Somfy RTS Receivers for Wired Motors, Pergolas and LED Lights

Short answer: A Somfy RTS receiver adds Somfy's 433.420 MHz radio control to something that has no radio of its own. Pick the Universal RTS Receiver (1810627) for a wired 120V AC Somfy motor, the Pergola 12V/24V 2-motor RTS Receiver for two DC pergola tilt motors, or the LED RTS 24V DC Receiver (1870872) for 24V LED lighting.

Most Somfy shade motors carry RTS inside the motor head, so a remote pairs straight to the motor. Receivers cover the rest of the job: a hardwired motor that came without radio, a louvered pergola roof, the LED strips under an awning. This guide sorts the four Somfy receivers we stock by what they drive, then covers pairing, sensors and the one interface buyers often mistake for a receiver.

Which Somfy RTS receiver matches your motor or light?

Start from the load the receiver has to switch. Somfy builds each receiver around one type of load, and the voltage on the label of the motor or light settles most orders.

A 24V DC roller shade needs no receiver at all. The Somfy Sonesse 30 RTS 24V DC Motor (1241142) carries its RTS receiver in the motor head, and a remote pairs to it directly. Buyers searching for a "DC RTS receiver" for a shade usually need an RTS motor like this one, while the DC receivers below serve pergolas and lighting.

Adding RTS to a wired 120V AC motor with the Universal RTS Receiver

Somfy describes the Somfy Universal RTS Receiver (1810627) as the part that "provides RTS capability to Somfy's standard motors." Standard means the wired 4-wire motors, such as the LT50 range, that run from a wall switch with no radio inside. The receiver wires between the 120V/60Hz supply and the motor, and the motor keeps its own limit settings.

Somfy rates the enclosure IP 66 and sizes it small for a discreet facade install. Applications on Somfy's page run from awnings and exterior solar screens to interior shades, draperies, pergolas and rolling shutters. The receiver memorizes up to 12 transmitters or channels plus up to 3 sensors, and it stores two intermediate positions of your choosing.

Sensors turn the receiver into an automatic awning controller. Somfy pairs it with Eolis wind sensors, Soliris sun and wind sensors, and the Sunis WireFree RTS sun sensor. The Somfy Eolis RTS Wind Sensor 24V DC Kit (9012499) ships with its own transformer. Per Somfy's instructions, the receiver sends the shade UP 2 seconds after wind passes the set threshold. With a sun sensor, a DOWN command follows a 2-minute delay once sun passes the set level with no wind, and the awning retracts 15 to 30 minutes after the sun drops back.

Pergola receivers for 12V and 24V DC tilt motors

Louvered pergola roofs use linear tilt motors on low-voltage DC, and Somfy drives a pair of them from one receiver. Somfy's spec sheet for the Pergola 12V/24V 2-motor RTS Receiver lists these figures:

• Two tilt motor outputs, on 12V or 24V DC
• 3 A or 5.5 A per output, set with DIP switch 3
• Motors with or without encoders; fully automatic limit setting by default, or semi-automatic with one limit set by hand
• Obstacle detection plus overload and overcurrent protection
• IP 65, operating from 14 F to 140 F, 7.28 x 3.9 x 2.24 in
• Built-in temperature sensor and an adjustable 12 to 60 mph wind trigger

Two listings carry this receiver. The Somfy Pergola 12V/24V 2-motor RTS Receiver (1871434) is the receiver on its own with a built-in antenna. The Somfy Pergola 12V/24V 2-motor RTS Receiver and Antenna Kit (1870488) packs receiver 1870871 with Somfy's remote RTS antenna 2400472. Choose the kit when the receiver sits inside a metal beam or far from where people stand with the remote.

Somfy names four sensors for the pergola receiver: Eolis 24V, Ondeis 24V, Ondeis WireFree and Sunis Outdoor WireFree RTS. The Somfy Ondeis WireFree RTS Rain and Sun Sensor (9019617) adds rain and sun detection with no wire run to the roof. Somfy also lists the receiver as compatible with an LED light kit.

LED RTS 24V DC Receiver for awning and pergola lights

The Somfy LED RTS 24V DC Receiver (1870872) puts outdoor lighting on the same RTS remote as the awning or pergola above it. Somfy lets the installer program it as four independently dimmable outputs, or as one RGB full-color zone plus one single-color zone. Each output carries 100W, for up to 400W of LED per receiver.

