Skip to main content

The Ryse Smartshades are HomeKit-compatible conversion kits for your blinds

Smart blinds often intimidate people due to the imagined difficulty of installation and high price point, but what if you could convert your existing blinds into motorized, HomeKit-compatible ones with a minimum of effort? That’s the question Ryse asked before they launched their SmartShades line. The SmartShades attach to your existing blinds and use a small-but-powerful motor to raise your lower them.

You don’t have to have any electrical know-how to set the SmartShades up, either. Everything is battery powered, and that leads to the most impressive part of this device: a single charge lasts for up to six months. It comes with a USB cable for easy recharging, but you can also purchase an optional quick-release BatteryPack if there’s no outlet nearby. Even once the pack is out of charge, it only takes a few hours to power it back up.

The Ryse SmartShades fit to existing blinds to make them smart.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The Ryse SmartShades works with Apple HomeKit, but also integrates with Google Assistant and Alexa through the SmartBridge. The company promises that even more integrations will become available after launch. Many smart blind systems work with smart assistants, but HomeKit is often overlooked. The HomeKit compatibility makes the SmartShades worth consideration, especially by users that prefer Siri over other systems.

Recommended Videos

You can set schedules and timers to control your blinds. If you’re an early riser, you can set the shades to open at 7 AM, but then close automatically at 6 PM when it gets dark outside. You can also control them at any time by asking your smart assistant to raise or lower your shades. You can control each shade individually or group them together in the app to make it easier to lift entire rooms at once.

Since the Ryse SmartShades are a retrofit solution, you don’t have to do remove your existing blinds. Just install the motor and connect your existing blinds to it. Perhaps the most outstanding part about the Ryse SmartShades is the price point.

At just $149, the Ryse SmartShades are more affordable than much of the competition on the market today. For example, the Tilt Roller Shades retail for $259. Buying brand-new smart blinds will cost you a pretty penny, but retrofitting your existing blinds to work with your smart home doesn’t have to break the bank. The Ryse SmartShades are available for purchase from the HelloRyse website.

Patrick Hearn
Patrick Hearn writes about smart home technology like Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, smart light bulbs, and more. If it's a…
Home Depot expands Hubspace with a smart door, smart lock, and other cool gadgets
The new Hubspace smart door and smart lock.

Home Depot held its Hubspace Fall Preview event today, showcasing a variety of smart home products arriving later this year. One of the coolest new additions to the catalog is the Smart Glass Door by Feather River Doors, as it lets you toggle between clear or opaque glass via voice commands and syncs with most smart home platforms. Home Depot also revealed a smart lock, smart freezer, string lights, and home alarm system -- all of which are fully supported by the simple-to-use Hubspace app.

The Smart Glass Door is undoubtedly the most unique item in the upcoming collection. Pricing starts at $798 with a launch date of September 30, and it’s looking to bring some seriously cool features to your home. The big allure is the central glass pane, which can quickly change between clear and opaque styles using voice commands or a physical button. That means you can activate clear mode when you want a bit of sunshine, then swap to opaque mode for privacy. Beyond Hubspace, it integrates with Alexa and Google Assistant.

Read more
Ikea rolls out Matter support for its Dirigera smart home hub
The Ikea Dirigera Hub on a table.

Ikea already had a surprisingly robust smart home catalog, offering smart blinds, light switches, air purifiers, and a handful of other popular gadgets. It’s now grown even more enticing, as the Dirigera Hub that drives most of the action now offers full Matter support.

As of September 11, all products connected to the Dirigera Hub will work with the interoperability standard. That’s a big win for Ikea, allowing its gadgets to interact with those from other platforms like Apple Home and Google Home. To achieve this, Dirigera is being updated to become a Matter Bridge, allowing it to work with all other Matter products.

Read more
The best smart home tech of IFA 2024
The IFA 100 sign outside the South Hall in Berlin.

IFA 2024 is in full swing, with cutting-edge companies across the globe showing off their hottest new releases. The smart home industry is out in force at the event, with hundreds of cool products spread out across the massive show grounds. From robot vacuums and smart refrigerators to robot lawnmowers and more, the future of your home is on display at IFA 2024.

After perusing hundreds of booths and going hands-on with tons of different electronics, here are the best smart home products of IFA 2024.
Roborock Qrevo Curv

Read more