These awesome shades replaced my plantation shutters. They let in so much more light when open. I use Lutron Caseta switches for lights, Apple Homekit (Home) running on Apple TV 4k 3rd Gen as hub. These shades connected right away, and I automated them to open and close at sunrise/sunset. They also respond to Siri "Close shades halfway" and other commands. My wife just uses the included remote, so they work however you want.
The iPad Mini 3 as a hub was not stable, I recommend Apple TV with the thread motors from Canisteo.
I chose the battery power, so I will just plug into the wall once every 6mo to recharge them, easy.
Great product works and fits perfect
The remote control was already paired and works flawlessly. There are tons of options for setting the height and degree of light blocking. I have no need to control it with Alexa or my phone, so I can't comment on that. It is super quiet. The usb cable is extremely long so re-charging is simple. (I'm re-charging with a charging block since there's no outlet nearby. It seems to be working fine.)
The blinds are sturdy, high quality, look lovely in a neutral grey color, and are not super thick or heavy, but still block out enough light to help me sleep. I like that there are many simple options in terms of how much light to let in, which I'm planning on trying out in the summer to reduce air conditioning costs while still enjoying some summer light filtering in. See pictures with some different options, during the daylight. (During the night, the room is quite dark.)
I bought these for my bedroom. I'm the type of person who can't properly wake up and get out of bed without natural light, yet I live in a condo community and need privacy at night. With the Alexa integration, I have these set to close at sunset and open in the morning when my alarm goes off. It has made getting up in the morning SO much easier and happier for me.
The 70% light filtration is perfect for me. If they are closed during daylight hours you can still see the inside the room, but they provide great privacy. They block direct lights from the outside at night (e.g. streetlights, my neighbors' porch lights) but do have an unobtrusive glow to them.
