Motorized Windows
Not all motorized shades are the same. The motor class decides how it is powered and how loud it is; the control method decides how you live with it. Here is the whole map, so you can tell which specification you are actually being quoted.
Shop Motorized Windows
Made to your exact window size. Prices shown for a 36" × 60" window — your size is priced live in the next step.
Quick answers
Which motor is the quietest?
As a class, low-voltage DC motors are quieter than mains AC ones, and the premium 'quiet series' DC motors are quieter again. But on a large shade you hear the fabric unrolling more than the motor, so a quiet motor on a heavy 90-inch shade can sound louder than a standard motor on a small bedroom shade. Weight and tube size matter as much as the motor badge.
How loud is a motorized shade really?
For the DC battery motors used in most residential shades, published figures usually sit in the mid-30s of decibels measured about a metre away — roughly a quiet fridge, for a few seconds of travel. Mains AC tubular motors are noticeably louder. Treat any single number with care: makers measure at different distances, on different tube sizes, and rarely say which.
What is the difference between a remote and Bluetooth control?
An RF remote talks straight to the motor on its own radio frequency. It needs no phone, no Wi-Fi and no account, and it works in a power cut. Bluetooth control replaces the remote with your phone, which is convenient until you want to open the shades from downstairs — Bluetooth only reaches about ten metres and generally pairs one phone at a time. Bluetooth alone is not remote access.
The motor types on the market
Almost every motorized shade sold uses a tubular motor — a slim cylinder that lives inside the roller tube. What separates them is how they are powered, and that decides the torque, the noise and most of the price.
| Motor type | Power | Typical noise | Where it wins | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mains AC tubularMotor is cheap; the electrician is not. | Wired to mains power at the window. | ≈ 40–50 dBLoudest class | Highest torque. Drives very large, heavy or commercial shades, and never needs charging. | Needs power at the window and stops in an outage. Rarely worth it in a house. |
| Rechargeable DC tubularThe mainstream option — ours is +$123.20. | Lithium battery built into the motor; charged by cable a few times a year. | ≈ 30–40 dBQuiet enough for a bedroom | The standard residential choice. No wiring, no electrician, works in a power cut. | Needs reaching to charge, which is why high windows get the solar version. |
| Solar-assisted DCA premium over rechargeable — ours is +$168.00. | Same DC motor plus a slim solar panel that trickle-charges it from daylight. | ≈ 30–40 dBSame as rechargeable | Effectively no maintenance. Made for skylights and anything needing a ladder. | Needs real daylight on the panel. A north-facing, shaded window is a poor candidate. |
| Low-voltage DC, wiredMotor plus the cost of getting a discreet cable to the window. | A small plug-in transformer or a low-voltage feed at the window. | ≈ 28–38 dBQuiet, and never slows | Continuous power without mains wiring. Good for shades that move many times a day. | You still have to hide a cable, and it stops in an outage. |
| Quiet-series DCA premium over a standard DC motor. | Battery or wired, with a damped gearbox and a slower travel speed. | ≈ 25–32 dBQuietest class | For rooms where the sound matters more than the speed — nurseries, studios, bedrooms. | Moves more slowly by design. That is the trade that buys the silence. |
Noise figures are typical published ranges for each class, not measurements of a specific product. Manufacturers measure at different distances and on different tube sizes, and few state which — so compare classes, and treat a single quoted decibel number as indicative.
What those decibels actually sound like
Decibels are not intuitive, and the scale is logarithmic — every 10 dB is roughly a doubling of perceived loudness. Against everyday sounds:
A residential shade motor in the mid-30s therefore sits between a whisper and a fridge, for the few seconds it is moving. The honest caveat: the motor is often not the loudest part. On a wide, heavy shade the sound of fabric unrolling and the bottom bar settling carries further than the gearbox does. If silence is the priority, a smaller shade with a standard motor frequently beats a large shade with a premium one.
We describe our own motors as bedroom-quiet — a low hum during travel — and we would rather say that than publish a decibel figure we have not measured ourselves on the tube size you are ordering.
The four ways to control a motorized shade
These are genuinely different capabilities, and the distinction between Bluetooth and app control is where most people are caught out.
RF remote
A handset talks straight to the motor on its own radio frequency.
- Range
- Whole room, through internal walls.
- Needs
- Nothing. No phone, no Wi-Fi, no account.
- Control when out
- No — line of sight to the house only.
- Voice
- No
Almost everyone. It is the default, it keeps working in a power cut, and nothing can break it remotely.
Bluetooth (BLE)
Your phone pairs directly with the motor and an app replaces the handset.
- Range
- About 10 m, same room in practice.
- Needs
- A phone, and the app installed.
- Control when out
- No — this is the common misunderstanding.
- Voice
- Only via a bridge
One or two shades where you always have your phone and never need control from elsewhere in the house.
