Heavy drapery in a finished room runs into one recurring blocker: nobody ran power to the pocket. The Somfy Glydea ULTRA 50 WireFree Zigbee Drapery Motor (1246594) answers that with a battery, and it answers it at a fabric weight no other Somfy WireFree drapery motor reaches. Somfy rates it to 110 lb (50 kg) of drapery. It carries Zigbee 3.0 inside the motor, so there is no module to add and no receiver to hide.
Heavy drapery with no power at the pocket
Somfy lists one application for this motor: interior draperies. That covers pinch pleat, RippleFold and Accordia treatments on Glydea track. The motor mounts at one end of the track and pulls the master carrier with a belt, the same mechanical arrangement the wired Glydea ULTRA motors use.
The battery changes where the motor can go. A wired Glydea ULTRA 60 needs an outlet or a junction box within reach of its 10 ft plug, which decides the design in a room with a finished ceiling and a plaster pocket. The ULTRA 50 WireFree needs nothing but the bracket. Retrofit work benefits first, and so does new construction where the electrician left before the drapery scope landed.
Somfy publishes a 40 dB noise level at the default speed. A bedroom or a media room will accept that.
Fabric weight and track length this motor covers
Two numbers decide whether this motor fits a treatment. The first is fabric weight. Somfy rates the ULTRA 50 WireFree to 110 lb, which covers blackout drapery with a liner across a wide opening. Weigh the panel and its hardware, not the fabric alone, because carriers, hooks and a heavy master carrier add up on a 20 ft run.
The second number is track length. Somfy's technical data sheet for this motor publishes a maximum track length of 12 m, which converts to 39.4 ft. The Shade Motors Direct listing prints 36 ft, so confirm the run against the Drapery Databook before you cut track for anything past 36 ft. Both figures leave room for a pair of 18 ft center-opening panels, the case that pushes most rooms past a standard drapery motor.
Somfy supports one-way and two-way openings on this motor. Center-opening tracks need an arm kit at the master carriers, and one-way runs need the matching single-side kit.
Verified specs from Somfy's published record
Every figure below comes from Somfy's own e-catalogue entry for reference 1246594 and from the Somfy technical data sheet for the same motor.
| Somfy part number | 1246594 |
| Official name | Glydea ULTRA 50 WireFree Zigbee |
| Max curtain weight | 110 lb (50 kg) |
| Max track length | 12 m (39.4 ft) |
| Speed | 105 rpm |
| Noise level | 40 dB |
| Control | Zigbee 3.0, 2.450 GHz, built in |
| Power supply | Removable 21.9 V Li-ion battery, USB-C charging |
| Battery life | 1 recharge every 9 months on a reference curtain |
| Consumption in operation | 30 W |
| Standby consumption | 0.31 W |
| Protection index | IP 30 |
| Insulation class | Class III |
| Operating temperature | 32 F to 140 F |
| Storage temperature | -4 F to 140 F |
| Dimensions | 11.81 in x 3.66 in x 2.28 in |
| Weight | 2.28 lb |
| Approvals | IC, RCM, cULus, FCC |
| Warranty | 5 years |
Note the IP 30 rating and the 32 F floor. This motor belongs inside. An unconditioned three-season porch sits outside its published operating window.
Track hardware built for the ULTRA 50
The ULTRA 50 uses its own drive parts, and they do not interchange with the Glydea 35 or 60 hardware you may have on the shelf. Order the Somfy Glydea ULTRA 50 Drive Pulley (9029481) for the idle end of the track. The matching Motor Return Hook and Snap (9029480) completes the belt return.
Above the track, the Somfy Glydea One Touch Ceiling Bracket (1780907) carries the rail on a flat ceiling and snaps the track in without a second pair of hands. Adjustable wall brackets handle a return past a deep casing. RippleFold carrier spacing follows the fullness you specify, 5 carriers per foot at 80 percent fullness and 7 at 120 percent.
Battery life and the USB-C charging path
The battery pack sits in the motor housing and lifts out. Somfy publishes 21.9 V for the pack and one recharge every nine months on its reference curtain. Real intervals track cycle count and panel weight, so a pair of panels that close at sunset and open at dawn will land near that figure, and a treatment somebody moves six times a day will not.
Two parts cover the charging side. The Somfy USB-C Li-ion Fast Charger with Cable (9028923) is the charger Somfy names for this motor. Keeping a Somfy Glydea ULTRA 50 Replacement USB-C Li-ion Battery (9029424) on hand turns a recharge into a swap, which matters on a tall window behind furniture. Confirm the connector on the motor you receive before you order a charger for a job you have not seen.
Zigbee 3.0 control through TaHoma
Zigbee 3.0 lives in the motor at 2.450 GHz. The motor reports drapery position and battery level back to the app, so a homeowner sees where a panel sits and how much charge remains without walking the house. Somfy built the two-way reporting into the radio, and it is the reason a Zigbee motor earns its place over a one-way protocol on a battery product.
Pair it to the Somfy TaHoma Switch RTS and Zigbee Smart Hub (1871037) and the motor joins scenes alongside RTS shades already in the house. From there the TaHoma by Somfy app connects to Amazon Alexa, Google Home and Apple HomeKit. Zigbee 3.0 remotes pair to the motor for local control at the window.
RTS remotes will not drive this motor. The radio is Zigbee, and a Situo or Telis handset speaks RTS at 433.42 MHz.
Start with the Glydea ULTRA 50 WireFree Zigbee (1246594), then add the drive pulley, the return hook and the brackets your ceiling condition calls for. Add track, belt and carriers to the cut length. A spare battery earns its cost on any window a ladder reaches.
Frequently asked questions
How much drapery will the Glydea ULTRA 50 WireFree carry?
Somfy rates the motor to 110 lb (50 kg) of drapery, the highest capacity in the Somfy WireFree drapery range. Weigh the finished panel with its carriers, hooks and master carrier rather than the fabric alone, because hardware on a long run adds meaningful weight to the load the motor moves.
Does this motor need a separate Zigbee module?
No. Somfy builds Zigbee 3.0 into the motor at 2.450 GHz, so nothing bolts on and nothing hides above the pocket. Pair it to a TaHoma Switch or to a Zigbee 3.0 remote and the motor reports position and battery level back to the TaHoma by Somfy app.
How often does the battery need charging?
Somfy publishes one recharge every nine months on its reference curtain. Cycle count and panel weight move that figure in either direction. The pack lifts out of the motor, so a spare battery lets an installer swap in seconds instead of running a cable to a window near the ceiling.
Will RTS remotes control the Glydea ULTRA 50 WireFree Zigbee?
No. This motor carries a Zigbee 3.0 radio at 2.450 GHz, and Somfy RTS handsets transmit at 433.42 MHz. Use a Zigbee 3.0 remote, the TaHoma by Somfy app, or a TaHoma Switch, which bridges both protocols and puts the drapery into scenes with RTS shades.
Sources: Somfy Pro e-catalogue reference 1246594, somfysystems.com product page for the Glydea ULTRA 50 WireFree Zigbee, and the Somfy Glydea ULTRA 50 WireFree Zigbee technical data sheet.
Shade Motors Direct is an authorized source for genuine Somfy motorized window shade, blind, and drapery parts.
