Eve has announced new smart shades that we believe aren’t getting enough attention. While a new outdoor cam stole most of the company’s CES spotlight, Eve’s MotionBlinds won our interest.
The Eve MotionBlinds line is a collaboration between Eve—known for delivering quality HomeKit accessories—and Coullise, a global window coverings specialist based in the Netherlands. These MotionBlinds are battery-operated, wireless motorized shades that you can control with Bluetooth. They’re available in well over a dozen different color and texture combinations, including both light filtering and blackout fabrics. They’re custom cut to fit your windows, ranging from 24″w x 20″h to 96″w (8’w) x 108″h (9’h).
Packed With Technology
Like most newer Eve products, they’re both HomeKit and Thread compatible, making them the first shades on the market supporting Thread. They’re also ready for Matter with a firmware upgrade, meaning that ultimately they’ll be compatible with most smart home systems. And since they connect with Bluetooth, they work with HomeKit without a separate bridge or hub—another first! The rechargeable (via USB-C) battery housed in the roll should function for a full year on most shades, assuming one up/down cycle each day.
Since they work with HomeKit, you can control MotionBlinds by voice or with any HomeKit controller or app. You can also control them with an available remote control. Unlike nearly every other smart roller shade out there, they also have a pull wand. So you can manually control them at the window—a feature we’d like to see more manufacturers offer.
With Eve’s app, you can create schedules to raise or lower your shades at specific times, saving energy and minimizing fading of furnishings and artwork. Those schedules live onboard, meaning they’ll work even if your network isn’t.
Available Today
All this sounds expensive, right? But they’re not…relatively. Compared to IKEA’s Fyurtur shades—which come in one color (gray), fixed sizes, and require the Trådfri hub—sure, they’re more expensive. But compared to products from Lutron, Smarterhome, and others, they’re very competitive, particularly when you compare features and options.
In the U.S., you can buy Eve MotionBlinds now through SelectBlinds.com. We’ve used SelectBlinds before to test products like MySmartRollerShades and the Bond Bridge. The great thing about SelectBlinds is that they’re always running some promotion on everything they sell. Today (on this writing), everything is 30% off plus an additional 15% off that discounted price (don’t confuse that as 45% off—it’s not). With that pricing, Eve MotionBlinds range from around $330 to $850, depending on size and style. A pretty common 3′ x 5′ window would be about $370. Of course, that will change regularly based on SelectBlinds’ active promotion, and the price can vary based on which fabric you choose. You can also have the roll pre-installed in a cassette—which covers the roll for a clean, finished look and makes installation dead simple—for under $65.
Not sure what color or texture to order? No problem. SelectBlinds will send you free sample swatches of the styles you’re interested in so you can see fabrics in your own space.
We’ve researched and tested various smart shade products over the years, but we’ve been frustrated by the high cost, limited compatibility, restricted style, and lack of control options. Eve’s new MotionBlinds line addresses all of those concerns. If you’ve been considering smart window shades for your home, now may be the right time to make the move.
Updated January 11, 2022 to remove incorrect mentions of WiFi as the onboard wireless technology.
