Adding Smart Curtains to Your Smart Home
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When looking to add smarts to your curtains or drapes you have a couple of options, first and foremost is whether you want to get all new curtains made or simply add some control to the ones you have. Going for made-to-order allows you to choose from a couple of quality brands that offer fully integrated smart home control as well as jazzing up your decor, but you’ll be looking at a big price tag, especially if you have a lot of windows to cover.
On the other hand, there are some fairly innovative products available now that allow you to fairly easily retrofit your existing curtains with smart motors for a much lower cost. The main thing with these solutions is that they won’t look as slick, but they’ll get the job done. There’s are few things to decide on up front, then I’ll run through the best DIY products for various curtain types before moving onto the professional made-to-order options.
While we’ll be looking specifically at curtains in this article, if you have other types of shades or blinds, we have coverage of those products as well.
My Top DIY Smart Curtain Picks
Best DIY Rod
SwitchBot Curtain 2
✔ Broad curtain compatibility
✔ Solar chargeable
✔ Good Support
Best DIY Track
Quoya AT5810
✔ Smooth and quiet operation
✔ Flexible install options
✔ 3 year warranty
Best Cord Motor
Soma Smart Shades 2
✔ Best smart home support
✔ No weight limit
✔ Good Support
Key Decision Points
What do you need from the smart features?
Going with smart curtains provides a number of convenience benefits and can help improve the energy efficiency of your home. To maximize these benefits, you’ll want to be able to integrate the curtains with a good smart home platform that allows for automation rules and voice control. Popular examples would be Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, and Smasung SmartThings.
If you aren’t looking to build rules linking your curtains to things like thermostats, weather sensors, and occupancy sensors then just having voice control is a good addition. Being able to command a curtain, or better yet a group of curtains, to open or close from wherever you are is certainly useful and probably something you’ll use more than whatever app comes with the curtain motor.
Those apps, however, are still useful for building schedules and often have a number of automation options built-in, such as responding to light levels or sunset and sunrise. After using a number of smart curtain products I actually find these to be enough 90% of the time, so ensuring that the solution you go with has a robust set of these features is also worthwhile.
How much noise is acceptable?
With any kind of smart device with a motor in it you’ll have to expect some level of noise when it’s operating. This is to be expected, but their volume does vary quite a bit between device types. Generally, the more built in the motor is to your curtain setup the quieter it will be, simply because it’s contained within a more robust enclosure.
The easiest to install options will be quite exposed and will subsequently let more noise escape, while professionally installed products will be the quietest due to the motors being hidden away. Remember we’re not talking about power drills here so even the noisiest motors will not be excessively loud, but they might be enough to wake someone if they’re in a bedroom.
Do you want to deal with batteries?
Many smart curtain motors run on batteries, even some of the professionally installed options. They will mostly have a long battery life, but it’s still an extra maintenance task that you need to add to your to-do list. If you don’t want to deal with that, you can opt for solar charging options to keep the battery topped off, or you can go with the plug-in motor options.
Having to plug the motor in solves the battery issue but creates the new issue of getting the power cord to an outlet. Not always a convenient option for every window. Installing extra outlets, or even running the cord into the ceiling and putting one there is certainly possible, but it’s a significant extra expense to consider on top of any purchases. Maybe charging batteries isn’t so bad after all.
Do-it-yourself Smart Curtains
These come in a few different forms that cater to different types of curtain rail. The main consideration here is matching the motor to the rail system you have. This could be a regular cylindrical curtain rod, or a track system.
Curtain rods may seem simple enough, but there are different diameters and the way the curtains are hung can vary widely. You may have fabric loops extending from the curtains, grommets through the curtains, curtain rings, or a number of other variants. This can impact how well these curtain motors can work, if at all.
Likewise, track systems come in different shapes such as I-rails and U-rails and can have pull cords that can complicate motorization. In some cases you may need to replace the track system itself with a smart version. In short, it’s important to check compatibility of any of these products with your setup thoroughly before pulling the trigger on a purchase.
I’ve selected a couple of good options for both rods and track systems below, plus an effective alternative if your curtains have a pull cord.
