How to Pair, Add and Delete a Somfy RTS Remote on Your Shade

Short answer: To pair a new Somfy RTS remote to a shade, hold the PROG button on a remote that already runs the shade for about 2 seconds until the shade jogs. Then briefly press PROG on the new remote. The shade jogs again and the new remote is stored. Repeating the same sequence with a stored remote deletes it.

Somfy built RTS around a small recessed button marked PROG and a short up and down movement called a jog. Learn those two signals and the rest of RTS programming follows. This guide covers adding a remote, deleting one, the motor's 12-transmitter memory, and the reset route for a shade whose remotes are lost. The steps below come from Somfy's published instructions.

The PROG button and the jog

Somfy RTS controls carry a PROG button. On the Somfy Situo 1 RTS Pure II (1870571) and the Situo 5 it sits on the back of the remote. Its location changes from control to control, so check the instructions for the model in your hand. Use a paper clip or a pen tip on a recessed button.

Somfy defines a jog as "a brief up and down or in and out motion." Roller shades dip and return, and draperies twitch open and closed. The jog is the motor's only way of answering you, because RTS is a one-way radio at 433.420 MHz. Watch the fabric for the answer.

Program one motor at a time. Somfy's RTS Pocket Programming Guide tells installers to power only one motor while programming and to disconnect the others. On a finished job with several shades on one channel, stand where you can see the shade you are programming and confirm that shade, and no other, jogs.

Adding a new remote from one that already works

Somfy calls this "adding or deleting channels or controls." You need a remote, or a single channel on a multi-channel remote, that already moves the shade. Somfy's Situo 1 and 5 RTS instructions give this sequence:

1. On a multi-channel remote, select the channel that runs the shade. On the Situo 5, indicator lights 1 to 4 show the individual groups, and all the lights come on when group 5 is selected.
2. On the existing control, press and hold PROG for about 2 seconds, until the shade performs a short up and down movement.
3. On the new remote, select the channel you want to use, then briefly press its PROG button.
4. The shade jogs a second time. The new remote now runs it.
5. Test Up, Down, Stop and the "my" position from the new remote before you move on.

The brief press matters. Somfy reserves a long press on a new remote for other routines, such as the final step of the dual power cut covered below. Tap it once.

Wall controls follow the same logic. A Somfy DecoFlex WireFree RTS 5 Channel Wall Switch (1810813) pairs as a new transmitter on each channel you assign. A Somfy Telis 1 Chronis RTS Pure timer (1805237) pairs the same way and then adds one scheduled open and one scheduled close per day, with separate weekday and weekend programs.

Deleting a remote from a Somfy motor

Deletion runs the add sequence with the remote you want gone. The motor treats PROG from a transmitter it already knows as a toggle. Somfy's LT RTS CMO instructions state that a previously memorized transmitter "will be deleted" when you run the add procedure with it.

1. Pick a remote you plan to keep. Somfy's guide warns that step 1 must not use the control you intend to delete.
2. Press and hold PROG on the keeper until the shade jogs.
3. Briefly press PROG on the remote you want removed, on the channel that runs the shade.
4. The shade jogs. Press Up on the deleted remote to confirm the shade no longer responds.

Delete a remote before you give it away or retire it. A lost or broken remote still holds a slot in the motor's memory until you delete it or reset the motor.

The 12-transmitter memory, and what counts toward it

Somfy publishes 12 memorized channels on its RTS tubular motors such as the Altus RTS line, and the LT RTS CMO programming sheet lists "a maximum of 12 transmitters plus an additional 3 RTS sensors." A channel counts as one transmitter. A 5-channel remote with three of its channels paired to the same shade uses three slots on that motor.

Plan the controls around that ceiling. A shade run from a handheld, a wall switch, a timer and a hub interface uses four slots and leaves eight free. The table sets out the RTS controls in this guide.

Lost remotes and resetting the motor

Without a working remote you cannot open programming mode from a transmitter, so the motor itself has to clear its memory. Somfy publishes two routes, and the right one depends on the motor. Confirm the procedure against the install guide for your motor in our Somfy spec sheet library before you start, because steps differ by motor generation.

Motors with a PROG button on the motor head

Somfy's RTS Pocket Programming Guide lists this reset for the R28 Roll Up WireFree RTS, the LT-30 RTS 12V DC, the Sonesse 30 24V DC and the Cord Lift WireFree CL32 RTS.

1. Locate the programming button on the motor head.
2. With a paper clip, press and hold it for about 15 seconds, until the shade jogs 3 times, then release.
3. Somfy states that "all transmitters and limits will be erased." The motor returns to factory mode.
4. Pair a new remote and set the limits again, following that motor's programming instructions.

Altus line-voltage motors: the dual power cut

Altus 110V AC motors use a dual power cut instead of a motor button. Somfy's guide gives these steps:

1. Remove the plug from power for 2 seconds.
2. Plug the power cord in for 10 seconds.
3. Remove the plug from power for 2 seconds.
4. Plug the power cord in.
5. Press and hold PROG on any RTS transmitter. The motor jogs after about 2 seconds. Keep holding until it jogs again, validating the reset.

Release early and you start the power cut again. Somfy also notes that a double power cut cannot be achieved while the motor is still in factory or installer mode, so a brand new motor needs a first remote programmed before this route works.

Choosing the replacement remote to pair

Match the radio first. RTS remotes pair with RTS motors and RTS receivers only, so read the motor label or spec sheet before ordering. Our guide to Somfy RTS vs Zigbee sets out the difference.

Count groups next. The Somfy Situo 5 RTS Pure II (1870575) runs four rooms or zones plus a fifth group. Single-shade jobs suit the Situo 1. Add the DecoFlex where a household wants a switch by the door, and the Telis 1 Chronis where shades should move on a schedule with no hub. The full lineup sits in our Somfy RTS remotes collection.

Frequently asked questions

How do I pair a Somfy remote to a shade?

Hold PROG on a remote that already runs the shade for about 2 seconds, until the shade jogs. Then briefly press PROG on the new remote, on the channel you want to use. The shade jogs a second time and the new remote now controls it. On a multi-channel remote, select the channel on both remotes before you press PROG.

How many remotes can one Somfy RTS motor remember?

Somfy publishes 12 memorized channels for its RTS motors, and the LT RTS CMO sheet adds room for 3 RTS sensors on top. Each paired channel uses one slot, so a 5-channel remote with two channels on the same shade takes two. Delete retired remotes to free slots before you reach the limit.

Can I program a new Somfy remote without the old one?

Yes, through a motor reset. Motors with a PROG button on the motor head reset with a 15-second press until the shade jogs 3 times, which erases transmitters and limits. Altus 110V AC motors use Somfy's dual power cut. Check the install guide for your motor first, since steps vary by generation.

Why did my shade jog but the new remote does nothing?

A second PROG press from a remote the motor already knows deletes it, so the remote may have been stored and then removed. The new remote may also sit on a different channel than the one you paired. Select the channel, run the add sequence once, and test Up and Down before closing the job.

Sources: Somfy RTS Pocket Programming Guide (service.somfy.com, June 2019); Somfy Situo 1 & 5 RTS Consumer Instructions; Somfy LT RTS CMO Motor Programming and Limit Setting Instructions; Somfy Telis 1 Chronis Pure product page (somfysystems.com).

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