Smart Motorized Shades Controller

Product Description

AXIS Gear is an affordable and easy way to motorize your existing window shades. Using a beautiful design and innovative software, the Gear is a smart device that lets you easily control your shades from your phone - making your home feel more comfortable and secure. You'll never have to touch your window shades again.

Features

• etapa

Top Reviews

Good and bad... Depending on your situation
by Stacy Martin (4 out of 5 stars)
March 2, 2019

I initially looked at Axis Gear while in the market for new blinds, and trying to determine if using Axis gear would be a better option than upgrading to a motorized blinds. Long and short, I concluded for someone in my specific situation, purchasing new blinds with the motorized option is better than ordering new blinds without the motorized option and then adding on Axis Gear.

Had I gone the Axis Gear route, the cost would have been about the same if not slightly more expensive than ordering the motorized option. There would have also been the addition headache of installation. I did conclude that Axis Gear provided better integration with Smart Home devices. But ultimately, this was enough to convince me to go with Axis Gear for my new blinds.

That said... I did purchase an Axis Gear for an existing blind to try out.

The Good:

The packaging and material workmanship is outstanding! From the moment you open the box, you immediately get the feeling you are dealing with high quality parts and attention to detail. Everything you need is included in the box, include a AC power supply AND solar powered power supply. There's a nice template already attached to the Axis Gear to help you with installation and the Axis Gear itself feels solid and high quality.

Once installed, it's certain great to be able to schedule when the blinds go up and down. Also, if I need to manually open or close the blinds, it's literally 2 presses on the front of the device.

The OK:

There are no installation instructions included. Instead you are directed to install the app, which is where the installation instructions can be found. But It wasn't completely obvious that's how you would know what to do.

Installation itself is fairly straightforward and can likely be accomplished by anyone who knows how to operate a drill. Instructions could be a bit clearer for determining exactly how to position the bracket.

The app itself is OK, but far less impressive that the box packaging. While it get the job done for installation, setting max open and close, and usage, it felt like it could be a little more user friendly.

The noise generated while operating the device is not loud, but also not quiet either. If you schedule your blinds to open or close automatically in the early morning for sunrise, don't be surprise if you are also awakened by a low whirling sounds as well.

The Bad:

Ideally you have sufficient depth to install the Axis Gear on the inside of the window frame. Otherwise you are forced to install it on the outside. If so, it's just big and noticeable. It's about the half the size of a board eraser, and could potentially be an eye sore for some. I know the first thing my wife commented after installation was, "oh wow. That's ugly like that." That was likely an over reaction, but the device is definitely noticeable.

Also.. The scheduling is limited. You can only schedule based on specific times as opposed to sunset or sunrise. Plus you are limited to 25 scheduled events. That may seem like a lot, but if you raise and lower your blinds twice a day, that's 4 events per a day..., x 7 days = 28 events. So it was necessary to cut out a few events.

Overall, I'm not sure it fully justifies a $250.00 price, but overall I like it. It does what I expected it to do. But I'd like it a lot better if it were smaller, skinnier and cheaper.
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Out of 6 purchased, 1 doesn't power on and 3 don't work on a schedule
by Peter Kellis (1 out of 5 stars)
March 21, 2019

We tried to return the defective unit to the manufacturer as the power button doesn't work. The unit has "virtual" buttons and they seem to not be correctly calibrated. After a month of trying they keep running through a "troubleshooting" script and don't show up in appointments they ask us to schedule with their support team.

In addition, there is a "schedule" feature that allows the unit to open/close the units on a timer. This works for 3 out of the 6 units. For the others, despite software upgrades, they simply don't follow the schedules and the blinds don't open or close at the scheduled time. This defeats the purpose of automating the blinds to begin with.

When the product works it's great, but it's too expensive for this kind of low quality in their manufacturing and support process.
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Axis Gear SmartThings & Alexa Integration
by AJAGZ (4 out of 5 stars)
April 20, 2019

Axis Gear Roller Shade Implementation:

Determined to have existing shades automation at a reasonable cost, Axis Gear answered the call. Frist let's give a shout out to Axis support team, very responsive and quickly replaced defected device.

My implementation of Axis Gear, uses three Gears to open/close three sun screen roller shades. Shade dimensions are; Shade 1: 9' W x 6' L, Shade 2: 9' W x 9' L, Shade 3: 6' W x 9' L. Shade 2 is the heaviest of the three and Axis Gear opens this shade easily and at the same travel rate as the other two shades.

I chose the SmartThings Hub & Alexa integration to continue my smart home evolution of now 81 smart devices. Setup and configuration are nominal, meaning if you are a novice with SmartThings you should not encounter significant issues with Axis Gear setup.

