Short answer: To install Somfy roller shutters with an Altus RTS motor, fit the matching LT50 crown and drive, slide the motor into a tube of at least 1.85 in inside diameter, and seat the star head in its bracket. Wire 120V power, pair an RTS remote, check the direction of travel, then set and confirm the lower and upper limits from the remote.
Video (1:34): installing a Somfy roller shutter motor, from the tube to the limits. Watch on YouTube. Parts shown: Altus RTS 525A2 (1043423), LT50 70mm crown and drive (9012234), LT50 star head bracket (9410651).
A roller shutter install has two halves. The mechanical half puts the motor inside the shutter tube and the tube inside its box. The programming half teaches the motor where the shutter stops at the top and at the bottom. Somfy's LT50 platform covers both with standard parts, and the worked example below follows the Somfy Altus RTS 525A2 120V Motor (1043423), a 25 Nm radio motor that lists rolling shutters among its applications.
Plan the job before the shutter box comes apart
Start with the motor that is already there. Pull the end cap and read the label on the head, since the reference and model code tell you the torque and the control type. Our guide to reading a Somfy motor label decodes each field. A shutter with no motor yet needs a torque figure from the shutter maker's chart.
Somfy codes rolling shutter speed into the model name. An R in the code, as in 550R2, marks a 14 rpm shutter speed. Heavy shutters suit the Somfy Altus RTS 550R2 (1038170) at 50 Nm. If you are still choosing between Oximo, Altus RTS and a wired motor, our Somfy roller shutter motor guide compares them by torque and control.
Decide who handles the power. The Altus RTS runs on 120V, 60Hz, and Somfy ties its wiring notes to the NEC and local electrical codes. Many homeowners fit the motor and program it, then leave the hardwired connection to a licensed electrician.
Match the tube, crown, drive and bracket
The LT50 motor body has to slide into the shutter tube, and the crown and drive have to grip that tube's profile. Somfy publishes a 1.85 in (47 mm) minimum inside diameter for LT50 motors. Shutter tubes are octagonal in most boxes, so measure across the flats.
| Part | Fit rule | Somfy part |
| Tube | 1.85 in (47 mm) minimum inside diameter | Existing shutter tube |
| Crown and drive, 60 mm octagonal tube | Order as a matched set | Somfy Octagonal LT50 60MM Crown/Drive Set (9012233) |
| Crown and drive, 70 mm octagonal tube | Order as a matched set | Somfy Octagonal LT50 70mm Crown and Drive Set (9012234) |
| Motor bracket | Cut for the LT50 star head | Somfy LT50 Star Head Motor Bracket (9410651) |
Somfy's 500 Series Databook lists these figures for the Altus RTS 525A2:
| Torque and speed | 25 Nm (221 in-lb), 20 rpm |
| Power | 120V AC, 60Hz, 1.6 A |
| Limits | Electronic, set by RTS transmitter, 250 turns |
| Radio | RTS, 433.42 MHz |
| Protection | IP 44, thermal protection after 5 minutes of running |
| Operating temperature | 14 to 104 F (-10 to 40 C) |
| Cable | 3-conductor SJTW, 9.8 ft (3 m) |
The 250 turn capacity covers tall shutters, because a shutter curtain wraps the tube many times on its way up.
Mount the motor and run the power cord
Fit the crown and the drive to the motor first. The motor goes into the tube drive end first, and the star head stays at the tube end, where it seats in the motor bracket. Fasten the tube to the drive the way your shutter maker specifies. Somfy's tubular motor install guides carry one firm rule here: never drill holes in the motor.
The power cord does double duty. Somfy builds the Altus RTS antenna into the cord, and the databook says it must run at least 12 inches and must not touch metal. Route it away from steel box sides and metal guide rails. Somfy's color code puts hot on the black conductor, neutral on white and ground on green.
Somfy's programming instructions call for one powered motor at a time. Leave the other shutters on the circuit switched off until this one has its limits and its remote.
Set direction and limits from the remote
Somfy's Altus RTS programming instructions set limits from any RTS transmitter. A Somfy Situo 1 Channel RTS Pure Remote (1870571) handles one shutter. On a multi-channel remote, select the channel first.
- Switch on power to the motor.
- Press UP and DOWN together on the remote. Release when the motor jogs up and down. The motor now answers this remote in installer mode, moving only while you hold a button.
- Press DOWN. The shutter should lower. If it rises, press and hold STOP for about 5 seconds until the motor jogs, then check DOWN again.
- Bring the shutter to its upper reference position.
- Press and hold STOP and DOWN together for more than 2 seconds, until the shutter starts down. Release, then press STOP at the lower position you want. Fine-tune with UP or DOWN.
