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Steph has had a standard roller shade in the office for a long time. It's served well to darken the room and block the sun, but it's always been a bit temperamental.
More than once, it has unexpectedly rolled itself up tight to the ceiling necessitating a stool to get it back down into place! Or, despite coaxing it to roll back up, it stubbornly refuses to budge! All, first world problems we know, but there had to be a better solution. Steph had been researching motorized options when she came across an Ikea version. The price was right and the width was almost right so she decided to give it a try. Follow along as she installs the new shade and reviews what she likes and dislikes. 1. The Price
The first "love" is the price of this shade. At $179 it was the most reasonably priced one Steph found through her research. Plus, delivery was only $10. Much easier than making a trip to Ikea in person!
2. Easy Install
Like many of Ikea's products, installation could not have been much easier.
Steph started by removing the old shade. 
We were not sure where we wanted to hang it so we tried out a couple of scenarios.
We decided right above the window would be best. That way, it would be easy to reach and replace the battery without having to get out a step stool. 
The installation only required that these two brackets be screwed into place!
3. Simple Remote
It doesn't get much easier than a two button remote!
The remote can be stored on a wall via the included magnetic base. There are three ways to control the shade including the remote, the two buttons to the left of the battery compartment or with the separately priced TRADFRI gateway (see pic below) to be able to use your phone. 
4. It Works!
No learning curve, no weird complicated set up--it just WORKS!
5. Ikea Customer Service
Initially, there was an issue which Steph brought to the attention of customer service. They responded quickly with a new set of components. Ultimately, Steph was able to troubleshoot the problem and the new parts were not needed.
6. Limited Manual :(
Anyone who has ever put together something from Ikea knows the manuals are very succinct! Unfortunately, a bit more information could have easily eliminated Steph's call to customer service.
She ended up researching the issue she was having on a Reddit thread to find the solution. Ikea could easily add a troubleshooting section in the manual or at least add a notation to the product page about known issues. 7. Limited Sizes :(
This is the widest, at 48 inches, that Ikea sells. It works in this window, but there is gapping on each side. We'd like to see Ikea offer more sizes.
We have been enjoying the convenience of this remote control shade. This office gets a lot of light throughout the day and it's nice now to be able to stop the shade midway to control the amount of light that streams in.
I am wondering why Ikea calls this a blind. I would call it a shade as I think blinds are window coverings with slats. Interesting. What do you think? Is this a blind or a shade?! Please note: This is not a sponsored post. FYI: We are not professionals, and we don't claim to be. This is what we found worked for our project. Yours may need a little different approach. Safety first! FYI: Affiliate links are being used on this page. Purchasing via these links help support MDP! Related Projects
7 Comments
Loretta Champagne
2/18/2021 11:58:20 am
Yep, its a shade! I have been wanting one for my studio. Thinking about making it myself, you know getting all artsy LOL. Nice job ladies.
Steph
2/22/2021 09:34:06 am
Nice! Would love to see what you make! 3/7/2021 09:47:43 am
Well she’s hanging up the IKEA shade she says that she had one problem that she would list below and how she fixed it but I don’t see it anywhere. Could you please tell me where the solution is if I run into this problem also, thank you
Steph
3/7/2021 10:47:25 am
I accidentally unpaired the remote and couldn't get it paired again. This fix worked that I found on reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/tradfri/comments/dk7ibl/fyrtur_blinds_repairing_without_a_gateway/
Sean
5/31/2021 07:58:49 pm
I’ve experienced a high failure rate. Out of 20, 5 had to be returned (then purchase a replacement) Basically, they stop responding. Did the limited troubleshooting, e.g. switch batteries, restart the hub, reassign it to the up/down buttons, etc. I believe the motors start dragging and get stuck. Manually pulling down on the shade while pressing the down button works once in a while, but eventually it’s back to the store. I have two that currently need replacing, bringing the total to 7 out of 20 in a 2 year time. Customer support can’t help. They have no tech support at all. Everything else about them is great for the money.
Steph
6/1/2021 08:29:11 am
Oh wow. Thanks for sharing! I only have the one and hadn't had any issues, just had the recharge the battery once so far. Mine is 7 months old.
Trish
9/2/2021 10:55:26 am
I’ve also had 3 fails so far out of 10 bought 2 years ago. First one returned successfully but none in stock so no replacement, further 2 failed and long story but IKEA have been very unhelpful. So left with a credit for 1 and 2 broken blinds. Won’t buy again. Leave a Reply. |
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