Wire Guide
Outdoor Blinds
Wire guide outdoor blinds are guided by tensioned steel cables running down each side of the opening instead of an aluminium side channel. Compression springs hold the cables taut, which keeps the fabric running smoothly and lets the tension be adjusted later. Wire guide suits floor-to-ceiling openings where a side track cannot be fitted.
Also known as: cable guide blinds, wire guided outdoor blinds, cable guided blinds, Zipscreen Wire Guide
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When there is nowhere to put a track.
A channel-guided blind needs something solid down both sides of the opening to screw a track to. On a floor-to-ceiling opening — a full-height glass line, a void between two posts that are too far apart, an opening where the reveal is glass rather than wall — there is often nothing there to take it. Wire guide solves that with a tensioned cable instead: it fixes at the head and at the base, and the fabric runs between. Universal brackets take the base fixing into the floor, the face or a recess, so the install adapts to what the building actually offers.
- Guided by tensioned cable, not a side channel — nothing bulky down either edge
- Built for floor-to-ceiling openings where a track cannot be fitted
- Crank, remote or battery motor — no power needed at the opening if you choose crank
- Takes the Automate® wind & sun sensor, same as Zipscreen
What the springs are doing
The cables are held under tension by compression springs rather than being simply bolted tight. That matters for two reasons. It keeps the tension constant as the cable and the building move with temperature, so the fabric does not start running crooked after a hot summer. And it means the tension can be adjusted later without re-drilling anything — a service call rather than a rebuild.
The drive decides how wide you can go
Worth knowing before you fall in love with a crank handle. On wire guide the three drives do not reach the same span: the remote motor takes the blind to 7 metres, while the crank and the Li-Ion battery motor stop at about 5 metres. Both figures also move with the drop — a tall blind is heavier, and weight is the real limit.
So on a wide opening the decision is made for you: past five metres it has to be the remote motor. Under five metres all three are open, and the choice comes down to whether there is power at the opening and how often the blind will actually be moved.
Where wire guide sits in the range, honestly
Think of it as the middle rung. A crank handle blind has no guides at all, so wind can get behind the fabric and lift the edges. Zipscreen zips the fabric into a channel on both sides and seals the opening completely, which is the best wind and weather performance available. Wire guide sits between them: the cable controls the fabric so it will not flog about, but the edges are not sealed the way a zipped channel seals them. Choose it when a track genuinely cannot be fitted, or when the look of a bare cable is worth more than the last of the weather sealing — not as a cheaper substitute for Zipscreen.
The headbox is a design decision
Three options, and they read very differently on a building. The fully enclosed cassette wraps the rolled fabric completely and is the one to pick where the blind is in plain view or exposed to weather when it is up. The semi fascia covers the front face only — a slimmer line, still tidy. The open bracket hides nothing and is the most minimal, which suits a recess where the fabric roll is already tucked out of sight. Worth deciding at the measure, because it changes both the look and how well the fabric is protected.
What Wire Guide is usually weighed against
| Blind | Pelmet | Max width | Operation | Fabric |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wire Guide Outdoor Blinds | 120 / 160 / 190 mm | 7.0 m | Crank handle, Remote | Woven mesh, 85% to 99% blockout, 100% blockout |
| Zipscreen® Outdoor Blinds Same fabric range. Zipscreen seals into a channel; wire guide uses cable where no channel will fit. | 120 / 160 / 190 mm | 7.0 m | Crank handle, Remote, Remote + hub | Woven mesh, 85% to 99% blockout, 100% blockout |
| Crank Handle Blinds A crank blind has no guides at all — wire guide adds cable control without a side track. | No pelmet | 5.84 m | Crank handle | Woven mesh, 85% to 99% blockout, 100% blockout |
Wire Guide, answered.
What is a wire guide blind?
A wire guide blind is an outdoor blind guided by tensioned steel cables down each side of the opening rather than by an aluminium side channel. Compression springs keep the cables under tension so the fabric runs smoothly and the tension stays adjustable.
