Somfy Telis 16 RTS 16 Channel Remote Pairing and Setup Guide

Short answer: The Somfy 16 channel remote is the Somfy Telis 16 RTS Pure (1811081). It runs up to 16 RTS shades, or 16 groups of shades, from one handheld unit with an on-screen display that shows each channel's icon and custom name. It takes two AAA batteries and pairs with RTS motors only.

One remote for a sixteen-room RTS house

A five-channel remote covers a living room, a kitchen and a couple of bedrooms. A whole-house job outgrows it fast. The Telis 16 RTS Pure carries sixteen channels, and Somfy lets each channel drive either one motorized product or a group of them, so a single remote can hold each room on its own channel plus a few all-call groups for each floor.

The screen is the reason buyers pick it over stacking smaller remotes. Each channel shows its number, a product icon and a name you type in, along with a battery indicator. On a channel labeled MASTER1 or KITCHEN, nobody has to remember that channel 11 is the bay window.

Somfy builds the Telis 16 for awnings, exterior solar screens, interior window coverings, pergolas and rolling shutters. Blinds, draperies and roller shades count as interior window coverings in Somfy's list.

Motors and receivers the Telis 16 controls

The Telis 16 speaks RTS at 433.42 MHz. Any Somfy RTS motor or RTS receiver can take it as one of its transmitters. That includes a 24V DC roller shade motor such as the Somfy Sonesse 30 RTS 24V DC Motor (1241142), a drapery motor such as the Somfy Glydea ULTRA 60 RTS (1246118), and a battery roller motor like the Somfy Roll Up 28 WireFree RTS V2 Li-ion (1241150). Somfy's own system diagram for the remote shows Cord Lift WireFree RTS, Roll Up WireFree RTS, Sonesse 40 RTS and Tilt 50 WireFree RTS motors on the same transmitter.

The radio has to match. Zigbee motors and wired motors with no RTS receiver will not pair with the Telis 16. A non-RTS motor can join the system through a separate Somfy RTS receiver, which Somfy calls out on the Telis 16 spec sheet.

Telis 16 RTS Pure verified specs

IP 30 makes it an indoor remote. For a patio or pergola, keep it inside the door and let an outdoor-rated control handle the deck. After two minutes without a button press the screen drops into sleep mode, and any button wakes it.

Adding a shade to a Telis 16 channel

Somfy recommends programming each motor first with its own individual transmitter, such as a Somfy Situo 1 Channel RTS Pure Remote (1870571), and setting its limits and favorite "my" position from that remote. The Telis 16 then joins as an extra transmitter. Somfy's Telis 16 quick programming instructions give this sequence, and the same steps delete a channel:

1. On the existing RTS transmitter already paired to the shade, press and hold the programming button until the window covering jogs. Programming mode stays open for two minutes.
2. On the Telis 16, use the arrow buttons to select the channel.
3. Briefly press the programming button on the Telis 16. The covering jogs to confirm it was added to, or deleted from, that channel.

Repeat for each shade. To build a group, run the same steps for each motor in the group with the same Telis 16 channel selected. Somfy also notes the Telis 16 can handle motor programming such as limit adjustment, but the individual remote stays the cleaner tool for that work. Steps can differ by motor generation, so check the motor's install guide in our Somfy spec sheet library before you start. The full add and delete logic for RTS sits in our guide to pairing, adding and deleting a Somfy RTS remote.

Naming channels on the display

A name holds up to eight characters, seven letters plus one number, using A to Z and 0 to 9. Somfy's naming sequence:

1. Select the channel with the arrow buttons.
2. Press and hold SELECTION until SET appears. A product icon flashes; scroll the arrows to pick shade, rolling shutter or awning.
3. Briefly press SELECTION to save the icon and move to the first character.
4. Use the arrows to pick the character position. A flashing hyphen marks it.
5. Briefly press SELECTION, change the character with the arrows, then press SELECTION again to save it.
6. Repeat for each character, then press and hold SELECTION until SET disappears to return to manual mode.

Plan the names on paper first. Floor plus room plus a number reads well in eight characters: UPBED2, DNLIV1, PATIO1.

Telis 16, Situo 5 or Situo 1

Channel count decides it. The Somfy Situo 5 Channel RTS Pure Remote (1870575) suits a home with four or five zones. Past five zones, the house ends up split across two or more handsets with no names on screen. The Telis 16 keeps sixteen labeled channels in one hand.

Somfy motors accept several transmitters each, so the two approaches combine well. A Situo 1 or a wall switch in each room handles daily use and holds the motor's programming, and the Telis 16 sits in the kitchen or the main suite as the whole-house remote. Our Somfy remote chooser lines up the full range, and the store groups them under Somfy RTS remotes.

Frequently asked questions

How many shades can one Telis 16 RTS control?

The Telis 16 RTS Pure has sixteen channels. Somfy lets each channel drive one motorized product or a group of products, so the total number of shades depends on how you group them. A common layout puts one room per channel and saves two or three channels for floor-wide or whole-house groups that move several shades at once.

Does the Telis 16 work with Somfy Zigbee motors?

No. The Telis 16 transmits RTS at 433.42 MHz and pairs with Somfy RTS motors and RTS receivers. Zigbee motors use Zigbee controls such as the Ysia range or a TaHoma hub. A wired motor with no built-in radio can join an RTS system through a separate Somfy RTS receiver, which then accepts the Telis 16 as a transmitter.

What batteries does the Telis 16 RTS use?

Somfy specifies two LR3 (AAA) 1.5V alkaline batteries, and they ship in the box. The on-screen display carries a battery indicator, so you can see charge before the remote starts to fall short on range. The screen sleeps after two minutes of inactivity to save power, and any button press wakes it back up.

Can I program a new motor with only the Telis 16?

Somfy says the Telis 16 can handle motor programming such as limit adjustment, but recommends programming each motor first with its own individual RTS transmitter, such as a Situo 1. Set limits and the "my" position on that remote, then add the Telis 16 as an extra transmitter using the programming button on the existing remote.

Sources: Somfy Telis 16 RTS Pure product page (somfysystems.com, ref 1811081); Somfy Telis 16 RTS Spec Sheet; Somfy Telis 16 RTS Quick Programming Instructions; Somfy Telis 16 RTS Consumer Instructions C-0055, 10/2021.

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