Somfy Sonesse 40 PoE Type 3 Motor Fit and Wiring Guide

Power over Ethernet moves the rough-in onto one low-voltage cable. An installer running a Somfy Sonesse 40 PoE bt 4/25 Type 3 pulls a single CAT5e or CAT6 line to the shade pocket and stops there. The motor draws its 48 V power and its commands from the same RJ45 jack. Somfy builds the ref on the slim 40mm Sonesse 40 body, so the pocket depth, the brackets and the tube stay the same as the rest of the range.

One cable and a 1.46 inch tube

Two fitment answers decide this motor. The roller tube has to measure 1.46 in (38 mm) or more across the inside, and the pocket needs a live Ethernet drop from a PoE switch or a midspan injector. Clear both and the motor slides into a 40mm roller like any other Sonesse 40. The body measures 1.39 in across. The round head measures 1.57 in and sits outside the tube, which is the figure that matters for bracket spacing and pocket clearance.

Somfy rates the ref at 4 Nm with 15.44 lb of traction force at the drive, running at 25 rpm. That torque suits mid-size interior shades on a 40mm tube rather than wide exterior screens. Installers sizing a wide fabric should step up to the 6 Nm or 9 Nm Sonesse 40, since torque headroom protects the limits over thousands of cycles.

Shades this motor suits

Interior roller shades carry this spec most often. Zebra and dual-roll fabrics work on it, and so do Roman shades built on a 40mm tube with the right lift system. Somfy ships a shielded RJ45 female coupler with the motor for high-ESD applications, which covers the dual-roll and zebra builds where static collects on the fabric.

Commercial jobs drive most of the demand. A floor already wired for structured Ethernet gets shade power and shade control from the switch it already has, and the integrator addresses every motor over the Somfy Synergy API without adding a control interface in the ceiling. A 39 dB noise figure keeps the motor quiet enough for a conference room or a patient room.

Verified Somfy specs for ref 1241427

Figures come from Somfy's own e-catalog entry for ref 1241427 and the 400 Series databook.

Tube, crown and drive, and bracket

The Sonesse 40 PoE bt 4/25 Type 3 motor needs a crown and drive set matched to the tube profile. On an octagonal roller, the LS40 octagonal rubberized crown and drive set (9016655) seats the motor and carries the load, and the rubber ring kills the hum that a bare drive transmits into the tube. Somfy's 40mm octagonal tube (1781154) ships by the foot in 20 foot increments, which lets a fabricator cut to the exact shade width.

Bracket choice follows the hardware already on the job. The RollEase 2 inch SkyLine universal motor bracket and idler bracket (9016325) handles SkyLine pockets and gives you both ends of the roller in one part number. Shops building on a plate system use the Somfy motor plate (9012258) against the round head instead. Pick 40mm class parts for this motor. Parts cut for a 28mm or 50mm motor will not seat on the head.

Network side of the install

Each motor asks for a Type 3 PoE port. The draw peaks at 51 W during travel and settles to 1 W at rest, so the switch budget governs the design on a floor with many shades. An electrician planning sixteen motors on one switch adds up 51 W per port at the same instant and checks the total against the power supply in that switch. Staggered group commands keep the peak down.

Cable runs follow standard Ethernet practice. Stay inside 328 ft from the switch port to the motor, terminate to T568 and test every drop before the fabric goes on the tube. The motor's own pigtail measures 0.62 ft and ends in an RJ45 plug, so the pocket needs a jack or a coupler within reach of the head. Somfy's shielded coupler, ref 9028957, ships in the box for the static-prone fabrics.

Integration runs over the Somfy Synergy API. A control system addresses position, limits and feedback across every motor on the subnet, and the shades report back without a gateway in the loop. Somfy publishes the API against its SDN and PoE motors together, so a floor mixing RS485 Sonesse 40 motors with PoE motors keeps one control model.

Setup notes before the fabric goes on

Electronic limits set this motor apart from the mechanical-limit range. The limit capacity covers 250 turns of the tube, which exceeds the travel of any interior shade on a 40mm roller. Somfy publishes repeatability at +/- 5, so the shade lands where the installer set it after thousands of cycles.

Thermal protection trips after 5 minutes of continuous run and resets on its own. Plan the test cycle around it during commissioning, since a long string of travel tests on one motor can trip it. The motor runs between 32 F and 140 F and stores down to -4 F, which keeps it indoors on an interior spec.

Class III insulation puts this motor in the low-voltage category for the inspection, and that is part of the appeal of a PoE shade on a commercial job. The round head accepts white, black or grey covers, so the visible end cap matches the hardware the designer picked.

Order the Sonesse 40 PoE Type 3

Buyers landing on this spec have a network already in the ceiling and an interior shade package to hang from it. The Sonesse 40 PoE bt 4/25 Type 3 motor (1241427) covers the middle of that range at 4 Nm. Add the crown and drive set for your tube profile, the bracket your pocket takes, and order one spare coupler per floor for the service kit.

Does the Sonesse 40 PoE Type 3 need a separate power supply?

No. The motor takes 48 V power and control data from one Ethernet cable, fed by a PoE switch or a midspan injector on a Type 3 port. Somfy publishes a 51 W draw during travel and 1 W at rest, with an operating range of 42.5 V to 57 V at the motor.

Which tube fits this motor?

Any 40mm roller tube with an inside diameter of 1.46 in or more accepts the motor. The body measures 1.39 in across and the round head measures 1.57 in. Match the crown and drive set to the tube profile, octagonal or round, and use 40mm class parts throughout.

How loud is a Sonesse 40 PoE motor?

Somfy publishes 39 dB for ref 1241427. That figure places it among the quiet interior motors in the Sonesse range, which is why specifiers reach for it in conference rooms, hotel suites and patient rooms where a louder motor would draw attention during a scheduled move.

Can this motor join a control system?

Yes. Integration runs over the Somfy Synergy API across the same Ethernet connection that powers the motor. A control processor reads position and limits and sends commands to every motor on the subnet. Somfy supports the API across its SDN and PoE motors, so mixed floors keep one control model.

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