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Mogrim – do you have the specs for your blind motor?
Nope, just the very scant user instructions 🙂
Apparently this is a cheaper way to do it, but it's a long way from being a nice clean solution:
https://www.vesternet.com/pages/apnt-79-controlling-somfy-rts-blinds-with-the-rfxtrx433e
Nope, just the very scant user instructions 🙂
Definitely somfy then!
Does it have a model name or number (it'll be something like an altus 50, sonesse 40).
I'm guessing being outside it'll be a 230 motor and I'm not sure the radio ones have a decent ip rating, if I'm right, suggesting it would be a mechanical motor with an rts receiver as opposed to an integral rts unit.
Quickest easy (only way really if it's an rts motor) would be a centralis dry contact transmitter then something like an ewelink relay unit, hide them in a box somewhere and use the relay to fire the transmitter. The ewelink/sonoff stuff will give you timer control etc. Essentially that'll be what's in that link.
Relay units are about 15 from amazon. The centralis transmitter is somfy kit so has a steep retail price. Part number is 1810334. You may find one for a reasonable cost with a bit of Google fu.
If it's a non rts motor there are other options.
Interesting that vesternet link mentions fibaro, they're now owned by nice who are a major competitor for somfy.
@dangeourbrain
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you seem to know a lot about these things. Any suggestions for internal blinds as im in the market for some.
I'm in the contract commercial end of the market Andy so plenty of dealing with them, though it tends to be in the orders of a 100 here, 50 there and so on. The electric kit is broadly the same though once you get past the basic retail kit. (I spend a lot of time trying to "fix" the fact people have pulled the wrong cables etc, hence a lot of "how to get brand (A) rf to talk to brand (B) BMS" and so on)
To be honest at a retail end on the blinds you could do a lot worse than eclipse or louvolite kit through a local shop, assuming the shop it's self is any good. Hallis Hudson have some nice kit too.
Hillarys were the ubiquitous ones, they do a range from crap to excellent and their agents run the same broad spectrum ime.
My main advice would be know what you want it to do and start there, appearance is least concern (roller/vertical etc blinds do a job, Romans, curtains, anything soft look pretty).
Stay away from anything proprietary - which really includes battery kit for the most part*. You can't go wrong with 4 wires and you can bolt whatever you want on after that.
There's another forumite on here who does curtains but their name escapes me, I'm guessing they'll have trade accounts with various blinds folks and be able to help you directly with retail.
If you've got something specific in terms of what and how drop me a pm and I'll be happy to see if I can help.
*again there are workarounds for some of it like the somfy kit but the majority of battery kit is very closed.
The added bonus of asking Google questions etc etc
This also had me stumped…after I realised it was (an imitation of) clever but in fact really stupid…I kinda got bored with it. It’s fun to ask it the weather, but after that…what do you use it for?
I've got two young kids with inquisitive minds:
what does a fox sound like?
What does a giraffe eat?
Where is the biggest volcano?
What time is it in Australia?
How many days until Christmas?
Etc etc.
Anything really.
What I’d like to automate is the motorised blind we’ve just had installed in the living room
I've been looking at this lately.
1) Echo-friendly Ikea. https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/fyrtur-block-out-roller-blind-wireless-battery-operated-grey-60408181/
2) IR blaster. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Broadlink-RM4-Universal-Control-Compatible/dp/B07ZSG9Y67
Probably a bit late in both cases now though.
There’s another forumite on here who does curtains but their name escapes me
Bunnyhop?
I’ve got two young kids with inquisitive minds: Anything really.
Yeah, it's a toy isn't it. If you ask it stuff you don't know, but it's a simple format, what is, how much so on and so forth then it has no problem. But get even slightly beyond that and you reach the limits of it's usefulness. It won't for instance tell me the postcode of a hotel, it wants to book a room, or open google maps to give me directions. It can speak the address (but again doesn't know the postcode), but can't create a note with that info, I have to dictate...
This stuff is all party tricks at the moment,
I mainly use my Google Mini to listen to music on Spotify while I'm cooking, and to set timers (also for cooking). I could probably do more with it, and it's a long way from being an essential part of my life, but I'm quite pleased I've got one just for those two tasks.
music, lights and timers is the main thing its used for. oh and finding your phone.