I am not the first DRN editor to play with motorised blinds, and Lee’s panic over how to measure windows is an image seared into my consciousness. So when Smartwings Home approached me, I was both intrigued and concerned about the process.
Ordering SmartWings Blackout Cellular Shades
Unlike many technology reviews where you simply open the box and start testing, the SmartWings experience begins weeks before delivery. Because every blind is custom manufactured, the decisions you make during ordering are just as important as the product that eventually arrives.
The experience starts with the Smartwings website. They offer an array of motorised blinds and shades in multitudes of colours, finishes, fabric and functions.
Part of the journey was to decide on what blinds I want, before I got to what size I need.
And before I forget, they do all their measurements in imperial – that’s in inches.
My basic requirements were:
- to help with insulation – reducing the heat transfer through old windows in an old home.
- blackout so the little ones can sleep better
As a review site, we do stay within the parameters with the brands we work with. If you are under the impression that it’s a free for all situation, let me assure you that the reality is definitely different. Smartwings and I came to an agreement that we will run with some Blackout Cellular Shades Nowa.
Onto the challenge that terrifies Lee and Mandy, the website provides detailed instructions on how to measure for your windows.
For best performance – thermal and black out – the recommendation is to have the blinds inset into the window frame. This is called an inside mount and allows the blinds to be closer to the glass.
In this configuration, you need to measure edge to edge on the inside of your window frame. You also need a depth clearance of at least 7 centimetres in order for the valance to recess fully into the space.
For me, as I have a mullion and transom that divides my windows into separate sections, an inside mount was out of the question. I went with an outside mount. The recommendation here is to measure right to the outside edges of your frame.
An important point here is – don’t be shy and really measure right to the edges for either method. Smartwings will make any adjustments necessary to ensure clearance, particularly for an inside mount. Don’t short change your measurements and end up with a bigger gap than necessary.
On the website, the widest you can order the shades is 109 and 7/8″ (2790.8mm). However for my master bedroom window, I needed 111 3/4″ (2838.5mm) – almost a 5 centimetre difference.
After consulting with the production line, Smartwings was happy to confirm that they can accommodate the width that I require. If you are considering Smartwings and are going to run into a similar issue, reach out and talk to them before giving them a pass!
You also need to measure the vertical length you need.
Once the sizing is taken care of, the hardest decision is choosing all the other options. So let’s step through what is available in the Blackout Cellular Shades Nowa range.
Choosing the Right Cellular Shade Fabric
The fabric comes in Single Cell, Double Cell and Double Cell Leucothea. After a bit of research, this is the difference.
| Feature | Single Cell | Double Cell | Double Cell Leucothea |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construction | One honeycomb air pocket | Two stacked honeycomb air pockets | Two stacked honeycomb air pockets |
| Thermal Insulation | Good | Excellent | Excellent |
| Noise reduction | Good | Better | Better |
| Weight | Lightest | Slightly heavier | Slightly heavier |
| Fabric | Standard polyester fabric | Standard double-cell polyester fabric | Leucothea-branded double-cell fabric |
| Appearance | Standard | Standard | Premium fabric finish |
| Price | Usually lowest | Usually mid-range | May cost more depending on fabric and configuration |
| Best suited to | Moderate insulation needs and smaller windows | Older or single-glazed windows where insulation is important | The same insulation-focused applications, with a specific Leucothea fabric finish |
What is Leucothea? I pondered that myself for a while, and I can confirm that she is in fact, not the Greek White Goddess of the Foam. At least not in this instance.
At first glance, the material genuinely looks and even feels like heavy paper or thin cardboard. But research says it is a 100% polyester non-woven fabric that is soft and fabric-like, albeit with a slightly papery appearance.
The cell structure mimics a honeycomb shape to trap air, providing insulation that helps keep heat out in summer and warmth in during winter. At least that is the idea.
Power Options and Motor Selection
Smartwings offers three different ways to power your motorised blinds:
- battery
- DC 12V
- PoE (Power over Ethernet)
If it is a new build house, DC or PoE is probably the logical choice. Personally I went with the battery option because that means I don’t have to run power or ethernet cables for this installation.
The good news is, you don’t need to keep plugging in a power bank to charge the battery, there is an option to purchase solar panels.
