How to Turn a Hardwired Control Blind Motor Into Radio Control (RTS)
Sometimes you only realise something doesn’t meet your needs after you’ve lived with it for a while. For a lot of people, this is the case with hardwired control motors.
These kinds of motors are usually chosen for one of two reasons: they need to connect to a wired home automation system or BMS (building management system) or to save money.
For those who choose savings over meeting their needs, it’s not uncommon to realise too late that they made the wrong choice, and that they might have been happier with a radio control motor.
Radio control motors have a lot of benefits and features such as:
- Control blinds from anywhere in the room
- Ability to add new motors to existing radio remotes/switches
- Compatible with other wireless devices e.g. Google Home and Amazon Alexa
- App control with scene set up, sequences, remote operation away from home etc
It’s not uncommon for us to hear back from customers who have installed perfectly fine hardwired motors for their customers, only to have a call back a few weeks later because their customer now wants radio control.
Obviously, replacing the motors most of the time is going to be a lot of hassle, time consuming and expensive. For more people, it’s just not a realistic option.
Thankfully, there are ways of converting a hardwired control motor in order to give you radio control. For this example, we’re specifically going to explain how to turn a hardwired motor into one with a Somfy RTS signal. This is by far our most common request.
This blog will explain two ways to achieve this, and the best application for both.
Option 1 – Inline RTS Receiver
The first option is to use an inline RTS receiver. This small device is easy to setup, and can be used with most standard hardwired motors. It can even be used with hardwired motors from other manufacturers such as Vestamatic.
The RTS receiver works by wiring the blind into it and supplying power to it. The receiver will then receive an RTS signal from a compatible controller, such as a Situo 1 RTS remote or a Smoove RTS wall switch, which will then control the blind.
This option works best for individual motors.
Option 2 – RTS Card
The other way to convert a hardwired motor to an RTS motor is through an RTS card. This card is put into a Somfy motor relay which then converts the entire relay and all motors connected to it so that they can be controlled with an RTS signal.
The most motors you can connect to a single Somfy relay is 3 motors using the Animeo IB 4+ motor controller.
This means you only need one RTS card for every 4 motors which could simplify installation and possibly save costs, especially if you are already using a relay and just need to add the card.
Similarly to the inline receiver, the RTS card means that you can control all blinds on that relay using RTS controls, such as TaHoma smart hub, Smoove wireless wall switches, Situo handheld remotes and more.
In conclusion, whilst it is possible to convert a hardwired motor to RTS afterwards, it will always be simplest to install RTS motors in the first instance. Of course, this isn’t always possible, and when that situation occurs we can help.
If you have motors that need converting, or you’re not sure which motors to choose in the first place, get in touch with a member of the Umbra team.
We are experts on motorisation and automation, and we work with lots of motor manufacturers to be able to offer you the best option for your project and completely independent advice.