Shades and blinds provide privacy, and they prevent harsh sunlight from heating up your home and aging your furnishings. Smart versions of those devices also do all of that, but they can run on autopilot so you don’t have to lift a finger.
When it comes to smart window coverings, Lutron is a standout. Its Serena Smart Roller Shades and Serena Smart Wood Blinds have both earned top spots for their sturdy hardware and quiet motors, user-friendly app, effortless automation setup, and wide range of design options. However, custom window coverings are often expensive, and Lutron’s Serena line is no exception.
If you don’t need custom sizing and are okay with gray, our budget pick, the IKEA Fyrtur, works well, is good-looking, and costs a fraction of the price.
Our pick
This option is the best in every way—sturdy, with reliable hardware, a wide range of compatibility, ultra-quiet motors, and straightforward automations.
Compatibility: Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, Google Home
Lutron Serena Smart Roller Shades provided us with the best experience we’ve had using smart window coverings: automations that truly handle everything for you, unobtrusive motors you can barely hear, and a straightforward app with tons of features.
Serena shades are compatible with all of the major smart-home platforms, so you can opt for the one you prefer when you’re creating Automations or Routines or using quick voice commands. In addition to the shades, you also need to purchase a Lutron hub.
Lutron sells full blackout, translucent, and sheer shades in more than 100 color and style options, though all of its products are fairly pricey.
Runner-up
This Bluetooth-enabled smart shade comes with a small solar strip, so you never have to recharge the batteries yourself.
Compatibility: Amazon Alexa
SmarterHome MySmartRollerShades blend solid design with hands-free battery charging. We especially like the battery-charging setup, thanks to an included solar-panel accessory. In practice, we think this is potentially a huge benefit for those with hard-to-reach windows or mobility issues, or if you simply don’t want to bother.
Out of the box, these shades are Bluetooth-only. So a Wi-Fi hub is required to enable smart functionality. One hub can support dozens of shades.
Budget pick
These affordable, standard-size shades offer easy app control, and they integrate with all of the major smart-home platforms.
Compatibility: Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, Google Home
IKEA Fyrtur shades prove that cheaper doesn’t have to mean cheap-looking. These shades will tantalize bargain hunters, if they’re lucky enough to have windows that accommodate the available line of standard sizes. We appreciate the easy-open battery compartment, which makes recharges easier, and an app that’s nicer than some of its pricier counterparts.
Though Fyrtur shades do come with a wireless remote and transmitter, the IKEA Dirigera Hub is needed to enable smart features. Other than the Lutron shades, the Fyrtur shades were the only ones we tested that provided compatibility with Alexa, Google Home, and HomeKit.
Our pick
These slick, stellar smart blinds subtly open and close throughout the day based on the position of the sun.
Compatibility: Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, Google Home
Lutron Serena Smart Blinds share the same overall quality of the Serena shades. But these blinds are the most hands-off product we tested for this guide, due to their ability to dynamically adjust automatically. This incredible opt-in feature, called Natural Light Optimization, uses your current location and details about the direction of the sun to automatically open and close the blinds, to provide the best light quality possible while minimizing glare.
An important note: Unlike smart shades, these blinds don’t mechanically raise or lower; only the louvers are powered.
Like the Lutron Serena Smart Roller Shades, these blinds require a Lutron Caséta Smart Hub, and they work with Alexa, Google Home, and HomeKit.
Runner-up
This well-rounded blind includes a solar charger that relieves you of having to fuss with battery charging or replacement.
Compatibility: Amazon Alexa
SmarterHome MySmartBlinds combine particularly simple installation, clever battery charging, and features that truly let the blinds do all the work. Similar to the company’s MySmartRollerShades, these blinds come with a solar-charging accessory, which helped provide the best experience of any model we tested. These blinds come in a greater size range than Lutron offers, for both width and length, so may be the best or only option for especially large windows.
MySmartBlinds use Bluetooth by default, which we don’t recommend due to range and functionally limitations. So you’ll need to spring for a SmarterHome MySmartBlinds Bridge to connect them to Wi-Fi and enable smart features.
