Automate Motorisation

What Is Automate?

Automate is the motorisation range from Rollease Acmeda, built for blinds and awnings. It covers solar, rechargeable battery and hardwired motors, the Automate Pulse 2 hub and app, smart-home integration, and wind and motion sensors. Automate is our preferred motor for Zipscreen, Ziptrak and cafe blinds, and one of our two favoured motors for awnings alongside Somfy. Kawana Blinds supplies and installs the full Automate range, so we can match the motor to your blinds, your power access and how you want to control them.

Automate is a particularly good fit when there's no power where the blind is going, when you're motorising blinds you already own, or when you want app control without a lot of extra hardware. For a side-by-side look at all three brands, see our guide to motorised blinds Sunshine Coast homes are choosing.

Solar & Battery Automate Motors

Solar and battery motors need no wiring. The motor runs from a rechargeable battery built for the job. With a solar motor, a small panel mounted near the blind keeps that battery topped up from daylight, so you rarely, if ever, have to think about charging.

Because there are no cables to run, they're ideal for retrofits: you can motorise an existing Ziptrak blind or awning without opening walls or ceilings. They also suit patios, pergolas and pool areas with no power point nearby, and they keep working if the mains power goes out.

Hardwired Automate Motors

Hardwired Automate motors run from 240V mains power, so they never need charging. They're the natural choice for new builds and renovations, where cabling can be run to each blind before the linings go up. Hardwired motors need a licensed electrician to connect them, and we can supply one as part of your installation.

Automate Pulse Hub & App

The Automate Pulse 2 hub is the brains of an Automate system, and honestly it's one of the best home automation setups we've worked with. It's a small, neat hub that sits on your home network (by Wi-Fi or a wired Ethernet connection) and talks to your Automate motors by radio. Pair it with the Pulse 2 app and every motorised blind and awning in the house is on your phone or tablet, whether you're on the couch or on the other side of the world.

What you can do with the Pulse 2 app

• Rooms and groups: organise blinds by room or by side of the house, then move a whole group with one tap.
• Scenes: save positions like "morning", "movie night" or "storm" and set every blind at once.
• Timers: drop the western blinds on hot afternoons and raise them again in the evening, automatically.
• Sunrise and sunset routines: the hub syncs with your time zone and shifts these routines with your local daylight through the year.
• Two-way feedback: Automate's radio works both ways, so the app shows where each blind is sitting and how much battery is left in battery and solar motors.
• Room to grow: one hub runs up to 30 motors, and up to five hubs can work in one home, so you can control as many as 150 blinds and awnings.

Sunrise and sunset routines are more than a gimmick. Opening the blinds as the sun comes up is a gentler way to wake up, and letting daylight in (or keeping the afternoon sun out) at the right time helps keep the house comfortable without leaning on the air conditioner.

Smart Home & Voice Control

Through the Pulse 2 hub, Automate works with Siri, Google Assistant and Alexa, so you can simply ask for the blinds to come down. It also integrates with a range of home automation systems and smart-home platforms, so your blinds and awnings can work together with your lights, security, thermostats and home entertainment, for example closing the blinds as part of a "goodnight" routine.

Wind & Motion Sensors

Automate wind and motion sensors watch for movement and tell the motor to retract the awning or raise the blind when the wind picks up. On the Sunshine Coast, with strong southeasterlies and fast-moving summer storms, that automatic protection can save an awning from damage while you're at work or asleep.

Which Kawana Products Can Use Automate?

We can fit Automate motors to these products:

• Ziptrak® blinds
• Zipscreen blinds
• Wire guide blinds
• Fixed guide blinds
• Heavy duty side channel blinds
• Folding arm awnings
• Siena awnings
• Cafe blinds

Motorisation usually costs $600–$1,200 per blind, depending on the motor and extras (e.g. remotes, sensors, smart-home control). Our measure and quote is free.