Spotlight: MasterVue Home Hub

What is the MasterVue Home Hub?

“It is an in-house motorization brand we launched as a more affordable option for the end user. The home hub is a little router that you put in your house so that you can be in Cape Town if your house is in Johannesburg, and still operate your blinds. So it gives you the illusion that someone is still at home, without your house being closed or unoccupied.”

You don’t have to be away on holiday either. Perhaps you are at work, and it’s winter, and you want to close the blinds at home to keep that extra heat indoors. The MasterVue Home Hub makes this possible. You can operate your blinds remotely as and when you need to.

You still have regular remote control access, but you can also operate it through a downloadable app from your mobile.”

Which blinds/shades can the MasterVue Home Hub be installed on?

“The MasterVue Home Hub works with our roller blinds.”

How does this automation system work, and how is it different from the previous version?

“In the previous version, we only had a motor and a remote control. So, you had to stand in front of the motor or the blind to be able to operate it.

Now with the home hub, it gives you access to operate it from a distance. So you can sit in your office, or you can be out of town… it doesn’t really matter. You can still operate your blind remotely.”

In terms of cost, what can people expect?

“People can expect to be very, very surprised. Usually, motorization can be very expensive. Sometimes it ends up that the motor might cost more than the actual blind you’re looking at and that just doesn’t justify what you actually want. Nowadays, it’s totally the opposite. You can pay a fraction of what you think motorization costs.”

If you already have your blinds installed, can you get the MasterVue Home Hub fitted onto your existing blinds?

In our industry, we always say nothing is impossible. So the answer is, yes, you can have it done. It can be a little time-consuming and tedious for the end user. Because if you currently have existing manual blinds installed, those blinds would need to be sent back to the factory to have the motor inserted to have all the right components. We could then install your blinds again then programme them. The nice thing is that if you already have existing motors from our old range, we would need to change the motor to speak to your home hub. But it can be done. Nothing is impossible.”

How long does the installation and programming of the MasterVue Home Hub take?

“If a client ordered a MasterVue motor with a home hub from scratch, we at the factory have the blind that we call a preset. So the presetting limit is already there. We deliver the blinds, and the blind is installed, and while you are at the site, it can be done within minutes. We also have a pamphlet with a step-by-step installation guide.”

Do you offer a warranty on the MasterVue Home Hub?

“Yes, there is currently a three-year warranty on offer.”

Are there any limitations to what the MasterVue Home Hub can do in terms of automation? If so, what are they?

There are always limitations with everything in the market. Limitations regarding blanking, as we call it, or linking more than one blind to work with one motor. That can also be done if the motor or the blind size is within a specific square metre limit.

It also depends on the fabric you choose for the hardware and the weight of the fabric. You can even link up to three blinds using only one motor. However, then they all follow the same command. So you give one command, for example, “open”, and all of them will open if you want blinds open. For example, if you’ve got two blinds and only want one to open, it means each blind should have its own motor.”

Discover more about this fascinating new MasterVue Home Hub, now available at Luxaflex. To find a gallery near you, visit https://www.luxaflex.co.za/find-showroom/