My configuration uses SmartThings and Alexa for full automation of shades. In the morning shades open by rule and Alexa announces the opening. In the evening shades close 30min after sunset by rule and Alexa announces the closing. In addition, shades can be opened or closed with voice commands from Alexa.

Overall, I give the device 4 Stars: I understand from the developer improvements are on-going, so Axis if you are listening... here are a few items that would move you to 5 Stars.
1. Setup compatibility with the New SmartThings App.
2. Add Device specific "Axis Gear" by name
3. Improve Zigbee stability and reconnects
4. Improve device handler capabilities
5. Publish Device Handler with SmartThings
6. Wifi version of Gear

Next, I need to implement Axis Gear with three draw open/close curtains. Waiting for a buy two and get one free deal from Axis. lol
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Not A Great Product, Does not Work with Alexa
by A. Malaspina (1 out of 5 stars)
April 12, 2019

I have been using this product for a few months. It isn't great. I ordered 2 of them, had an issue with one and their customer support was extremely rude and they refused to replace a defective unit. Thanks to Amazon I got my money back. Also it does not work with Alexa as they claim. You can use Alexa with smart things hub but then you lose the ability use the commands on the unit itself. Also their support takes forever to respond. It is just a mess. I don't recommend it.
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Definitely best of the bunch, but make sure it's for you
by James (5 out of 5 stars)
March 12, 2019

I already have blinds up that I like so I wanted something that didn't force me to have to rip all my blinds down just to get remote control. This was really the biggest thing for me when deciding.Purchasing motorized blinds and installing them was out of the question so this was my only option. The last remaining question of course being 'would it work?'

The answer to that is yes. However, there is definitely a 'but' to that.

Pros
- I'm sure it's been said before and you can probably tell for yourself, but this thing looks pretty good. From the product to the packaging, it really comes across as an Apple product.
- Once you get it up and running the product definitely works and seems quite reliable.
- The customer support is pretty top notch if you need their help. I did for the installation.
- It looks like the company actively updates the app a whole ton based on their monthly emails.

The cons
- There are a lot of different installation options available. This could be a 'pro' but for me I'd rather have one option rather than several.
- Could be faster, stronger, quieter, smaller etc.
- The cable clips it comes with aren't very useful in making the cable look super clean.

In the end, I am actually pretty happy with this purchase and think I am going to get some more to motorize the other rooms in my house. Words to the wise if you do end up choosing this product and end up wanting a cleaner look for you cables, look up the 'cord mate kit" on Amazon and a whole bunch of different products for hiding the cable will come up. It's not 100% necessary but for me it made the difference between my partner thinking it's okay to actually liking it quite a bit.
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Simple to install - only works on Echo+
by Amazon Customer (5 out of 5 stars)
April 21, 2019

I bought this as a gift for my brother - he's one of those gadget freaks that wants to control everything from his phone or Alexa. I don't usually leave reviews, but my brother wanted to leave a review based on both our experience with the Axis device, and support the startup (with reocmmendations for improvement).

What we liked:
- The packaging was very "Apple" - the Axis is also very sturdy and feels strong and elegant
- The installation was super simple; they give you double sided tape which we used to install the bracket and slide the Axis into - just don't think your mr fix it like my brother and try to figure it out on your own. The instrucitons are there so just follow them (I ended up installing it for my brother)
- The Alexa integration only works with the echo+. They let us know about this ahead of time before we bought the regular Echo. The integration itself isn't official yet but is quick an easy to do.
- They offered us a free plug to use, but we opted to use the solar bar
- The company was very responsive on their website chat...solved the problem for us on the spot...good and simple support

What can be improved:
- Turning the Axis on was a little confusing. They have an "X" logo on the front - THIS IS ACTUALLY THE POWER BUTTON!! We were a little confused at first, but the wrapper also has a picture to show this. The company sent us an email through Amazon after I bought it to let us know that we had to press and hold the X until the lights turned on
- We had to "charge" the Axis by plugging in the solar panel for an hour before turning it on. This was also confusing, so I messaged the company from their website chat and they said the battery level in the Axis could have been low by the time it was shipped out of China.
- The speed is a little slow but not unbearable. If they had the ability to change the speed that would be a bonus. I think this may be becausae my brothers window is huge - like 9 by 9. The company said the heavier the window blind, the slower the speed.
- They don't give you an installation manual - you have to follow the instructions in the app...not a big deal, but just follow the instrucitons carefully

I think overall, my brother is happy with the Axis. The problem is he wants to buy another 4 more, but at $249 its a little beyond his budget. Maybe if they lower the price he will buy all 4 together.
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Just Okay...........
by BH 404 (3 out of 5 stars)
April 12, 2019

I have had the Axis Gear in my home for about a week or so. Install was fast and easy. App works great with no connection problems via Bluetooth. My window is 9ft tall and about 5-6ft wide. I love home automation and have been looking at this product for some time. When it showed up on Amazon I thought why not try it. I have a total of 5 large windows but tried it on 1 before spending over 1K on the rest.

