(Credit: Joe Maldonado)
LAS VEGAS—Lutron’s latest Caseta wood blinds are its smartest yet. Introduced at CES, the blinds feature a technology called Natural Light Optimization, which automatically pivots their slats throughout the day to block harsh sunlight from blinding you. They also open at dawn and close at dusk, and they’re smart enough to make decisions based on seasonal conditions and which way your window faces. The idea is to let in as much natural light as possible, while reducing the glare of direct rays that could interfere with your activities and cause your furniture and pictures to fade.
One limitation of the Natural Light Optimization feature is that it’s not actually sensing real-time lighting conditions. It’s changing the angle of the shades based on the typical lighting for the direction of a given window in your location at that time of day. This means it might pivot the shades to block sunlight even when a cloudy day is already serving that purpose.
That said, you don’t need to rely on Natural Light Optimization to open and close the blinds. They ship with a simple remote, work with an app, and are compatible with popular voice control standards, including Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.
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(Credit: Joe Maldonado)Note that these are DIY blinds, which the company says are easy to install. They’re powered by a disposable battery, with the type of battery required varying based on the size of the model you need for your windows. Replacing the battery should be easy enough, as you simply need to pull down the front panel on top of the blinds to access the compartment, and Lutron says batteries should last between three to five years.
Starting at $429, the Caseta smart wood blinds are actually priced competitively considering all of their functionality, though replacing an entire home's worth of window treatments can be a pricey proposition. They are available to order directly through the Caseta site now.