Electric Roller Blinds. Hardwired vs RTS vs Battery Motor: which is the best and what is the price?

Electric blinds, regardless of the motor/power type, are a luxury touch to any property. However, the many alternatives available from 100’s of manufacturers around the world can be confusing.

All electric roller blinds have a motor installed inside the tube. These motors fall into three main categories;

1. 240v Hardwired Motor
2. 240v RTS (Remote) Motor
3. Battery Motor

The optimal solution for your electric blinds will be determined by their size and how they will be used. To assist you in making your decision, here is a simple summary of each.

240v Hardwired electric blinds

Price of R300 hardwired: 1.2m x 1.2m using artisan fabric with us at Buroshade – approx. £180.50

The Motor of a Hardwired electrical blind is wired directly into the mains 240v power supply. Then the switch to control the blind is also hardwired to the motor. This is the key difference between Hardwired & RTS (Remote).

Pros

• Suitable for larger blinds, (over 2.6m wide) that a battery motor might not have enough power to operate.
• Having the switch hardwired to the motor means you can have over 20-30 blinds in close proximity with no risk of a remote signal getting mixed up between blinds.
• 240v is permanently connected so there are no batteries to run out/recharge.

Cons

• Installation is more difficult and more expensive as you have to run power cables to both the blind and to the switch that will control them.
• There is more cabling to conceal once wiring is complete.
• With most manufacturers you also have to purchase junction boxes if you want one switch to control more than one blind. These are often referred to as Relays and will increase cost and time of installation.

240v RTS (remote) Blinds

Price of R300 with RTS: 1.2m x 1.2m using artisan fabric with us at Buroshade – approx. £213.15

RTS which stands for Radio Technology Somfy is a closed control platform owned by market leading motor manufacturer “Somfy” who we closely work with. Similar systems are available from other manufacturers and are generally referred to as radio or remote controlled. RTS (remote) blinds still require 240v power to be hardwired to the motor however the key difference is that the switch is wireless so does not require any wire running to it.

Pros

• Suitable for larger blinds, (over 2.6m wide) that a battery motor might not have enough power to operate.
• No wires required to run to the switch – reduces install time and cost.
• You can program a single switch to control multiple blinds together or control multiple blinds individually with no extra wiring or no extra junction boxes.
• Power can be daisy chained from one motor to another (you are still required to have the ability to turn off/isolate power to each blind individually).
• Very long range. RTS control will operate wirelessly up to 200 metres away.

Cons

• You still have to run a power cable to the motor which takes time and will need concealing.
• RTS/remote motors are more expensive than hardwired motors.
• Market leading manufacturers “Somfy” warn against having more than 20-30 RTS blinds in close proximity as signals can theoretically get confused. Whilst this has never happened in our experience it is a risk.
• The remote control switches do require batteries that will need to be replaced periodically.
• In a commercial environment hand held remote switches can easily be mislaid by the users.

Battery Roller Blinds

Price of R300 on battery: 1.2m x 1.2m using artisan fabric with us at Buroshade – approx £205.21

Battery-operated blinds are typically a retrofit solution because they do not require any wiring to either the motor or to the switch/control. Historically battery motors have not been very powerful but now modern battery motors can lift a blinds up to 2.4m x 2.1m.

Pros

• Very easy and low cost to install as no wiring is required to either the motor or the switch and very low cost to maintain as well.
• You can program a single switch to control multiple blinds together or control multiple blinds individually with no extra wiring or no extra junction boxes.
• Very long range. RTS control will operate wirelessly up to 200 metres away.
• Relatively low cost compared to mains powered options.

Cons

• Even though modern battery motors are very powerful they are still not as powerful as a mains powered motor so size is limited.
• Batteries will need to be recharged approximately every 6 months (this will vary depending on quality/manufacturer).
• When using batteries to power multiple electric blinds next to each other, the fall and rise of the blinds will not be perfectly aligned due to the minor difference in power in each blind. This is also the case with basic hardwired & RTS motors however more advanced versions do prevent this issue.