A standard RTS remote switches the lights and recalls a "my" favorite level. Incremental dimming and color control come from the Somfy Situo 5 Variation RTS Pure II (1811612), the control Somfy names for this receiver. In RGB mode Somfy adds mood programs: auto dimming, flashing, automatic color change, and flash with color change, each with adjustable speed. Somfy rates the unit IP 65 with a built-in antenna and an optional remote antenna.

Pairing a remote to the Universal RTS Receiver

Somfy's Universal Receiver RTS instructions set the system up from the receiver's own programming button. Turn off the circuit breakers before any wiring change. The first transmitter goes in like this:

1. Press the programming button on the Universal Receiver until its LED lights, about 2 seconds.
2. Press the programming button on the Telis transmitter or RTS sensor to be memorized.
3. Run the motor in the DOWN direction with the transmitter.
4. If the shade moves the wrong way, turn off the circuit breakers and reverse the red and black wires of the motor.

To add another remote, press PROG on a transmitter the receiver already knows for more than 2 seconds. The receiver LED blinks and the motor jogs. Then press PROG on the new transmitter, and the LED lights with a second jog to confirm. Sensors pair the same way; on a wind sensor, Somfy puts the programming button on the bottom of the sensor. To store a favorite stop, bring the shade to its upper or lower limit, stop it at the position you want, and hold MY for 2 seconds.

The Somfy Situo 1 RTS Pure II (1870571) suits a single awning or shade on one receiver. The pergola and LED receivers follow their own Somfy quick guides, so pull the guide for your part number from our Somfy spec sheet library before you program them. Our guide to pairing, adding and deleting a Somfy RTS remote covers the same PROG and jog logic on RTS motors.

The Dry Contact Interface works the other way round

The Somfy RTS Dry Contact Interface (1810493) sits beside the receivers in our catalog, yet Somfy builds it as a transmitter. A relay, keypad or automation panel closes a contact, and the interface transmits that command by RTS radio to every motor or receiver paired to its channel. Somfy lists it as compatible with all RTS motors and receivers.

Somfy publishes 1 channel per interface, 65.62 ft of open-field range, battery power, IP 20 and Class II insulation. Put it near the control panel and the radio carries the command to the shade. Projects that need 16 channels over RS232, RS485 or IR step up to the URTSI II, covered in our URTSI II setup guide. Wired motor background sits in our guide to Somfy hardwired motors, 120V AC or 24V DC, and each unit here lives in our Somfy receivers and interfaces collection.

Sources: Somfy Universal Receiver RTS instructions (service.somfy.com); somfysystems.com product pages for 1810627, 1870872, 1870488 and 1871434; Somfy Pergola 12V/24V 2-motor RTS Receiver and Antenna Kit spec sheet; somfypro.com e-cat page for 1810493.

Frequently asked questions

What does a Somfy RTS receiver do?

It gives a motor or light that has no radio of its own Somfy RTS control at 433.420 MHz. Once paired, Somfy remotes, wall switches and sensors run the load through the receiver. The Universal RTS Receiver serves wired 120V AC Somfy motors, the pergola receiver drives two DC tilt motors, and the LED receiver dims 24V lighting.

Do I need a receiver for a Somfy RTS motor?

No. Somfy RTS motors carry the receiver in the motor head, so a remote pairs straight to the motor with the PROG button. A separate receiver only enters the job for a wired motor with no radio, a pergola tilt system, or LED lighting. Read the motor label: RTS in the model name means the radio is built in.

How many remotes can the Universal RTS Receiver remember?

Somfy's instructions give 12 transmitters or channels plus 3 sensors. Each paired channel on a multi-channel remote uses one slot. The receiver also stores two intermediate positions, recorded from the upper or lower limit with a 2-second press on MY, and Somfy deletes a stored position with a 10-second press on MY.

Is there a Somfy DC RTS receiver for motors?

Somfy's DC receivers in this lineup drive pergola tilt motors on 12V or 24V DC and 24V LED lighting. For a 24V DC roller shade, Somfy builds RTS into the motor instead, as on the Sonesse 30 RTS 24V DC (1241142). Power it from a Somfy 24V supply and pair a remote to the motor head.

Shade Motors Direct is an authorized source for genuine Somfy motorized window shade, blind, and drapery parts.