I needed this for a window that is mounted high in our living room where there is no easy access to electricity. The battery is charged via a 6ft mini USB cable that only needs to be charged occasionally depending on the number of cycles. Installation is similar to conventional blinds. Blinds in such a way that they can fall out if the blinds are tilted too much during assembly. This actually happened to me and the device was superficially damaged but still worked as advertised.