Should I run Cat6 or 16/4 for motorized blinds?
Builders charge around $2,000 extra to run both Cat6 and 16/4 cables to all windows, forcing homeowners in a new build to pick just one wiring option. This leaves people guessing which low-voltage standard to choose while trying to find proven vendors and avoid unreliable motorized blind hardware.
Core Friction Pattern
Analysis of 3 peer accounts across online developer and community forums reveals that “Should I run Cat6 or 16/4 for motorized blinds?” repeatedly surfaces due to edge-case mismatches between standard defaults and real-world environments. Standard troubleshooting frequently falls short, compelling practitioners to develop custom workarounds.
+3 alternative community-tested workarounds cataloged below.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
Should I run Cat6 or 16/4 for motorized blinds?
- 1Paying the extra construction cost to run both types of cablingDid this help you?
- 2Switching to non-motorized blinds from a traditional companyDid this help you?
- 3Contacting wholesale direct suppliers to request custom voltage specifications via emailDid this help you?
- 4Purchasing expensive high-end brand-name hardwired alternatives at a significantly higher costDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“In the process of a new build and trying to decide if I should do CAT6 to each window for blinds, or 16/4.”source ↗
“Does anyone have **direct** experience with Ningbo Deyi Smart Home blinds using 12V DC? I cannot see on their Alibaba site that this is an option. Any thoughts on them or perhaps another ***proven*** vendor that has 12V DC option would be greatly appreciated!”source ↗
“Unfortunately my builder would charge ~$2k extra to run both to all windows so I need to pick one”source ↗
“I bought Graywind motorized blinds for one window but they broke within 1 week of install and their customer service is difficult to get in touch with.”source ↗
Where this came up
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