Zemismart ZM25WB Review: A WiFi Roller Shade Motor That Skips the Hub
The ZM25WB is the simplest kind of smart shade: a tubular motor that slides into the roller tube you already have, so a plain blind becomes app- and voice-controlled without replacing anything. Its selling point is the missing hub. Where the Thread and Zigbee motors in this range need a border router or a bridge, this one joins your 2.4 GHz WiFi directly through the Tuya or Smart Life app, which is what makes it an easy first smart-curtain purchase for a flat or a rental. The built-in 2600mAh battery comes out for a Type-C charge and an optional solar panel removes the chore entirely, and the 450mm motor fits the 37/38mm tubes most roller blinds already use. What it is not is a whole-home system: there is no Apple Home, SmartThings or Matter here, the motor lifts a rated 4 kg and covers up to 2.1 m by 2.1 m rather than a full wall, and voice control depends on the Tuya cloud.
- Retrofitting an existing roller blind
- Apartments and rentals with no hub
- Windows that are hard to wire
- Tuya, Alexa and Google Home households
Pros
- Connects straight to 2.4 GHz WiFi, so no hub or gateway is needed
- Slides into an existing 37/38mm roller tube, so it retrofits a blind you already own
- Rechargeable 2600mAh battery over Type-C, with an optional solar panel
- Alexa and Google Home voice control through Tuya, plus Home Assistant
- Quiet 20 RPM default speed with a 30 RPM fast mode
- Holds any percentage position and runs open and close timers
Cons
- No Apple Home, SmartThings or Matter support
- Rated for a 4 kg shade up to 2.1 m by 2.1 m, not for wide or heavy blinds
- Only fits a 37/38mm tube with the right groove, and at least 500mm long
- The remote and the solar panel are separate package options, not included with the motor-only version
Who is the Zemismart ZM25WB for?
This is for the window that already has a roller blind and no interest in building a smart home around it. The motor pushes into the existing 37/38mm tube, so nothing is measured and nothing is thrown away, and the whole job is a battery charge and a Tuya pairing rather than a bridge purchase. Because it talks WiFi on its own, it suits an apartment or a rental where a Zigbee or Thread hub would be one more box to buy and explain. It is also the practical answer where there is no outlet near the window: the 2600mAh battery is rechargeable over Type-C, and the optional solar panel is there for a tall window you do not want to reach with a cable.
What the ZM25WB offers
The headline is the hub-free setup. Once the motor is in the tube and paired in the Tuya or Smart Life app, it joins your 2.4 GHz WiFi and answers to Alexa and Google Home without any gateway. The motor is rated for a 2.1 m by 2.1 m shade and up to 4 kg of fabric, which covers the ordinary bedroom or living-room roller blind, and it runs at a quiet 20 RPM by default with a 30 RPM fast mode for bigger drops. It holds a percentage position rather than only fully open or closed, so a morning scene can leave the blind part-way, and the app keeps timers for opening and closing. The battery recharges over Type-C, and the optional solar panel turns that recharge into something you never think about.
What to know before you buy
The compatibility check comes first: the motor is built for a 37/38mm tube with the right internal groove and at least 500mm of length, and a tube that does not match means it will not fit. This is a retrofit, not a made to measure shade, so the light gap around the fabric is whatever the existing blind already had. On the platform side the reach is deliberately narrow. There is Alexa, Google Home and Home Assistant through Tuya, but no Apple Home, no SmartThings and no Matter, and every voice command goes through the Tuya cloud rather than a local border router. The base motor-only package ships without a remote, so anyone who wants one buys the package that includes the 16-channel RF remote, and the solar panel is likewise a separate option.
Is the Zemismart ZM25WB worth it?
For the job it targets, retrofitting a roller blind you already own into something that follows a schedule and a voice command, it is one of the cheapest routes in this comparison, and it is the only one that asks for no hub at all. The trade is reach: a Matter motor would put the same blind into Apple Home and SmartThings at once and keep working locally when the internet is down, and this one will not. If your home is Tuya or Alexa and your blind uses a standard 38mm tube, the ZM25WB does the job with the least hardware; if you want a covering that is dark to the edges or part of a wider ecosystem, a made to measure or Matter shade is the better fit.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a hub for the Zemismart ZM25WB?
No. It is a Tuya WiFi motor that joins your 2.4 GHz network directly, and it is added through the Tuya or Smart Life app without a gateway. A hub would only be needed to reach a platform the motor does not support over WiFi, and this model does not offer that.
Which roller blinds does it fit?
It is made for 37/38mm roller tubes and needs the tube to have a matching internal groove and to be at least 500mm long. Zemismart recommends a blind width of 0.6 m to 2 m and rates the maximum shade size at 2.1 m by 2.1 m, with a load of up to 4 kg.
How does it work with Alexa and Google Home?
After the motor is paired in the Tuya or Smart Life app, the Tuya skill links it to Alexa and Google Home, so the shade opens and closes on a voice command. There is no Apple Home, SmartThings or Matter path on this model.
How is the battery charged and how long does it last?
The built-in 2600mAh lithium battery recharges over Type-C at 5V/2A, and an optional solar panel can keep it topped up instead. Zemismart does not publish a standby figure, and it depends on how often the shade moves.
Can I set it to open at a certain time?
Yes. The Tuya app keeps open and close timers, and the motor can be left at a percentage position rather than fully open or shut. A physical remote is only included in the package options that list one.



