Very happy with the iBlinds, but would use with different blinds. 

We have blinds from Home Depot that we already had in place, I believe the name is Home Decorators Collection.  I was able to get them to work, but the motor does not fit entirely into the headrail due to the contoured design. The front edge of the motor will not go below the front lip, but the back does.  I think just strapping down with zip ties might work, but I modified the headrail. The charge adapter also does not fit the existing hole since it is not square so had to cut a little more from the headrail.  Also some effort to get tilt mechanism out, but helps to dislodge the drums first.

One other note, with larger blinds the wire to the charge adapter is too short to reach the middle of the headrail, so I had had to place the motor towards the end. Probably better if it could be centered.

Overall, would choose different blinds if I were shopping or had to do it again, but happy for now.

@otherted

Thanks for the awesome feedback! I'm glad you are enjoying using iblinds. Hopefully your installation tips will help someone else. I do know that some of the modifications you had to make are already being factored into our next production design. 

We've recently purchased corded lift blinds from blinds.com  and Blinds Chalet and we are happy to report that iblinds installs perfectly.   

Key items to select when ordering: 
Lift Type: Corded Lift 
Lift Cord: Right Side 
Tilt Position: Left
Tilt Control:  Cord or Wand 

Note:  Contact manufacturer when ordering blinds smaller than 32" to make sure there is enough free space in the headrail for the iblinds motor to be installed between the tilt drums.   We ordered a 24" blind and it had 3 tilt drums.  The tilt drums were too close in this instance and did not allow enough space for the iblinds motor.  See our What is the minimum size of window blinds that iblinds will work with FAQ for additional information?

We made a new purchase from justblinds and are happy to report that iblinds installs perfectly in these as well.  

Key items to select when ordering: 
Lift Type: Corded Lift 
Lift Cord: Right Side 
Tilt Position: Left
Tilt Control:  Cord or Wand 

It might be helpful to be more specific than web sites; most sell more than one brand and consumers don't know whether the brands are all alike. I can say that Levolor blinds work (unless they're cordless).

Anyone find a vendor of ~24" blinds that has space for the iBlinds motor? The companies I've contact all require three drums which does not leave the needed 6" gap.

We had ours professionally installed (in the UK) - the blind brand i believe is 'Sunwood'.

When fitting my first iblind - i tried to fit it into the middle of the head rail but quickly realized there is a thin metal liner that makes the internal space a few mm too narrow (it wont allow the iblind all the way in and bows the outer casing enough to be a problem. Frustratingly the iblind internals do not need as much width as they have so perhaps a future v2 consideration could be a slimmer casing with some shims to ensure a snug final fit (a bit like the height adjustment adapter). I was very fortunate in the end that this metal liner is only present in the main central section and there is JUST enough space at one end to fit the iblind right at the far left (with the tilt rod only pushed into 1 half of the iblind), and run the battery back towards the middle / inner section. Non conventional but gets the job done. Dreading opening up my other blinds this week in case they dont have enough space. With space being tight i have also had to completely forgo fitting the usb charger port and am praying that the solar panel can keep it topped up enough that its not required. Its not a good photo (and will supply a better one at a later date) but the metal liner ends where i've circled in blue and this shows where the iblinds wont click all the way in (circled in red).. Worth checking for before buying blinds in my opinion. Hope this helps someone.

Posted by: @stephanie

What brand of blinds are you using your iblinds Kits with? Where did you purchase your blinds that are compatible with iblinds? Users all over the world are looking for help with where to buy the 2-2.5 inch Venetian blinds. Please help out your fellow man. 🙂

I have Bali and Norman blinds.  The kit works/fits fine in the Norman blinds.  It DOES NOT FIT in the Bali blinds.  The Bali blinds don't work due to the following:

1. The tilt rod is centered in the blind top section, its not off centered, which is required for the kit to work.

2. The tilt cord is located in the corner (part is facing the front and bottom of blind).  The kit requires the tilt cord opening to be on bottom of headrail.