Smart Motors for Curtain Rods
SwitchBot Curtain Rod 2
★★★★✩
Key Features
• Supports Alexa, Google Assistant, IFTTT, Siri Shortcuts, SmartThings
• Bluetooth control via app
• Fits rods 15mm to 40mm
• 8-month battery life
• Built-in light sensor
• Easy Install
• Optional Remote control
• Optional Solar Panel
What I Like
The SwitchBot Curtain robot is a nifty way of very easily adding smarts to your curtains. You simply hang it on the curtain rod behind the inside edge curtain and it will push and pull the curtain along the rod on command. SwitchBot was the first to pioneer this approach to smart curtains, and it’s still the best of its type by a long shot.
This second-generation curtain robot has the addition of dynamic rollers which allow it to handle bumps in the curtain rod, such as you might find with the telescoping kind that allows you to adjust the length without cutting. Its beefed-up motor can push up to 8kg (17lbs) or curtain, which should handle just about anything you can throw at it, and it will detect if you try and move the curtains by hand and automatically kick in to take over for you.
This is a great feature as it means you aren’t forced to use the app or your voice assistant if you’re standing right there. Manual control is very much still a useful thing to have with these products, and this is a totally intuitive way of implementing that. Of course, there’s also the add-on remote control if you want quick access in certain rooms as well.
The SwitchBot Curtain is powered by an internal rechargeable battery with a stated 8-month life under normal use. That’s not bad, but a better option is to attach the optional solar panel to keep it charged for you, then it’s completely hands off. The solar panel clips onto the back side of the robot facing the window, so it’s largely out of sight and just travels along with it.
There’s a lot to like about this device, and I can’t cover everything here when it comes to the automation capabilities in the SwitchBot app. The SwitchBot range includes a whole bunch of other smart devices that can integrate with this, as well as through the supported smart platforms, so it’s very versatile.
Potential Concerns
While you can control this from the smart phone app directly via Bluetooth, in order to use any smart integrations, you’ll need to add a SwitchBot Hub Mini to bridge it to your Wi-Fi. That may be a deal breaker for some, but the Hub Mini is inexpensive, very compact, and also acts as an IR blaster for controlling IR-based appliances, so it’s not a bad compromise.
One gotcha I’ve seen is people buying one of these. Remember you likely have two curtains - one on each side. You’ll need two of these for a typical window. Yes, you’d think they sell them in pairs by default, but you have to select that option. The other thing to keep in mind is that these are motors, so they will make noise. There is a quiet mode, but that reduces the pulling power considerably, so may not work for you.
✔ Solar chargeable
✔ Good Support
✘ Can be noisy
✘ Can get snagged on heavier curtains
Aqara Curtain Driver E1
★★★★✩
Key Features
• Supports HomeKit, Alexa, Google Assistant, IFTTT, Matter
• ZigBee - requires hub
• Fits rods 25mm to 32mm
• 12-month battery life
• Easy Install
• Optional Remote control
What I Like
Aqara has been expanding their range of smart products fairly consistently, with the Curtain Driver E1 being one of the newest additions. It’s clearly inspired by the SwitchBot Curtain robot and follows a similar design but lacks a number of features such as solar charging and a built-in light sensor.
It does boast an even higher ability to pull curtains, with a rating of up to 12kg (26lbs), which is impressive, but is not compatible with as many curtain types, or rod sizes. It also doesn’t support telescoping rod types as it can’t handle the transition between sections.
The Aqara app itself is actually a very capable home automation system with a robust set of rule creation tools. Those only work with other Aqara devices and sensors of course, but if you invest in their eco system you can do a lot with just that. Of course, being able to integrate with your voice assistant and smart home platform of choice opens up those automation possibilities, so it’s good that Aqara supports all the majors, notably being the only official option for HomeKit users.
Aqara has pledged full support for the new smart home standard Matter, and is already moving hard in that direction, that likely means you’ll soon be able to control other brand’s Matter-compatible devices in the Aqara app as well as get even broader support for other platforms.
