THE SHADE STORE Wireless Link Shade Store User Guide

If on a dual-band network, turn off Autojoin to the 5GHz network to set up via WiFi connection. Alternatively, pair using a direct ethernet connection.

Multiple Access Points:

If connecting to multiple access points, consult your network administrator for advanced security settings. Remove firewall or create a DHCP reservation using the Mac ID.

Smart Mesh Networks:

Deactivate all Wireless Access Points except the main router during setup. Control 2.4 GHz/5 GHz capabilities in the router app if needed.

The Shade Store Wireless Link Hub connects to home networks to unlock the luxury of automated shade control. Experience customization with scene and timer options as well as voice control via Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, and Apple HomeKit.

INTRODUCTION

THE APP ALLOWS FOR:

Individual and group control – Group shades by room and conveniently control them accordingly.
Remote connectivity – Control shades remotely, whether home or away, on a local network or an internet connection.
Smart Shade Prediction – Open or close shades with one tap depending on the time of the day.
Scene control – Personalize shade control and organize how your shades operate by specific daily events.
Timer functionality – Set and forget. Lower, raise and activate shade scenes automatically at the optimal time.
Sunrise and Sunset – Utilizing time zone and location, The Shade Store V2 App can automatically raise or lower automated shades according to the position of the sun.
Compatible IoT Integrations:
- Amazon Alexa
- Google Home
- IFTTT
- Samsung SmartThings
- Apple HomeKit

GETTING STARTED

To experience automated shade control through the The Shade Store V2 App, you will need to have:

Downloaded the free The Shade Store V2 App via the Apple App Store (available under iPhone apps or iPad apps for iPad devices) or Google Play for Android devices.
Purchased one or more Wireless Links depending on the size of the area you would like to cover.
Familiarized yourself with the app navigation guide below.
Created a Location then pair a Wireless Link to that location. Our step-by-step guide will explain in more detail.

WIRELESS LINK TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Radio Frequency range: ~ 60 feet (no obstructions)
Radio Frequency: 433MHz
Wi-Fi 2.4 GHz or Ethernet Connectivity (CAT 5)
Power: 5V DC
For Indoor UseOnly

BEST PRACTICES FOR PAIRING THE WIRELESS LINK WITH YOUR WI-FI NETWORK

Only pair your Wireless Link via 2.4GHZ Wi-Fi.
The Wireless Link must be within signal range of both the automated shades and 2.4GHZ Wi-Fi.
If commissioning the Wireless Link without leveraging an ethernet connection AND on a dual band router, it is necessary to disable the 5Ghz Wi-Fi network within the router settings to enable setup on the 2.4Ghz Wi-Fi network successfully.
If commissioning with an ethernet connection, it is not necessary to disable the 5Ghz Wi-Fi network.
Check your phone and confirm if the Home App has been installed.
Environments with multiple WAPs (wireless access points) may need all but the main router temporarily disabled.
Security settings on your router and on phone may need to be temporarily disabled.
Place the Wireless Link in a horizontal position. (avoid metal enclosures / ceiling or any other locations that may affect the range.
Before starting the Wireless Link installation, make sure that all your shades are functional and charged. You can test the shade using a remote control or pressing a “P1” Button on the motor head.
In case of range issues, it is recommended you deploy the antenna or reposition the Wireless Link in your installation.
Add additional repeaters if it is required (Only two per location).

CAPABILITIES

Motors per Wireless Link:30
Locations per account:5
Wireless Links per location: 5
Rooms per Location: 30 per Wireless Link
Scenes per Wireless Link: 20 (100 per location)
Timers per Wireless Link: 20 (100 per location)

WHAT’S IN THE BOX

UNPACKING THE WIRELESS LINK

APP NAVIGATION

Home: Create a list of your shades, rooms and scenes in one place.
Shades: All the shades connected to The Shade Store Wireless Link will appear here
Rooms: Add shades to Rooms and control an entire room with 1 button
Scenes: Create a Scene that sets your shades to a particular position, e.g. Sunrise (all Open)
Timers: Show a list of Timers that can activate a scene or a single device
App Version: 3.0

Supported Device Types: iOS 11 and higher Device Types, Android OS 6.0 OR HIGHER Mobile and Tablets – Tablet (Landscape is supported)

iOS APP INSTRUCTIONS

iOS – APP SIGNUP

iOS – QUICK START SETUP

NOTE: Wi-Fi only via a 2.4GHZ connection.

