40 mark so not a big difference their either. It comes down to preference, if you are thinking of going automated definitely have a look around and do your research. A lot of blind shops will have automatic blinds set up so you can go in and have a look at how they work.

Summary - Automated / Motorised blind systems

There are many reasons to have Motorised / Automated Blind Systems. More information, pricing and answers to any questions you may have can be provided on request.

Contact Us for details of Motorised / Automated Blind Systems UK
Blind Corner are a Motorised / Automated Blind Systems UK supplier.