Batteries should last from two to four years, depending on the model of shade you select. Thank you for signing up to Tom's Guide. Even assuming you don’t need the Lutron bridge, the same-size Serena shade would still cost $88 more. You’ll need additional spacers if your window trim is thicker than a 1/2 inch. Next, I had to connect the Lutron Bridge to my router with the included Ethernet cable, though I wish the company would develop a Wi-Fi version. The Serena’s head rail pivots down to expose its battery compartment. Ikea is bringing some smart shades to the U.S. in April, so it may be worth the wait to see how much they’ll cost, and how well they work. But I haven’t found the advantage of incorporating all my smart home devices into a single smart home app to be all that important. They're well-thought-out shades, but their price will keep them out of reach for most. Scenes can also operate on geofence triggers: closing your shades and turning down your thermostat when you leave and take your cell phone with you; opening your shades, turning on your lights, and playing your favorite playlist when you return home with it. TechHive helps you find your tech sweet spot. At the time of that review, an available 15-percent discount dropped the final cost to $411. The fabric itself feels very high end, though, and the entire shade is quite attractive both when closed or partially open. Those features are apparent in both the shade’s industrial design and its ease of use. Product Details. Sync Serena smart blinds and shades with … The $25 Pico remote is relatively tiny at 1.25 inches wide by 2.5 inches high, and it’s wafer thin. The smaller (33.5 x 58-inch) Graber shade I reviewed in October had a list price of $483, including a simple two-button remote. More than many other smart-home devices, smart shades feel like a "nice to have" product rather than a must-have. The fabric is lined with aluminum to improve its insulation value, but Lutron offers only a 9/16-inch single-celled material in its room-darkening shades, where Graber lets you choose either single- or double-celled metalized fabric. Available in insulating honeycomb and roller styles, Serena shades offer a wide … The most connected smart shades. But the attraction of the app’s programmability depends on your sticking with Lutron’s lighting, window covering, and ceiling fan controls, plus the limited number of third-party products that Lutron has decided to support. For starters, if you choose the battery-powered option, the battery compartment is integrated into the shade’s head rail (the component that mounts to the top of your window frame and houses the motor for raising and lowering the shade). Serena connects with more smart home brands than any other smart shade. Serena Shades by Lutron Electronics Review. They can be programmed to work fully automatically, so they open when the sun rises and close when … I chose the latter, mainly for aesthetic reasons: I didn't want a cord dangling from the top of my window. Keep in mind, though, that choosing textured fabrics and colors other than white will cause the price of the blinds to quickly skyrocket. Lutron's Serena smart shades aren't cheap by any stretch, but they let you further automate your home's devices. ... including several styles of automatic HomeKit window shades from Lutron… It takes about 15 business days for the shades to be built, and then another one to five days to ship them. The back cover prevents some light leakage around the head rail, but it’s not perfect. It took a little less than four weeks for me to receive mine after I placed the order. Future US, Inc. 11 West 42nd Street, 15th Floor, Voice commands spoken to a smart speaker are the easiest way to manually control Serena shades, but if you don’t have an Echo or Google Home and you don’t want to pull out your smartphone, Lutron offers two great remote controls for the job. Learn more. The 34 x 58-inch Serena shade reviewed here is priced at $474, plus $25 for the Pico remote and $80 for the bridge for a total cost of $579. Keep in mind, though, that choosing textured fabrics and colors other than white will cause the price of the blinds to quickly skyrocket. I also opted to get a pico remote ($25), which let me raise and lower the shades without needing to open the app on my phone. Once installed, the shades responded nearly instantly to both the app and the remote. The window I installed the Serena shade on has the same southern exposure that the larger window in my home theater does, so I chose a room-darkening honeycomb fabric similar to what Graber offers. Lutron 3-Button with Raise/Lower Pico Remote for Caseta Wireless Smart Lighting Dimmer Switch, PJ2-3BRL-WH-L01R, White 4.8 out of 5 stars 999 $14.95 $ 14 . They also work only with Alexa and Google Assistant — which admittedly may be enough for most consumers. When it comes to home and commercial smart lighting and home automation systems like Qmotion, Lutron or Hunter Douglas, it is nothing short of an embarrassment of riches! Compare that to a 9.6dB