Reference
Battery vs Hardwired Shade Motors - Which to Choose
October 27, 2026 · By Rolli Shades
4 min read
4 min read
Battery or hardwired motorized shades? Compare Rollease Acmeda Automate Li-ion and 12V DC motors on charging, noise, warranty, cost of wiring and retrofit, with Rolli’s rule for each situation.
Reference › Motors and controls › Battery vs hardwired
Guide · Motorized shades
Battery or hardwired? Pick by the wall, not the motor.
Every Automate motor Rolli installs comes in a battery and a wired version with the same remote, hub and head design. The choice is about the house: open walls and an electrician on site point to wired; everything else points to battery.
12–18 moBattery charge interval
0Charges, hardwired
5 / 7 yrBattery / wired warranty
SameRemote, hub, light gap
1 dayTypical retrofit install
Comparison
Side by side
| Battery (5V Li-ion) | Hardwired (12V DC) | |
|---|---|---|
| Install | No wiring; Rolli installs in a day | Low-voltage wire to each window before drywall, plus a power supply or distribution panel |
| Charging | Micro-USB every 12–18 months, or a solar panel | None |
| Sound | ~34–46 dB (Zero series) | ~31–36 dB (DC Zero) |
| Torque range | 0.7–13 Nm | 1.1–6 Nm (residential DC) |
| Max size | 144 × 144 in (Li-ion Q6) | 168 × 168 in (DC series) |
| Warranty | 5 years | 7 years |
| Control | Rolli Remote, Pulse PRO, voice | identical |
| Light gap | Zero head, same as manual | Zero head, same as manual |
| Best for | Existing homes, apartments, rentals, single rooms | New construction, full remodels, large commercial, 10+ shades |
Rolli’s rule
Three situations
Walls closed, no electrician planned: battery. Zero Li-ion for most windows, Li-ion Q6 for anything over 8 ft wide.
Walls open or electrician booked: hardwired. 12V DC Zero per window, DC Q6 for large glass, one distribution panel per floor.
Mixed: both on one Pulse PRO hub. A remodel can wire the new wing and run battery in the old one; the remote cannot tell the difference.
Cost logic
A battery motor adds nothing to the house. A wired system adds the electrician’s run per window plus a power supply, which pays back in no charging and a 7-year warranty when the house has 10 or more shades or windows above reach.
Price-from for motorization is quoted per shade at the consultation; it depends on the motor class and tube.
Questions
Choosing, answered
Can I switch from battery to wired later?
Only by replacing the motor and running the wire. The tube and bracket stay. Most owners instead add a solar panel to stop charging.
Is hardwired quieter?
Slightly on paper: the DC Zero 2.0 is about 31 dB against about 46 dB for the Li-ion Q 2.0. Both are under conversation level.
Do battery shades work in a power cut?
Yes, from the remote. Hardwired shades stop until power returns. The hub needs power in both cases.
What about plug-in AC motors?
Rollease makes line-voltage AC motors for commercial and oversize shades. Rolli uses them on commercial projects; residential work stays on Li-ion or 12V DC.
Sources
- Automate warranty — 5-year battery, 7-year wired
- Automate Li-ion battery FAQ
- Automate roller motors, battery and low voltage — size limits
Specifications restated from the manufacturer's published documents; Automate®, ARC™ and Pulse™ are marks of Rollease Acmeda. Rolli is an independent fabricator and installer.
Measured, made and installed by Rolli
Motorize it once, properly.
A designer confirms the motor, tube and control for every window during the free consultation. Shades ship in 3 to 10 days.
