There isn’t a huge range of HomeKit smart blinds in Australia, but there a few great options at different price points. HomeKit compatible smart blinds will work with the Apple Home app on your iDevices and you can also use the Siri Voice Assistant to control them too. Plus most HomeKit compatible blinds will also work with Google Home and Alexa.
The Best HomeKit Smart Blinds
These are the best HomeKit smart blinds available in Australia:
Luxaflex Powerview – My Pick
Pros
- Battery Powered or Hard Wired – Choice of options to suit your setup
- Range of Blinds– You can automate a range of different blind types including honeycomb blinds.
- Remote Control – Comes with a remote that can control all the blinds in your home
Cons
- Expensive – Luxaflex blinds are expensive.
- No Thread or Matter Support – No word yet whether these blinds will support Thread or Matter.
Powerview is the blind motorisation platform from HunterDouglas (the parent company of Luxaflex). Luxaflex is an international blind manufacturer that has an extensive presence in Australia. I’ve chosen to use these blinds in my apartment and you can check out my full Luxaflex smart blinds review here. When I got my smart blind put in, Powerview was the only real option for HomeKit blinds in Australia.
Luxaflex Powerview Blinds can be battery powered or hard wired. They work using a Hub, which I’ve found to be quite reliable and I haven’t experienced connection issues. The blinds also come with a remote which is very convenient. I use a combination of voice control, the remote, automation and the app to control the blinds and set different scenes. The app works well and is interchangeable with the Apple Home app.
The one downside of going down the Luxaflex route is price. The blinds are very expensive. The upside is you’re getting a very high quality blind and the Powerview platform has been around for a while and is tried and tested.
Aqara Roller Shade Driver
If you’re looking to convert existing blinds into smart blinds, then the Aqara Roller Shade Driver is a great option.
I tested this blind on a 3 meter wider blind and it had no problem lowering or raising the blind. The driver can work with both plastic or metal beads. It can be run wirelessly with a built in battery or can be plugged in via USB-C. Best of all, installation is super simple, just screw it to the wall!
The Aqara driver is Zigbee compatible and also works with HomeKit. You do need an Aqara hub which will connect it to your smart home. The hub will also let you use other Aqara smart devices.
Eve MotionBlinds
Pros
- Battery Powered – No need to hard wire these blinds.
- Thread Compatible – Future proofed networking. Matter and Bluetooth support too.
- Pull Control – Control the blinds using the rod or chord as well as HomeKit
Cons
- Roller Blinds Only – No support for Honeycomb style blinds
Eve MotionBlinds is a new HomeKit smart blind available in Australia. It’s currently being sold by a number of blind manufacturers in Australia. It’s worth looking to see if your local blind company supports Eve MotionBlinds as I think it’s one of the best platforms.
Eve MotionBlinds only works with roller blinds. So if you want honeycomb blinds you’ll need to use Luxaflex Powerview.
The great thing about MotionBlinds is they support Thread. Thread is a mesh networking protocol for smart devices that is super fast and super reliable. To use Thread you’ll need a Border Router device. If you own a Apple TV 4K or a HomePod mini you already have a Thread Hub. These devices will replace the traditional smart hub and allow you to control the smart blinds remotely. They’ll also improve connectivity between the blinds and your devices so you’ll encounter fewer (if any) connection issues. Thread is a future proof feature that more and more smart devices are adding. I highly recommend looking for HomeKit products that support Thread.
If you’re looking for a Smart Roller Blind that will work with HomeKit and in the future will work on any platform (Matter Support) then the Eve MotionBlinds are a great option. They are available in Australia today from a number of different manufacturers.
Soma Smart Shades – Budget Pick
If you have an existing roller blind and want to convert it into a HomeKit compatible smart blind, you can do that using the Soma Smart Shades.
This little device connects into the cord of your existing blind to pull them up or down. Surprisingly it does work quite well. However, the experience is never going to be as smooth as using the Eve MotionBlinds or the Luxaflex Powerview which have a motor built into the top rail.
Find out more about the Soma Smart Shades.
Ikea Smart Blinds
Ikea Smart Blinds are now available in Australia and they are compatible with HomeKit. These blinds come in fixed widths, so they won’t work in every window.
To get these blinds working with HomeKit as well as Google Home or Alexa, you’ll need the TRÅDFRI Gateway Hub. This is used to control all Ikea Smart Home products.
The Ikea smart blinds are battery powered with a removable rechargeable battery pack.
The Ikea Smart Blinds are a budget pick that you can install yourself. If you have a standard window size then these will work well.
Why HomeKit Smart Blinds?
What’s the advantage of having HomeKit smart blinds? Here are some of the pros:
- Automations – You can setup automations to automatically open, close (or anything in between). For example you could open your bedroom blinds in the morning instead of using an alarm and wake up to natural light. Or automatically close your blinds at night.
- Open and Close All Blinds at Once – If you have a lot of blinds, then being able to control them all at once is a huge timesaver.
- Voice Control – Homekit smart blinds will work with Siri. You can ask Siri to open or close your blinds or ask Siri to set a specific scene.
