Motorized Fly Screens in Dubai

A motorized screen is built like a roller screen, with the mesh wound on a tube inside a top cassette. The difference is that the tube holds a small electric tubular motor instead of a manual spring. When you press a button, the motor turns the tube, which winds the mesh down to cover the opening or back up to clear it, while tracks down each side keep it straight.

The motor has set limits, so it stops exactly at the closed and open positions every time without you having to watch it. It's the same idea as an electric roller blind or a garage door, applied to insect mesh. Because the motor does the moving, the screen can be far bigger and heavier than anything comfortable to pull by hand, which is the whole point of going motorized.

You've got a few choices, and you can mix them. The simplest is a wall switch, wired in like a light switch, that you press to run the screen up or down. A wireless handheld remote does the same without any wiring on your side, and a single remote can hold several screens on separate channels so you control each one or a whole group.

Beyond that, the screen can join your smart home. With the right motor and a hub it links to your phone app and to Alexa or Google, so you can run it by voice or set it on a schedule. Add a wind or sun sensor and it reacts on its own. You don't have to decide everything up front, as long as the motor you choose supports what you might want later, which is something we'll guide you on.

Most motorized screens run on mains power, so there needs to be a power point near the top of the screen where the motor sits. We make and fit the screen, fit the motor and set up the controls, but the actual mains connection should be done by a qualified electrician for safety, and we're happy to coordinate with yours or point out exactly what's needed. We don't ask you to do any wiring yourself.

The neatest results come when the power point is planned before the screen goes in, which is why we flag it at the measurement. If running a cable to the spot is difficult, for example on a finished wall or an outdoor pergola, there are battery-powered and solar-charged motor options that avoid mains wiring altogether. We'll let you know whether one of those suits your opening.

Sensors are where a motorized screen starts to look after itself. A wind sensor is the most useful one outdoors: if a gust passes a set strength, it automatically lifts a pergola or balcony screen out of harm's way, then you can lower it again once it's calm. A sun sensor reacts to bright light, and a simple timer can close the screen at dusk and open it in the morning on its own.

For an outdoor seating area this is genuinely handy, because keeping mosquitoes off the space matters, and insects can carry illness, as the World Health Organization's notes on dengue explain. Sensors are an optional extra rather than something every screen needs, so we'll only suggest them where they earn their keep, usually on exposed outdoor screens.

Nothing bad. If the power goes off, the screen simply stays exactly where it is, whether open or closed, and a cut does the motor no harm at all. When the power comes back, it works as normal again. For most people that's the end of the matter, since a screen sitting still for a few hours is no problem.

If being able to move the screen during an outage matters to you, many motors can be ordered with a manual override, a discreet crank or release that lets you raise or lower it by hand, and some come with a small rechargeable battery backup. It's worth deciding this when you order, because the override has to be built into the motor. We'll talk you through whether it's worth adding for your situation.

A motor earns its place where moving a screen by hand would be heavy, awkward or out of reach. That means large and wide openings where the mesh is big and heavy, high windows over a stairwell or near a tall ceiling, and pergola or outdoor screens that you want a sensor to manage. It's also a real help for anyone who finds pulling a screen difficult, and a tidy, handle-free look for a modern home.

On a normal door or window that's easy to reach, a manual screen does the same job for less, so a motor isn't always the right spend. A standard retractable screen or a pleated screen pulls across easily by hand and may be all you need. We'll always tell you honestly when a manual screen would serve you just as well.

It depends entirely on the opening. The motor and controls add a fair bit to the price over a manual screen, so the value comes from what that buys you. On a big, heavy or high screen, or an outdoor one you want a sensor to protect, the motor is the difference between a screen you use happily and one you avoid because it's a struggle. There, it's money well spent.

On a small, easy-to-reach window, the same money is better kept in your pocket, because a manual screen gives you the identical insect protection. The honest rule is that a motor is worth it where effort, height or automation is the issue, and not where it's simply a nice-to-have on an opening you can work by hand. We'll give you a straight view at the measurement rather than selling up.

A motorized screen needs very little looking after, and the motor itself is sealed and maintenance-free in normal use. As with any screen on tracks, the main job is to keep the side and bottom tracks free of grit and sand, so the mesh runs smoothly, which a quick brush or wipe handles. Wipe the mesh and cassette with a soft cloth and mild soapy water when they gather dust.

If you have a wind or sun sensor, it's worth a quick check now and then that it's clear and responding, and an outdoor screen appreciates a rinse after a dusty spell. There's nothing to oil and no springs to wear out. If the motor, a sensor or the controls ever play up, don't tinker with the electrics yourself, just call us and we'll sort it under the warranty.