Measuring, ordering and installing · Rolling Shutter Guide
How do I install a remote-controlled rolling shutter?
Mount the rails and box, let the curtain down and screw the box to the wall, exactly as for a manual shutter. The remote motor's 3-wire cable is then connected to power by a licensed electrician in a listed junction box. The remote comes pre-programmed and the limits factory-set, so test it with Down, then Up.
Key facts
- A remote (radio) motor has a 3-wire cable, black hot, white neutral and green ground, and is powered all the time; there is no wall switch to wire. Roll-A-Shield data
- Roll-A-Shield pre-programs the remote and sets the limits before the shutter ships; press Down, then Up, to test. Roll-A-Shield data
- The motor cable ends in a listed junction box, as the motor maker requires, and is not run through the wall itself; the mains connection is made by a licensed electrician. Roll-A-Shield data
- On a Somfy RTS motor the radio antenna is in the cord, so at least 12 in of cord must stay attached to the motor.
- A Gaposa remote can be used as a handheld or as a wall switch; the wall plate and hardware are in the package. Roll-A-Shield data
Applies to: Surface-mounted rolling shutters with a remote-controlled (radio) motor: Somfy Altus RTS and RTS CMO, Gaposa radio and Gaposa CMO motors, as shipped by Roll-A-Shield for self-installation. Not solar or battery shutters.
A remote-controlled shutter is mounted exactly like a manual one; the only electrical work is giving the motor constant power, because the remote, not a wall switch, tells it what to do. Roll-A-Shield pairs the remote and sets the limits before the shutter leaves the factory, so most installs need no programming at all. These steps follow Roll-A-Shield's 2024 install guide for remote-operated shutters, corrected for the motor maker's junction-box rule.
Following a published Roll-A-Shield guide does not void the warranty. Mains wiring must be done by a licensed electrician.
Stop: The motor runs on 120 V AC. Have a licensed electrician make the connection to house power. The motor cable must end in a listed junction box and must not be used to pass through the wall.
What is in the kit?
The assembled box with the curtain on the axle, two guide rails, a U-channel if you ordered one, the remote, a bag of standard fasteners and a bag of plastic rail plugs. Exactly how the small parts are bagged can vary; check against the packing list. The remote depends on the motor brand and on how many shutters you have: a Somfy or Gaposa single-channel or multi-channel remote, and for Gaposa a wall-mount kit. You supply the self-tapping screws for the rails and U-channel; see what screws to use.
What should I decide before mounting the box?
Where the motor cable will leave the shutter and where the junction box goes. Decide it with your electrician before the box is on the wall, because the box covers the wall behind it.
The motor is a tubular, two-direction motor with a built-in brake and limit switches, running on 120 V AC and drawing 0.7-5.5 A. Its cord is 18 ft as standard, up to 25 ft to order. Two Somfy rules to pass on to the electrician: make a drip loop in the cable, and on an RTS motor never shorten the cord to less than 12 in, because the radio antenna is inside it.
How do I mount the rails and the box?
The mounting is the same as for a switch-operated shutter.
- With the box on the ground, remove the four square-drive cover screws, set the cover aside, and peel the film off the front and back.
- Fit furring strips first if a knob, hinge or trim sticks out past the wall, and a U-channel, centered and perfectly level, if you ordered one.
- The side with the motor is the control side. Mount the other rail first: plumb, level, flush with the end of the U-channel, flared edge up, smaller holes to the wall, screwed on snug.
- Choose the cable exit. Either drill a 3/8 in hole in the back of the box and then fix the control rail snug, or run the cable down the side track on the outer edge of the control rail and out through a 3/8 in hole drilled in the back of the rail, lifting box and rail together. Both are described step by step on installing a switch-operated shutter.
- Check the rails are the same distance apart at the top and bottom, then lower the box ears into the rails, keeping the box level. If the ears stick, slide the 1/4 in lip at the bottom of the box behind the rail, or rock the box gently and tap the ears.
- If the cable runs down the rail, fix that rail snug now. Untie the strap round the curtain, feed the bottom slat into the rails and let the roll unwind to closed. With end-retention rails, the ball on each slat end goes into the slot in the rail.
- Check the shutter is level, properly positioned and free of pinch points.
How is the motor connected?
