I Finally Added Smart Control to My Windows and the Results Are Amazing

For years my “dumb” motorized skylights were underutilized with only a simple touchscreen wall control as my only interface. Bringing them into my smart home ecosystem has finally made them worth the substantial amount of money I spent putting them in.

Why Did I Wait So Long?

When I initially installed my skylights, no such smart solutions existed so I can’t be blamed entirely for my tardiness. A couple of years later, Velux launched Velux Active with Netatmo, bringing app and smart home controls to any of their motorized skylights made in or after 2010 (which I had).

At a price point of $350-ish, I balked at the price for some time, citing how great the wireless touchscreen control already was and how the simplistic newer controls looked like a step back.

Fast-forward to today, as I sit in my chair scratching my head over why I waited two additional years before adding functionality that has made the skylights truly useful. All it took was a modest investment and 30 minutes to get it all up and running.

Making My Motorized Skylights Smart

Adding smarts to my skylights was a fairly simple process that is not dissimilar to adding any other smart product to your home. It starts with downloading the Velux app which walks you through the steps of getting everything set up. The whole kit is comprised of three small battery-operated devices you can fit in the palm of your hand: a nondescript gateway, an indoor climate sensor (presumably the Netatmo part), and a departure switch.

After installing the app and going through the boilerplate registration process, I powered up the provided gateway, connected it to my Wi-Fi, and added it to my HomeKit system. HomeKit is optional since you can use the app whether you’re at home or away, but this sort of automation is what makes a home feel truly smart.

From there, I put the batteries (included) into the climate sensor and departure switch. The app automatically detected them and added them to the gateway.

Finally, I linked my skylights to the gateway by tapping some buttons on the control panel or remote to “copy” the controls over. I was the most nervous about this step since this is usually the part where things go pear-shaped for me. Luckily, everything worked the first time. I breathed a prayer of thanks and banked my panic for a suitable future event.

With everything set up and talking to each other, I now had to find a home for the gateway, the climate sensor, and departure switch. The climate sensor, aside from acting as an environmental input, also has open and close buttons for directly controlling your skylights so I decided to place it somewhere nearby. The departure switch is meant for locking or unlocking your Velux system so that your skylights can’t be operated while you’re away so I put mine right by my front door.

Finally, the fun part begins by going through the app to assign rooms, play with controls, and set up automations.

Window Automations Changed My Routine

Before adding smarts, I thought things were already pretty easy using the touchscreen-based control. My skylights are above the kitchen, so whenever I cook, I like open them up to vent out anything that my range hood isn’t able to capture and release heat from the stove (which, due to some odd thermodynamic properties of my home, somehow only heats up the around my thermostat, causing my air conditioner to turn on).

Previously, opening and closing the skylights was simple, but I kept having incidents where I would forget to close them or use the auto-close timer. I would wake up to a drafty kitchen or find my heater kicking on for no apparent reason more times than I care to admit. Despite my best efforts to remain vigilant, it escalated further when I started opening my skylights more often after learning that my living area tended to have excessive levels of CO2 (thanks to an air quality monitor I bought out of concern for California’s wildfires).

With the newly added smarts, the skylights opened and closed automatically when the temperature, humidity, or CO2 levels reach a specified range thanks to the climate sensor. I hardly ever need to lift a finger to open my skylights because they know they need to open before I do.

I could also have used my dedicated air quality monitors to open and close skylights via a HomeKit automation but the sensor that came with my Velux Active was already accurate. Forgetting to close the skylight before going to bed? Solved with a simple automation to close the skylights at my bedtime hour.

I haven’t touched my physical Velux controls (or the app) in weeks. With HomeKit integration, I can also tell Siri to open or close my skylights to any position between 0 and 100%.

How to Make Your Own Windows Smarter

When it comes to automating windows, motorized solutions are predominantly based on skylights, where Velux is the dominant player by a huge margin. Unfortunately, when looking for other opportunities to automate traditional windows, my research didn’t turn up very much.

If you already have a somewhat recent Velux motorized skylight, chances are you can replace your wireless control with the Velux Active with Netatmo with very little fuss. If you have an even fancier skylight that also has built-in shades, then you’re in luck because the shades can also be upgraded. In either scenario, I would consider this a “no-brainer” upgrade that will increase your usage and the benefits you get from your skylights.

There are other ways you can add some intelligence to your skylights, even if they aren’t motorized. An easy upgrade is adding contact sensors that can tell you whether or not the windows are open or closed. This way, you can check whenever you have a “honey, did you forget to close the windows?” moment.

Should You Do It?

Yes. If you already have a set of Velux motorized skylights in your home or are planning to, the smart home upgrade makes a lot of sense.

Putting in or replacing older skylights just for smart functionality, on the other hand, doesn’t make as much sense given the cost of installing new (or replacement) windows. According to Velux, replacing old windows with newer motorized units starts at around $2,900, so it should probably only be considered if you’re already doing some work on your roof.

Aside from the cost and the 30 minutes it took me to set everything up, there aren’t really any downsides. Yes, you’ll have yet another app to add to your collection of smart home apps, and you’ll have a few boxes that will occasionally need to have their batteries changed (I’m going on two years without a battery change) but that’s about it.