3.  The kit will not fit in the headrail (headrail section is too narrow (width wise) for the iblind kit).

4.  Bali blinds have 4 tilt drums (Norman blinds has two); so there is very little room/space between the tilt drums.

Not sure if this holds true for all Bali blinds but it does for the 4 that I have.  I have to replace them if I want to automate them.

@ryantatum20

I was able to get 2" bali blinds to work after doing a fair amount of metal work.  But I was probably unwise as the motor may not last due to being off center from the tilt rod. It is odd that iblinds chose an off center design. The motor is exactly the interior dimension of the 2" bali rail, but the folded metal at the top must be bent/removed to allow the iblinds motor to sit at the bottom of the channel.

Bali wood blinds (northern woods?)  have fewer  tilt drums and have adequate spacing in most sizes to fit the necessary hardware.  Blinds.com was helpful in their willingness to give me dimensions. 

I wish I had know about Norman blinds before beginning this project. I assumed that iBlinds would design for Spring Windows Fashions (Bali/Gerber) first. 

Beyond the fitment issues I think that the product is well designed. 

Posted by: @dmiller

@ryantatum20

I was able to get 2" bali blinds to work after doing a fair amount of metal work.  But I was probably unwise as the motor may not last due to being off center from the tilt rod. It is odd that iblinds chose an off center design. The motor is exactly the interior dimension of the 2" bali rail, but the folded metal at the top must be bent/removed to allow the iblinds motor to sit at the bottom of the channel.

Bali wood blinds (northern woods?)  have fewer  tilt drums and have adequate spacing in most sizes to fit the necessary hardware.  Blinds.com was helpful in their willingness to give me dimensions. 

I wish I had know about Norman blinds before beginning this project. I assumed that iBlinds would design for Spring Windows Fashions (Bali/Gerber) first. 

Beyond the fitment issues I think that the product is well designed. 

 

@dmiller,

I saw your post and was thinking, "he really put in some work".  The part that sucks is that the Bail blinds where purchased to replace the damaged blinds when I purchased the house and now less than two years, if I want automation (I do, and will) I've got to get new blinds.  It sucks.  Like you, I think the mods will shorten the life of the motor; much more stress sense the tilt rod is not off centered.  I'm doing a search now, seems like i can't find the Norman blinds in the exact color now.  It appears that the color will not precisely match the blinds that is on the other window in the room; at least they are fairly far apart.

Well, not sure if this is of interest to anyone but I replaced two Bali blinds with two Levolor blinds and I can confirm from first hand experience that the Levolor blinds and iblinds work together with no issues.  I am also using Vera plus as my home automation controller and adding the iblinds is quick and easy.  There are about 70 zwave items on Vera, 13 of those are iblinds and everything is working.  Love not having to open and close the blinds every single day.  Now they are all on a Scene that opens and closes at a specified time.  

Still got a double blind to replace and about 4 or 5 iblind kits to purchase to complete my blind automation project.

Posted by: @ryantatum20

Well, not sure if this is of interest to anyone but I replaced two Bali blinds with two Levolor blinds and I can confirm from first hand experience that the Levolor blinds and iblinds work together with no issues.  I am also using Vera plus as my home automation controller and adding the iblinds is quick and easy.  There are about 70 zwave items on Vera, 13 of those are iblinds and everything is working.  Love not having to open and close the blinds every single day.  Now they are all on a Scene that opens and closes at a specified time.  

Still got a double blind to replace and about 4 or 5 iblind kits to purchase to complete my blind automation project.

Does anyone know if iBlinds works with 2" Levelor blinds?

I can not give a definitive answer on the 2" Levelor blinds unfortunately.  However, the iblind kit definitely works with their 2.5" blinds.  I would think that the 2" blinds frame would not be wide enough for the iblind kit since the kit fits very nicely in the 2.5" blind head rail area.  If the head rail for a 2" blind is 2.5" it will fit.  If the head rail is the same size as the blinds (2" inches) it will not fit.  There is a spot on the site that has dimensions, that may help you.

@dmiller

iblinds advertises that the kit should fit any 2-2 1/2 blinds.  Here is additional details on the size and fit.