I was talking to someone recently who installs a variety of tech solutions in homes who noted as an aside that smart blinds are very soon going to be the standard, default solution — that there’s just no reason to have the traditional set of blinds anymore, when you can have one that operates at the push of a button.
That came to mind today in tandem with the news that Ikea has finally started the rollout of its Fyrtur smart blinds in some of its US stores after initially intending to release them earlier this year, back in April. You can find a number of stories from new outlets noting the delay and speculating on when they’d finally arrive, which speaks to the degree to which these have been anticipated (as do a number of Reddit posts that tried to deduce when the delay would end).
Here’s Ikea’s retail page for the blinds, which you can also use to check and see if your local Ikea store has them in stock. I checked the Ikea store in my local area, and the listed price is $149 for a 30×76 3⁄4″ size version. A 32×76 3⁄4″ version is retailing for $154. These aren’t available yet online, and according to Ikea’s product description, a remote control and battery charger are included. The blinds are also cordless, to support increased child safety.
Additionally, you can control the blinds through Google Home, with support for Apple’s HomeKit and Amazon Alexa coming at a later date.
One reviewer for The Verge has noted the following good and bad points. The good: The blinds don’t cost a lot, they offer solid privacy and light management, and you have some pretty flexible control options. The not-so-good: As we mentioned above, there’s only Google support at launch. This particular reviewer found Ikea’s Tradfri gateway and Home smart app to be frustrating, and you also don’t have sunset or sunrise timer options, in case any of that influences your decision.
