Short answer: Somfy automatic blinds follow either a clock or the sun. An RTS shade can run a daily open and close schedule from the Telis 1 Chronis RTS timer remote with no hub, or respond to sunlight through a Sunis WireFree RTS sun sensor paired with a Situo Soliris remote. The TaHoma switch adds app schedules and scenes for RTS and Zigbee motors.
Clock or sunlight: pick the trigger first
Every automatic Somfy shade starts with a motor that already moves on command. Automation adds the thing that sends the command for you. Somfy offers two triggers on RTS: a clock built into a handheld timer, and a sun sensor that watches light levels outside the glass. A TaHoma switch hub can run schedules for either radio and fold the shades into scenes with the rest of the house.
Start with the reason you want automation. Privacy at dusk and a lift at breakfast point to a timer. Glare on a TV or fading on a wood floor points to a sun sensor, because the sun keeps no fixed timetable from season to season.
| Route | Trigger | Hub needed | Motor radio | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Telis 1 Chronis RTS (1805237) | Clock, 1 up and 1 down order per day | No | RTS | One room or one group on a daily routine |
| Sunis Outdoor WireFree RTS (9020412) with Situo 5 Soliris RTS (1870579) | Sunlight, 8 threshold levels | No | RTS | Glare and heat control on blinds, shades, awnings and screens |
| Soliris RTS Sun and Wind Sensor 24V kit (9012500) | Sunlight plus wind | No | RTS | Awnings that need wind retraction as well as sun control |
| TaHoma switch (1871037) | App schedules and scenes | It is the hub | RTS (40 channels) and Zigbee (60 products) | Whole-house schedules, voice control, mixed RTS and Zigbee jobs |
A Somfy timer remote with no hub: the Telis 1 Chronis RTS
The Telis 1 Chronis RTS looks like a single-channel handheld with a display. It holds a clock and sends one up order and one down order per day to every RTS motor paired to it. Out of the box, Somfy sets it to open at 7:30 am and close at 8:00 pm, and the display shows the time, the programmed days, the next scheduled move and a low battery warning.
The schedule splits the week into work days and rest days. Mark the work days during setup and give them their own up and down times, so the shades can open at 6:30 on weekdays and wait until 8:30 on Saturday. A brief press of the selection button swaps between automatic and manual mode. Manual mode turns the remote into a normal single-channel RTS control and suspends the schedule until you switch back.
Somfy also builds in Simulated presence. In automatic mode, pressing both arrow buttons together shifts each scheduled order by a random 0 to 30 minutes, so a house that sits empty for a week still looks lived in. Switching to manual mode cancels it.
The Chronis runs on 2 AAA (LR03) 1.5 V batteries. Somfy says not to use rechargeable cells. Pull the batteries for a long stretch and the clock, date, daylight saving area and work days need re-entering, though the programmed up and down orders stay in memory. Check the motor radio before ordering. The Chronis speaks RTS only, so it drives motors such as the Sonesse Ultra 30 WireFree RTS (1003310) and every RTS receiver, but it will not talk to a Zigbee motor.
Adding the Chronis to a shade that already has a remote
The Chronis joins a motor the same way any extra RTS transmitter does: through the PROG button of a remote the motor already knows. Somfy publishes these steps in the Telis 1 Chronis RTS instructions (section 4.3):
- If the Telis 1 Chronis RTS sits in automatic mode, press the selection button briefly to switch it to manual mode.
- Press and hold the PROG button on the RTS control already programmed to the shade until the shade jogs up and down. Programming mode stays open for 2 minutes.
- Briefly press the PROG button on the Telis 1 Chronis RTS. The shade jogs again to confirm the Chronis has been added.
The same three presses delete the Chronis from that motor. To set the clock, hold the selection button for more than 7 seconds in automatic mode, then step through year, month, day, hour, minutes, daylight saving area (US, EU or OFF) and work days, pressing the selection button briefly to save each one. Steps for older remotes and other motor generations sit in each product's install guide in our Somfy spec and install guide library, and the full add and delete routine for any RTS remote is in our guide to pairing, adding and deleting a Somfy RTS remote.