increase for the Graber shade. Unlike lights, which get turned on multiple times a day, how often do you raise or lower your blinds? Our review will provide insights on how to install these smart devices as well as learn the pros and cons of smart shades … The two shades I tested, which measured about 34 inches wide by 42 inches long, cost about $850 total — and that was with the least expensive options selected. And if you can’t stand wall warts, a licensed electrician can install a Lutron Power Panel in your wall. Lutron’s Serena shades often come with complex arrangements that would be a technician’s dream, but an inexperienced assembler’s nightmare. Visit our corporate site. Lutron’s Serena Smart Wood Blinds are a pricey, but delightful addition to a smart home. Both mounting options give you the opportunity to remove the Pico remote from the wall and carry it with you. MySmartBlinds cost about half as much for a similar-size shade, but you can  pick only one style of shade, with just two color options. Lutron custom-builds the shades, then ships them to your home. This is a significant improvement over the Graber Virtual Cord Motorized Shade we evaluated in October. I registered a 8.3dB increase in noise level while the shade was opening from fully closed to fully open. Ikea Fyrtur. A difference of 1.3dB isn’t likely to impact your satisfaction level with either product, especially once you’ve grown accustomed to the sound of the shades opening and closing, but it’s a difference worth reporting. Either benefit would justify the $10 to $20 (depending on shade width) in additional cost. I found that to be accurate. The cells in the Serena room-darkening shades are lined with aluminum, but the company only offers single-cell designs in that collection. But if you’ve previously purchased any Lutron Caséta lighting or ceiling fan controller, you already have the bridge and the app that goes with it. The Pico Remote’s size makes it easy to misplace, but you can mount a plastic block to the wall and slide the remote onto it, so the shades can be controlled from the wall just like a light switch. Lutron makes some of our favorite smart switches and plugs, so we’ve long been curious about its Serena motorized window shades. Serena by Lutron motorized shades are more expensive than some alternatives, but they’re both a little higher end and a better choice for less-experienced DIYers and folks who might not be interested in pursuing a complete smart home system. Discover wired and wireless automated shading solutions - Palladiom, Sivoia, Triathlon. Please refresh the page and try again. Would it be easier? Executive Editor, After that, I inserted the batteries into the shades (my two shades each took six D-cell batteries), and then snapped the shades into the brackets. There was a problem. I’d much rather use the Vivint app to create rules to control when my lights turn off, my shades close, and my thermostat adjusts the heat. Lutron’s app lets you create scenes with disparate components in your smart home, including Sonos speakers (smart and otherwise). If you want a more formal look, Lutron also sells a wallplate bracket that gives the Pico remote a built-in look, but it depends on the presence of a junction box in the wall. Serena by Lutron Smart Wood Blinds review: Pretty enough, but also pretty expensive Wood blinds look more elegant than fabric shades, but their greater mass limits the onboard motor in … Alternatively, you can mount the shade outside the window frame or above it. Once the shades arrived, I found it pretty easy to install them. Lutron has been very good about integrating its smart-home products with other services; not only do the Serena shades work with Alexa, Google Assistant, SmartThings and Apple's HomeKit, but you can also pair Lutron's products with thermostats from Honeywell, Nest, Carrier, and Ecobee, as well as Sonos systems. Michael covers the smart-home, home-entertainment, and home-networking beats, working in the smart home he built in 2007. For one room, Alexa responds just fine to … Human centric lighting is a broad approach to lighting that changes over time to … Samsung SmartThings supports Serena shades directly, but the Vivint Smart Home system that I use does not. TechHive |. MORE: Our Favorite Smart Home Gadgets and Systems. Shades … Whereas RadioRA 2 offers integration with both Sivoia shades … It is also compatible with Apple’s HomeKit technology. Review: Lutron's Caséta Lamp Dimmers and Serena Shades Bring HomeKit Convenience to Your Lights and Windows. They work well and look great, but Lutron's Serena smart shades are really expensive. These shades come in just one color and in fixed sizes. Late last year, for example, Lutron began selling remote-controlled, wireless, motorized cellular shades with a starting retail price (for shades up to 3 feet by 5 feet in size, which Lutron says … Serena shades are controlled by Lutron’s proprietary Clear Connect radio technology, so part of the added cost is the requirement to buy a Lutron Smart Bridge, which costs