Somfy Sonesse 28 WireFree Zigbee Battery Motor Guide

A 28 mm motor body opens up openings that a 30 mm motor cannot reach. The Somfy Sonesse 28 WireFree Zigbee Li-ion Motor (1241755) is the smallest battery motor Somfy builds, and it runs on Zigbee rather than RTS, which puts a cordless shade on a two way mesh with real position feedback.

Somfy rates the battery for one recharge per year under standard use. That figure, more than the torque, is what sells a wirefree shade to a homeowner who remembers replacing AA cells on a ladder.

The openings this motor was built for

Somfy lists it for interior blinds and shades. In practice a shop reaches for the Sonesse 28 on narrow windows, transoms, sidelights, and shallow headrails where a 30 mm or 40 mm motor will not clear the pocket.

Torque sits at 1.1 Nm at 28 rpm, which suits light to medium interior fabric on a small tube. A wide blackout panel belongs on a larger motor, and Somfy builds the Sonesse 30 and Sonesse 40 families for exactly that step up. Size against the finished roll diameter rather than the width alone, since a thick fabric on a small tube raises the load faster than most shops expect.

At 44 dB the motor sits inside Somfy's Designed for Silence range. On a bedroom transom that cycles at sunrise, the number matters more than the speed.

Charging, and the solar option

The lithium-ion cell lives inside the motor, and Somfy specifies one recharge per year under standard conditions. Charging happens through a magnetic connection at the motor head, so the shade stays in its brackets for service.

The Somfy Magnetic Adapter for Li-ion Motors (9028562) makes that connection, and the Somfy WireFree Li-ion Plug-in Charger (9025166) supplies it. For a client who would rather leave it alone, Somfy sells a solar panel kit that mounts at the glass and tops the cell up from daylight.

Standby draw sits at 0.09 W, which is what makes the annual figure possible. Running draw hits 7.8 W for the seconds the shade is in motion.

Verified specifications

Figures come from Somfy's published product record for 1241755 and the Sonesse 28 verified spec set.

Zigbee on a battery motor changes the handover

A battery RTS shade takes commands and reports nothing back. This one joins a Zigbee mesh and answers two ways, so the TaHoma pro app shows real position and real battery state rather than an assumption.

Battery state is the part that matters over a decade. An installer who handed over twenty wirefree shades has no way to know which cell is low until a client calls about a shade that stopped. Two way reporting turns that into a scheduled visit.

Open field range reads 262 ft at 2.450 GHz, shorter than the RTS figure on a 433 MHz motor. Mesh behavior makes up the difference in a real building, since every Zigbee node repeats for the others and coverage grows as a job adds shades. A Somfy TaHoma Switch Zigbee Interface (1871037) coordinates the mesh and bridges it to the house network, and one hub serves the whole installation.

Crown, drive, and motor plate

The crown centers the motor in the tube and the drive hands rotation to the tube wall. Match the pair to the tube profile, not to the motor.

Narrow tube work takes the Somfy RollEase 1.25 in Crown and Drive (9025815), which is the set that pairs with the small body on a tight opening. Shops running 2 inch RollEase tube move to the Somfy Crown and Drive Kit for RollEase 2 in Shade Tubes (9021017). Silhouette and Hunter Douglas retrofits take the Somfy R28 Sonesse Crown and Drive Kit (9025816), which is the part that makes a cordless conversion of an existing treatment work.

At the bracket end, the Somfy Motor Plate for ST30 (9013789) seats the head. Order the plate alongside the motor, since a bare motor and a bracket that will not accept it is the most common reason a wirefree job stalls on install day.

Cold slows a lithium cell, so a shade on a north facing transom in an unheated room draws down sooner than the same motor in a conditioned space. Somfy rates the motor IP20 for interior use, and the annual figure assumes an interior temperature. On a sunroom or a stairwell that runs cold in winter, plan the recharge into a spring service visit rather than waiting for the client to call.

Ordering the assembly

Build the order as motor, a crown and drive set sized to the tube, a motor plate, a bracket, and the charging accessory the client will keep in a drawer. A spare Somfy Rechargeable Lithium-ion Battery Pack (9021217) suits a shop servicing a fleet of wirefree shades across several sites.

Order the Sonesse 28 WireFree Zigbee (1241755) against the tube you measured. Somfy covers it for 5 years.

Questions we get on this motor

How often does the Sonesse 28 battery need charging?

Somfy specifies one recharge per year under standard conditions. Standby draw of 0.09 W is what makes that possible, since the motor sleeps between commands. A shade cycling several times a day on a schedule will come due sooner, and a solar panel kit mounted at the glass extends the interval further.

Does the Sonesse 28 Zigbee need a TaHoma hub?

The motor needs a Zigbee coordinator to join a network, and Somfy's TaHoma switch fills that role. One hub serves the whole installation. Once paired, the TaHoma pro app reports real shade position and battery state rather than assuming what the last command did.

What is the difference between the Sonesse 28 and the Sonesse 30?

Body diameter and torque. The Sonesse 28 runs a 28 mm body at 1.1 Nm, which fits narrow openings and shallow headrails a 30 mm motor cannot reach. The Sonesse 30 steps up to 2 Nm for heavier fabric on a larger tube. Size from the finished roll diameter and fabric weight together.

Can the Sonesse 28 go on an exterior shade?

No. Somfy rates it IP20 and lists it for interior window coverings. An exterior screen or awning needs a sealed motor with an IP44 rating, and Somfy builds the Altus and Sunea families for those positions.

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