Quick Start prompt will only occur if there are no Locations in the App.

ADDING ADDITIONAL WIRELESS LINK TO EXISTING LOCATION

CONFIGURATION IN APPLE HOMEKIT – MANUAL OR SCANNED

ANDROID APP INSTRUCTIONS

ANDROID – APP SIGN UP

ANDROID – QUICK START SETUP

NOTE: Wi-Fi only via a 2.4GHZ connection.
Refer to troubleshooting for more information.

ADDING ADDITIONAL WIRELESS LINK TO EXISTING LOCATION (OR PAIR HUB WITH WI-FI)

CREATING A LOCATION

HOW TO PAIR A MOTOR TO THE APP

During the setup, the Wireless Link may need to be moved room to room during the pairing process.
We recommend setting up your motors with a remote prior to syncing with the App.

HOW TO CREATE A ROOM

HOW TO CREATE A SCENE

You can create scenes to set a treatment or group of treatments to specific heights or capture all the devices that you previously moved to the desired position even from the App or using a remote.

CREATING TIMERS

You can program timers to trigger the specific operation of your shades and scenes at your desired times throughout the day.

TILE CONTROL

SHADE HEALTH, HELP & OTHER

SIGNAL STRENGTH

WIRELESS LINK LED BEHAVIOR

The light on your hub indicates a certain status. The below table indicates the color of the LED and what it means.

SHADE HEALTH INDICATORS

Troubleshooting Information

Not all Networks are compatible with The Shade Store Wireless Link.

INCOMPATIBLE NETWORKS – WIRELESS

2.4 GHz Networks only!
The The Shade Store Wireless Link must be connected to a 2.4 GHZ network.
The The Shade Store Wireless Link CANNOT connect to a 5 GHz Network

5 COMMON WI-FI SETUPS

5 GHz NETWORKS

To set up your Wireless Link on a 5GHz only network, please pair using a direct ethernet connection.

DUAL-BAND NETWORKS

A dual-band network means the 2.4 GHz network and 5GHz are combined into one. The phone will automatically switch between the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz band. If the phone is connected to the 5 GHz band, the Wireless Link pairing process will fail. Turn off Autojoin to the 5GHz network to set up via WiFi connection, or pair using a direct ethernet connection.

RESOLUTION FOR DUAL NETWORKS

Option 1

You can temporarily disable the 5ghz band in the Modem or Router settings while pairing the Wireless Link. Your Internet Service provider can guide you through this process.

Option 2

If you move far enough away from your modem, the phone should connect to the 2.4 GHz band, allowing the pairing process to go through.
This may not always work, so ensure you know the location of the router and move as far away as possible. If pairing failure persists, proceed with Option 1.

Option 3

Disable your modem or router, create a hotspot with another device, name the hotspot and password identical to your dual-band network.
Pair the Wireless Link to the hotspot. Now turn your modem back on and turn the hotspot off. This will allow you to connect to the Dual Wi-Fi Network.

RESOLUTION FOR MULTIPLE ACCESS POINTS

In larger homes or corporate environments, pairing the Wireless Link while multiple access points are active can be troublesome.

Option 1

Disable the access points and pair to the modem only, re-enable the access points after pairing.

Option 2

Disable or your modem or router, create a hotspot with another device, name the hotspot and password identical to your network. Pair the Wireless Link to the hotspot. Now turn your modem back on and turn the hotspot off. This will allow you to connect to your Wi-Fi Network.
Network security settings could be interfering with the setup process.
Ensure you are NOT on the Guest network. Guest networks have discovery mode switch off and is troublesome.

GUEST NETWORK

Some companies or homes have network security settings more advanced than the typical homeowner. If you are setting up in this environment, please consult your network administrator. Ensure you remove firewall during the pairing process or create a DHCP reservation. This is a permanent IP address assignment that is reserved. Using the Mac ID listed in under the Hub info, create a DHCP reservation to ensure that every time your hubs connects to your router, it will be given the same address.