Potential Concerns
Concerns here are largely the same as the SwitchBot, other than the reduced rod compatibility. Any smart home integration will require an Aqara ZigBee hub, but unlike the SwitchBot you can’t use this at all without one. ZigBee doesn’t have any way to communicate with your phone or the app without it.
As with the SwitchBot Curtain you’ll likely have two curtains and need to buy two of these for a typical window. Motor noise is also a complaint I sometimes see. Perhaps this is misplaced expectations, but don’t expect any of these curtain motors to be silent. If anything, this is one advantage of going for a professional product over DIY, the motors can more internalized and do tend to be quite a bit quieter.
✔ Long battery life
✔ Apple HomeKit support
✘ Requires hub for any use
✘ Can be noisy
Smart Curtain Track Systems
Both the SwitchBot Curtain and the Aqara Curtain Driver above come in track variants as well. These operate largely the same way but are designed to slot into the track instead of ride on top of the rod.
The SwitchBot variant is a separate product that suits U-rails only, but the Aqara Curtain Driver will support I-rail and U-rail tracks out of the box. You'll pay a bit less if you go for the track only version as it doesn't include the Rod adapter. That link is for a bundle with a basic version of the hub it needs, so be sure not to order multiple hubs if you go for that option.
As these products can be a bit noisy and may not work well with larger curtains, the better approach would be to use a belt-drive curtain rail system. I’ve picked a couple of very good DIY solutions that can support larger windows with track lengths over 240 inches (6m).
Quoya Curtain Track System
★★★★★
Key Features
• Supports Alexa, Google Assistant, Siri Shortcuts
• Wi-Fi, no hub
• Adjustable length up to 275 inches
• Ceiling or wall mount
• US and UK versions
• Remote control included
• 3 year motor warranty
What I Like
If you have tracked curtains or drapes you can be better off replacing the tracks themselves. This has the benefit of a more integrated motor system that will be smoother, more reliable, and quieter. UK brand Quoya Smart Living has a modular track system that provides a lot of flexibility to cover various curtain and window configurations, with adjustable lengths up to 275 inches (7m), wall and ceiling mounts, as well as 90- and 135-degree corner options.
The track itself on the new AT5810 model is a clean design with hidden joiners, which is a significant upgrade from their fairly ugly earlier model. This helps with the visual appearance when the curtains are open when you don’t have a cornice or header box covering it up.
The motor is attached vertically to the end of the track and can be hidden behind the outer end of the curtain fabric. You will need to plug it into a power socket, though, so you may need an extension for that. This can be a bit ugly but is par for the course with DIY solutions. Of course, you could always have a new outlet installed specifically for it closer to the motor.
I’ve seen these in operation, and they are definitely smooth and quiet. Quoya says the maximum noise level is around 20dB, which is certainly believable. The included remote supports multiple curtains motors, although it’s a bit basic and doesn’t have any way of showing which one is selected. You can also control them through the Tuya app on your smartphone where you have a wealth of scheduling and automation options as well. This is also where you can link your curtains with Alexa, Google Assistant, or Siri Shortcuts.
Potential Concerns
The app and smart home connectivity is all provided by the Tuya smart home platform. Tuya is a Chinese behemoth that provides a smart home platform for other brands to build their products on. The benefit is that you get a lot of brand cross compatibility, but you do have to create an account with them, and it’s all controlled via the cloud. Like me, you may have concerns about that. The good news is the Tuya knows this and maintains multiple independent security certifications to help assure their customers. Still, I prefer to run my smart devices on local control where possible.
Using Tuya and Wi-Fi only you can run into the usual smart device issue of pairing problems. Depending on your router the app may have trouble initially finding the motor, which can cause a few gray hairs. It’s not a very common problem in this case, and perseverance will usually get you there, but it’s something to be aware of.
More down to earth, the installation of these kinds of track systems is much more work than a drop in curtain robot. It’s not necessarily difficult, and Quoya has good video guides to help you through it, but it could take a few hours of your time.