Another key decision point is which side to install the motor on.
The blinds are fully assembled at the factory, and the motor is installed and internally connected before dispatch. I went with the option where the motor is furthest away from where the kids would put their heads down on their pillows.
Knowing which side the motor is installed also helps make it easier to know which side faces out when it comes to mounting it on the window.
Which SmartWings Motor Should You Choose?
As for the motor itself, you do want to go through the options as there are eleven variants!
| Motor Type | What You Need | Compatible Platforms | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard Motor | SmartWings multi-channel remote control | Remote control only | The simplest option for users who do not need smart-home integration. |
| Zigbee Motor | A compatible Zigbee smart-home hub | Alexa, Google Home, Samsung SmartThings, Home Assistant, Hubitat and Homey | A good choice for established Zigbee smart-home systems. |
| Alexa Motor | A compatible Amazon Echo device | Amazon Alexa | Designed primarily for homes built around the Alexa ecosystem. |
| Z-Wave Plus Motor | A compatible Z-Wave smart-home hub | Alexa, Google Home, Samsung SmartThings, Home Assistant, Hubitat and Homey | Suitable for users who already have a Z-Wave network. |
| Matter over Thread Motor | A Matter-compatible smart-home hub with Thread Border Router functionality | Apple Home, Alexa, Google Home, Samsung SmartThings, Home Assistant, Hubitat and Homey | The option chosen for this review. It offers broad ecosystem compatibility without requiring a proprietary bridge. |
| PoE Matter over Ethernet Motor | A Matter Controller and PoE network switch | Apple Home, Samsung SmartThings, Alexa and Google Home | Receives both power and data through Ethernet, making it best suited to new builds or renovations with structured cabling. |
| Hardwired Variants | A suitable permanent power connection | Depends on the selected motor protocol | Hardwired power versions are available for the main motor options, avoiding the need to recharge a battery. |
Choosing the Right SmartWings Remote
You can opt for a 5 channel or 15 channel candy bar style remote, or the eight channel Helix Dial remote in either Silver or Black.
The Helix Dial looks really nice, but yes, it only goes up to 8 channels. So the option is to either run with the 15 channel, or multiple remotes and essentially section off your house.
Ordering, Manufacturing and Delivery
Once you have selected all your options, colour and fabric, you can label that configuration as part of the order. What Smartwings does is to label the packages so you don’t have to figure out what is what when they arrive.
This wasn’t an issue for me due to the vastly different lengths of my blinds, but it may be for you.
From the time when I submitted the Bill of Materials, to the delivery of my Smartwings Blinds was just nine days. That is, manufactured, assembled, packaged, shipped from China, and delivered via DHL to my doorstep in Melbourne Australia.
Smartwings took no chances with the products, with layers of cardboard, foam, bubble wrap, corner protectors to minimise the chances of damage in transit.
My two blinds and accessories all arrived in perfect condition.
Installing the SmartWings Blinds
This is where the Smartwings blinds really shine.
For my first set of blinds, I got my handyman to pop around to help. It literally took him all of about five minutes, three of them was us removing the packaging.
The first set of blinds were shorter, being for one of the kid’s rooms. He just drilled six holes – 2 per bracket, then the blinds just clip on. You push the blind’s leading edge into the clip spring, and check that the trailing edge is catching the ledge at the back and you are done.
It was so simple that I sacked him and did the second one myself. I just needed to bring out my drill, he handily left his drill bit behind, and I only needed 15 minutes to do the four brackets. I’m not too bad at it, with my skills far surpassing Lee’s.
The blinds are surprisingly manageable in terms of weight, making it possible to do as a single person project. However if they are a bit long and unwieldy, get help so you don’t accidentally punch it through the glass or damage a wall.
Smart Home Setup and Matter Pairing
The Helix Remote does not come paired with the blinds, but clear instructions are provided to do it yourself.
The process is straightforward. Simply put the blinds into pairing mode, select the desired channel on the remote, and complete the pairing. If you have paired a Bluetooth headset before, this will feel very familiar.
Matter pairing was equally painless. I had no issues connecting the blinds to my Echo Show 11. The pairing procedure is slightly different from the remote, but SmartWings provides clear instructions and I had everything connected within a few minutes.