Blinds that follow the sun: Sunis WireFree and a Soliris remote
A timer cannot see a cloud. The Sunis Outdoor WireFree RTS sun sensor (9020412) can. It mounts outside, runs on its own battery and sends RTS commands that lower a shade once sunlight passes the level you choose, then raise it again once the light drops. Somfy offers eight threshold settings and lists awnings, exterior solar screens, interior blinds, draperies and shades, pergolas and roller shutters as applications. It carries an IP 34 rating and works from -4 °F to 104 °F.
The sensor needs a partner. Somfy states that a Situo Soliris is required to activate the sun function on the receiving motor. The Situo 5 Soliris RTS Pure II covers five channels and lets the household switch sun automation on for summer afternoons and off for the evening it wants the view. It runs on one CR2032 3 V cell.
Awnings add a second risk: wind. For a wired 24V awning job, the Soliris RTS sun and wind sensor kit handles both in one housing. Our guide to Somfy wind, sun and rain sensors for awnings covers the full sensor range and where each one mounts.
Schedules and scenes on the TaHoma switch
A single timer works well for one room. A house full of shades on different routines calls for the TaHoma switch (1871037). Somfy rates it for up to 60 Zigbee products or 40 RTS channels, and the TaHoma app builds schedules and scenes across all of them. A scene can close the street-side shades and leave the kitchen open, from one tap or one scheduled time.
The hub carries two scene buttons and a stop button on its front panel, so a favorite scene runs without a phone. Voice control works through Amazon Alexa and Google Home, with Apple Home support on Zigbee products. The TaHoma app also coordinates shades with lighting to simulate presence while you travel.
Zigbee motors need TaHoma for any schedule, since the Chronis and Soliris remotes are RTS transmitters. For a mixed house, one TaHoma switch can run both radios side by side. Our TaHoma switch, Beecon, URTSI II and UAI Plus comparison explains where each Somfy interface fits.
Matching the automation to the motor you own
Read the motor label before buying any automation part. An RTS motor accepts the Chronis, a Sunis sensor with a Soliris remote, the Soliris sun and wind kit, and TaHoma. A Zigbee motor accepts TaHoma schedules and scenes. A hardwired motor with no radio needs an RTS receiver wired to it before any wireless timer or sensor can reach it.
Each RTS motor stores up to 12 transmitters, so a shade can keep its everyday remote, take a Chronis for the schedule and still answer a wall switch. Plan the channel layout first. A Chronis sends to whatever sits on its single channel, so pair it to a group of shades that should move together, such as every bedroom shade on the east side. Shades that need their own times each want their own timer, or a TaHoma schedule.
Browse the full range of Somfy RTS remotes and timers to match a control to every room, and call us at 859-414-6872 with the motor label in hand if the radio type is unclear.
Frequently asked questions
Can Somfy blinds open and close automatically without a hub?
Yes, on RTS motors. The Telis 1 Chronis RTS timer sends one open and one close order each day, with separate work day and rest day times, and needs no hub or Wi-Fi. A Sunis WireFree RTS sun sensor paired with a Situo Soliris remote adds sunlight control, also with no hub. Zigbee motors need a TaHoma switch for schedules.
Does the Telis 1 Chronis keep its schedule when the batteries die?
Somfy states that the programmed up and down orders stay in memory after a long power loss. The clock, date, daylight saving area and work days need re-entering once fresh batteries go in. The Chronis takes 2 AAA (LR03) 1.5 V batteries, and Somfy advises against rechargeable cells. A low battery indicator on the display warns you ahead of time.
Will a Somfy sun sensor work on interior blinds?
Yes. Somfy lists interior blinds, draperies and shades among the applications for the Sunis Outdoor WireFree RTS sun sensor (9020412), alongside awnings, screens, pergolas and roller shutters. The sensor mounts outside and talks to RTS motors and receivers. A Situo Soliris remote is required to switch the sun function on, and it lets you turn automation off when you want the view.
Can I control automatic Somfy shades with Alexa or Google?
Yes, through the TaHoma switch. Somfy lists Amazon Alexa and Google Home compatibility, with Apple Home support for Zigbee products. The hub controls up to 40 RTS channels or 60 Zigbee products and runs app schedules and scenes from the same app. RTS timers and sensors keep working alongside it.
Sources: Somfy Telis 1 Chronis RTS Instructions (April 2014) and Telis 1 Chronis Flyer; Somfy Pro product page for the Sunis Outdoor WireFree RTS Sun Sensor (9020412); Somfy TaHoma switch Spec Sheet (2024.03.18) and TaHoma End User Brochure.
