HomeKit controlled shades that offer a multitude of installation options
With a plethora of fabrics, finishes, sizes and styles to choose from, the Eve MotionBlinds have every room in your house covered. They are brilliantly made, really easy to install and, providing you live in an Apple Home, you should have them synced up in no time. However, I encountered issues while tied into Apple's smart home ecosystem and I think Eve's smart blinds will only really work perfectly for me once the promised addition of Matter arrives.
Pros
- Great range of designs
- Can be retro-fitted
- On device schedules
Cons
- No Matter yet
- App is a bit clunky
- Thread is so slow
When Eve MotionBlinds were first announced back in 2022, they were the first smart blinds and shades to support Thread and we were told that they would also be Matter smart home compliant once the smart home standard went live.
We’re still waiting for that Matter compatibility in late 2023, although we’re assured it’s coming soon, but in the meantime the range of styles, types, finishes and colors has grown dramatically; as has the amount of places where they are now available.
The original Eve MotionBlinds, which work with Apple HomeKit, were a result of a partnership with window coverings specialist Coulisse and there’s now a growing network of resellers that offer the range, globally.
In early 2023 the Eve MotionBlinds Upgrade Kit for Roller Blinds also went live, featuring mounting brackets, covers and a set of adapters that are able to help users fit the all-important motor into their existing roller blind tube; effectively making their dumb blinds smart.
Whatever option you opt for, the setup, control and everyday use is the same; everything is all currently powered through the Eve app and/or Apple Home.
I’ve had some Eve MotionBlinds installed in my house for a few weeks now, read on for my full review.
Installation
When you find a reseller local to you – take a look right here – then it’s simply up to you to choose your individual size and pick from a selection of thousands of fabrics, colors, styles and finishes.
For my review sample, which was sorted through SelectBlinds, I went for a roller, inside mount blind, measuring 39 inches in length, 37 inches width, with the wand located on the right.
My blind is a blackout ‘Intercoastal Gray’ color, with ‘Anthracite’ brackets.
You really can customize to your heart’s content; there’s thousands of combinations to choose from and a tonne of accessories you can add.
It’s not cheap though, my order came in at around $350; and it’s a pretty small bathroom window I wanted covering.
Once it arrive they are super easy to install. I’m no DIY expert and I always put off installations like this and get my Dad to do them, but it literally was a couple of screws each end and then everything just clips in like a lego set.
(Image credit: The Ambient)
Although you’ll see I botched up the left hand side; the gap was too tight and I couldn’t get the final cap on, which I can live with. That’s on me, not Eve.
The build quality is superb, the material is fantastic and everything feels a far cry from the much cheaper (but still pretty awesome for around half the price) Ikea smart blinds.
Once the physical installation is done, it’s time to get the blinds singing and dancing with your Apple Home, which is the same process you go through to add any device to your Apple Home setup.
One weird aspect of the setup is that the blinds themselves need to be in an ‘active’ mode in order to pair with your Apple Home, which means that, before you scan the HomeKit code, you’ll need to have plugged in a USB-C cable into the recharging port of the blinds.
(Image credit: The Ambient)
Even though the blinds ship with plenty of power in them, the USB-C connection is what activates the blinds for pairing.
Once you’ve synced the blinds to your Apple Home the next thing to do is to finish the setup in the Eve app, which means setting top and bottom stop positions, telling the app where the chord is, what side the fabric rolls and so on.
(Image credit: The Ambient)
This should be easy enough, but because of my laggy Thread network – more on that in a bit – it actually proved to be somewhat of a chore but I got there in the end.
You can also set a favorite blind position in the Eve app too, which is handy if you like to have a certain amount of shade.
In use
The Eve Blinds use both Bluetooth and Thread to connect to your Apple Home. Bluetooth obviously only works if your iPhone (or iPad) is in close proximity to the blinds; more likely you’ll be wanting to add the MotionBlinds to your Apple Home network using a Home Hub, such as a HomePod or an Apple TV.
If this is the case then you’ll be using Thread, a low-power mesh networking technology protocol designed to connect all the devices in your home.
Thread is a big part of the Matter smart home initiative and its inclusion on the MotionBlinds means that, when Matter compatibility does finally arrive, you won’t be tied into Apple Home, you’ll be able to sync the MotionBlinds to the likes of the 3rd-gen Amazon Echo Show 8 or a SmartThings Hub.
For now though, you’ll need a HomeKit Hub with Thread onboard; so that’s a Apple HomePod 2 or Mini, or one of the latest Apple TVs.
However, I cannot wait for that Matter badge to be slapped on Eve’s MotionBlinds, as the Thread connectivity of the blinds is slow, painfully slow, on my Apple Home network.
I thought perhaps this was my fault, as my only Apple Home Hub currently is an Apple TV 4K (2022, 128GB) located in same the AV unit as a super powerful Eero Max 7 Wi-Fi satellite, which located on the floor below from the blinds.
So, to make things fairer, I temporarily plugged the Apple TV into a socket just a few yards away from the MotionBlinds, and also threw a HomePod Mini into the mix for good measure.
And while it made things better, it’s certainly not a great smart home experience; actions from either Siri commands or through Apple Home took around 6-7 seconds to happen, rather than the 20+ seconds it was taking.
I’ve tested numerous Apple Home Thread devices, such as the original Nanoleaf Essentials lights and even some Eve devices, and I’ve never experienced a lag like it.
(Image credit: The Ambient)
This doesn’t really matter for stuff like scenes and automations though, everything still synced up with the MotionBlinds, so I could have them open and close at desired times of the day (set through the Apple Home app) and I also incorporated them into ‘good night’ and ‘good morning’ scenes whereby they opened and closed in line with other lights and temperature settings in the house changing.
You can also sync up the latest Eve Room to open and close the blinds based on temperatures and the new Eve Motion sensor can also adjust the blinds not only based on movement, but on light levels too.
Of course, this is all currently limited to HomeKit only, and using Siri for voice commands, but with Matter coming soon you’ll have a world of sensors and automation possibilities for the MotionBlinds available.
You can also use the Eve app, rather than the Apple Home one, and this gives you a few extra settings and the ability to update firmware and the like; but I’ve never been a massive Eve app fan, it’s a tad clunky.
One neat thing is that all schedules are stored right on the Eve MotionBlinds themselves, so your blinds can get on with their job independently of your laggy home hub.
In terms of the actual movement and motion, everything is super smooth and super quiet; it’s a much quieter affair than the Somfy blinds I have installed in my office.
(Image credit: The Ambient)
You can also physically control the blinds with a pully, which can be extended with a pole (which also cleverly hides the Apple HomeKit code too).
Battery life is touted as ‘up to a year’ with regular use and there’s that USB-C port by the pull string to charge up when it does die.
Final thoughts
The Eve MotionBlinds come in so many shapes and sizes that you’re bound to find a design to perfectly fit your room.
The build quality is fantastic and installation is a breeze.
However, it isn’t until Matter arrives that I can fully recommend purchasing. Even if you live in an Apple Home, you might encounter the same Thread lag issues that I did.
Once Matter is on board, I’ll come back and update this review, because it could so easily get another star with performance improvements.
How we test
When we publish our reviews, you can rest assured that they are the result of “living with” long term tests.
Smart locks usually live within an ecosystem, or a range of products that – supposedly – all work in harmony. Therefore, it’s impossible to use a lock for a week and deliver a verdict.
Because we’re testing smart home kit all day, everyday, we know what matters and how a particular camera compares to alternatives that you might also be considering.
Our reviews are comprehensive, objective and fair and, of course, we are never paid directly to review a device.
Read our guide on how we test to learn more.
