Programming and controls · Rolling Shutter Guide
How do I set the limits on a Somfy RTS shutter motor?
Power only the Somfy RTS motor you are setting. Press UP and DOWN together until it jogs and check the direction. From the top limit press MY and DOWN, stop at the bottom limit, press MY and UP, then hold MY about 2 seconds until it jogs (STOP on a DecoFlex). Briefly press the programming button to finish.
Key facts
- A Somfy RTS motor in programming mode runs only while you hold a button and drops out of programming mode after 2 minutes with no input.
- The limits are stored by holding MY (STOP on a DecoFlex) for about 2 seconds until the motor jogs; a brief press of the controller's programming button then puts the motor in normal user mode.
- If the motor cord is ever shortened, leave at least 12 inches: the RTS radio antenna runs inside that part of the cord.
- Somfy RTS motors have no obstacle detection, so watch the curtain the whole time you set the bottom limit. Roll-A-Shield data
- Remote-operated Roll-A-Shield shutters ship with the upper and lower limits pre-set and the remote pre-programmed at the factory, so most owners only adjust a limit. Roll-A-Shield data
- Somfy motors came up in 77 calls to the Roll-A-Shield factory in ten months of call records, and owners regularly ask about Somfy motors in shutters another company installed. Roll-A-Shield data
Applies to: Somfy Altus RTS 120 V tubular motors with a Telis handheld remote, a Smoove wall transmitter or a DecoFlex wire-free wall switch. Somfy manual-override motors, whose limits are set with push-buttons at the motor head, are covered in their own section; Gaposa motors are not covered.
Before you start: what do you need?
On most remote-operated shutters the limits were set when the shutter was installed; on Roll-A-Shield units specifically, remote-operated shutters leave the factory with the limits pre-set and the remote already paired. Most owners are adjusting a limit, not setting one from scratch; that procedure is further down.
Tools and conditions
- The Somfy controller for this shutter: a Telis handheld, a Smoove wall transmitter or a DecoFlex wire-free wall switch, with a working battery.
- Access to the breaker or switch for each shutter. Somfy's instructions say to power only the motor being programmed.
- A paperclip, if the controller is a DecoFlex.
- A helper to watch the curtain.
Safety: Somfy's own setup videos start with the wiring: make a drip loop, follow local electrical codes, connect the motor in a listed junction box, and do not use the motor cable to go through a building wall. If you ever shorten the cord, leave at least 12 inches, because the RTS antenna runs inside it. Setting limits needs none of that; it is all done from the controller. Following a published Roll-A-Shield guide does not void the warranty. Mains wiring must be done by a licensed electrician.
Stop: Somfy RTS motors do not have obstacle detection. Nothing stops the motor at the bottom except the limit you set, so keep hands, pets and furniture clear and stop the curtain early rather than late.
What do "jog", programming mode and user mode mean?
A jog is the motor's signal that it accepted a command: a brief up-and-down movement of the curtain.
- Programming mode starts when you press UP and DOWN together. In it the motor runs only while you hold a button, and it drops out of programming mode after 2 minutes with no input.
- User mode is normal operation: one press and the curtain runs all the way to its limit. The motor enters user mode when you briefly press the programming button at the end of the sequence.
The MY button is Somfy's middle button. It stops the curtain, and during programming it also confirms. A DecoFlex labels the same button STOP.
How do I set the limits with a Telis handheld remote?
Start with the curtain near the top, set the bottom, and let the motor run back up to the top you started from.
- Power only the motor you are setting.
- Press UP and DOWN together until the motor jogs.
- Press UP. The curtain should go up. If it goes down, hold MY until the motor jogs; the direction is now reversed.
- Run the curtain to where you want the upper limit.
- Briefly press MY and DOWN together. The curtain runs down. If it stops as soon as you let go, take it back to the upper limit and repeat this step.
- Press MY to stop near the lower limit, then fine-tune with UP or DOWN.
- Briefly press MY and UP together. The curtain runs up and, unless you stop it, returns to the upper limit you started from.
- Hold MY for about 2 seconds until the motor jogs.
- Briefly press the programming button on the back of the Telis. The motor jogs, confirming the settings, and is now in user mode.
- Run a full cycle and check both stopping points. Somfy suggests double-checking the limits as a precaution.
What changes with a Smoove wall transmitter?
The buttons and the confirm step are the same as on the Telis; Somfy's Smoove video simply starts from the bottom because the curtain was nearer the bottom.
- Power only this motor. Press UP and DOWN together until it jogs, and check the direction as above (hold MY until it jogs to reverse).
- Run the curtain to the desired lower limit.
- Briefly press MY and UP together. The curtain runs up.
- Press MY briefly to stop it before the desired upper limit, then fine-tune with UP or DOWN.
- Briefly press MY and DOWN together. The curtain runs down. Press MY to stop it.
- Hold MY for about 2 seconds until the motor jogs.
- Briefly press the programming button on the back of the switch. The motor jogs and is in user mode.
What changes with a DecoFlex wireless wall switch?
Three things: you select a channel first, the confirm button is labeled STOP, and the programming button is on the front and needs a paperclip.
- Select the channel for this shutter on the DecoFlex.
- Press UP and DOWN together until the motor jogs. Check the direction; if it is reversed, hold STOP until the motor jogs.
- Run the curtain to the desired upper limit.
