It’s no secret that there are a few different ways to get motorized blinds or automated shades today.
On the one hand, there are the overpriced traditional motorized blinds of the past. On the other is a variety of cheap Chinese knock off retrofit options.
With all that choice available today, how can anyone decide on which option to choose?
Obviously, as makers of the first truly HomeKit-compatible smart blinds solution, RYSE SmartShade, we are a little bit biased on what is the best option.
But what about everyone else?
Justin M found the best option with the old tried and true method of simply trying a whole bunch out.
This is what Justin had to say after leaving a 5-star review of our first generation product, AXIS Gear:
I tried a few options for my shades in the bedroom and none of them were able to lift my heavy shades… until now! AXIS worked very well and it was actually simple to setup. Great product guys!
Justin M
With that said, how do our award-winning smart blind products stack up against the competition?
Great question!
Let’s take a closer look.
Half the price, twice the possibilities
Traditional motorized blinds usually cost around $1,000 USD and force you to throw out the great blinds you already have installed.
And by the way… that is $1000 USD per window.
On top of that, things like scheduling, remote control, and smart home integrations are actually costly add-ons.
Check out this comparison chart from the RYSE Kickstarter campaign to get a better look:
You’ll notice that there is also a column for the knock-off Retrofit Motors and that although they are more affordable, there is a massive sacrifice in quality and features.
With RYSE, you get an affordable price and a rich set of features, including:
- On-device controls
- Unlimited schedules, timers, and groups
- Smartphone control with new updates and features being added regularly
You can actually save your money, get more more for less, and save the environment by upgrading the blinds you already own and love with RYSE SmartShade.
Now that’s smart.
Why Are Motorized Shades So Expensive?
We started RYSE to address two core problems when motorizing window coverings: cost and complexity.
By creating a product that can attach to the window shades you already have installed, we remove complexity from the equation entirely.
But if you’ve looked into motorization before, you’re familiar with how expensive it can be – let’s find out why that is.
Warning: the reason traditional options get expensive is that their solutions are unnecessarily complex – things are about to get technical up in here.
Manufacturing cost of tubular motors
Traditional motorization manufacturers invest heavily into R&D to develop motors that fit inside the headrail of blinds or tubes of shades (known as tubular motors).
A motor that was designed for a smaller window blind may not be robust enough to lift larger, heavier blinds. This is why there are different models for different the type, size, and weight of window coverings.
Fabrication costs
Motors are then distributed exclusively through window covering fabricators – those who actually make the blinds and shades.
These fabricators source fabric and motors from 3rd party vendors and assemble the window coverings according to the size of the customer’s window.
Window covering fabrication is a very labor-intensive process: windows come in all different sizes and are made-to-order.
Distribution
Once the coverings are fabricated, they are distributed to dealers who handle the sales and marketing to the end consumer (you!).
This means the manufacturer of motors must sell to fabricators, who in turn sell to dealers, before it finally reaches you – there is no scalable method to sell directly to end consumers (which would cut costs greatly!).
Because each of these middlemen marks up the price of the motor by at least 100%, the cost to you becomes astronomically high.
Why SmartShade is The Smarter Option
With RYSE SmartShade, you get to actually keep the window blinds you already own and love.
On top of that, there is no complex distribution chain filled with middleman after middleman.
You get the smartest blinds around, sent right from us straight to your window shade.
Become An Investor in RYSE, Inc.
Our vision is to put an RYSE product on every window shade. We want people to think of RYSE when they think of smart shades.
RYSE SmartShade, being an automated solution, just makes life easier – everything is done for you, so you can maintain a comfortable lifestyle. For example, you can have your shades open every morning at 8 AM to help you wake up and allow that morning light to brighten up your morning. Or, if you’re sitting on the sofa for an afternoon movie, you can easily tell Google or Alexa to lower the shades to prevent glare. It just makes life more comfortable and easy.
Investors, join our movement and get involved by investing in RYSE today:
