The SwitchBot Blind Tilt is a discreet little device that turns your regular blinds into smart blinds, opening and closing them on a schedule, when triggered by an event, or via your smartphone – and it's brilliant. The Blind Tilt is a fraction of the price of installing purpose-made smart blinds, and if you're not a morning person (like me), it has the potential to make starting the day a lot less jarring.
If you want to be woken gently, then you could try one of the best wake-up lights to rouse you gently with a simulated sunrise. However, in my experience as a smart home tech editor, the most effective ones tend to be expensive, and cheaper ones tend to jolt you awake by ramping up the brightness too quickly. Don't get me started on ones with 'nature sounds'. A repeating, heavily compressed 10-second clip of birdsong isn't a calming way to start the day.
Switchbot specializes in affordable smart home devices, including ones that can be attached to your existing devices and furnishings so you can control them via an app without replacing them. For example, the Switchbot Bot is a little box that you can stick beside a button or switch (for a lamp, dehumidifier, or virtually any other appliance), and it will use a little arm to physically push down and turn the appliance on or off.
In addition to the Blind Tilt, there's also the SwitchBot Curtain 3, which rolls along your curtain pole or track to pull your window dressings open and closed, and the SwitchBot Lock, which fits over your existing door hardware with no need for screws.
The Blind Tilt is similarly easy to use and works by rotating the wand on your venetian blinds, opening and closing the slats to admit more or less light.
It's easy to install, with just a few components. There's a small adhesive mount that attaches to your blind header (with a simple card template to help you position it), a clamp that attaches to the blind wand, and the cylindrical body containing the motor. Switchbot provides clear instructions in its mobile app, and I was able to fit it easily within about five minutes.
You can run the Blind Tilt from a rechargeable battery (there's a USB-C port on the cylinder containing the motor), but it also has a small solar panel that you can stick to the interior of your window, where it should easily catch enough rays to meet the Blind Tilt's modest power demands. It's small enough to fit behind the header of your blinds, which keeps it out of sight and means it's exposed to daylight even when the blinds are closed.
Another advantage of the solar panel is that it'll detect the amount of light outside and can be set to trigger the Blind Tilt when it reaches a certain level, opening your blinds as the sun rises for a gentle, natural start to the day.
The Blind Tilt isn't quite perfect. It does make a little noise as its motor rotates your blind wand; it can only be fitted to blinds with a wand, and it can't roll them up or down (for that, you'll need something like the Aqara Roller Shade Driver), but it's effective, easy to use, and very affordable.
That's particularly true right now, with the Blind Tilt and solar panel bundle available at Amazon for just $59.99 (was $69.99) in the US, and £60.19 (was £69.99) at Amazon in the UK.
Today's best Switchbot Blind Tilt deals
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