- Briefly press STOP and DOWN together. The curtain runs down. Stop it near the lower limit with STOP and fine-tune with UP or DOWN.
- Briefly press UP and STOP together. The curtain runs up. Press STOP briefly to stop it.
- Hold STOP for about 2 seconds until the motor jogs.
- With a paperclip, briefly press the small programming button on the front of the switch. The motor jogs and is in user mode.
How do the three controllers compare?
| Telis handheld | Smoove wall transmitter | DecoFlex wire-free switch | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Confirm / stop button | MY | MY | STOP |
| Select a channel first | Only on a multi-channel model | Only on a multi-channel model | Yes |
| Programming button | Back of the remote | Back of the switch | Front of the switch, press with a paperclip |
| Hold to store the limits | MY, about 2 seconds | MY, about 2 seconds | STOP, about 2 seconds |
How do I adjust a limit that is already set?
Send the curtain to the limit you want to change, unlock it, move it, and store it again; you do not need to redo both limits.
- Run the curtain all the way to its current upper (or lower) limit with a short press, and let the motor stop by itself. You have to be at the limit to change it.
- Press and hold UP and DOWN together until the motor moves.
- Move the curtain to the new position with UP or DOWN.
- Hold MY (STOP on a DecoFlex) until the motor moves again. The new limit is stored.
- Run a full cycle to check it.
Roll-A-Shield's installation guide gives the target positions: at the top the curtain should stop with its bottom slat still in the guide rails, and at the bottom it should stop when the whole curtain is off the axle and the hanging straps have pushed the top slat toward the box. If the curtain starts to roll back up the wrong way round the axle at the bottom, stop it at once and reset the lower limit.
What if my Somfy motor has a manual override?
You cannot set its limits from the remote. A Somfy manual-override motor has two spring-loaded limit push-buttons on the motor head, one white and one yellow, at the motor end of the shutter box; one sets the upper limit and the other the lower, and you find out which is which by testing. Roll-A-Shield's installation guide works it out like this:
- Push both buttons in with a long thin screwdriver (or pull the two prongs marked Y and W toward you if the buttons face the back wall). The motor now has no limit at all, so be ready to stop it.
- Raise the curtain to the upper stopping point and release one button.
- Try to lower the curtain. If it moves, that button set the upper limit; set the lower limit next. If it will not move, that button was the lower limit, so repeat with the other button.
- For the lower limit, push that button in, lower the curtain to the stopping point and release the button.
- Check each limit by moving slightly off it and back, then run a full cycle.
See the manual override page first, or call us.
What if it still is not working?
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Curtain moves only while a button is held | Still in programming mode | Hold MY until it jogs, then briefly press the programming button |
| Curtain stops as soon as you release MY and DOWN | The run-down command did not register | Return to the upper limit and press MY and DOWN again |
| Motor stops answering part-way through | Programming mode timed out after 2 minutes, or thermal protection tripped | Wait about 15 minutes and start again |
| A second shutter also moves | Two motors powered and listening | Power only the motor you are programming |
| No jog at all, no movement | No power, dead controller battery, or a fault | See why a shutter won't go up or down |
If the motor's programming is in a state you cannot explain, Somfy clears an Altus RTS with a "dual power cut" sequence followed by holding a controller's programming button until the motor jogs twice; it erases every paired controller and both limits. Follow Somfy's printed timing exactly, or call (480) 921-0200. Gaposa owners have a different reset procedure and a different programming sequence.
What can I do once the limits are set?
User mode is the right time to add controllers. To add a remote or wall switch, press the programming button on a controller that already works the shutter until the motor jogs, then press the programming button on the new one (after selecting its channel, if it has several) until the motor jogs again. You can also store a favorite in-between position: stop the curtain where you want it and hold MY until the motor jogs; a press of MY recalls it.
On Roll-A-Shield shutters, Somfy is the optional motor and comes with a single-channel or multi-channel handheld, an on-wall remote, a key fob, or a TaHoma hub for app control. Motor choices are compared on our rolling shutter motors page.
Watch it done
Somfy Altus RTS: setting the limits with a Telis handheld remote
The written steps on this page are the reference; the video shows the same job.
Frequently asked questions
Why does my Somfy shutter only move while I hold the button?
The motor is still in programming mode, where it runs only while a button is held. Finish the sequence: hold MY until the motor jogs, then briefly press the programming button on the controller. The motor jogs and switches to normal one-touch operation.
Do I have to turn off my other shutters while I program one?
Somfy recommends it: power only the motor being programmed and disconnect the others. A second motor that is powered and listening can pick up the same commands.
The motor stopped responding half way through. What happened?
Either it timed out of programming mode, which happens after 2 minutes with no input, or the repeated runs tripped its thermal protection, which clears in about 15 minutes. Wait, then start again from UP and DOWN together.
Will a Somfy RTS motor stop if the shutter hits something?
No. Somfy RTS motors do not have obstacle detection, so a wrong bottom limit can drive the curtain into a sill or an object. If that has happened, stop using the shutter and see the page on a shutter that came down on an object.
Can I use these steps on a Gaposa motor?
No. Gaposa remotes have two buttons on the back, one for pairing and one for limits, and a different confirm sequence. Use the Gaposa programming page.
Parts and next step
Need a part or a hand?
Motor not jogging at all, or a Somfy motor in a shutter someone else installed? Call (480) 921-0200. Call (480) 921-0200; the factory answers technical questions for any rolling shutter, not only ours.