SMART MESH NETWORKS

Mesh networks are becoming more common, which means you have a central router with Wireless Access Points (WAPs) around the home. Normally there are no issues, however on occasion it is required to deactivate all WAPs but the main router during the The Shade Store Wireless Link pairing process.

For Mesh networks, you can often control the 2.4 GHz/5 GHz capabilities in the router app for your system and potentially disable access points if necessary. Ensure you find the manufactures instructions on how to do this, which will allow you to pair the Wireless Link. Then go ahead and return settings as normal

Common Mesh Systems:

Google Nest Wi-Fi
Asus ZenWiFi AX (XT8)
Netgear Orbi
Netgear Orbi WiFi 6
Netgear Nighthawk MK63
Netgear Orbi AC1200
TP-Link Deco M5
Ubiquiti Amplifi HD
Linksys Velop
Amazon eero

SHADE ISSUES

Understanding Wireless Signal Strength

This article will help you understand your signal strength and offer solutions on how to improve it.
If you have seen a message in the app, you may find yourself on this page, thinking about how you can go about resolving this. One common cause may be that the shade is simply out of range, in relation to the Wireless Link.

To explain signal strength in simple terms, talking to a friend at 50db in a library will mean your friend will have no problem hearing you even if he/she is serval feet away. However, talking to your friend at the same noise level in a sports arena may mean they won’t hear you at all, and the sound won’t travel that far. In order for your friend to hear you, you need to take away the noise (interference), stand closer or talk louder. This methodology can be applied to wireless devices; take the Wireless Link closer to the shade and remove the interference or boost the signal.

Within our advanced motors, we can record the Received Signal Strength. When the shade communicates with the Wireless Link, it updates the last known Signal Strength (the raw value will be displayed in the settings menu for that device e.g. -76). If the Signal Strength value is between -50 to -81 the signal strength is excellent or good.
-60dB means it is in a good environment that has little interference while -95db means the signal needs is weak due to distance or interference.

We have made it easy for you to understand by ensuring the signal strength of the shade is shown in the device screen represented by one of these four categories; Excellent, Good, Average or Poor.
This indicator will also change color based on the table below. These values will fluctuate slightly as the Wireless Link or motor’s environment degrades or gets better. If the signal strength is Average and 90 you may find it can worsen depending on the environment.

some cases, shades with Poor signal strength may seem to operate just fine, but it may not always report an accurate position due to a poor signal.
Shades higher than -97 are known to be inoperable, and should be addressed.

So now that you understand what this means, what contributes to low signal strength, you ask?

Interference or low signal can be attributed to the following;

Physical obstructions in the home like concrete floors and walls
Metal infrastructure in home that absorbs the signal
Competing systems on the same radio frequency
Mirrors and (Windows Made from Low-E glass)
Baby monitors, Alarms, and doorbells
Other home appliances and devices.

So, how do you make the Wireless Link or shades perform better?

You have two options; you can move the Wireless Link closer but remember that can impact other shades, so before we do that let’s adjust / check the antenna on the shade itself.

ADJUSTING THE MOTOR ANTENNA

Our motors can send and receive signals, it may be the Wireless Link sends the signal without any issues, but it may be when the motor sends the Wireless Link a signal, it gets lost.
Adjusting the antenna on the motor will certainly help, and we found even a minor adjustment can improve or degrade the strength by 25%.
Some motors allow you to wrap the antenna around the head of the motor, in which you can still keep it wrapped but you may need to slightly expose the antenna. See some illustrations and tips on how this can be done.

NOTE

In some instances the antenna may get caught up in the fabric, so ensure it is free when moving the shade up and down.

QUESTION: I’ve adjusted the antenna and it’s improved, but it’s still not satisfactory; what should I do?
MOVE THE WIRELESS LINK

The simple thing to do is invest in a second or even a third Wireless Link, allowing the system to operate as one.
But before you invest in a second Wireless Link, let’s try some of the options listed below.

In some cases, moving the Wireless Link improves some shades but degrades others. After you adjusted or tried any of these options, be sure you check the signal strength of all the shades, as it may have improved one but degrade another. Tip: Connect the Wireless Link into a power bank that allows you to place the Wireless Link anywhere while testing.

