Motorized Shades: A Beginner's Guide to PowerView®
Motorized shades used to feel like something only for brand-new custom homes. Today they’re one of the most requested upgrades we install in existing homes across Central Illinois and Chicagoland, from ranch homes in Normal to two-story great rooms in the southwest suburbs.
If you’re curious but don’t know where to start, this guide covers what motorization is, how it works day to day and which rooms benefit most.
What is PowerView® Automation?
PowerView® Automation is the Hunter Douglas motorization system. A quiet motor inside the shade raises it, lowers it or tilts its vanes at the touch of a button, from your phone or on a schedule you set. Most Hunter Douglas shades and blinds can be ordered with it, and many drapery systems too.
This system is close to home for us. Hunter Douglas invited Bridget, Greg and Madeleine to beta test PowerView Gen 3 before it came to market, and their feedback helped shape it. So it’s a system our team knows inside and out.
How you control your shades
You can use any mix of these:
- Remote: A small handheld remote controls one shade, a group of shades or a whole room.
- Wall keypad: Mounted next to a light switch, so everyone in the house knows where to find it.
- App: The PowerView® App controls your shades from your phone, at home or away.
- Schedules: Shades open in the morning and close at sunset on their own, even when you’re on vacation.
- Scenes: One tap sets every shade in a room to your favorite position for movie night, dinner or bedtime.
- Voice: PowerView works with popular voice assistants and smart-home systems.
The PowerView® App is required for programmed operation, like schedules and scenes. Our installers set it up with you on installation day so it’s ready to use before they leave.
How they’re powered
Most PowerView shades run on a battery wand tucked behind the shade, so there’s no electrician and no new wiring. Rechargeable options are available too. If you’re building or remodeling, hardwired power is an option, and it’s worth planning before the drywall goes up.
Designer tip: Building a new home? Ask your builder to talk to us before the walls are closed. It’s the easiest time to plan hardwired shades and keypad locations.
Where motorization makes the biggest difference
Tall and hard-to-reach windows
Windows above a tub, behind a kitchen sink, or fifteen feet up in a great room are hard to reach by hand. Motorization turns them into windows you actually use. See our guide to tall windows and two-story rooms.
Rooms with many windows
A living room with eight windows means eight shades to adjust, twice a day. With a scene, it’s one tap.
Homes with kids and pets
There are no cords at all, and remotes can be kept out of reach. More in our guide to cordless window treatments for kids and pets.
Sunny rooms
A schedule can lower the shades during the sunniest hours to protect floors and furniture from fading, then raise them again in the evening. See how to protect floors and furniture from sun fading.
Bedrooms
Wake up to daylight as your shades rise on their own, and let them close at sunset for privacy without thinking about it.
What it looks like in a real home
In this family home with motorized shades, sheer shadings on the tall dining room window, the living room corner windows and the bedrooms all run on PowerView. Keypads by the light switches handle everyday use, and the app handles schedules.
Can I add it to shades I already own?
It depends on the product and its age. Many current Hunter Douglas products can be motorized. Older shades often can’t, and sometimes replacing them is the better value. Your designer can look at what you have and give you an honest answer.
Warranty and service
Hunter Douglas covers motorization components for five years from the date of purchase. If a shade stops responding, call us before anything else. Many PowerView questions, from a low battery to a lost schedule, can be solved over the phone. If it needs a visit, our Repairs & Service page explains how it works.
Common worries, answered
- “Is it complicated?” Day to day, it’s a button. The app is there when you want schedules and scenes, but it isn’t required to raise and lower your shades.
- “What if the internet goes down?” Remotes and keypads keep working.
- “Are they loud?” PowerView motors are quiet. Most people are surprised the first time they hear one.
See it work in person
The best way to understand automation is to watch a shade glide down quietly on its own. Every one of our showrooms has motorized displays you can try. Learn more on our motorization page, or ask your designer to bring a demo to your free in-home consultation.
Common questions
Do motorized shades need to be wired?
Usually not. Most PowerView® shades run on battery wands tucked behind the shade, so no electrician is needed. Hardwired power is an option if you're building or remodeling.
Can I control motorized shades from my phone?
Yes. The PowerView® App controls your shades at home or away and is required for programmed operation such as schedules and scenes. Shades also work with remotes, wall keypads and popular voice assistants.
Can I add motorization to the shades I already have?
It depends on the product and its age. Many current Hunter Douglas products can be motorized. Your designer can look at what you have and tell you honestly whether to upgrade or replace.
What happens if a motorized shade stops working?
Call us first. Many issues, from a low battery to a lost schedule, can be solved over the phone. Hunter Douglas covers motorization components for five years from the date of purchase.