From there it was simply a case of saying, “Alexa, open the master bedroom blinds to 60%,” and letting the magic happen.
Over the weeks I have had the blinds installed — including while I was away in Shanghai — the blinds remained connected to Alexa without any intervention. More importantly, I didn’t receive a single complaint from the family that they had stopped responding or needed to be repaired.
Whether using the Helix Remote or voice commands through Alexa, the blinds responded promptly and consistently to every command I issued.
Things to Consider Before Buying
Surprisingly few.
The motors are a little noisier than I expected. It’s not annoying or loud, but it definitely is not silent. But considering you are not going to be opening and closing your blinds constantly, I am happy to give that a pass.
I had a weird issue after one of the blinds “fell down” (kids, don’t ask). The first time I put the blinds down, it only unspooled halfway then the movement stopped. However, the motor kept going until it determined that it should have reached the maximum extended point.
The issue fixed itself when I told it to retract fully then extend again, but it got me thinking.
From what I can tell, there is no distance sensor between the controller, the motor and the blinds themselves. It runs on a time period. So if you ask for 20% open, the controller knows this blind is X length, so therefore the run time is Y seconds.
It’s a smart way of doing things, given that the size of the windows are a known constant. Just one less thing to potentially fail.
Thermal Performance and Blackout Effectiveness
The outcome I wanted, was to improve the temperature in the rooms.
The short answer was, on cold days, it is still cold. But the longer answer is more nuanced.
To start with, these are custom sized blinds – compared to standard blackout blinds that I bought from Costco a few years ago. That means for both bedrooms that I installed the Smartwings blinds in, the immediate differences are:
- Black out is far more effective. Not just around the edges, but also through the material.
- My old blackout blinds still leaks some light through the material, but the Smartwings ones are pretty amazing for it.
Reduction in draft. In particular in the master bedroom where the windows extend essentially to the floor, the properly fitted Smartwings went down far enough, that I no longer feel the draft on the floor when I walk next to the window.
Similarly when I go to the sides, because of the overlap right to the outside of the timber frame, it does a good job with insulating.
What it doesn’t do, is dramatic improvements in room temperature.
Liam’s verdict after a few weeks was simply, “It doesn’t make a lot of difference.” I think that’s a fair observation. Cellular blinds aren’t a replacement for double glazing and better overall insulation. But what they do is reduce heat transfer and slow heat loss overnight. After the house warms to a decent temperature, it takes a bit longer for the heat to dissipate, improving comfort near the window.
What I did for him though, was to layer the 3M Window insulation film on the frame, under the SmartWings blinds – I could do that because the blinds are mounted on the outside. It’s a cost effective, although temporary, way to reduce the thermal transfer even more.
Master bedroom: Before and After
Pros and Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
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Final Verdict
Unlike your average consumer gadget where you could walk into a shop, or read a review, and just click Buy Now, buying motorised blinds online is an end-to-end experience.
The process begins with the website, trusting the instructions to measure the size yourself, choosing the style and many options before placing an order of potentially thousands of dollars.
Then if you are like Lee, you wait and panic until the blinds arrive and you install them, worrying if they will really fit. If you followed Smartwings’ instructions and didn’t tie knots in your tape measure before taking a reading, you are in pretty good hands.
And in all honesty, I had a good dialogue going with Smartwings, I consulted with them over choices and the non-standard width I needed. The products arrived fast, accurate and easy to install.
Did it magically fix my temperature issue? No. Did I expect it to? No. But it did keep the temperature stable longer, and the black out part works really well.
Would I change anything about my order?
Yes. Firstly I would have opted for a 5-channel remote for the kid’s bedroom rather than sharing the one Helix Remote and relying on Alexa.
Secondly, I would have argued harder for the Smartwings Levitate range for the front of house. The cleaner, floating appearance would suit feature windows, and allow for better privacy whilst still letting light in from the top.
The blackout cellular shades remain my pick for bedrooms where insulation and light blocking matter most.
Overall, the experience was solid and we are all very pleased with the outcome.
DRN would like to thank Smartwings Home for providing the review units. Detail of my order is as below.
