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Did you ever imagine at any point in your lives that the common blind you use at home could be converted into a Smart blind by installing a special gadget? I’m sure you couldn’t have ever considered that happening in your wildest dreams, especially for those using blinds as old as 15 to 20 years.
Thanks to a major improvement in gadgets and technology, Blinds can now be controlled automatically in a smart way.
Switchbot, one of the world’s most reputable brands specializing in smart home tech, has released one of its most innovative smart products known as the Switchbot Blind Tilt. This amazing piece of gadget is solar-powered and can convert any blind into smart blinds. The fact that it is solar-powered means that it derives its power from a clean source of energy, which is renewable and easy to maintain, saving you lots of dollars in power bills.
An amazing gadget designed to make your blind smart
The major advantage of using the Switchbot Blind Tilt blind is that it can be used with just about any type of blind, including door blinds. There are various methods you can use to easily control your blinds.
- Using your smartphone (with the Switchbot App Installed)
- Voice command (Via Siri, Alexa, or Google home)
- Remote control (Comes packed with the device)
- Automatically set schedules (Comes with a light sensor that you can use to schedule Open and Close instructions automatically)
Having stated the various methods you can use to control this gadget, you should know that the Switchbot Blind Tilt is controlled through Bluetooth and not WIFI (at least, not directly). However, you can get or buy the Hub Mini from Switchbot and get unrestricted remote access to this amazing piece of tech through WIFI. With WIFI access you can control your Blind Tilt from any location in the world. The process of connecting your Switchbot Blind Tilt is pretty much straightforward. This is how to go about it.
- Purchase the Hub Mini from Switchbot
- Using your Switchbot phone app, pair your Hub Mini with your WIFI network
- Pair your Hub Mini with your blind Tilt
- At this stage, you can now control your Blind Tilt after successfully completing the pairing process
Compatible with different blinds
When purchasing any piece of tech, one of the important features you need to watch out for is the degree of compatibility with other devices. Thankfully, the Switchbot Tilt blind can be used with just about any Window or door blind, irrespective of the size of the blinds or tilt wand. To make compatibility with the different tilt wand sizes easier, this smart gadget comes packed in three wand sizes.
As earlier stated, the Switchbot tilt blind is compatible with most door blinds. You can use it in any location in your house as long as you have blinds for your windows, doors, balconies, etc., the Switchbot blind tilt will get the job done.
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Horizontal blinds pose a bit of a challenge for the Blind tilt. However, with some minor tweaks and calibration, you can get the blind tilt to work for horizontal blinds. The motor that comes with this gadget is strong enough to handle blinds with bigger slats. But when more power is required to rotate the wand, most especially when it involves human effort, you may want to go for something else.
Installation
The beauty of using the Switchbot blind Tilt is its ease of installation. Within 15 to 20 minutes, you should be done with your installation. The Open Flex Coupling could be a bit tricky to work with. But with some effort, you should be good to go. In special situations where the wand size isn’t standard, you may have to resort to the adapter that came with the product, and then put the Open Flex Coupling. Close it after applying a little pressure on it.
You may want to exercise some caution during installation, especially when working with the Open Flex Coupling so you don’t break it. The package doesn’t come packed with an extra Open Flex Coupling, so you’d have to use the one that comes packed with this piece of amazing tech.
The Wand adapters come in four sizes – Small, medium, large and extra-large. The different sizes of the wand adapters will ensure that you are able to fit the Open Flex Coupling depending on your needs. In case you have issues with getting any of the wand adapters to work or properly fit in, you can improvise with something as little as a piece of paper to make it fit.
The installation process is pretty easy to understand for everyone looking to get this amazing piece of smart tech. When using the app, you’ll see the set-up process as it comes loaded with video and pictorial guides. With those guides, you should be able to install the Switchbot Blind Tilt with little to no assistance.
Powerful Motors
To be able to effectively control the rotation of the Tilt wand, the Tilt blind comes with powerful motors that make a bit of noise during operation. The company has tried its best to suppress the noise, but more work in that aspect needs to be done.
Operation
The Switchbot Tilt Blind features basically two modes of operation. The Performance mode and the Silent mode.
- The Performance mode: As you know, anything that involves the performance mode of basically any equipment operation requires more power. It includes faster closing and opening operations, rotations, and other actions. The speedy operation of this mode means more noise, which can be uncomfortable if you are sensitive to noise, most especially at night. We advise that you use the silent mode if you hate noise.
The Silent mode: as the name implies, quiet operation, less noise but slower speed of operation. Although it operates more quietly than the performance mode, it has some noise that can make a noise loud enough to disturb at times, most especially in the dead of the night.
Efficient Smartphone App
The app plays an integral role in the smooth operation of the Switchbot tilt blind. As earlier stated, this smart product can be connected to your smartphone via Bluetooth, and then the app enables you to customize, control and troubleshoot the gadget.
Bluetooth isn’t the only method you can connect your smartphone to the Tilt blind. Those using the Mini Hub can connect their Tilt blind to WiFi via the Mini hub and then you can use your smartphone app to control and manage its operation from any location in the world.
Powered by the Sun
The Tilt Blind comes packed with a portable solar panel. It isn’t compulsory for you to install the solar panel that comes with it. If you live in areas where the power supply isn’t really available or consistent, you may want to install the solar panel. The solar panel comes with a Type C cable which you can use to connect directly to your Switchbot Tilt Blind’s Type C port.
The only major downside I see about the Switchbot Tilt blind is its non-replaceable battery. Despite this drawback, the battery lasts quite a long time before it fails to sustain a charge.
You can also use a regular USB Type C cable to charge this gadget, that’s if you are unable to make use of the solar panel or you don’t see the need for you to do so.
Summary
The Switchbot Tilt Blind provides a smart, innovative way of controlling your window and door blinds. It’s very easy to install and will take most people less than 15 minutes to install. You can control the device from any location in the world via the Mini Hub WIFI connection and your smartphone’s app working hand in hand. Through the Mini Hub’s WIFI connection, the Switchbot Tilt blind can communicate with other IoT-enabled devices, voice assistants, and WIFI apps.
In a world where homes are becoming smart by the day, thanks to technology, the Switchbot Tilt blind with take you a step further towards building a smart home.
