Short answer: Somfy motorized shades put a Somfy motor inside the shade's roller tube or headrail, then add a power source and a control. Somfy builds the motor, remotes, sensors and TaHoma hub, and a shade maker builds the fabric and hardware around them. Choose battery or wired power first, then RTS or Zigbee control, then torque and tube size.
The parts Somfy builds into a motorized shade
Somfy Systems Inc. is the North American company of the Somfy Group. Somfy reports more than 50 years of motorization work and over 2,000 patents filed. Its indoor shades are custom made and professionally installed: a fabricator cuts the fabric and the roller tube, and the Somfy motor slides inside that tube.
Somfy's share of a finished shade comes down to four pieces:
- The motor. A tubular motor sits inside the roller tube. Cellular and roman shades use a cord lift motor in the headrail instead.
- Power. A rechargeable Li-ion battery, an external battery pack, a low-voltage supply or a 120V line.
- Control. A hand-held remote, a wall switch, a sun or wind sensor, or the TaHoma app.
- Crown, drive and bracket. These connect the motor to the tube and the wall, and they must match the motor size and head type.
Fabric, cassette, valance and bottom bar come from the shade maker. That split helps when a part fails. A dead motor or a lost remote is a Somfy part with its own part number, and you can replace it without buying a new shade.
Battery or wired: four ways to power a Somfy shade
Power decides how much wiring the job needs, so settle it before you compare motors. Somfy splits its motors into WireFree battery motors and wired motors, and each group comes in two forms.
| WireFree, built-in Li-ion | Somfy Sonesse ULTRA 30 WireFree RTS (Li-ion) (1003310). 12V rechargeable battery inside the motor. No wiring. Recharge with a charger or an optional solar panel. |
| WireFree, external battery | Somfy Cord Lift WireFree CL32 RTS (1002422). Battery pack sits outside the motor. Built for cellular and roman cord lift shades. |
| Low voltage, 24V DC | Somfy Sonesse 30 RTS 24V DC (1241142). 2 Nm (17.7 in-lb) at 25 rpm, 47 dB. Low-voltage cable runs to a 24V power supply or distribution enclosure. |
| Line voltage, 120V AC | Somfy Sonesse 50 506S2 RTS RH 120V (1001806). 6 Nm (53.1 in-lb) on a 50 mm (1.97 in) motor. An electrician wires it to a 120V AC, 60Hz circuit. |
Battery motors suit retrofits and rooms with no outlet near the window. Wired motors suit new construction and rooms with many shades on one schedule. Our WireFree vs wired comparison shows the torque point where a battery motor stops fitting the job.
Shade types Somfy motorizes
Somfy lists blinds and shades, curtains, projection screens, awnings, pergolas, exterior screens and rolling shutters among its motorized products. Each type uses its own motor family:
- Roller and solar shades: Sonesse and Roll Up tubular motors, sized by torque and the inside diameter of the tube.
- Cellular and roman shades: Cord Lift motors such as the CL32 and TLW25, mounted in the headrail.
- Horizontal blinds: Tilt motors that turn the slats.
- Draperies: Glydea and Irismo track motors.
- Awnings and exterior screens: Sunea and Altus awning motors and Maestria screen motors, built on the LT50 and LT60 platforms.
- Rolling shutters: Oximo and Altus motors.
The shade type narrows the family. Torque and tube size pick the exact model.
RTS or Zigbee: the control choice
Somfy builds the radio into the motor, and the radio fixes which controls can pair with it. RTS (Radio Technology Somfy) runs at 433.420 MHz and sends one-way commands. Zigbee runs at 2.450 GHz, reports the shade position back to the hub and meshes through mains-powered devices.
A typical RTS room starts with a Somfy Situo 5 RTS Pure remote (1870575), which runs five shades or groups from one hand-held unit. For app, schedule and voice control, the Somfy TaHoma Switch (1871037) controls up to 60 Somfy Zigbee products and 40 channels of RTS products, per Somfy. Somfy lists integrations with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, SmartThings and Sonos, along with automation systems such as Control4 and Crestron.
Match the remote to the motor's radio. An RTS remote will not pair with a Zigbee motor, and a Zigbee remote will not pair with an RTS motor. The Somfy control systems comparison covers SDN and hardwired switches as well.
New Somfy shades or a Somfy motor in the shades you own
Buyers reach Somfy motorized shades by one of two routes.
New custom shades. Somfy's dealer locator on somfysystems.com connects you with a local Somfy dealer who measures the windows and installs the shades. This route fits whole-home projects and buyers who want one company to handle fabric and motor.
Motorize or repair what you have. If your shades are in good shape, you can order the Somfy motor, crown, drive, bracket and control yourself. Read the tube's inside diameter and the old motor's label, then match the torque. Our guide on how to install Somfy motorized blinds walks through tube prep, mounting, limits and pairing. ShadeMotorsDirect is an authorized Somfy distributor, and each motor we sell is genuine Somfy in the US version, with Somfy's 5-year warranty.
Four checks before you choose a Somfy motor
Owners comparing Somfy motorized shades ask about four things. Somfy's own documents answer each one:
- Warranty. Somfy states that its motors carry a full 5-year warranty.
- Noise. Somfy prints a dB figure for each motor. The Sonesse 30 RTS 24V DC runs at 47 dB, and Somfy's ULTRA range targets the quietest rooms.
- Power upkeep. WireFree motors need a recharge or a solar panel. Wired motors need a supply or a circuit and no charging.
- Parts support. Somfy prints the part number on each motor label, so a replacement motor or remote orders by number years later.
Pick the power and radio first. Then the full range of Somfy shade motors sorts by torque, tube size, head type and radio.
Sources: Somfy, Motorized Blinds and Shades (somfysystems.com); Somfy product pages for 1003310, 1241142, 1001806 and 1871037 (somfysystems.com and somfypro.com); Somfy Where to Buy (somfysystems.com/en-us/where-to-buy).
FAQ
Does Somfy make the whole shade or only the motor?
Somfy makes the motor, the remotes and wall switches, the sensors and the TaHoma hub. A shade fabricator makes the fabric, roller tube, headrail and bottom bar, then installs the Somfy motor inside. Somfy dealers sell the finished shade. If you already own shades, you can buy the Somfy motor and control on their own and fit them to your tube.
How long is the warranty on Somfy motorized shades?
Somfy backs its motors with a full 5-year warranty. The shade fabric and hardware fall under the warranty of the company that built the shade, so ask your fabricator or dealer about those parts. Each Somfy motor ShadeMotorsDirect sells is genuine Somfy and carries the 5-year Somfy warranty.
Can I add a Somfy motor to shades I already have?
Yes, if the motor fits the tube. Measure the inside diameter of the roller tube and estimate the torque from the shade size and fabric weight. Then match a crown and drive to that tube. Battery motors such as the Sonesse ULTRA 30 WireFree RTS need no wiring. Cellular and roman shades take a cord lift motor in the headrail.
Do Somfy motorized shades work with Alexa or Google Assistant?
Yes, through a Somfy hub. The TaHoma Switch connects Somfy RTS and Zigbee motors to the TaHoma by Somfy app, and Somfy lists integrations with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. Pair your shades to the TaHoma Switch first, then link the TaHoma account in the voice assistant's app. Control4 and Crestron systems connect through Somfy interfaces.
Shade Motors Direct is an authorized source for genuine Somfy motorized window shade, blind, and drapery parts.
