Key facts

• Roll-A-Shield builds five motor types: wired (wall switch), radio (remote), manual override, solar and battery. Gaposa offers all but battery; Somfy offers wired, radio and override; OZRoll is the battery motor. Roll-A-Shield data
• A wall-switch motor has a 4-wire cable (white neutral, green ground, red and black for the two directions); a radio motor has a 3-wire cable (white neutral, black hot, green ground). Roll-A-Shield data
• Solar shutters are built on 30 Nm and 50 Nm Gaposa motors only, so they suit curtains up to 175 lb on a 60 mm axle; battery motors stop at 35 Nm (115 lb). Roll-A-Shield data
• Obstacle detection is found on Gaposa Sense 10-50 Nm motors and Gaposa Autonomo solar motors; override motors, mechanical-limit motors, Gaposa's 80-120 Nm motors and all Somfy RTS/LT motors do not have it. Roll-A-Shield data
• Gaposa and Somfy motors have thermal protection: after continuous running they shut off and need about 15 minutes to cool before they run again.

Applies to: Motorized rolling shutters: Gaposa and Somfy wired, radio (RTS) and manual-override motors, Gaposa Autonomo solar motors and OZRoll battery motors.

What are the five kinds of shutter motor?

All five are tubular motors inside the shutter's axle; they differ in where the power comes from and how you control them.

Sources for the rows without a marker: controls and outage behavior from Roll-A-Shield's product notes and install manuals; limits from the manuals; brand availability from the factory configurator.

Gaposa is the motor Roll-A-Shield fits by default, and Somfy is the alternative.

Wired or remote: what is the difference?

A wired motor goes up and down from a switch on the wall; a radio motor has a receiver built in and answers a remote. Both run on house power.

• Wired (switch). The cable has four conductors: neutral, ground, and a red and a black wire that drive the motor up and down. Roll-A-Shield offers momentary and maintained paddle switches and an outdoor key switch. Each wired motor needs its own switch.
• Radio (RTS, remote). The cable has three conductors: hot, neutral and ground. One multi-channel remote can run several shutters singly or together, and Gaposa's remotes come in 1, 5 and 16 channels. Radio motors connect to phone apps and voice assistants through a hub such as the Bond Bridge.

A radio motor avoids running switch wiring to each opening; see what rolling shutters cost for typical totals. Wiring details are on what power a motorized shutter needs.

What does a manual override add?

A manual-override motor is a wired or radio motor with a gear you can turn by hand with a wand, so the shutter opens without power. It gives up two things: setting the limits from the remote, and, on Gaposa, obstacle detection. Override motors are also longer, which raises the minimum shutter width. The manual override page covers the two wand styles.

How are solar and battery motors different?

Neither needs house wiring at the shutter, and both keep working in a power outage, but they get their energy differently.

• Solar (Gaposa Autonomo). A panel on the box or a nearby eave charges a battery built into the panel. Roll-A-Shield quotes about 60 open-close cycles on a full charge, and Gaposa rates a full battery at about 35 days of use at two cycles a day in low winter light. It works from any Gaposa remote, and the Autonomo motors have obstacle detection. Details: how solar shutters work.
• Battery (OZRoll). The motor is wired to a wall plate inside, and a removable controller docks in that plate; the controller must be docked to work, and it recharges through an adapter plugged into an outlet. It suits smaller, lighter shutters on openings too shaded for solar. The OZRoll has no remote receiver.

Neither can have a manual override.

Which motors stop if something is in the way?

Only some Gaposa motors. The ones that have it: Gaposa Sense motors, 10-50 Nm (model codes XQ5E wired and XQ5EZ radio), and the Gaposa Autonomo solar motors. The ones that do not: manual-override motors, mechanical-limit motors, Gaposa's 80-120 Nm motors (XQ6E/XQ6EZ series, even where a part name says Sense), and all Somfy RTS/LT motors. Go by the model code on the motor label, not by the part name. The obstacle detection page explains how it works and which codes to look for.

Which type should I choose?

Start from the opening, then the features you need.

Size is a separate step: see what size motor a shutter needs.

How do I tell which type I already have?

Look at how it is controlled, then at the cable.

• A switch that looks like a light switch on the wall means a wired motor; a handheld remote means a radio motor.
• A wall plate with a removable controller is an OZRoll battery shutter. An older battery switchboard (BOS) is no longer made; if it fails, the shutter may need converting to a newer battery or solar system.
• A panel on the box top or a nearby eave, with a plug-in lead to the box, is a solar shutter.
• On 120 V Gaposa and Somfy motors, a 4-wire cable is a switch motor and a 3-wire cable a radio motor.
• A joint hanging below the motor end of the box, or a small wand hole in it, means a manual override.
• The brand name is on the remote or the motor head.

What next

To choose a motor for a new shutter, request a quote and say which opening must work in an outage. The motor page compares Gaposa and Somfy, and replacement motors and remotes are in the parts store. Not sure what you have? Send a photo of the switch or remote and the motor label and call (480) 921-0200.

Frequently asked questions

Can one wall switch run several shutters?

Not with wired motors: each wall-switch motor needs its own switch, and Somfy warns that wiring two or more of its LT wired motors to one switch makes them malfunction. To run several shutters from one button, choose radio motors and a multi-channel remote.

Can I buy a manual shutter now and add a motor later?

Roll-A-Shield does not sell shutters set up to be motorized later, and it does not sell motorless motor shutters. Converting a manual shutter is a service job, because most strap and crank shutters are built on a smaller axle than motorized ones. See converting a manual shutter.

Can a battery or solar shutter work with Alexa or Google?

A solar shutter can: its motor answers Gaposa remotes and the Gaposa app, which Gaposa lists as working with Google Assistant and Alexa. The Bond Bridge links Gaposa and Somfy radio motors to phone apps and voice assistants, but not OZRoll battery motors, which have no remote receiver.

Can I turn my wall-switch shutter into a remote-control shutter?

Yes, without changing the motor: a Gaposa receiver can convert a wired motor of either brand to radio control, but it then works only with Gaposa remotes. See turning a switch shutter into a remote shutter.

Related questions

• What is a manual override, and do I need one?
• How do solar-powered rolling shutters work, and where does the panel go?
• What power does a motorized rolling shutter need?
• Which rolling shutter motors have obstacle detection?
• What size motor does my rolling shutter need?
• Can I turn a switch-operated rolling shutter into a remote-controlled one?
• Can I still get a battery, charger or controller for an OZRoll, E-Port or BOS battery shutter?
• Somfy vs Gaposa: rolling shutter motors