Wi-Fi app (via bridge)
A small bridge converts the remote's radio onto your home Wi-Fi, so the shades appear in an app.
- Range
- Anywhere with internet.
- Needs
- Home Wi-Fi, the bridge and an account.
- Control when out
- Yes — open them from work.
- Voice
- Yes — Alexa, Google, Siri
Anyone who wants schedules, sunrise/sunset automation or voice. This is what our smart-home remote adds.
Matter / Zigbee hub
The motor speaks a smart-home standard directly to a hub you already own.
- Range
- Whole home, through the hub.
- Needs
- A Matter controller or Zigbee hub — an Echo, HomePod mini, Nest Hub or SmartThings.
- Control when out
- Yes
- Voice
- Yes, and can stay local
Homes already running smart lighting that want the shades in the same scenes, without another app.
What we fit, and what it costs
We keep the range deliberately narrow, because two motors and two control options cover almost every home. Everything below is priced in the configurator on top of the shade:
| Option | What you get | Added cost |
|---|---|---|
| Rechargeable battery motor | Tubular DC motor with a built-in lithium pack. Charge by cable a couple of times a year. | +$123.20 |
| Solar motor | The same motor with a solar panel that keeps it charged. For skylights and high windows. | +$168.00 |
| Basic remote | Multi-channel RF handset: up, stop, down and a favourite position, plus an all-shades channel. | +$88.48 |
| Smart-home compatible | The remote plus the bridge that puts the shades on Wi-Fi for app, schedules and voice. | +$166.88 |
Prices shown are the current configurator options and can vary by product range. Motorization is specified when the shade is made, because the motor lives inside the tube — see how motorization works for charging, pairing and setting the limits.
The four things that separate one motorized shade from another
The motor class
Mains AC, rechargeable DC, solar-assisted DC or low-voltage wired. This decides torque, power and most of the price difference.
How loud it is
Quoted in decibels, but measured differently by everyone. What matters is whether it wakes a sleeping child — which is about the motor class and the shade's weight.
How it is controlled
RF remote, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi app or a smart-home standard like Matter. They are not interchangeable and they do not all work off the network.
What it needs from you
A charge a couple of times a year, an electrician, a hub, or nothing at all — depending on the two choices above.
Frequently Asked Questions
Motors and control, answered
Which motor is the quietest?
As a class, low-voltage DC motors are quieter than mains AC ones, and the premium 'quiet series' DC motors are quieter again. But on a large shade you hear the fabric unrolling more than the motor, so a quiet motor on a heavy 90-inch shade can sound louder than a standard motor on a small bedroom shade. Weight and tube size matter as much as the motor badge.
How loud is a motorized shade really?
For the DC battery motors used in most residential shades, published figures usually sit in the mid-30s of decibels measured about a metre away — roughly a quiet fridge, for a few seconds of travel. Mains AC tubular motors are noticeably louder. Treat any single number with care: makers measure at different distances, on different tube sizes, and rarely say which.
What is the difference between a remote and Bluetooth control?
An RF remote talks straight to the motor on its own radio frequency. It needs no phone, no Wi-Fi and no account, and it works in a power cut. Bluetooth control replaces the remote with your phone, which is convenient until you want to open the shades from downstairs — Bluetooth only reaches about ten metres and generally pairs one phone at a time. Bluetooth alone is not remote access.
Do I need Wi-Fi or a hub for app control?
For real app control — opening the shades from work, schedules that run while you are away, voice through Alexa or Google — yes, the motor has to reach your network. That is either a small bridge that converts the remote's radio to Wi-Fi, or motors that speak Matter or Zigbee to a hub you already own. Bluetooth-only motors cannot do this without a bridge.
Can I use voice control without giving my shades internet access?
Partly. A Matter-over-Thread setup keeps control local to your home hub, so voice and schedules work without the shades themselves reaching out to a manufacturer's cloud. A Wi-Fi bridge usually does route through a cloud service. If local-only control matters to you, say so before you order — it changes which motor we specify.
What happens in a power cut?
A battery or solar motor keeps working: it has its own power, and the remote is battery-powered too. A mains AC motor stops, and a low-voltage wired motor stops unless it is on a backup. For a shade you would need to move during an outage, battery is the safer specification.
Are mains-wired motors better than battery ones?
Better for big, heavy or constantly moving shades, because they have more torque and never need charging. Worse for a normal home, because they need an electrician and a power supply at the window, which is why most residential retrofits use a rechargeable battery motor instead.
Can several shades run from one remote?
Yes. A multi-channel RF remote assigns one shade per channel and keeps an all-shades channel, so a bank of windows can move together or individually. The same grouping carries into the app once a bridge or hub is added.
See it priced on your window
Pick the motor and the control method in the configurator. The price updates as you choose.