RYSE - SmartShade with BatteryPack

RYSE - SmartShade with BatteryPack As a big tech enthusiast, I’ve been slowly upgrading my home with smart devices. I recently decided to get the RYSE - SmartShade with BatteryPack. After thoroughly testing it out, I can say that this is a nice smart device that works as intended but with some questionable decisions on the software and hardware side of it. RYSE has put a lot of thought into their product's design and packaging. The installation process was very straightforward and hassle-free, thanks to the clear step-by-step guide in the RYSE app. The kit included all the necessary components, with a mounting bracket and screws making it easy to mount the SmartShade onto my window frame without the need for professional installation. Once installed, and set up in the app. I connected it to my smartphone via bluetooth using the RYSE app, and that's when the real convenience kicked in, with not having to get up to manually close the curtains.It does have two physical buttons where you can control it from the unit if you want to. That being said, this is where I was a tad annoyed, in that in order to connect the RYSE to my smart assistant for voice commands, you have to purchase their proprietary smart Hub in order for it to communicate with your smart assistant and to set up schedules. I feel like this is a design misstep, in that most products that I’ve dealt with in recent history do not need a smart Hub in order to communicate with your smart assistant and only need the app. The BatteryPack is nice and after a week of use is still at 96%, and since it's battery powered you don't have to worry about losing functionality during power outages. That being said, I was disappointed to see that it is powered via a Micro-USB plug, that is included but a power brick is not provided. This is another cost cutting move by RYSE I’m assuming, where In my personal opinion a product coming out today should be USB-C. One of the concerns I had initially was the noise level of the motor, but I was surprised by just how quiet the SmartShade motor operates. The motor's near-silent ensures there are no disturbances when I'm working from home or watching TV. You do need to make sure that the RYSE customer support team has been exceptional, promptly responding to my inquiries and providing helpful solutions whenever I needed assistance. In conclusion, the RYSE - SmartShade with BatteryPack works as it is intended to and gets the job done, but to fully get the best out of this product I highly suggest you get their Smart Hub in order to take full advantage of the product.

One of the missing pieces for my smart home are smart shades and The Ryse SmartShade + Battery Pack is a good place to start. It’s basically a motorized attachment for window shades compatible with either a beaded chain, plastic or metal, or a simple cord loop that you control from an app on your phone. Installation is fairly easy for anyone handy with tools and assembly. It took me about 15 minutes to complete the set up. I chose the big window shade in my bedroom with a plastic beaded chain. I only had to remove the plastic cord tensioner and the beads easily settled in the pulley section. The installation kit comes with a bracket, screws and anchors. The video tutorial within the app is easy to follow with clear instructions that you can repeat as many times as you want. This model comes with the SmartShade attachment and a battery pack. The attachment can be powered with a proprietary electrical cord but it’s not included because of the provided battery pack that makes for a cleaner look. It took about 5 hours to fully charge the battery pack the first time. Overall setup is quick and easy if you follow the guide on the app. The most important part is to set the open and close positions and it took less than a minute to do. Bluetooth connection is simple to establish. I downloaded the app both on my phone and my tablet. You can select the speed to open and close. I like the fastest one even though it’s noisier. The motor is powerful and easily pulls the chain in either direction without straining. From the app you can progressively open the shades from 0% to 100%. However, I’ve been having issues with time lags opening and closing the shades and losing connection at barely 3 to 5 feet from the smartshade. The performance has been uneven as it works like a charm for a few days and then struggles with the connection. There’s an optional SmartBridge to make it truly ‘smart’ with voice control, group control and establishing routines and smart hub integration. I believe connecting through wifi would help eliminate the connection issues I’ve experienced with Bluetooth. I’ll update my findings once I get the SmartBridge. Overall, I like the Ryse SmartShade. The battery pack option definitely makes it look cleaner and seems to be holding its charge quite well. Except for the occasional connection issues, it works mostly well and makes a good addition to my smart home gadgets.

Ryse - Automated Controller First Impressions - I opened the box, charged and attached the battery and scanned the included QR code for the app. The application installed and I was off to install this on our patio door as a proving ground prior to installing on a series of second story windows that are currently static. This is an ideal controller for any set of blinds where access to the adjustments are difficult to access. Usage over a one week span - It opens and closes the blinds for out patio door on command from the app. I used this as a test as I have four large windows that have normally inaccessible adjustments where I dream of being able to open the blinds at sunrise and close them at sunset. After testing - I purchased three additional units and the smart bridge. This is still far less costly than any commercial system I have quoted and takes only five to ten minutes per window to install. If I have to grab a ladder to charge the batteries every six months or so that is far better than not being able to open my upper living room windows without a ladder ! What I love - Works with google or Alexa with simple setup if you have the optional smartbridge. Six month battery life when operated mutiple times per day ! Room for improvement - The price No bulk offering I could locate.