✔ Flexible install options
✔ 3 year warranty
✘ Cloud controlled
✘ Can be hard to pair
Moes Curtain Track System
★★★★✩
Key Features
• Supports Alexa, Google Assistant
• Wi-Fi and RF433
• Adjustable length up to 244 inches
• Ceiling or wall mount
• US, EU, UK, and AU versions
• Remote control included
• 2 year warranty
What I Like
Moes is a prolific maker of smart home products, also based on the Tuya platform. They have a variety of blind and curtain drivers, but I’ve picked this one specifically because it runs over Wi-Fi, like the Quoya one above. Other versions run on the ZigBee protocol, which is fine with newer Amazon Echo devices that support it, but otherwise would need a third-party hub. That said, if you have a compatible hub those would be worth a look too, the only difference being their connectivity.
The Moes option is a little cheaper than the Quoya product, and while it is very similar in terms of flexible lengths and the motor design it does have a few shortcomings. It doesn’t support corners for one, and the joiners between track segments are over-the-top clamp designs which are visible when the curtains are open. The new Quoya model has hidden joiners which make for a cleaner look. Moes’ version doesn’t quite support the same maximum lengths either and they offer different size bundles, which may help save a few bucks if they have a closer match to your needs.
Moes does have some advantages though, they support additional plug types with EU and AU models available in their store, and the motor also has an RF433 radio, ostensibly for the use of the remote control, but you could potentially link this to other RF433 controllers, although I haven’t tried this.
While the Quoya track system can suffer from the dreaded pairing problems that can plague Tuya Wi-Fi devices, all newer Moes products like this one also have Bluetooth, specifically to assist with that process. The app will pair with the motor via Bluetooth first, which is much more reliable, in order to perform the W-Fi setup process, after which would be up and running. It’s notably that the new Matter smart home standard has also adopted this approach to provisioning new Wi-Fi devices.
Potential Concerns
My points about relying on the Tuya cloud platform are the same here as for the Quoya product. There haven’t been any actual reported security issues with the platform, but even if it’s rock solid on security and privacy it’s still a cloud-based control system. Of course, you’ll always have the remote control to fall back on if there’s an outage.
That remote appears to be a one-to-one design, in that it will pair to the one curtain motor. It’s very basic with just open, close, and stop buttons, so if you have multiple windows, you’re going to have multiple remotes as well.
✔ Better pairing process
✔ Cheaper
✘ No corner support
✘ Exposed joiners
An Option for Pull Cords
If you have a curtain track with a continuous loop pull cord, you could motorize that to pull the curtains open and closed for you. Generally, these kinds of blind motors require a beaded chain to grab onto, but there is a good option for regular pull cords.
SOMA Smart Shades 2
★★★★✩
Key Features
• Supports Alexa, Google Home, SmartThings, IFTTT, HomeKit
• Bluetooth
• 1-month battery or USB powered
• Solar panel included
• Easy install
• Light sensing
• Quiet mode
What I Like
The handy little SOMA cord motor is a simple option if you have pull cords, even if they’re not the beaded chain type (although it easily handles those as well, with various beads sizes). A key benefit here is that you get guaranteed pulling power from the surprisingly powerful motor without the need for a power outlet. Unlike every other cord motor I’ve looked at, SOMA doesn’t give a maximum weight rating. They say they don’t have to because it can pull anything you can do by hand. I’ve tried to pull against it myself and I certainly believe that claim.
The SOMA Smart Shades 2 comes with a solar panel that sits in the corner of your window and keeps the internal battery charged. It’s also this panel that allows the shade motor to detect light which can be used to automate opening and closing for you based how bright it is outside.
Setup is fairly simple, although the concept of feeding the cord into the driver gear was not intuitive. SOMA has a simple installation video to help you with that, and once you realize the process it’s actually very easy…and obvious in hindsight.
SOMA’s app is clean and simple, with easy configuration tools to help you set the minimum and maximum positions, compensate for slippage, and configure various schedules using plain old Bluetooth. Adding the SOMA Connect hub allows you integrate with a similar array of platforms to SwitchBot, but with full HomeKit support instead of just Siri Shortcuts.
