Motorized rolldown shutters close an entire house from one wall switch, a remote or a phone. This guide covers how the motors work, what integrates with a smart home, and the non-negotiable question everyone should ask: what happens when the power goes out?
A crank, an override loop or a battery backup. If a supplier cannot show you how a shutter closes with no power, do not buy it in the islands.
How electric hurricane shutters work
A tubular motor sits inside the roller tube in the housing above the opening. Pressing the switch rotates the tube, unrolling an interlocking slat curtain down two side tracks until it seats in the sill. Upper and lower travel limits are set at commissioning so the curtain stops in exactly the same place every cycle. The whole run takes 15 to 30 seconds per opening and can be ganged so one command closes a group or the entire building.
Control options
- Hardwired wall switch — the most reliable option, one per opening or one per group.
- Handheld RF remote — single-channel or multi-channel, typically 1 to 15 channels.
- Wall-mounted keypad with scenes for whole-house, bedroom-only or storm mode.
- Wi-Fi or hub bridge for phone control from anywhere, with schedules and sun sensors.
- Dry-contact input so a building management system or alarm panel can trigger a storm close.
Smart-home integration
With a bridge, motorized shutters appear alongside lights and locks in the same app. The practical wins for island properties are scheduling shutters to close against afternoon sun on west elevations, closing everything from the airport when a system forms, and getting a confirmation that each shutter reached its lower limit. Most systems integrate with the common voice and automation platforms through the manufacturer's hub.
The non-negotiable: power failure
- Manual crank override — a removable crank engages the motor head and closes the shutter by hand.
- Override loop or hand chain on larger commercial curtains.
- Battery backup unit that holds enough charge to cycle the shutters several times after an outage.
- Solar-charged motors for openings where running power is impractical, common on villa retrofits.
Best for vacation homes and rentals
Remote shutters solve the absentee-owner problem. A property manager or the owner can close the building from anywhere hours before a storm, without a crew climbing ladders on a second floor. For rentals, a keypad with a limited scene lets guests use shade mode without touching storm limits, and you keep a log of what closed and when.
Costs and what drives them
- Motorization adds roughly $700 per opening over a manual rolldown.
- Battery backup, hub bridges and multi-channel keypads are add-ons priced per system, not per opening.
- Wide openings need a larger tube and motor, which increases both housing size and price.
- Retrofits that require new circuits add electrical cost; ganging several openings to one circuit reduces it.
FAQ
Close the shutters before the storm arrives, which is the normal sequence. If you are caught out, every system we install has a manual crank or override, and we can add a battery backup that cycles the shutters without mains power.
Yes. A rolldown retrofit is the usual path — the housing mounts above the opening and the tracks fasten to the jambs. Accordion and panel systems cannot be motorized.
About the same as a garage door opener, and quieter on the way down than up. Insulated foam-filled slats are noticeably quieter than roll-formed aluminum.