REPEATERS

Repeaters are great if you have 1 or 2 problematic shades, they will assist to boost the signal. However when there are more than 2 problematic shades, and you tried all of the above with no success, need to install a second Wireless Link.
In some rare cases, it’s found repeaters degrade the overall performance as it makes the signal path of some shades longer and creates additional unnecessary interference.

Tips

Change the orientation of the repeater. Some environments require you to point the repeater vertically while others need horizontal orientations.
Try putting the repeaters in other rooms
Never use more than 2 repeaters per home.

CHARGE YOUR MOTOR

If you see the low battery icon, it may mean it is time to charge your motor. A depleted battery may also impact the signal strength, so ensure your shades are fully charged.

Wireless Link Offline Assistance

Your Wireless Link should always be connected to the internet.

A blinking red light means there is no internet connection. This can happen when your Internet Service Provider (ISP) has an interruption of service. Check other internet devices connected to your Wi-Fi network. If they have lost internet access as well, then contact your ISP. Sometimes a simple power cycle of your router can fix this issue for all devices on your network.
If the Red light is solid, it means the Wireless Link is not able to detect the Wi-Fi network it was configured to. This often happens because the Wireless Link is placed too far away from your Wi-Fi router. Try reconnecting your Wireless Link closer to your Wi-Fi router with as few obstructions as possible. Be mindful that moving your Wireless Link can reduce the signal strength to some of your paired shades. RF repeaters or an additional Wireless Link may be required if you notice reduced performance from your shades after moving your Wireless Link.
No light illuminated on your Wireless Link means the Wireless Link is not getting adequate power. Ensure you are powering the Wireless Link with the included Micro USB cable and power brick. Ensure the Wireless Link is connected to a power outlet in your home and not devices that could provide intermittent power like computers or televisions. Test the power outlet with a different electrical device to ensure the outlet is providing adequate power. Certain router configurations can interfere with the Wireless Link’s internet connection. These include:
Router IP limits. Some Wi-Fi routers limit the number of devices that may be connected to it at one time. Check your router settings. You can create a permanent DHCP reservation to ensure your Wireless Link never gets kicked off yourrouter due to limits. Review your router’s manual or contact their support for more info.
Newly placed Firewalls or other security measures can block the Wireless Link from properly connecting to the internet. Try whitelisting your Wireless Link’s IP address within your router settings and see if the behaviour improves. Review your router’s manual or contact their support for more info.
If your Wireless Link is connected to your Wi-Fi router via an ethernet cable, ensure you have a solid connection. Try connecting to a different ethernet port on your Wi-Fi router if available. If you are connecting your Wireless Link to a third-party integration (BEMO, Control4) via ethernet, ensure that third-party device is connected to your router and provides internet access via its ethernet port.

FCC STATEMENT

LEGAL

This device complies with part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions:

This device may not cause harmful interference
This device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.

Caution: Changes or modifications to this unit not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance could void the user’s authority to operate the equipment.

This device contains licence-exempt transmitter(s)/receiver(s) that comply with Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada’s licence-exempt RSS(s). Operation is subject to the following two conditions:

This device may not cause interference.
This device must accept any interference, including interference that may cause undesired operation of the device.

NOTE: This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures:

Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.
Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected.
Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.

To satisfy FCC&IC RF exposure requirements, a separation distance of 20cm or more should be maintained between the antenna of this device and persons during device operation. To ensure compliance, operations at closer than this distance is not recommended.
Limited by local law regulations, version for North America does not have region selection option.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions:

What if my phone is connected to the 5 GHz band?
- If connected to the 5 GHz band, turn off Autojoin or pair using an ethernet connection for setup.
How to improve signal strength?
- If signal strength is weak, ensure the shade is within range of the Wireless Link. Check the Received Signal Strength in device settings.

Documents / Resources

THE SHADE STORE Wireless Link Shade Store [pdf] User Guide
Wireless Link Shade Store, Link Shade Store, Shade Store

References

User Manual

THE SHADE STORE Wireless Link Shade Store

Product Usage Instructions