Potential Concerns
As with other Bluetooth devices, you’ll need a hub to get any sort of smart home integration. The platforms on offer here are the best of any brand I’ve found, though. For that extra compatibility you’ll pay a premium for the hub, unfortunately.
Something that’s lacking on the SOMA Smart Shades is any kind of manual control. All the other options have pull sensing capability or a remote control, but SOMA is entirely software controlled. To be fair, the in-built automation capabilities are quite useful, and once set up you’ll probably rarely need to operate them manually anyway. If you do, a voice assistant is the most convenient option, so getting the hub is kind of required.
The motor here can also be a bit noisy for some. It’s rated at about 50dB, and while there is a quiet mode that runs the motor slower, it’s still quite audible. I’ve startled family members sitting next to it a few times when it’s started up unexpectedly.
✔ No weight limit
✔ Good Support
✘ Can be noisy
✘ No manual controls
Made-To-Order Smart Curtains
While there are plenty of professional smart products for various kinds of blinds, when it comes to curtains the good quality options come down to two major brands. These smart curtain systems are available through a wide range of curtain makers around the world, so you’ll likely be able to find dealers for one or both in your area.
Interestingly neither of these brands use standard Wi-Fi for motor control, which means any smart integration will need a hub from them, and they both have battery and hard-wired motor options depending on your needs.
As with the DIY motors, going with battery-powered cuts down on installation costs by removing the need for electrical wiring, but it does add that extra maintenance task of having to keep them charged. Batteries in these products can last around a year, but your mileage will vary of course.
Somfy TaHoma
Key Features
• Supports Alexa, Google Home, SmartThings, IFTTT, Hue, Alarm.com, Brilliant Smart
• RTS RF control
• Ethernet, Wi-Fi, ZigBee hub connectivity
• Battery or wired motors
• Wall or handheld remotes
• TaHoma app control
French company Somfy has been around for a while, 50 years to be exact, and were pioneers in the blind motor business. Since then, they’ve evolved their product range to include their well-supported TaHoma smart control system with support for a variety of smart home platforms, as well as home automation systems including Control4, ELAN, Crestron, and RTI. They also have a range of weather sensors to help automate blinds, awnings, and curtains.
Somfy curtains use their proprietary RTS (Radio Technology Somfy) communication technology which will necessitate adding a TaHoma bridge to your set up to take advantage of either the smart phone app or any smart home integrations. You can have multiple bridges to extend range and act like a sort of mesh network.
There are both battery powered and hard-wired curtain motors that can handle up to 36 ft (10m) of track and 60kg of curtain load with a maximum noise level under 44dB. Wall and handheld remotes are on offer, with the wall remotes being a wire-free battery-powered design. These remotes can handle one curtain group each or control each curtain individually.
The TaHoma system wants to be a smart home platform of its own and has the ability to incorporate connected devices from certain integrations into scenes to be controlled along with your curtains. That’s a nice feature if you don’t have a smart home system already, but if you do it’s a bit backwards. You’d be better off doing that through your smart home platform to ensure access to all your devices and the most automation possibilities.
My Take: You’ll probably find Somfy to be the more expensive option, but they have a much better range of supported platforms if you need one of those. Actually using the app, though, can be clunky compared to bigger smart home platforms. Somfy is also pretty strict when it comes to adjustments and repairs and will void your warranty if things are not done through an authorized retailer (which Amazon is not).
Hunter Douglas PowerView
Key Features
• Supports Alexa, Google Assistant
• Bluetooth control
• Ethernet or Wi-Fi hub connectivity
• Battery or wired motors
• Wall or handheld remotes
• Powerview app control
American brand Hunter Douglas has their PowerView smart blind control system which supports a wide variety of blind and curtain types with both hard wired and battery-powered motors. Most of their solutions will be battery powered, supporting either regular C-cells in a removable cartridge or rechargeable ‘wand’ batteries. A multi-port charging dock is available for these so you can keep spares juiced up ready to go.