Pros: The device raises and lowers the shade via app or the touch controls. The design is not so large that it looks out of place. The seller is responsive to message.

Cons: The device is so slow. Over a minute to raise the shade from closed to open. I reached out to the seller and they explained that with my size window that was to be expected. Integration with Wink is not working at this time (I believe that is Winks fault so I will not fault them for that). Integration with SmartThings is overly complicated and as of this time I have given up. Can not buy the power connector on Amazon. Its 2019 Axis Gear put all your products on here and make some money.

I am still up in the air on keeping the product. I love the concept but the slow performance with the price tag keeps me from going all the way. Maybe $199 or $179 price point would increase the value for me that I could over look the slow speed.
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Works only when using batteries and those go quick
by Happy Traveler (1 out of 5 stars)
June 3, 2019

I tried to use it with a roller shade. It worked for about 3 days - total of 3 retract and 3 extend. It stopped worked and flashed red - low battery. Replaced the 12 AA batteries and left the solar panel in full sun. It still flashes red. Replaced another set of 12 batteries and waited 4 hours. Still flashes red. So, if you want a $250 square box that flashes red and has a solar panel - this is the product for you. Save your money and get something built into the blinds. It is a nice idea for a product but very poor execution. Wait - why not just use the AC power adapter??? It did not come with one and none is offered on their site.
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Non-Existent Support - Poor Function
by C. Baldwin (1 out of 5 stars)
July 24, 2019

I bought this with high hopes, and was initially impressed by the product packaging and industrial design, but my positive feedback stops there.

Why is it not worth it?
- absolutely no customer support phone number. Once you fill out a trouble ticket, there's a link to schedule a call, but that link is broken.
- no AC power adapter included in the box - even though it was supposed to be there. Again... fill out a trouble ticket and wait.
- Their website says the AC adapter "should be included" but if it's not, to contact them. This suggests a Quality Control or Supply chain issue with their production. How do you not control what is shipped inside of your product packaging in this day and age?
- the app resets (iOS) during setup if you let it sit more than ~10 seconds while you follow the "mediocre at best" instructions.
- instructions are terrible... how hard is it to write good technical instructions with clear photos? Stop spending money on social media advertising until you figure out your product issues.
- the device itself jams and binds using their AXIS-provided accessories. Again... fill out a ticket and wait.
- the setup is not intuitive and you need to put the device in a very particular mode to install firmware updates (manually pressing button in sequence)... the app does a poor job of telling you to do this.
- initial Bluetooth setup is confusing (I saw another purchaser's comment about their phone not being recognized). I thought I was having the same issue because the app was showing me every Bluetooth device in my house EXCEPT my phone. Then I realized it wasn't my phone I needed to find, but the device itself. So... if you're stuck on this step, don't worry about all the devices in your list... just select the GEAR to sync. App and instructions don't explain this. Note, if you or your neighbors own any "Samsung GEAR" products, this will show up as "GEAR" in the Bluetooth option as well... make sure you select the right name.
- it's not smooth... my blind goes up and down like a ratchet. You guessed it... fill out a trouble ticket. No response yet.
- it's louder than I expected. On the border of tolerable vs annoying. The noise generated does not match the beauty of the design or packaging... the latter of which feels premium and the former of which sounds cheap.
- did I mention no customer support?
- I haven't even begun to attempt SmartThings/Alexa integration because my Gear currently is jamming... but I can already tell based on their bulletin, that the integration will not be easy.
- it appears you can only set the shade to close, 25% open, 50% open, 75% open or full open. You cannot customize where you want it to stop.

Most of my home is Smartified, and I've installed all of it myself. Amongst my friends and family, I'm generally considered the most technically savvy person re: setup and installation of technology. For me to be having these issues gives me concern for how successful a person with average technical savvy would be.

As much as I wanted this product to work, I fear it's nothing but a cheap gimmick that's wrapped in a pretty package. If it's too good to be true, it probably is.

I'll update this review if/when I get any resolution from AXIS. For now, I have holes in my wall, and tape residue on my Sheetrock, and a non-functional AXIS device for which I just paid $180.
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Actually works, unlike similar products
by tobycth3 (4 out of 5 stars)
March 5, 2019

This product is the first one that can actually open my roller shades. I've tried several other brands but none had the strength to open my shades. This paired with my smart home controller hubitat (use the SmartThings driver) over Zigbee.

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