about $80. You can pair the remote with a single shade or have it control all the shades in a single room. If you don't have any other Lutron products (such as its Caseta smart plugs), you'll also need a Lutron Caseta bridge ($80) to connect the shades to your Wi-Fi network. One panel can power up to 10 honeycomb-style shades, but the panel costs $800—plus the cost of the electrician to install it. My cat looked up in interest the first time the shades moved, but then went back to his nap. NY 10036. Lutron makes some of our favorite smart switches and plugs, so we’ve long been curious about its Serena motorized window shades. But the dealer who supplied the shade routinely offers discount coupons. In the realm of home automation, it seems like you can get pretty much anything anymore. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. For other home-automation gadgets, be sure to check out our best smart home devices page. For example, Lutron Caseta is compatible with the Sivoia QS Wireless and Sivoia QS Triathlon shades with a Smart Bridge Pro. The bridge is capable of controlling compatible devices based on scenes that set the behavior of selected devices, and schedules (defined times on days of the week, or at sunrise and sunset). In terms of quality of material and build quality, this round would be a tie between Serena and Graber. The biggest knock on these shades is that they’re expensive. Serena Shades by Lutron are my favorite smart home upgrade of 2018. There's a low whirring sound as the shades go up and down, but it's quiet enough that it won't wake, say, a sleeping baby. The remote is tiny — the size of a pack of gum — but it has buttons that can raise and lower the shades as well as adjust the shades to your desired height. And while Lutron’s proprietary radio technology means the Serena shade is not as widely supported by third-party smart home systems, it is fully compatible with Samsung SmartThings, Apple HomeKit, and both Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. Note: When you purchase something after clicking links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. Using IFTTT, you can also create a scenario where the shades will automatically lower if your smart thermostat rises above a certain temperature. Solar shades … As I said earlier, Serena shades cost more than Graber’s product, although the price differential is less stark if you already own a Lutron bridge. Easy setup and robust features makes Serena smart shades a great addition to any smart home. © Options include whether you want to get shades that need to be plugged in or ones that run on D-cell batteries. Trust me, you’ll eventually want to expand beyond that universe. You will receive a verification email shortly. Ultra-quiet and easy to install, Serena by Lutron shades … The Fyrtur is a perfect addition to the Ikea catalog and a great choice for smart blinds, … I could also group the Serena shades with other devices, so that when I say "Alexa, Goodnight," the shades would drop down, the lights would turn off and the thermostat would lower its temperature. Somewhat confusingly, the Alexa app only has on-screen controls for "Off" or "On," which raises or lowers the blinds completely, but you can also say "lower shades 50 percent," and they’ll close halfway. If you don’t like the environmental impact of batteries, you can order the shades with a wall wart ($40) and a 15-foot power cord that’s coiled inside the head rail—just pull out as much as you need to reach an outlet. It's pretty cool to watch them move up and down on their own. Lutron also offers an optional back cover that not only reduces the amount of light leaking around the top of the shade when mounted inside the window frame, it also hides the mounting brackets when the shade is viewed from outside the window. Serena shades are more expensive than much of the competition, but Lutron delivers some great features in return for the extra coin. When you need to replace the batteries, simply flip two levers and the battery compartment drops down. Today's best Lutron Serena Smart Shades deals, We check over 130 million products every day for the best prices, Our Favorite Smart Home Gadgets and Systems, Chiefs vs Saints live stream: How to watch NFL week 15 game online, Microsoft reportedly making own Surface ARM chips to copy MacBook M1, Bears vs Vikings live stream: How to watch NFL week 15 game online, OnePlus 9 could fix the worst thing about OnePlus phones, Samsung Galaxy S21 release date, price, specs and leaks, Works with Alexa, Google Home, and HomeKit. But needing to set up two sets of rules using two apps instead of one just isn’t that big of a deal, especially since creating rules tends to be a one-time thing that only needs to be performed when you add a new component to your system. Of their light blocking shades … Discover wired and wireless automated shading solutions - Palladiom, Sivoia,.. Battery compartment drops down window shades US, Inc. 11 West 42nd Street, 15th,. 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