Built around the best smart home devices, from smart lights to security cameras, I never felt my smart home setup was lacking until I installed Sunsa's Smart Wand on my vertical blinds. This gadget replaces the old blind wands with motorized ones that connect to a Wi-Fi network. This allows the blinds to be operated from anywhere with a smartphone app or voice, while keeping the existing blinds in place.

I modified the blind wands in my master bedroom and guest bedroom with this guy so that I can wake up to natural light and the blinds close automatically if the room gets too hot. I integrated the smart blinds into my existing smart home automation and I don't think I could ever go back to living without them.

Sunsa streamlined the installation process of the smart wands to less than five minutes. The box opens to reveal a motorized Smart Wand, three different attachment tips (hook, eyelet, and screw-on), and plastic adapters for each compatible blind type. The kit works with existing mini, horizontal (Venetian), and vertical blinds.

Simply unscrew the old blind wand and install the AA battery-powered Sansa Smart Wand instead. This is a bit shorter and chunkier, as it has a built-in motor that spins the spindle. Next, peel off the adhesive backing of the correct plastic adapter and affix it to the end of the blind track. This adapter is then threaded through the tabs sticking out of the wand to adjust the tilt of the blind opening and closing.

The Sunsa app uses Bluetooth to detect the wand and pair it with your phone. From here, the device can be fully managed and controlled from anywhere with an Internet connection. Each time a new wand is set up, a one-minute calibration process is performed. This involves tapping the arrow buttons in the app to open and close the blinds and ensure the device is properly positioned in its space.

Sunsa's controls are quite simple, allowing the user to fully open the blinds in either direction, or to tap them to a certain percentage between 10% and 100%. You can also schedule the blinds to open at specific positions depending on the time of day, the light outside, or the temperature of the room, and by linking your Sunsa account to your smart home's Alexa or Google Assistant, you can control them using voice commands or incorporate them into your daily routine. Sunsa accounts can also be linked to Alexa or Google Assistant in the smart home, where they can be controlled using voice commands and integrated into daily routines.

Multiple Sunsa wands can be grouped together and scheduled so that all blinds in the house take action at the same time, such as closing at night for privacy. Two sensors built into the wands measure light and temperature, which can be used to trigger the action. This allows the blinds to open and close automatically at sunrise, or automatically open the blinds when it gets cold to let warm sunlight into the room. This allows for temperature control and natural lighting, and saves money.

With the latest firmware (2.2.61T), these canes respond almost instantly to voice commands from my Alexa smart home as well as input from the Sunsa app. Linking the wands to this platform and adding them to my Alexa cleaning routine was easy. Now when I say "Alexa, clean," the blinds in the master and guest bedrooms open and light streams in; Sunsa's wand is snappy and tilts the blinds with a light, discreet whine that puts me to sleep.

However, I don't particularly appreciate that it runs on AA batteries. Battery life is 9-12 months, slowly depleting by 1% per day, but batteries can corrode if left inserted too long If you purchase Sunsa's optional solar or wall-mounted power adapter, you don't have to remove the setup to replace the batteries. Given that, I think the wall-mount adapter should be included in the kit.

That said, this is the easiest way to add smart blinds to any home. Coupled with its relative quietness and excellent performance, Sansa's Smart Wand for blinds is definitely worth a try.