Everyone has seen the movies where some fancy pad has automatic blinds that open and close on demand or on a schedule, so I jumped at the chance to try out these Ryse smart shades to see if I could get a similar effect in my home. The nice part about these Smart shades is they will work with existing blinds that have beaded chain or strings, while the really expensive ones are integrated into the blind housings and quickly increase expense and maintenance. Overall setup was simple, just start with the Ryse app and don’t bother with any instructions in the box. Click the battery in and you’ll see the lights on the Ryse turn on. Now here’s when things start going downhill. The app setup asks you to set up the Ryse hub first. This kit does not include the Ryse hub, so you need to skip this part of the setup and go right to the SmartShade setup. More on this later. The SmartShade only connects via Bluetooth and while pairing is simple, this GREATLY limits functionality and ability to control the SmartShade remotely or even around the house. Instead of being able to use Voice assistants or the app to control blinds, you need to do so from the App on your phone or on the unit itself to make adjustments on demand. I don’t have a 2nd unit to try, but I think the lack of hub will limit grouping controls too. The good thing is the automated routines you create are saved on the device itself so at least you can set wake and sleep routines which is really all we need. My wife really loves how the blinds to the bedroom open at dawn and close at dusk based on the routine we set. The build of the unit is attractive and quality. A bit on the heavy side but that’s because the battery lasts for months between charges. Would’ve like to have seen USB-C cable support instead of micro-USB. Also I would consider finding a stud or using better drywall anchors as the unit is pretty heavy. Overall this is a great concept and I love how it can be retrofit to existing beaded chain blinds. I’m really baffled by the decision not to include WiFi on each SmartShade unit however. At this price point you would expect independent WiFi connectivity without the need of another device like a hub. If Ryse is able to get that right then I think they would have a winner as the unit looks and works great other than lack of cloud connectivity.

The hardware is well built. But the intent of the device is to allow one to remotely control the shade. This is where I normally have little issues. However, the application for the android is frustrating. Here are the good things, bad to follow. The hardware is easy to install. setting the top and bottom of the shade opening and closing straightforward too. Using only the up or down controls the device by RYSE works great. I had no luck trying the remote function as the unit never paired nor works with the app. I was able to download and install the RYSE app from the play store. It loads fine. I had to try many times to get the device to pair with the Bluetooth. I was finally able to connect by pressing the small reset button on the top of the device. Next frustration: The app required a firmware update. I tried numerous times here too. Finally resetting and repairing the device to get it to accept the firmware update. I was very happy at this point. But, sadly, the app would never sync up with the device. Once it did report the battery condition of charge in percentage and the amount of open or close of the shade. but nothing more. Now I only have a push button motoroized shade.

I was looking for something to automate my blinds..and these are great! However it seems these still have a ways to go before they are perfect. Although the app works, it is very buggy. I purchased 6 units, and 2 did not work. In addition, one unit “ate” my beaded cord and snapped it. All things considered I think these are still worth a try and when you do get them set up properly, work like a charm.

I installed the Ryse Smart Shade with battery pack a few days ago and have found it to work quite well. Installation was straightforward. First you download the app then it walks you through the install and setting the up/down parameters. It works better than I thought it would on our large 8 foot shade (see picture). The shade is actually quite heavy but the Smart Shade moves it without issue, although I would say it raises/lowers it fairly slowly even when set on the highest speed. Using the app to raise/lower the shade is very convenient and you are able to set it at any position. Overall I think it works well and is useful to me in my home. I think the price is rather high for the device which is why I'm deducting 1 star, it would be nice to see it at a lower price. For my home I think its a "nice to have", but I can see it being very useful and almost a must-have for my 87 year old Mom. So I'll be buying her several of these and they will be extremely useful to her since she doesn't get around too well these days. Just hope I can get them if they go on sale at a lower price.

I've long desired to automate my roller shades. I remember when the only way to do so was to spend literally several hundred dollars and have them professionally installed and programmed. The RYSE SmartShade (operator/controller) has brought that price point down to something I think is very manageable and it's pretty easy to install. Speaking of installation, the most difficult step was to find, and separate, the connecting ball on the existing roller shade chain. Mine looked exactly like every other of the thousands, with the exception of having the slit allowing installation and uninstallation. Once found and pried off, I removed the existing bottom tensioner, was able to re-use the connector ball, and wrapped the chain around RYSE. There are nicely-done step-by-step video instructions provided via a QR code to their YouTube site. The physical installation and top/bottom point calibration with their app took me less than 20 minutes. With the app, you can set the speed at which the shade opens and closes- depending on your patience and sound tolerances. I have it set at the slowest and it's very quiet. The app also allows you to rename your shade to be logical, for reference and if you decide to integrate with other smart home devices and systems. (My one grip is related to this...coming soon). Additionally, you can create "Groups" so that groups of shades can be controlled with a single command. On the device itself there are pairing and setting buttons, a "stop" button" and a rocker to raise and lower the shade with LEDs indicating the percentage open/closed. Nice. My gripe? You must purchase a RYSE Smart Bridge to have full remote control and integrate with your other smart home devices. I need another bridge like...you get the idea. I wish these just communicated with your WiFi directly. That's where I'm hoping the next gen of tech can make this a perfect device