SmartWings Motorized Honeycomb Shade Review: A Major Upgrade for Our Hallway Window

I recently replaced the old blinds in our large hallway window with a custom motorized shade from SmartWings, and I absolutely love the upgrade!

I went with a SmartWings honeycomb cellular shade with light-filtering fabric in Slate Blue. I chose an inside mount so it would sit neatly within the window frame, just like our previous blinds.

The difference it made was immediate. The shade fits beautifully, looks much more modern than what we had before, and now I can open up the entire window with the touch of a button and let all that natural light into the hallway.

What Is SmartWings?

SmartWings specializes in custom motorized window treatments designed to combine traditional window coverings with smart-home technology.

The company offers a pretty impressive selection of window treatments, including cellular shades, roller shades, zebra shades, Roman shades, woven wood shades, dual shades and options for specialty windows.

There are light-filtering and blackout choices as well as more specialized designs, such as top-down/bottom-up Levitate cellular shades and Day & Night shades that combine light-filtering and blackout fabrics.

Depending on the motor selected, SmartWings shades can also integrate with smart-home platforms including Apple Home, Amazon Alexa, Google Home, SmartThings and Home Assistant. Matter-compatible motor options are available as well.

SmartWings states that its team has more than 16 years of experience in the smart blinds and home automation industry. The company also offers a three-year warranty on its motors and controls.

Choosing My SmartWings Shade

SmartWings has so many options that narrowing everything down can actually feel a little overwhelming at first.

For our hallway, I knew I wanted something simple that would soften the light without completely blocking it. I ended up choosing:

• Honeycomb/cellular style
• Light-filtering fabric
• Slate Blue color
• Inside mount
• Motorized operation

I really like the Slate Blue color. It is a grayish blue, and it adds a little color to the hallway without being too bold. Also, when the shade is completely raised, it blends nicely into the top of the window.

The light-filtering option was also a good choice for this particular space. Rather than completely darkening the hallway, it diffuses the sunlight while still allowing the area to feel bright.

The backside of the shade is white, and the front is blue.

Why I Chose a Honeycomb Shade

Besides liking the appearance, there are some practical benefits to the honeycomb design.

Cellular shades get their name from the little honeycomb-shaped pockets created by the fabric. Those cells trap air, which can help insulate the window and reduce heat transfer. SmartWings also says the cellular construction can help reduce outside noise.

For us, however, the biggest selling point was simply the combination of a clean appearance, light filtering and the ability to completely open up the window when we wanted more natural light.

Measuring for Custom SmartWings Shades

One of the most important things to know before ordering is that these shades are custom made to fit your window. That means you definitely want to take your time with the measurements.

You’ll first need to decide whether you want an inside mount or an outside mount because the measuring process is different depending on which style you choose. You also need to figure out if you want the mount on the top or the sides.

I chose an inside mount because that’s how our old blinds were installed, and I liked having everything contained within the window frame.

The fit turned out perfect!

I love how precisely the shade fits inside the window. It really gives it a custom, finished appearance.

SmartWings has measuring guides on its website, and I highly recommend following those rather than just measuring the way you think it should be done.

For example, the company’s instructions for inside-mount cellular shades tell you to measure the width at the top, middle and bottom of the window and use the smallest measurement.

The length is just as important as the width, because your shades will arrive preset to stop at a certain length.

Installing Our SmartWings Motorized Shade

Installation was fairly easy. Mostly because I stood there and watched my husband install them, but he made it look very easy!

He the new shade installed in about 20 minutes. Of course, installation time will vary depending on the window and mounting situation, but ours was pretty straightforward.

Once the shade is physically installed, there’s one more important step before you start pushing buttons and wondering why nothing is happening.

You need to wake up the motor.

The motor is shipped in sleep mode. We followed the instructions and held the button until the shade jogged up and down once. Then we paired it with the remote and it worked easily.

The charging port is located on the top right. They give you a very long cord for charging, but I needed to add an extension cord to mine because the electrical socket was down the hall.

They also make solar powered and hard-wired shades, so you don’t have to get one that needs charging!

The Upper and Lower Limits Were Already Set

This was one of the things I really appreciated.

I thought we’d have to program exactly how far the shade should go up and down, but the upper and lower limits were already set.

With one touch of the remote, the shade can completely open or completely close on its own. You can also stop it anywhere along the way if you only want the window partially covered.

Our settings worked perfectly right out of the box, but the instruction booklet includes directions for resetting the limits if your particular shade needs adjustment.

Light Filtering vs. Blackout Shades

If you’re trying to decide between SmartWings’ light-filtering and blackout options, think about how you actually use the room.

I specifically wanted light filtering because this is a hallway. I didn’t want to make the space dark during the day. I wanted privacy and some coverage while still keeping the hallway bright.

SmartWings describes its light-filtering cellular shades as a way to diffuse natural light while maintaining daytime privacy. One thing to keep in mind is that light-filtering material isn’t necessarily the same as complete privacy at night. With lights on inside, silhouettes or shapes may be visible from outdoors depending on the fabric and lighting.

For a bedroom or another room where darkness and nighttime privacy are more important, I’d probably look at one of the blackout options instead.

They even have Day & Night cellular shades that combine separate light-filtering and blackout fabrics, so you can switch between the two.

The Motorized Feature Is My Favorite Part

Of course, the feature that really makes these shades feel like an upgrade is the motor.

There’s something very satisfying about pushing a button and watching a large window shade smoothly raise itself.

With our old blinds, opening the window completely required a lot more work and pulling a cord to raise the heavy blinds. I usually never did that and left them down all the time.

Now I can press a button and walk away and the shade raises itself!

When the shade goes up, the entire window is exposed and we get so much more natural light. It really brightens the space.

And when the shade is completely open, I like how compact and unobtrusive it looks at the top of the window.

Smart Home Options

We are using the remote for ours, which makes operation incredibly simple, but SmartWings offers more advanced control options depending on which motor you choose.

Compatible options can allow shades to be controlled through an app, voice commands, schedules or smart-home automations. SmartWings currently offers motor choices designed to work with several major smart-home ecosystems, including Apple Home, Google Home, Amazon Alexa, SmartThings and Home Assistant.

So if you’re building a smart home, it’s worth spending a little extra time looking at the motor choices before ordering.

If you just want to press a button and open the shade, though, the remote works perfectly well for that.

My SmartWings Shade Review

I think our new SmartWings motorized honeycomb shade is quite an upgrade for our hallway window.

The custom fit is probably what impressed me most visually. It fits the window so well that it looks like it was always supposed to be there.

I also love being able to completely open up that big window and let all the natural light into the hallway. It makes the entire space feel brighter.

Installation was fairly quick, pairing the remote was easy once we woke up the motor, and the preset upper and lower limits meant we didn’t have to spend a lot of time programming it afterward.

My biggest tip is to take the measuring process seriously and look closely at your mounting situation before placing your order. SmartWings gives you a lot of customization options, which is great, but that also means there are quite a few decisions to make.

For our window, the inside-mount, light-filtering honeycomb shade in Slate Blue turned out to be exactly what I was hoping for.

If you’re looking to replace traditional blinds with something cleaner, custom fitted and a lot more convenient to operate, SmartWings motorized shades are definitely worth checking out.

You can see all the available styles and customization options at SmartWingsHome.com.