Controlling Somfy blinds with RFXCOM

Posted on
Fri Mar 17, 2023 12:07 pm
biswasg offline
Posts: 35
Joined: Aug 28, 2017
Location: Geneva, Switzerland

Controlling Somfy blinds with RFXCOM

I have multiple blinds with Somfy motors and Somfy remotes. How do I integrate them into the Indigo domo network.
I have a RFXCOM RFXtrx433E and installed the RFXCOM plugin, but am unable to link the remote frequencies to Indigo.
Can someone send step by step approach or a link if this issue has already been answered.

Thanks

Posted on
Fri Mar 17, 2023 3:59 pm
mclass offline
Posts: 312
Joined: May 13, 2015
Location: Melbourne, Australia

Re: Controlling Somfy blinds with RFXCOM

I have had great success using a Bond Home hub with the Bond Indigo plugin.
Bond natively supports a range of blinds including Somfy and Rollease. It also has learning capability for other rf remotes

mclass


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Posted on
Fri Mar 17, 2023 6:20 pm
GlennNZ offline
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Location: Central Coast, Australia

Re: Controlling Somfy blinds with RFXCOM

Hi

I have Somfy blinds controlled with RFXCOM. The plugin is very straight forward - checking the hardware setup of the RFXCOM device more ‘low level’

Different versions of the hardware support difference remote protocols - not sure the RFXtrx433E includes Somfy? (seems to from below)

The RFXCOM Massive manual summarises at the beginning:

http://www.rfxcom.com/WebRoot/StoreNL2/ ... _Guide.pdf

This guide suggests that trx433E does support. Check the table because support also is only for some firmware versions. (seems to be unsupported in type1 and type2 firmware)

Also further info in this document about enabling some protocols disables others. For example if have BlindsT0 enabled - everything else is disabled.

You’ll have to upgrade the RFXCOM device to the appropriate firmware.
& enable only the needed protocols within RFXCOM via the plugin options. (Blinds T1/2/3 I believe for Somfy)

Notably to with Somfy blinds only Transmit is supported. Annoying that means there is no feedback whether blinds open or closed with other devices.

Then:
In RFXCOM plugin - select log unknown sensors as error
Open close Somfy blind - should see this reported as error if all is okay.
Add a RFXCOM, Somfy device with the same details as the error message.
As noted by RFXCOM is Transmit only - so device won’t update with remote commands, but commands to open close should function.

Glenn


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Posted on
Fri Mar 17, 2023 7:44 pm
biswasg offline
Posts: 35
Joined: Aug 28, 2017
Location: Geneva, Switzerland

Re: Controlling Somfy blinds with RFXCOM

Thanks mclass and Glenn for your responses.
I believe my issue is more of synchronising the Domfy remotes with the RFXtrx433E with RFXmngr.
As I only have MacOS computers, and RFXmngr is Windows only.
Is there MacOS equivalent for RFXmngr, or does Bond Home bypass RFXmngr requirement?

Posted on
Fri Mar 17, 2023 8:50 pm
GlennNZ offline
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Location: Central Coast, Australia

Controlling Somfy blinds with RFXCOM

biswasg wrote:
Thanks mclass and Glenn for your responses.
I believe my issue is more of synchronising the Domfy remotes with the RFXtrx433E with RFXmngr.
As I only have MacOS computers, and RFXmngr is Windows only.
Is there MacOS equivalent for RFXmngr, or does Bond Home bypass RFXmngr requirement?

Not sure I follow, the use of the word “synchronising”

You don’t need RFXmngr - unless trying to update firmware, if have wrong one currently installed? In which case once done not needed anymore.

I likely used a windows laptop to update - so unsure as to whether an OSX version. Might be able to use a windows emulator on OSX - but that is a pure guess at my end.

The issue here unlike the cheaper Dooya blinds (which I have more off!) the protocol is transmit only. So RFXCOM plugin does not receive any info when remote buttons are pressed, and can’t just copy a remote.
The devices need to be paired with each blind which is the added step.

Once the correct firmware is installed, and the correct options selected (Blinds 123).
Then create you Indigo Device RFXCOM, Somfy, enter a unique ID
Go to RFXCOM Plugin Config Menu - Program Somfy.
Put blind in pairing mode (as per blind)
Run command for the correct Indigo Device.



Glenn


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Posted on
Fri Mar 17, 2023 9:24 pm
mclass offline
Posts: 312
Joined: May 13, 2015
Location: Melbourne, Australia

Re: Controlling Somfy blinds with RFXCOM

does Bond Home bypass RFXmngr requirement


Yes! You use the Bond app (ios) and place the Somfy (or other blind) into pairing mode using the Somfy original remote control. No Windows devices needed

You can then create Bond devices in Indigo using the Bond plug in (see attached screen shot of a Rollease Blind - but similar for Somfy)

There's no two-way communication however to indicate blind state or position - I achieve this using a Python script that interrogates the Rollease Pulse 2 hub. This same Python script can be used to control the blinds, but I have found that the range of the Pulse 2 hub is extremely poor, and the Bond provides a much more reliable means of "mission-critical" control functions!

BTW Glenn, the Bond Home claims to support Dooya motors!

Hope that helps?

mclass
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Posted on
Mon Jun 05, 2023 1:54 am
McJohn offline
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Location: The Netherlands

Re: Controlling Somfy blinds with RFXCOM

Message from the RFXtrx433E developer;

The procedure to pair te Somfy motor with the RFXtrx433 is very simple and doesn`t need RFXmngr as the Indigo plugin supports the Program command.

Add the RFXtrx433 RFY device as a second Somfy remote to the motor in the Indigo plugin:
1 Put the Somfy RTS motor in learning mode using the Somfy remote.
2 Transmit the Programr command from the plugin using a random ID.
The Somfy RTS motor can now be controlled using the plugin with this ID.

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