- Press and hold STOP and UP together for more than 2 seconds, until the shutter starts up. Release, and bring it to the upper position you want, fine-tuning with UP or DOWN.
- Press and hold STOP for more than 2 seconds until the motor jogs. The limits are now stored.
- Press the programming button on the back of the remote and release when the motor jogs. The remote is now recorded.
Run the shutter through a full cycle afterward and watch both stops. Button sequences differ between motor generations and remote models, so keep the instructions for your exact reference from our Somfy spec library beside you.
Add a My position and more remotes
A My position parks the shutter partway, for shade without full blackout. Move the shutter there with UP or DOWN, then hold STOP for 5 seconds or more until the motor jogs. A short press on STOP sends the shutter back to that spot whenever it sits still. To delete it, bring the shutter to the position and hold STOP for about 5 seconds until the motor jogs.
A house full of shutters suits a multi-channel remote such as the Somfy Telis 4 RTS Patio Remote (1810645), with one channel per shutter and a fifth for the group. To add a remote, hold the programming button on a remote the motor already knows for more than 2 seconds, until the motor jogs. Then press the programming button on the new remote briefly. Our guide to pairing, adding and deleting a Somfy RTS remote covers deleting one too.
Re-adjust a limit or start over
A stop point can move later without a full reset. Somfy's instructions for the lower limit run like this:
- Drive the shutter to its lower limit.
- Press and hold UP and DOWN together for 5 seconds or more, until the motor jogs.
- Move the shutter to the new lower position with UP or DOWN.
- Hold STOP for 2 seconds or more until the motor jogs. The new limit is recorded.
Repeat from the upper limit if the top stop needs work too.
A lost remote needs the double power cut. Cut power for at least 2 seconds, restore it for 5 to 15 seconds, cut it again for at least 2 seconds, then restore it. The shutter moves for about 5 seconds and the motor stays in programming mode for 2 minutes. Press the programming button on the new remote for 1 second or less, and the motor jogs, clearing the old transmitters and recording the new one. Somfy warns that the power cut reaches every Altus RTS motor on the same line. A brief press on each other motor's own remote returns it to normal use.
Oximo and wired 4-wire shutter motors
The Somfy Oximo RTS 525A2 (1033402) is Somfy's dedicated rolling shutter motor. It shares the LT50 tube, the star head and the 3-wire power cord with the Altus RTS, so the mechanical steps above apply. Program it from the Oximo instructions for its reference, since its limit routine follows its own sheet.
A wired 4-wire LT50 motor has no radio and no remote pairing. Its limits are mechanical, set at the motor head, and a wall switch sends up and down on separate conductors. Somfy's wiring note for these motors is plain: do not wire two or more LT operators to one single-pole switch. Browse every LT50 option in our Somfy LT50 motors collection.
Somfy roller shutter install FAQ
Can I install a Somfy roller shutter motor myself?
The mechanical work and the programming suit a careful DIYer with the right crown, drive and bracket. The Altus RTS runs on 120V, 60Hz, and Somfy ties its wiring to the NEC and local codes, so a hardwired connection belongs with a licensed electrician. Program the limits once the motor sits in the box and has power.
Which end of the shutter tube does the motor go in?
The motor slides in drive end first, with the crown and drive already fitted, and the star head stays at the end of the tube. That head seats in the LT50 star head motor bracket (9410651). The opposite end of the tube rides on the shutter's end support. Keep the power cord at least 12 inches long and clear of metal.
Why does my shutter move only while I hold the button?
The motor is in installer mode. Pressing UP and DOWN together on a new remote puts an Altus RTS into this mode, and it moves only while a button is held until the limits are stored. Set the lower and upper limits, hold STOP until the motor jogs, then press the programming button on the remote to finish.
How do I pair a new remote if I lost the old one?
Use the double power cut: off at least 2 seconds, on for 5 to 15 seconds, off at least 2 seconds, then on. The shutter moves for about 5 seconds. Within 2 minutes, press the programming button on the new remote for 1 second or less. The motor jogs, clears the old remotes and records the new one.
Sources: Somfy 500 Series Databook (2022.05.16), Altus RTS and LT50 RTS CMO pages; Somfy Altus RTS and Orea RTS motor programming and limit setting instructions (LT50 technical manual pages 67 to 72); Somfy Altus RTS, Orea RTS and Sonesse RTS programming pocket book; Somfy product records for references 1043423, 1038170 and 1033402.
Shade Motors Direct is an authorized source for genuine Somfy motorized window shade, blind, and drapery parts.
