I have Hunter Douglas because they are the only ones that offer powered/automated blinds with the top-down/bottom-up feature.

Different companies will have different requirements, so you need to do your research, pick a manufacturer and pick a local dealer for purchase, installation and more importantly, for any ongoing support.

For my HD Duette shades we ran low voltage wire from every window to our automation closet. We then had to buy two power hubs in that closet to provide power to all the blinds. My local HD dealer did all the installation and basic setup of the hub/repeaters. They came out with a new version not long after we bought that are supposed to be easier to program. I have remote controls for individual spaces and I also have everything on the app, which I programmed to have different blinds/rooms open and close at different times of day.

We also used some Crestron home automation for lighting and sound. They are also able to integrate blinds, but they didn't have the top-down/bottom-up feature and Crestron is very dealer/tech centered for any programming changes/updates, so I opted not to tie my HD blinds into the Crestron system.

This is my third house using Hunter Douglas products and I've been happy with their products and customer support.

I love having the blinds automated and on a schedule. For example my dining room faces west, so the 3 blinds are programmed to open/raise at 7 am and then they close/lower at 3 pm when the sun starts to stream in. I also have other blinds that use the top-down feature so we have the top part of the window open, but still have privacy on the lower part. Each blind can be programmed on their own or you can group them as a room. For example, in my master bedroom I only have the 3 windows that face the backyard follow a schedule, but the 2 windows that face a neighbor property stay closed.

Also be aware that if you are in an area that loses power regularly, you won't be able to operate the blinds, unless you are running a generator. Another option is if you are able to plug a battery pack into individual blinds and then you can control them during a power outage.

This was only a problem for us during the hurricane last year. When we evacuated we opened/raised all the blinds. Once the hurricane passed we went back to check on the the house, but had no power and couldn't close the blinds to control the sun/heat. I am buying several battery packs that I can plug in so I can control some of the blinds when we lose power. We also plan on getting a whole house generator, so that will help too.

I have solar shades that are operated by a remote. The shades have a small battery pack that requires charging about every other year if you only raise and lower them once a day. Much better than having them hard wired.

The battery packs can work great too and I've used them before, but for my new house with high ceilings and tall windows, the hard wired option means I don't have to ever pull out a ladder to change the batteries.