Mike Peterson
Eve Systems, which makes HomeKit-enabled tech, has announced that its MotionBlinds window covering collaboration with Coulisse will debut in early 2022.
News that Eve and Coulisse were teaming up to produce new smart blind motors with Thread support surfaced earlier in 2021. Now, the two companies have announced that Eve MotionBlinds will launch early in 2022.
The Eve MotionBlinds will be the first smart blind motors on the market to support the Thread technology, which should simplify installation, automation, and control of motorized window coverings.
"With the integration of Thread, Coulisse and Eve take a head start on the connected home future that awaits the blinds industry," says Christiaan Roetgering, owner and CEO of Coulisse. "By enabling installation, automation and control directly on the iPhone, Eve MotionBlinds are the perfect complement to our fully integrated window coverings offering."
The Eve MotionBlinds won't require a proprietary bridge. Instead, they'll support direct Bluetooth and Thread connections. Users will be able to add the motorized blinds to their setups with a simple HomeKit code. For users with a Border Router in their smart home kit, Eve MotionBlinds will join a network automatically. For Apple users, a Border Router could be a HomePod mini or an Apple TV 4K.
Eve and Coulisse said that roller blinds powered by the Eve MotionBlind system will become available from Coulisse retailers in early 2022. The Eve MotionBlinds are currently available for pre-order in some countries.
MotionBlind motors for curtains, Venetian blinds, and cellular shades will launch later, Eve and Coulisse said.
Sponsored Content
Wesley Hilliard
AppleInsider Staff
Andrew Orr
Amber Neely
William Gallagher
6 Comments
I wanted to compare these new shades to the Lutron Serena Smart Blinds, which has been pretty much the only game in town for ultra-wide blinds (over 48") or for homeowners who wanted to "graduate" from IKEA to something nicer.
For those of you who don't know, the IKEA Fyrtur smart blinds come in a handful of fixed widths from 60-120cm (23 5/8" ~ 47 1/4"). Each blind works independently with the items included in the package, but to integrate them with the big 3 smart home systems, you must use three components: the remote control, the signal repeater, and the Trådrfri gateway. Only the Trådfri is a separate purchase. The IKEA system uses ZigBee, and it's a bit of a chore to set up and pair for the first time. Once it's paired, though, it's fine and dead reliable. If you have to reset it, though, it's going to be a real test of your patience.
So I went to the Belgian pre-order site to price out some blinds for my nearly 8-foot wide living room window, with the following options:
The final price as configured is 358.37 Euros, or a shade over $400.
Meanwhile, a comparably configured, battery-operated Lutron Serena shade costs anywhere from $800 - $1,200 :s depending on fabric and options.
These Eve Smart Blinds are going to fill the void between those who want to do better than IKEA, and homeowners who can't justify $1,000 per window on smart blinds.
Rumor has it, Thread support is coming to Ikea's shades too, hopefully just a FW update...
It is useful in a number of ways, for example if you want your windows open at night but want the blackout blind in place before the sun rises.
ikea are no good for me as my Windows are all 180cm wide.