Key Takeaways

BlindsMagic Smart Motorized Roller Shades offer an affordable, DIY smart window covering with HomeKit integration. The installation process requires some effort and patience, but the automation options are extensive. Battery life is good, but charging can be a pain for a variety of reasons. There are a lot of smart home products that can make a home more efficient, but none are as cool as smart blinds. The BlindsMagic Smart Motorized Roller Shades are an affordable way to add motorized, connected window coverings to your home, and while I was skeptical about the DIY project, it turned out great overall.

BlindsMagic Smart Motorized Roller Shades

BlindsMagic smart shades are designed to work seamlessly with popular smart home systems like HomeKit, Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and more. No matter where you are, you can always stay in control of your home from your smartphone.

Pros

• Customizable (charging port, app compatibility, light filtering)
• Native HomeKit support with Matter
• Fast, quiet operation

Cons

• Some of the paper instructions were outdated and difficult to follow
• Not all USB-C cables supported for charging

Price & Availability

The BlindsMagic Smart Motorized Roller Shades are one of several styles of available window coverings from the company. These start at $144.99, but increase in price after 29 inches wide and 69 inches long. Some of the different design and technology options also come at a cost. I found that even when opting for a few non-standard options, the price for smart roller shades was still competitive.

Specs

• App Compatibility: Apple, Google, Alexa, SmartThings
• Battery Life: Approximately 600 uses per charge
• Voice Control: Yes

Sound

Measure twice, cut once.

Tyler Hayes / How-To Geek

I’ve been interested in smart blinds of some sort for a while now, but the cost and installation have put me off. An invite to test out BlindsMagic put my hesitations to rest. The company provided three shades to cover a bay window, but did not pay for this review. Before trying the company’s product, I would have been skeptical about using BlindsMagic myself, since the images on the site are heavily staged. It’s hard to know for sure that what’s shown is what’s actually shown. After receiving a few shades, I feel more confident in the products. (You can order material samples in advance, if that helps.)

This route still requires a DIY mentality and a bit of faith. In the end, it took me several hours to remove the old blinds from three windows, install the new shades, and figure out the remote and HomeKit integration. I used the inside-mount option and was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to get the hardware in place, minus all the time I spent double-checking measurements, pre-drilling, and those steps. As an aside, BlindsMagic recommends measuring the top and bottom of your windows, and I found out firsthand that the top can be a significantly different measurement than the middle or bottom — oops.

The Technology of Smart Window Coverings

Tyler Hayes / How-To Geek

I run a home that primarily uses Apple HomeKit, so I was interested in BlindsMagic's Matter connectivity. This is the latest standard that should ensure that compatible products remain relevant and functional for as long as possible. There are options for Alexa-controlled blinds or Zigbee-compatible blinds, so you'll want to choose your tech preference accordingly. It seems like a good idea to pick up a physical remote as a backup, since I don't think any of the window covering options have manual cords.

After installing the blinds, it only took a few minutes to connect them to Apple's Home app. I put them into connectivity mode and scanned the QR code. It’s nice to be able to ask Siri to raise or lower the blinds on impulse from across the room. But the real reason smart blinds will change your life is because of their automation capabilities. I have the blinds set to close 30 minutes after sunset and open at sunrise. For me, this is better than setting a specific time, because the times automatically adjust throughout the year as the seasons change. If that’s too simplistic, the Home app offers automations related to people coming and going, when another smart device is used, or when a sensor detects something. A few examples of this include lowering the blinds when the thermostat reaches 75 degrees. Opening the blinds when you come home and closing them when you leave. Or if a certain light or fan comes on, closing the blinds.

Everyone’s experience with this will vary depending on what other smart devices they have, but the possibilities are endless.

Battery life is good, but charging is not so good

BlindsMagic advertises a battery life of four to six months, which the company says equates to about 600 uses. Once that’s depleted, it takes about six hours to recharge the battery. Right now, I have the blinds set to go up in the morning and down in the evening. Theoretically, I should get closer to a year’s battery life with that schedule. However, I’ve also been using them a lot more during the day, so over a few weeks I’ve been able to deplete the battery by about 12%. If you’re going to be using them frequently, like every few hours, then battery life can be a constant issue. It can be annoying to have to constantly charge your blinds.

So how did I charge the battery? Even with the option of a USB-C port on either the left or right side, outlets aren’t always nearby. I used a power bank and propped it up on the windowsill to reach the port. The very unfortunate part of the charging story is that none of my USB-C to USB-C cables worked. I had to use a USB-C to USB-A cable that was less smart and used a lower voltage. Despite Matter’s forward-thinking use of the blinds, the charging technology used isn’t exactly cutting edge.

Should You Buy the BlindsMagic Smart Motorized Roller Shades?

Tyler Hayes / How-To Geek

While I don’t know if I’d recommend outfitting an entire house with the BlindsMagic Smart Motorized Roller Shades without trying one out first, I was pleasantly surprised by the build quality, HomeKit integration, and battery life. I can’t vouch for everyone’s experience with BlindsMagic, but my experience has made me seriously reconsider whether some of the more expensive options are really worth the cost. These are pretty much what I was hoping for.

BlindsMagic Smart Motorized Roller Shades

BlindsMagic smart shades are designed to work seamlessly with popular smart home systems, such as HomeKit, Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and more. Wherever you are, you can always stay in control of your home with your smartphone.