Troubleshooting by symptom · Rolling Shutter Guide
My shutter remote stopped working and a new battery didn’t fix it. What now?
Check the battery is the right type, fitted the right way, and that the remote's light comes on, then select the right channel. If a second remote or wall control also fails, the fault is at the motor: power, thermal cut-out or the motor itself. If only this remote fails, pair it again.
Key facts
- If the remote works other shutters but one shutter is dead, Roll-A-Shield's service desk waits out the thermal cut-out, re-pairs, and only then books a technician, because the motor is the likely cause. Roll-A-Shield data
- Gaposa rates its remotes at about 65 ft indoors and 600 ft outdoors.
- A Gaposa motor can be paired to a new remote with no working one: cut and restore its power, then within 8 seconds hold the left back button and STOP on the new remote for at least 15 seconds, through a brief jog and a second, longer jog. That erases every old remote.
- Roll-A-Shield pre-programs the remote at the factory, and a Gaposa remote works as a handheld or, on its wall plate, as a wall switch. Roll-A-Shield data
- On a multi-channel remote, every shutter whose channel is selected responds, so the wrong channel looks like a dead remote.
Applies to: Gaposa (Emitto) and Somfy (Telis, Smoove) radio remotes, key fobs and wireless keypads for rolling shutters with Gaposa or Somfy RTS radio motors, including Gaposa solar motors.
When a fresh battery does not bring a remote back, the cause is one of four things: the battery itself, the channel, the radio link, or the motor end. The tests below separate them in a few minutes, and none needs a tool beyond a small screwdriver.
Remote or motor? The quick tests
| Test | Result | What it points to |
|---|---|---|
| Press a button and watch the remote's light | No light | Battery wrong way up, wrong type, bent contacts, or the remote itself |
| Select one channel, press UP, then STOP | A different shutter moves | Wrong channel selected |
| Try a second remote, the wall remote or the keypad | It fails too | The motor end: power, thermal cut-out or a fault |
| Try a second remote, the wall remote or the keypad | It works | This remote: re-pair it, or replace it |
| Use the remote on another shutter | It works there | This shutter's motor end, or its pairing |
| Stand next to the shutter and try again | Works close up | Range or interference |
Did the new battery go in right?
On Gaposa handheld and on-wall remotes the coin cell goes in positive side up. On a deluxe Gaposa handheld the space is tight, so check you did not bend the contacts. The light on the front should come on with every button press; if it does not, check the battery and its fit first. Match the code printed on the old cell. Common ones:
| Remote | Battery |
|---|---|
| Gaposa 1- and 5-channel remotes (handheld and on-wall) | One CR2032 |
| Gaposa 16-channel remote | One CR2450 |
| Gaposa wireless keypad | Two CR2032 |
| Somfy Telis 16 | Two AAA |
| Somfy Smoove 1 and 4 RTS II | One CR2032 |
The step-by-step battery change is on Change the battery in a shutter remote.
Is the right channel selected?
On a multi-channel remote, the command goes to every shutter whose channel is selected. To find which channel runs which shutter, select one channel, press UP briefly, then STOP, and see which shutter moves; work through the channels one at a time. A shutter that answers none of them has lost its pairing, or has a problem at the motor.
Is it the remote or the motor?
Try a second control. If another remote, the wall-mounted remote or the keypad also fails on this shutter, the remote you are holding is not the problem. Then:
- Check the breaker, any GFCI outlet and the plug, and whether other shutters on the same circuit work.
- If the shutter had a lot of use just before it stopped, wait about 15 minutes for the thermal cut-out to reset.
- Pair the remote again (below).
- Still dead after that: book a technician. The motor is the likely cause.
The motor, remote, switch or track page covers the wider diagnosis.
Could something be blocking the signal?
Range and interference both matter. Gaposa rates its remotes at about 65 ft indoors and 600 ft outdoors. Somfy's guide lists outside radio interference as a cause to check when a motor stops answering its remotes. A Gaposa keypad loses about 25 to 30% of its range as its batteries run low. If the remote works standing beside the shutter but not from where you normally use it, range is the issue.
How do I pair the remote again?
Copy it from a working remote if you have one; otherwise reset the motor and pair from scratch.
Gaposa, with a working remote. Put the shutter at about half height. On the working remote, with the right channel selected, hold the left back button until the motor moves and release. On the remote you are adding, press the same direction it moved. The motor stays still, and the new remote is paired.
Gaposa, with no working remote. Cut and restore power to that motor only, at its breaker or plug. Within 8 seconds of power returning, hold the left back button and STOP on the new remote, and keep holding for at least 15 seconds: the motor makes a brief jog, then about 5 seconds later a second, longer jog. That erases every old remote. (Roll-A-Shield's older reset video says 5 seconds; Gaposa's current manuals give 8.) Then hold the left back button until the motor moves and, within 5 seconds, press the arrow matching the way it moved. The Gaposa reset page has the detail; check the limits afterwards. On a solar motor, the power cut means unplugging the panel connector for 60 seconds; see the solar reset.
Somfy RTS, with a working remote. Press the programming button on the back of the working remote until the motor jogs, then press the programming button on the new remote (channel selected first) until it jogs again.
Somfy RTS, with no working remote. Do Somfy's dual power cut: power off 3 seconds, on 8 seconds, off 3 seconds, then on; the motor jogs. Then hold the programming button on the new remote until the motor jogs. Holding on until it jogs a second time is a full factory reset that also erases the limits.
Safety: Power-cycle at the breaker or by unplugging the motor, never by opening a junction box. On Gaposa motors, every motor that has just been powered up is open to the reset, so if several shutters share a breaker, unplug the others or use a working remote instead. Following a published Roll-A-Shield guide does not void the warranty. Mains wiring must be done by a licensed electrician.
What next
Replacement Gaposa remotes are in the Roll-A-Shield parts store; Which remote works with my shutter motor? helps you match one. In metro Phoenix, Roll-A-Shield repairs rolling shutters of any brand; call (480) 921-0200.
Watch it done
Gaposa radio motor: reset the motor programming
The written steps on this page are the reference; the video shows the same job.
Frequently asked questions
Does changing the battery erase the remote's pairing?
It should not. Gaposa's manual stores the paired remotes and the limits in the motor, not the remote, and Roll-A-Shield's battery-change videos show no re-pairing afterwards. One catch on the Gaposa 16-channel: holding a button while the battery goes back in resets the remote's own groups and hidden channels, so fit the battery without pressing anything.
Do I have to open the shutter box to pair a replacement remote?
Usually not. Gaposa and Somfy radio motors both pair a new remote after a power cycle at the breaker or plug. The exception is a Gaposa solar motor: its power cut means unplugging the panel connector for 60 seconds, and that connector can be inside the end cap.
The remote works one shutter but not the others. Why?
Each shutter answers its own channel. Select one channel, press UP briefly, then STOP, and see which shutter moves; go through the channels one at a time. A shutter that answers no channel needs pairing again.
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.