Top pick
This option is the best in every way—sturdy, with reliable hardware, a wide range of compatibility, ultra-quiet motors, and straightforward automations.
Lutron’s Serena Smart Roller Shades skillfully combine all of the things you’d want from a connected window covering: easy-to-configure automations; the quietest motor of any model we tested (including others from Lutron); compatibility with Amazon Alexa, Apple Home, and Google Home; and a sturdy, attractive design available in multiple styles and color finishes.
The Lutron Caséta Smart Hub, sold separately, is required to enable Wi-Fi and any smart functionality in the Lutron app and with its supported smart-home platforms, including voice control. One hub works with as many as 75 Lutron devices. This hub connects to a router, and we found it simple to set up via a tutorial in the Lutron app.
If you want a remote control, you can also buy a Lutron Pico Smart Remote separately. One remote can control multiple Lutron devices, as long as they’re within 30 feet of the remote, according to Lutron.
They’re whisper-quiet. A motorized shade isn’t going to add much convenience to your life if it’s distractingly loud. Most of the models we tested were quiet enough to not be especially noticeable, if you aren’t trying to hear them. But Lutron’s roller shade was by far the quietest of the bunch.
Combine this model’s quiet motor with its ability to automatically open and close on a set schedule or to change seasonally with sunrise and sunset, and you hardly even notice they’re there.
They are fuss-free. I created multiple Schedules, including one for sunrise and sunset, and these shades worked seamlessly, which was pretty delightful. I especially enjoyed walking downstairs in the morning to shades that had already opened without my having to do anything. At sunset, they automatically blocked the direct bright light that typically streams into the living room at that time of day.
There are tons of style options. Lutron’s roller shades are sold in three styles: blackout, translucent, and sheer. Among those three main options, there are dozens of color choices per style, totaling over 100 possible finishes. Along with the opacity and color finish, you can select whether you want either an “architectural” or fabric valance (a cover that hides the top portion of the shade).
The architectural valances are Lutron’s modern offering, and they come in white, black, bronze, or silver finishes. Fabric valances match the fabric you select for the shades. If you don’t want valances, you can pick whether you want the fabric to drape over or under.
The hardware is as sturdy as it is good-looking. Lutron’s roller shade is solidly built, and it feels especially durable compared with all of the other models we tested. We’ll have to use it long-term to give an official verdict on how it holds up over time. But it seems perfectly capable of lasting for years without issue.
As a result of that durability, this shade was also the heaviest model we tested. During installation, I enlisted help from a second person to hold one side.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
They use a lot of batteries. While the number of batteries varies based on the size of your custom shade, my 27-by-73-inch shade needed a comically high number—eight D batteries, for an added $17. Lutron notes in its FAQ that battery longevity is variable, depending on use, but that typically you should be able to trigger them “thousands of times” before the shades need new batteries.
They’re top-shelf expensive. Lutron roller shades are a premium product with a premium price tag. My one shade cost about $965, including the $80 Lutron Caséta Smart Hub (one hub can manage up to 75 devices). By comparison, the SmarterHome MySmartRollerShades model cost about $620, including a $110 Wi-Fi hub.
Even the smallest shade Lutron would let me build online—with the exact same specifications otherwise–still cost a whopping $890 (with the $80 Lutron Smart Hub added).
Privacy and security snapshot
- Lutron may collect data about your specific visit to its website and app.
- Lutron may encrypt and share anonymized usage data it collects with analytics firms to learn how visitors interact with its site and app. It does not share or sell data for solicitation of non-Lutron products and services.
- Browsers with “do not track” settings do not work on Lutron’s site. Using the app, you have the ability to restrict what data you want to share.
Review Lutron’s privacy statement for more information.