By your electrician, with the power off. The cable has three wires: black hot, white neutral and green ground, connected to power according to the motor maker's diagram. Roll-A-Shield's guide and install video connect the motor at an indoor outlet with the cable passed through the wall; that is an older practice, and the motor cable now ends in a listed junction box.
When the power is back on, press Down on the remote to lower the shutter and Up to raise it. A Gaposa remote can also be mounted as a wall switch with the plate and hardware in the package.
What if a limit is in the wrong place?
Change it with the remote. The top limit is right when the shutter stops with the bottom slat still in the rails; the bottom limit is right when the curtain is fully closed without starting to roll back up round the axle.
Somfy Altus RTS
- Short-press Up and let the motor stop on its own at the current top limit; you must be at the limit to change it.
- Hold Up and Down together until the motor moves.
- Use Up or Down to move the shutter to the new top position.
- Hold the Stop (my) button until the motor moves to save it.
- Repeat with a short press of Down, Up and Down together, the new bottom position, and Stop to save the lower limit.
Gaposa radio motors
- Open the battery cover of the remote. Of the two small inset buttons, the left pairs remotes and the right sets limits.
- With a paper clip, hold the right inset button and Up together until the motor moves.
- Raise the shutter to the new top position with Up, then hold Stop to save.
- Hold the right inset button and Down together until the motor moves, lower the shutter to the new bottom position, and hold Stop to save.
The same steps with more detail: setting limits on a Somfy RTS motor and adjusting the limits on a Gaposa motor. Somfy RTS CMO override motors are set with the white and yellow buttons at the motor head instead, as described on Somfy override motor: push-button limits.
How do I add a second remote or a sun and wind sensor?
From a remote that already works with the shutter.
- Somfy: hold the small Program button on the back of the working remote (a paper clip fits) until the motor moves, then hold the Program button on the new remote or sensor until the motor jogs again.
- Gaposa: open the working remote and hold its left inset button until the motor moves. If the shutter moved up, press Up on the new remote; if it moved down, press Down.
To start again from scratch on a Somfy Altus RTS or RTS CMO motor, cut the power for 3 seconds, restore it for 8 seconds, cut it again for 3 seconds and restore it; the motor jogs. Then hold the Program button on the back of the remote until the motor jogs twice, and set the limits again. Gaposa resets are in the manual packed with the remote, and on how to reset a Gaposa motor.
How do I finish the installation?
Screw the box to the wall with one screw in each corner near the metal safety plates, plus a third in the middle if the shutter is over 8 ft wide. Tighten the rail and U-channel screws without overtightening, run the shutter several times, refit the cover, pin a U-channel to the rails through a 9/64 in hole about 1/4 in from each outer edge, fit the rail plugs and caulk the perimeter.
What if it does not work?
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Nothing happens | No power at the motor, or the remote battery is flat | Check the breaker and the remote battery; see remote stopped working |
| Up and Down are reversed | Motor direction not matched to the remote | See shutter goes up when I press down |
| Stops in the wrong place | Limit drifted in shipping | Reset that limit with the remote |
| Stops after several runs while you test | Thermal cut-out | Wait about 15 minutes |
What next
Remotes, wall transmitters and smart-home options are compared on which Gaposa remote do I need and phone and app control. Self-installers can call a Roll-A-Shield technician during the job on (480) 921-0200.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to program the remote?
No. Roll-A-Shield pairs the remote and sets the limits before the shutter ships, so once the motor has power, Down and Up should work. You only reprogram if a limit is off or you add a remote.
Can I plug a remote-controlled shutter into an outlet?
Roll-A-Shield's older guide and video connect the motor at an outlet. The motor maker's rule, which Roll-A-Shield now follows, is to terminate the motor cable in a listed junction box, with the mains connection made by a licensed electrician.
I have several remote shutters. Do I program them all at once?
No. Roll-A-Shield pairs each remote before the shutters ship. If you ever re-program Somfy RTS motors, Somfy's instructions are to power only one motor at a time.
Can I control the shutter from my phone?
Yes, with a smart bridge. A Bond Bridge works with Roll-A-Shield's Gaposa and Somfy remote motors and covers about 2,500 sq ft. See phone and app control.
Parts and next step
Need a part or a hand?
Replacement motors, remotes, straps, slats and hardware ship from our Tempe, Arizona factory. Phoenix-area owners can book a service visit; everywhere else, our technicians help by phone. Call (480) 921-0200; the factory answers technical questions for any rolling shutter, not only ours.