By Linda Barber, Shade Motors Direct
Two things separate the Somfy Sonesse 40 Zigbee 406A2 Motor (1245921) from the RTS motors most installers grew up on. It talks over a mesh network instead of a one-way radio, and it reports its real position back to the hub instead of guessing. For an integrator handing a floor of shades to a Control4 or Crestron dealer, those two facts decide the spec.
At 44 dB, this is also one of the quietest motors Somfy builds. On a bedroom shade that number carries more weight than the torque rating.
Mesh networking changes how you plan coverage
An RTS motor listens for a transmitter and hopes the signal arrives. A Zigbee 3.0 motor joins a mesh where every other Zigbee motor acts as a repeater. Coverage grows as you add shades rather than thinning out, and a node that drops off the network gets routed around instead of taking its neighbors down with it. Somfy publishes 656 ft of open field range per hop at 2.450 GHz.
Position feedback is the other half. The hub knows the shade is at 40 percent, not that a close command left the transmitter at some point. Scenes that stage shades to different heights stay accurate through a power cycle, and an integrator debugging a room can see which motor stayed put.
Verified specifications
| Torque | 6 Nm (53 in-lb) |
| Speed | 24 rpm |
| Power supply | 120V AC, 60 Hz |
| Consumption | 120 W running, 0.05 W standby |
| Protocol | Zigbee 3.0, 2.450 GHz |
| Open field range | 656 ft |
| Noise | 44 dB |
| Minimum tube inside diameter | 38 mm (1.46 in) |
| Head colors | White, black, grey |
| Ingress rating | IP31 |
| Approvals | UL, FCC |
| Warranty | 5 years |
Somfy publishes a 45.5 kg CO2 carbon footprint for this motor, which turns up on LEED and WELL documentation packages more often every year.
Picking the right torque inside the Sonesse 40 Zigbee family
Somfy builds three wired Zigbee motors on the Sonesse 40 platform, and the naming tells you the tradeoff. Torque and speed move in opposite directions:
- 404S2, 4 Nm at 36 rpm, for lighter interior roller and solar shades where travel time matters
- 406A2, 6 Nm at 24 rpm, the middle spec that covers most residential and light commercial roller shades
- 409R2, 9 Nm at 14 rpm, for wide or heavy fabric where the motor needs the extra pull
Size from the fabric weight and the tube diameter together. A wide shade on a 2 in tube asks more of the motor than the same fabric on a 1.5 in tube, because the larger tube gives the load a longer lever arm.
Tube, crown and drive
The Sonesse 40 needs a tube with an inside diameter of 38 mm or larger. Somfy's own 40mm Octagonal Tube (1781154) ships by the foot in 20 ft increments and pairs with the octagonal crown set.
For that octagonal profile, use the Somfy LS40 Octagonal Rubberized Crown and Drive Set (9016655). On round tubes, the Somfy LS40 Rubberized Crown and Drive Set (9016654) does the same job, and the rubberized version damps the small mechanical noise that would otherwise undo the 44 dB rating. On jobs that use a standard set instead, the Somfy LS40 Crown and Drive Set (9012224) fits the same motor.
Mounting into RollEase hardware
Plenty of Sonesse 40 jobs drop into existing RollEase brackets. The Somfy RollEase 2 in SkyLine Universal Motor Bracket and Idler Bracket (9016325) carries the motor and the idler end as a pair. Between the motor head and a SkyLine bracket, the Somfy ST30 RollEase SkyLine Motor Plate (9026003) handles the adaptation.
The TaHoma switch is the piece that makes it smart
A Sonesse 40 Zigbee motor needs a Zigbee coordinator, and Somfy's is the Somfy TaHoma Switch Zigbee Interface (1871037). The TaHoma switch binds the motors, holds the scenes and sun and time schedules locally, and bridges the Zigbee mesh to the house network.
Downstream of the hub, the shades answer the TaHoma app, Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and Apple Home. Somfy also supports Control4, Savant, Crestron, and Brilliant, which is the list that matters when a low-voltage contractor is already on the job.
Fast Connector and the wiring plan
This SKU carries Somfy's Fast Connector. Instead of hardwiring at the motor, you land a NEMA-plug extension cable, and Somfy offers lengths from 1.4 ft to 24 ft. The install crew pulls the correct length to a receptacle in the pocket and moves on. For an integrator sequencing trades, that removes the electrician from the shade pocket entirely, which is often the step that was holding up the schedule.
Ordering
Order the Sonesse 40 Zigbee 406A2 (1245921), a crown and drive set matched to your tube profile, brackets, and one TaHoma switch per site. One hub covers the whole floor, so the hub is a per-project line item rather than a per-shade one.
Questions we get on this motor
Does the Sonesse 40 Zigbee work without a TaHoma switch?
The motor needs a Zigbee coordinator to join a network, and Somfy's TaHoma switch fills that role. One TaHoma switch serves the whole installation, so a job with twenty shades still needs one hub.
What tube does a Sonesse 40 Zigbee 406A2 fit?
Any tube with an inside diameter of 38 mm (1.46 in) or larger. Somfy's 40mm octagonal tube is the common pairing, and it takes the LS40 octagonal crown and drive set. Round tubes take the standard LS40 set.
Can Control4 or Crestron drive these shades?
Yes. Somfy supports Control4, Savant, Crestron, and Brilliant through the TaHoma switch, alongside Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and Apple Home. The integration talks to the hub, and the hub talks to the Zigbee mesh.
How quiet is the Sonesse 40 Zigbee?
Somfy rates it at 44 dB, which places it among the quietest tubular motors available for interior shades. Pair it with a rubberized crown and drive set to keep mechanical noise from adding back what the motor saves.
Shade Motors Direct is an authorized source for genuine Somfy motorized window shade, blind, and drapery parts.
