IKEA
Smart blinds can be powered by line voltage, low voltage, battery, and even solar power. Each power source has a benefits and a downsides.
You might assume that smart blinds are all battery-powered, but there are more than a few ways to power the automagic of a smart blind assembly.
Line Voltage: Loads of Power
Old-school automated blinds, and some modern smart blinds, use line voltage—the same voltage found at the outlets in your home. For North American readers, that’s alternating current (AC) at 110 volts.
If you’ve ever been in a home with old-school automated blinds—long before smart home tech was common and even holiday lights were automated and cloud-connected, some high-end homes had semi-automated systems controlled by switches or remotes—there is one thing that stands out: the noise.
Automated blinds that run off line voltage tend to have very noisy AC motors, and there is zero question as to whether or not the motor is in operation. The noise can be substantial in a large room with multiple automated blinds.
One area where line voltage-powered blinds shine is strength. They might be…
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