Motorized shades

[aamert]

I am looking to hard wire my windows for automated shades (house is currently being framed). I realize the information available is very sparse. I am fine with either a 12v or 110v hard wire but I cannot find a concrete solution anywhere. 
 
Can anyone pls point me in the right direction as to how to hard wire the window openings?

 

[ano]

I am looking to hard wire my windows for automated shades (house is currently being framed). I realize the information available is very sparse. I am fine with either a 12v or 110v hard wire but I cannot find a concrete solution anywhere. 
 
Can anyone pls point me in the right direction as to how to hard wire the window openings?

I'd focus on installing 120V outlets near each window. Most of the controls now-a-days are wireless, so don't require wires. The ones that still do are different by brand, do you need to pick your brand before wiring. 

 

[aamert]

I'd focus on installing 120V outlets near each window. Most of the controls now-a-days are wireless, so don't require wires. The ones that still do are different by brand, do you need to pick your brand before wiring. 

Do you mean install 120v in the frame of window? 
 
My concern is wiring for the windows and also wiring for the control box. If I just wire the window and not the control box, and later it is determined that the control box is required, it would defeat the hardwired purpose. 

 

[ano]

Do you mean install 120v in the frame of window? 
 
My concern is wiring for the windows and also wiring for the control box. If I just wire the window and not the control box, and later it is determined that the control box is required, it would defeat the hardwired purpose. 

The 120V location is really up to you.  I have motorized blinds on every window, and i added them to an existing house.  Even with a house not the least bit designed for this. I had a 120V outlet under just about every window.  If I could have changed it while it was being build, I would install the outlets closer to the bottom center of each window.  You could install them neat the top, but I'm not sure that would look very good unless you could hide them somehow.  My blinds are Somfy low voltage blinds so there is a low voltage wire i run down the inside of each window, then along the wall near the bottom to an outlet.  You can also buy 120V motors which are quieter, more expensive, and require 120V wiring. People here also use battery packs, so no outlet is needed, and they seem to like them, but personally I don't want to replace batteries.
 
As for the control, this can be wired or wireless, but the days of wired are disappearing.  All of my blinds use Somfy RTS wireless and it works well.  There is a serial controller/transmitter connected to my Omni that controls them, and I have a Somfy repeater as well.  Why wireless is nice is because you also might like remotes near each window.  I have a standard Somfy remote mounted near each window so i can always change the position if i want to.  With wired, you can't use remotes like this.  So all my blinds are controlled at different times during the day, or I can manually change them.

 

[wkearney99]

Your best bet is to take a trip to a local reputable Hunter Douglas or Lutron motorized shade dealer and talk with them.  You're going to need one eventually anyway, as shades are often a lot more tedious to spec and install than you might first guess.  Motorized shades are not inexpensive but it's a largely one-time cost, like automating lighting.
 
Trust me, I love DIY opportunities but shades are one place where it's been money well spent having someone else figure it all out.  Lots of people have done it themselves, but having been where you are RIGHT NOW the last thing you probably want to be doing is spinning up how to figure out window treatments.  Spend on a contractor and get back to other details.

 

[kurtmccaslin]

+1 on the wireless.   I went with Hunter Douglas Power Rise.   I ran 12/2 wire to the header on each blind with the other end of the wire going to the location of the power supply.  Some of the power supplies were placed in the attic and the rest were in my automation closet.   My attic is conditioned space as my roof is insulated with foam.
 
It is very convenient to be able to raise, lower, and tilt with a press of a button.    I dont have any of the shades connected to my automation system yet.   That is reserved for a future project.

 

[aamert]

My question was about wired motors (instead of battery powered) which can be controlled wirelessly which is what most of you had mentioned. 
 
So if I wire around my windows for 120v now and end up using a low voltage 12v motor, is it possible to use the same outlet?

 

[picta]

You do not need 110V to power most blinds, only if you have oversized and heavy ones. running 16/2 wire to each window from a central location will be the most economical and clean way to do this. Instead of using a transformer for each motor, you could use a power distribution board with a single transformer. If you only planning to control the shades, wireless would be ok, but for integration with automation controller I'd highly recommend running a control wire as well (22/4 or cat5 can be used with any motor)

 

[ano]

I would not rule out 120V blinds until you have had some chance to shop a bit.  I only know Somfy, but their light weight 120V motors, Sonesse 40 & 50, and Altus 40 & 50, are much quieter than their low-voltage motors, and a bit more expensive as well.  All depends what is most important to you and your budget. You might want to spend some time at a blinds shop to just see what is available even if its way too early to buy them.

 

[wkearney99]

 

You do not need 110V to power most blinds, only if you have oversized and heavy ones. running 16/2 wire to each window from a central location will be the most economical and clean way to do this. Instead of using a transformer for each motor, you could use a power distribution board with a single transformer. If you only planning to control the shades, wireless would be ok, but for integration with automation controller I'd highly recommend running a control wire as well (22/4 or cat5 can be used with any motor)

 
This is good advice.  What helps is if you can leave the wire inside the wall such that it'd be possible for a blinds installer to fish it out later.  This requires there be the kind of space available for it.  Sometimes wall framing is designed such that it's not possible, or a lot more trouble that it'd be worth.  
 
I had this situation for nearly all of my windows.  In retrospect I should have worked with my architect to plan for this ahead of time.  It would have complicated the structural planning in a few places but that would have been less hassle than discovering problems in the field.
 

You might want to spend some time at a blinds shop to just see what is available even if its way too early to buy them.

 
Also great advice.  Just know that designing window treatments depends a lot on how the actual space is built, painted and decorated.  Sometimes you just can't "know" until the space actually exists and has furniture in it.  What might seem good during the planning phases could turn out to be absolutely wrong once your stuff is in place and you've been living there for a while.  A good window treatment designer can take stuff like this into account.

Yeah, you 'can' just go with bottom-up honeycomb shades.  But sometimes using top-down, drapes, rollers, roman shades, silhouettes, venetian blinds, shutters and the like can make a much more attractive design solution.  Thing is, none of those will use the same hardware for automation.  So you REALLY do need to have a handle on all that BEFORE wiring.

 

[wkearney99]

So you REALLY do need to have a handle on all that BEFORE wiring.

 
Ugh, my head hurts thinking back to the stress of trying to figure this all out during the construction....

 

[BirdingPix]

Definitely run 120 vac as well as a twisted pair to each window (locate near an upper corner of window frame). 
 
We have Somfy ILT motors and RS485 control to each motor.   Wonderful system, and all under automation control now.  Very pleased.
 
Good luck!