How wide can a wire guide blind be?
Up to 7 metres on the remote motor, which matches Zipscreen® and makes it one of only two systems in the range that span past 6 metres. On the crank or the Li-Ion battery motor the limit is about 5 metres. Both figures depend on the drop as well, because a taller blind carries more weight.
When would I choose wire guide over a track-guided blind?
Wire guide is the answer when there is nothing suitable to fix a side track to — most often a floor-to-ceiling opening, a glass reveal, or a span where the posts are too far apart. It is also chosen when the near-invisible cable suits the look better than a channel down each edge.
Does a wire guide blind seal the opening?
No, not the way a zipped track does. The cable controls the fabric so it will not lift and flog in wind, but the edges are not sealed. For a fully sealed opening — wind, rain, dust and insects — Zipscreen® zips the fabric into a channel on all four sides.
Does a wire guide blind need power at the opening?
Not necessarily. Wire guide is built with a crank drive, a standard remote motor, or a Li-Ion battery motor that charges rather than being hardwired. On a retrofit where running 240 V to the opening is awkward, the crank or the battery motor avoids the electrical work entirely.
How is a wire guide blind operated?
Either by crank handle or by motor. Crank costs less and needs no power at the opening; a motor suits wide or high blinds and anything you will operate daily.
What headbox options are there?
Three: a fully enclosed cassette that wraps the rolled fabric completely, a semi fascia that covers the front face only, and an open bracket that leaves the roll exposed. The cassette gives the most protection, the open bracket the slimmest line.
Where does the base of the wire fix to?
Universal brackets take the base fixing into the floor, into a face, or into a recess, so the install can adapt to whatever the opening offers rather than requiring one specific detail.
What fabrics can a wire guide blind use?
The same woven mesh range as Zipscreen — HVG View 85, Plus 94, Perform 97, Ultra 99 and Extreme, or Nolan Vistaweave 85, 95, 98, 99 and MAX. The number is how much the mesh blocks, so 85 is the most open and 99 is nearly solid.
Can wire guide blinds be automated?
A motorised wire guide blind can be operated by remote. Talk through hub and app control at the measure, because what is available depends on the motor specified.
Can a wire guide blind take the wind sensor?
Yes, on the motorised versions. The Automate® AC 240V Wind & Sun Sensor lists Wire Guide among its compatible systems, so a motorised wire guide blind can retract itself automatically when the wind gets up.
Why the date holds
Anyone can make a blind. Fewer can finish on the day they said.
Ziptrak and Zipscreen design the product. What Nu Style adds is the part that decides whether your project actually lands: a factory it owns, departments that cover each other, and a phone that still gets answered years later.
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We make it, so we can date it
Nu Style is a fabricator for Ziptrak® and Zipscreen®, and builds Galaxy, Universal and Luna in its own Malaga factory. Nothing sits in someone else's production queue, which is why a date given here is a date Nu Style controls.
Five departments, not one van
Sales, measure, manufacture, installation and service are separate functions with separate people. That is what makes a date hold when somebody is away, and it is the difference between a business and a busy individual.
Systems, so less goes wrong
Measuring, ordering and fabrication run on systems rather than memory, so errors get caught in the factory instead of on your wall. Fewer remakes means fewer weeks added to your job.
Still answering in year seven
“I had an outdoor blind installed 7 years ago and had to replace the controller and, true to his word, Bruno replaced it free of charge even though out of warranty.” — Graham Nicholson, Google review
Free Measure & Quote
Two minutes now, a written price this week.
No charge and no obligation. Here is exactly what happens.
- You call or send the form — whichever you prefer.
- A consultant comes to the property, measures each opening and brings the full frame and fabric range.
- You get a written quote, usually the same week. Nobody pushes.
Weekdays 8:30am – 5pm. Or use the form and Nu Style calls you back.