PowerView has recently been upgraded to the new Gen 3 version, which switches from a proprietary RF control system, like Somfy, to a standard Bluetooth LE implementation. This upgrade was a great opportunity to incorporate the new smart home Thread protocol, but they haven’t done this. Gen 3 also drops support for Apple HomeKit, which will be a big disappointment to fans of that platform. Hunter Douglas has HomeKit support listed as ‘coming soon’, but we’ve seen those promises from many companies in the past go unfulfilled, so we’ll see what happens in this case.
As such, smart home support is limited to Alexa and Google Assistant for now, along with home automation systems Clare, Control4, Crestron, ELAN, RTI, Savant and URC. To use the PowerView app or any of the integration options you’ll need a PowerView hub to provide Wi-Fi communication, even though the blinds are Bluetooth controlled now. You can, however, use the remotes without the hub.
PowerView uses their versatile Pebble remotes, these can be placed in a range of colored ‘pebble’ housings or be wall mounted. This is handy if you have more than one so you can tell them apart, but you may not need to as they can support up to 6 curtain groups each. This makes them much more versatile than Somfy’s version.
The Powerview app provides configuration of curtain groups and scenes that can be controlled by the remotes, as well as basic schedule creation. I prefer to handle that kind of thing in my smart home system, though, simply to keep everything in one place. That avoids complicated troubleshooting if things don’t work as expected.
My Take: I’ve previously reviewed the PowerView Gen 2 system so you can check that out for my views on the app and remotes. The Gen 3 system changes the communication used, but should be largely the same apart from some cosmetic changes to the app. The system itself is reliable and straightforward to use. The app is focused on just controlling your curtains or blinds with the ability to create simple scenes and schedules, but that’s really all you need. Hunter Douglas support has also been excellent when I’ve had to use them. The biggest downside is the limited integration options.
Smart Curtain Automation Ideas
Beyond basic schedules and voice control, smart curtains hold the promise of much more independent automation through a suitable smart home platform. So long as your platform supports sensor-based triggers and rule building, then you’ll get the most out of your curtains. I’ve put together a few generic starter ideas for you to think about. Of course, not everyone wants their curtains acting on their own, so these are just thinking points.
Use in-built scheduling feature or smart home rules to open and close the curtains at sunrise and sunset. Most of these curtain products will support this natively, but it can be better to do this all in your smart home system so all your rules are together.
Trigger certain curtains to open or close based on outside weather sensors such as UV, ambient light, temperature, and humidity. You can optimize your home’s heating and cooling by closing curtains when it’s hot or cold outside to limit heat transfer, or if the sun is hitting certain windows. Whether you open or close the curtains in that instance will depend on the season, or if you have upholstery or carpets you want to protect from high UV exposure.
Integrate your curtains into certain smart home scenes/routines so that they open or close as appropriate. I have a ‘Theater Mode’ scene that sets up the lighting for movie watching and closing the curtains in that room. Another automation will open the curtains if the TV is turned off during daylight hours.
You might have curtains across a sliding door, in which case you could tie them to a motion sensor to open them if motion is detected outside the door and you are at home. That way they can open for you if you are approaching the door to come inside.
You could integrate your smart thermostat to set the curtains appropriately to the heating or cooling operation in progress, depending on your preferences. This is similar to the weather sensor idea but allows for coordination with your HVAC system as well.
My Recommendations
Smart curtains are undeniably convenient, even if you only use them with a voice assistant and basic schedules. The opportunities for smarter automation are interesting as well, but will depend largely on your smart home platform of choice and what other smart devices you have.
DIY and Made-to-order products are both viable ways of realizing these opportunities, with made-to-order generally providing a tidier, quieter solution. DIY track curtain products can still be very smooth and quiet though, so these are definitely worth a look if you’re prepared to put in a bit of work to get them up. The main disadvantage with these DIY options is getting power to them. The motors will need to be plugged in, and that means exposed power cables.
If battery powered and easy to install are your aims, then Curtain robots are the way to go. These are a bit more limited in pulling power but will work with various different curtain styles and can simply by hung on the existing rod or track. Noise is more of a factor with these as they are more exposed and their motor vibrations can carry through the rod to an extent.
