Best (simple) wired window shades setup

[JKDarton]

There are SO MANY options, it's dizzying! I own ISY 994i and am leaning toward Somfy roller shades. I have 4 conductor wires home run to the 3 windows I want to control. My question is: what are all the pieces I need to make this system work well? A lot of posts I've seen on the subject are very old so not sure if they're still relevant. I hope to control the shades by wall switch, remote control, and Amazon Echo.

- 3 roller shades: Which model? Do I need/want RTS since they're wired?

- Controller interface: Something for ISY to command that will relay instructions to the shades. MyLink or something else?

- Power Supply for shades: What's needed here?

- 1 wall switch. Will any Z-wave or insteon switch work since I have the ISY?

Thanks!

[jfai]

4-conductors are not enough for wired Somfy roller shades. You would need an additional CAT5 cable for the RS485 interface for each window. Having 4 conductors of at least 18 gauge is good to supply 24VDC power: you can run up to two shade motors per window, e.g., one motor for sun shades and one motor for black-out shades. That's what I've done. Battery-powered Somfy motors are significantly louder and slower than wired motors. 

The motor control interface would either be RTS or Z-Wave. Search for threads in this forum regarding pros and cons. I've chosen RTS and MyLink (two years ago) and am very happy with it. The MyLink app on its own is adequate. I'm also running my own relay server so that I can integrate the Somfy motors with the ISY: open curtains/shades when the window is opened, open/close shades/curtains depending on time of day and exterior ambient light level, close shades when interior lights are turned on, etc. Search for my earlier posts on RTS options for more details.

You can purchase a 24VDC power supply box for home-run shade motor power from Somfy. I've assembled my own for about 60% of the cost and with a smaller enclosure that fits better in the wiring closet.

For manual control and as backup, I have a Somfy remote in each room. The remotes hang on the walls close to the doors. However, we hardly use the remotes, because the window coverings are automated. For some windows, I use a KeypadLinc button to move the window coverings to the "My" position. Most window coverings are also operable using Alexa and Google phrases. 

The model of the motors depends on the size of your windows and the weight of the shade fabric. I'm using Sonesse ST30 RTS motors for all roller shades. Except, I forgot to wire an internal window and use a Sonesse 30 Wirefree RTS motor for that one. 

[carealtor]

9 hours ago, jfai said:

 

Battery-powered Somfy motors are significantly louder and slower than wired motors. 

 

Ugh.  Are you saying that Somfy has different motors for battery vs hardwired?  I was planning on buying battery packs to get them installed quickly and then later figure out how to run wire to them.  I assumed it would just be a matter of removing the battery wand and plugging in a wired source.  Now doing some research, I see that the battery packs are 12V and the wired motors are 24V.  To me, nothing is easy with figuring this all out.  

[Javi]

@carealtor if you have to pull wires, with limited space, I would go with the 12v motors.  It will be much easier to pull/hide a single 18 gauge wire.

I installed 8 motors on our main floor about 7 years ago with wires pulled through the attic. About 2 years ago I did a small basement remodel and added egress windows. During the remodel we pulled wires for 7 basement windows.  During the basement Sompy install I did a write up as I had to relearn the Sompy install/setup process and figured it would be helpful in a few years when I get to the last section of the house. 

Below is a link to the write up if interested. I still need to do a write up on hardwiring the z-wave door locks with the same power supply.

https://voiceforiot.wordpress.com/2019/02/24/adding-motorized-blinds/

[carealtor]

On 3/18/2021 at 6:20 AM, Javi said:

 It will be much easier to pull/hide a single 18 gauge wire.

 

Do you make this comment because the 24V motors would need heavier gauge wire?  Or because the 24V motors are also RS485 and need 3 additional wires?  Somfy is a pretty large learning curve and I'm still learning.

[jfai]

Actually, for the same torque a 12V motor would require a higher current than a 24V motor. Therefore, everything else being equal, a 12V motor would require thicker wires than a 24V motor. Having said that, 18-gauge wires are sufficient for all but the longest runs to 24V motors (< 100 ft or so). I have no experience supplying power to 12VDC motors. If you can run 18-gauge to your windows, I'm not sure why you would choose a 12V motor over a 24V motor (noise, speed).

Any of the RTS motors only requires a 2-conductor wire for power. The control interface is RTS (radio frequency), and no extra wires are needed for that. Motors with an RS485 interface require a CAT5 cable in addition to the 2-conductor wire for power, and an RS485 controller in addition to the power supply. RS485 motors provide status feedback, e.g. current position; RTS and Z-Wave motors do not provide status.

[carealtor]

@jfai Very helpful.  Thank you.

At this point I'm very much leaning toward the 24V motors.  My only problem with this scenario is that I have to commit to wired from the start, I can't convert from battery at a later time.  I may have to do some surface run wires until I can get them in the wall.

I've never really considered going with RS485.  Honestly, I have no concept of how this would work as i haven't researched it.  I DO know how RTS works and integrates, so that's what I'm planning.

I just hope I am right in my assumption that the combination of 24V wired and RTS is readily available.  Otherwise I will have to go back to 12V.

[Javi]

21 hours ago, carealtor said:

Do you make this comment because the 24V motors would need heavier gauge wire?  Or because the 24V motors are also RS485 and need 3 additional wires?  Somfy is a pretty large learning curve and I'm still learning.

The comment was regarding starting off without wires using the Sompy WireFree motors and batteries, then pulling/hiding wires later.  The JST connectors on the 12v motors are Micro JST 2.0, I did not measure them but my guess would be between 24-30 gauge.  

When/if you decided to run power, a 12v CCTV regulated and fused power supply will come in handy for other equipment also (CCTV cameras, door locks, sirens, ISY, routers, switches, and modems).  Then connect the regulated power supply to battery backup and all your equipment is still functional during power outages.