Controlling Somfy drapes with RF vs RS485

[cestor]

just some more comments on this as I am currently looking at the same thing. Somfy seem to be advising RTS on the basis that the RTS motors are newer and quieter and RTS can control 16 devices whereas the taps can only control 4 each.
On the downside, RTS cannot tell the HA system what the current position of the blind is at any time.

 

[Frunple]

These ( http://wirelesstags.net/ ) can be used to report the status of the blinds. One on each blind.

 

[az1324]

These ( http://wirelesstags.net/ ) can be used to report the status of the blinds. One on each blind.

Have you used them for that?  Does it report the direction of acceleration?  Or do you mean to use it just to confirm that the command sent causes the blind to move?

 

[az1324]

just some more comments on this as I am currently looking at the same thing. Somfy seem to be advising RTS on the basis that the RTS motors are newer and quieter and RTS can control 16 devices whereas the taps can only control 4 each.
On the downside, RTS cannot tell the HA system what the current position of the blind is at any time.

 
The taps are not that expensive though and can be tied together.  If you don't need wireless there is no benefit to RTS over dry contact, except requiring fewer wires.

 

[cestor]

The wireless tags look very interesting. The Somfy people that I spoke to (who were really really pushing against ILT) said that the RTS motors were a lot quieter than the ILT ones though. If anyone has first-hand experience of how noisy the ILT ones are, it would be good to know.

 

[picta]

I don't have blinds, but for roller shades the somfy ST30 RS485 motor is the most quiet, and RTS motors are somewhat louder. But the noise depends not only on the motor, but also on the size of the covering, the tube diameter and the mounting options. For automation integration I prefer RS485 with status reporting.

 

[Frunple]

Have you used them for that?  Does it report the direction of acceleration?  Or do you mean to use it just to confirm that the command sent causes the blind to move?

Not yet but they will report just about any movement. I have the 2" wood blinds and I will be putting a tag on the top slat of each. It will tell me if the slats are angled up, down, or open.

 

[picta]

Not yet but they will report just about any movement. I have the 2" wood blinds and I will be putting a tag on the top slat of each. It will tell me if the slats are angled up, down, or open.

How do you plan to tie these into your automation system? It seems from the description on the website that the only way to interact with the tags is via the internet (login required to the status website) or a phone app.

 

[Frunple]

http://caogadgets.com/media/mytaglist.com/apidoc.html

 

[picta]

Interesting. But the fact that I have to go through the internet to communicate with these sensors will probably outweigh all the benefits for me.

 

[Frunple]

That's actually what is causing me to delay purchasing these too. Don't understand why they have to be cloud based?