Dumb Blind Motors v Smart Blind Motors – What’s the Difference?
The phrases ‘dumb motors’ and ‘smart motors’ are ones that we use often when deciding which motor to recommend to our customers.
These phrases are used in the industry often and are generic terms that we use to differentiate between two types of motors.
A dumb motor is a motor that can only receive information. A smart motor is a motor that can receive information and send information back.
Dumb Motors
Dumb motors tend to be used where a very simple method of control is required. For example in a hotel bedroom where the blackout blind simply needs to be open or closed. This would often be done by a remote control or switch, as they’re very simple to connect this way.
Dumb motors also tend to be cheaper than smart motors which again makes them suitable for a wide range of projects where the budget is tight.
An example of a dumb motor would be a Somfy RTS or WT motor. These motors can receive information from a switch, remote control or TaHoma hub but don’t send any information back.
In contrast, Somfy’s IO motors can be considered smart.
Smart motors
Smart motors can not only respond to information being sent directly to them from other devices but can also send information back. Somfy’s IO motors are smart because the motor can send information back to the remote about its battery level and open/close position.
In fact, because smart motors know their exact position, you can align the blinds very precisely.
You could say send your blinds to a position as specific as ‘38% closed’ and they will all go to that exact position.
Likewise, the Somfy Sonesse 50 RS485 motor is a smart digital motor that will feed information back to a control system.
These types of motors are often used in large buildings or smart homes that use a BMS/home automation system.
BMS systems are hugely beneficial in large buildings i.e., office blocks or hotels, to manage the operation of the whole building from one central point. This makes it much easier for facilities management to track data from the whole building.
For more information on the benefits of a BMS system click here.
Smart motors tend to be used with BMS systems instead of dumb motors as they’re simpler to connect. With a dumb motor, you would need additional wiring and relays to connect it to a BMS or smart home system. When you factor this into that cost, a smart motor will probably end up being more cost-effective.
Smart motors can also send maintenance and diagnostic information back to the central control system which helps with preventative maintenance e.g., electrical current being used, the running temperature of the motor, number of cycles performed etc. Any data outside of the usual data range can provide early warnings of an issue.
Examples
| Dumb motors | Smart motors |
| Somfy Sonesse 40 WT | Vestamatic 35 SMI |
| Vestamatic 35 ME | Somfy RS485 |
| Nice E-Action | Nice SI Smart AC/DC |
For more blog posts about motor types, click here:
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