I'm a Home Expert and Can't Imagine Living Without Smart Shades—These Are the 6 Best

WHY WE LOVE IT: The brand best known for lightbulbs entered the smart home space about a decade ago and was then bought by Savant Systems, a leader in home automation, in 2020. GE’s smart lighting products (primarily sold under the Cync brand) have performed well in our tests and are very easy to install. That’s what we found as well with GE's inaugural line of smart shades.

DESIGN: As you might expect from a DIY-friendly line, selection is limited to stock widths ranging from 24 to 38 inches, with a maximum height of 76 inches. The fabric options are blackout or translucent, and the hardware is available in black or white. That reduced variety relative to premium shade brands is the main tradeoff of GE's budget-friendly option.

FEATURES: Like SmartWings, the GE shades require a Matter-compatible smart home hub, or they can be operated by remote control. The rechargeable battery lasts about six months before needing a charge, according to the brand.

TESTING NOTES: Following extensive Lab tests, our experts said the GE shades were extremely easy to install. "Simply anchor the mounting plate to the wall with a few screws, snap in the shade, and you're ready to go," noted one tester, adding that the sound from the motor was almost undetectable.

WHY WE LOVE IT: Not interested in measuring and installing smart shades on your own? Hunter Douglas delivers a full custom experience, starting with an in-home consultation during which a brand rep will walk you through the options and take all the necessary measurements. Four weeks later, the rep will return to install your shades and walk you through operation.

DESIGN: Hunter Douglas offers a full array of window coverings, including shades in various fabrics and blinds made of wood, metal, and lightweight fabric. While not every single model can be motorized, our experts found plenty of options in the automated category. As part of our in-home evaluation, we installed the Duette Cellular Shades, which were the industry’s first cellular honeycomb shade, a window treatment made of pleated fabric that provides exceptional insulating quality, while also allowing natural light to filter into the room.

FEATURES: While Hunter Douglas offers hardwired installation, which makes more sense in new construction or a gut renovation. For most retrofits, battery-powered is the way to go, especially since the rechargeable battery lasts up to a year on a single charge. There’s even a version with a solar charger, which eliminates the need to manually recharge the battery.

TESTING NOTES: While the shades met the highest performance and operations standard in our evaluation, what really sets them apart is the customized experience behind the brand. “This is a fully custom service, so while you’re paying a premium, the shades are an exact fit for each opening, and the professional installation and setup are flawless,” said our tester. Another nice feature noted during testing is the top-down/bottom-up operation, which maximizes privacy and the flow of natural light into the room.

WHY WE LOVE IT: This integrated shade system from Pella isn't automated, but it's such a smart solution that we had to include it in this roundup, even if they need to be opened and closed by hand.

Available on Pella's Lifestyle Series Casement Windows, the system consists of honeycomb shades sandwiched between panes of glass, which are protected from dust, pets, small children, and the like (translation: they never need to be cleaned!).

DESIGN: The honeycomb shades come in six colors, including three room-darkening options for use in bedrooms. You can also choose integrated blinds in six colors.

FEATURES: The shades feature pleated fabric that traps air in each cell, helping save on energy costs, especially in colder climates. The shades are also available with room-darkening fabric, ideal for bedrooms or home theaters.

TESTING NOTES: In Lab tests, the integrated shades were easy to operate, and our safety experts liked that they eliminate dangling pull cords, which pose a choking hazard to small children. Our engineers also evaluated the casement windows and the shades included with them. They found they meet high industry standards for water and wind resistance, with features such as Low-E coatings and argon-filled insulated glass that enhance energy efficiency.

WHY WE LOVE IT: Hunter Douglas’s Aura Illuminated Shades are built on the concept of “circadian lighting,” whereby artificial lighting is used to mimic natural sunlight, for example, gradually becoming brighter in the early morning hours if you're someone who gets up before the sun rises. Though the shades are priced at a premium, this so-called human-centric lighting can promote sleep, productivity, and overall wellness.

DESIGN: The innovative three-in-one system features a traditional room-facing shade, a room-darkening liner, and programmable LED strip lights that provide varying degrees of ambient illumination throughout the day and night. You can choose from three styles for the front panel: Vignette Modern Roman Shades, Designer Roller Shades, or Sonnette Cellular Roller Shades.

FEATURES: The shades are powered through Hunter Douglas’s home automation system, which must be hardwired into your home (making the installation best suited to major renovations or new construction). The app then provides full control over the shades, allowing you to adjust light levels and the speed at which the lights fade in and out, say, to mimic the setting sun over 30 minutes.

TESTING NOTES: The same fully custom experience Hunter Douglas is known for was reflected in our evaluation of the Aura Illuminated Shades. “The company has a strong network of professional installers, which added to the overall positive experience,” said our expert tester, a contractor based in Boston. He also praised the smartphone app’s intuitive interface for setting light levels and shade positions.