How To ChooseWe have a wide range of electric roller blind kits available on Electric Blinds Online, we understand it can be difficult to choose which kit is right for you, this FAQ will explain what the differences are and why you would choose one over another.
Firstly there are 24v DC (Low Voltage) motors and 230v AC (Mains Voltage) motors, generally low voltage blinds are preferable for DIY installation due to simpler installation and safety of low voltage. Mains voltage blinds would be used on bigger blinds that require the higher power motor to operate.
Our electric roller kits are grouped into categories which are determined by their control system:
IB-Radio Roller Blind Kits, using a motor with an integrated radio receiver for ultra simple installation.
Somfy Roller Blind Kits, which use the popular Somfy Infra-Red or Radio (RTS) controls.
Control-It Roller Blind Kits, which use our own Radio controls.
Basic Roller Blind Kits, which come without any controls. |
Whats In A KitA roller kit consists of the following items:
The Roller Blind Hardware, this is the roller tube, motor, brackets etc
The Controls & PSU, this is the Power Supply that plugs into a wall socket, the receiver module and a remote control handset. |
Somfy Electric Roller Blind KitsThe Somfy based kits offer a wide range of high quality known brand controls and accesories including sun & temperature sensors, timers and a wide range of handsets to suit your application.
If you have existing Somfy 'RTS' blinds, projection screens, awnings etc the roller blind kits will be compatible with any existing handsets, timers etc.
Somfy RTS is a RF based system developed by Somfy to control blinds and awnings, it's long range means you can control blinds in other rooms. Handsets, sensors and wall mounted controls can be paired to one or groups of blinds allowing a very granular control over many blinds. Timers and sun sensors can also be used.
If putting wires into the window is a problem then we have battery powered Somfy kits available.
Click to see Somfy Roller Blind Kits |
IB-Radio Electric Roller Blind KitsOur IB-Radio based roller blind kits offer the simplest installation and use.
The radio enabled motor includes an integral radio receiver meaning there is no external module to hide or connect to. Simply connect the motor to the power supply!
The motor can be 'paried' to one or many handsets or optional wall switches or one handset can operate a number of blinds
Optional Wall Switches can be a useful addition if your prone to losing your remote controls or maybe you need to have wall controls installed for access by wheelchair users.
Click to see IB-Radio Roller Blind Kits |
Control-It Electric Roller Blind KitsOur own Control-It based roller blind kits offer a more economical alternative to Somfy based kits and are functionally the same.
Control-It is only available with Radio controls, but we can offer battery powered wall switches & timers.
The Control-It Kits are available with a standard receiver, which is a small beige box which is usually mounted behind the blind or some other location hidden from view, it is operated only via the radio handset.
The Control-It Wall Switch Kits are available with a Wall Switch reciever, which is a wall mounted box containing the receiver and push buttons, this would normally be mounted visible or in a convenient location where you can operate the blind from. This is also the radio receiver so can be operated remotely via the supplied radio handset.
The Wall Switch also contains 'volt-free inputs' which is a control method commonly used by home automation systems to control other devices.
The wall switch can be a useful addition if your prone to losing your remote controls or maybe you need to have wall controls installed for access by wheelchair users.
Click to see Control-IT Roller Blind Kits |
Basic Electric Roller Blinds KitsOur basic roller blind kits are for those users who want to control the blind motor directly and therefore come with no controls or handsets. This makes a more affordable option for those keen DIYers who have the knowledge to control and operate the blinds directly from their own control systems.
Click to see Basic Roller Blind Kits |
Receivers & TransmittersThe IB-Radio, Somfy and Control-It radio systems offer great flexability when you have multiple receivers and transmitters (handsets, wall switches & timers etc)
The IB-Radio, Somfy RTS and Control-It radio systems operate in similar ways, each receiver and transmitter is unique and must be 'paired' together.
The programming operation pairs a particular transmitter to a particular receiver, this allows you to program multiple switches and receivers: program one transmitter to operate many receivers or program many transmitters to operate one single receiver.
So for example if you had a blind with it's own receiver in the Kitchen, Living Room and Bedroom you could:
- Have a handset for each room.
- Have a wall switch located in the Living Room and Bedroom.
- Have a timer that operates the Kitchen automatically.
- Have a wall switch at your front door that can operate all the blinds together. |
