Question Somfy Vs Louvolite motorised blinds

jabriel

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Looking to motorise blinds for the entire house. I have 11 windows in total which range in size.

A local blinds company supplies Somfy and Louvolite products.

OPTION 1
Somfy Roll Up 28 RTS: ROLL UP 28 RTS

Somfy motors have a 5 year warranty on the motor and one can use rechargeable batteries.

This is a little more fiddly when recharging batteries.

Existing options for home automation.

I think Somfy as a company are/were focused on motorisation etc.

OPTION 2
Louvolite: Motorised Blinds - Louvolite (I'm looking at the remote option, not the one touch wand option.)

Louvolite motors have a 2 year warranty on the motor and has a lithium rechargeable battery.

Less fiddly when recharging batteries.

Apparently they will have home automation options from Jan 2019 and the existing motors/devices will be compatible.

Louvolite are a company focused on blinds. That said, they are a little behind the times if they are only bringing out home automation in 2019.

Price wise both above options are the same.

OPTION 3 - approximately £1.3k more!
Somfy Sonesse 30rts: SONESSE 30 RTS - Quiet DC motorisation for small blinds, dedicated to interior applications.

This is with a 5 year warranty on the motor and lithium based rechargeable batteries which are very easy and not fiddly to recharge.

Can you share you experiences (good or bad) with either company?

Should I get the Somfy as the motor has a longer warranty? Or are Louvolite motors just as reliable? Or should I focus on ease of use and opt for Louvolite as they are less fiddly to recharge.

Any help would be much appreciated.
 
Big standard Somfy set up here across 7 wide and tall windows. Had them about 2.5 years and still going strong. I went for the simple disposable battery route and use Kirkland batteries from Costco. I don't change them often, once or twice a year.
 
I was interested in some Somfy mains powered ones but trying to find some with blackout channels :(
 
I was interested in some Somfy mains powered ones but trying to find some with blackout channels :(

You can get them fit them all the time Somfy cassetted so not light blend around the edges
 
Big standard Somfy set up here across 7 wide and tall windows. Had them about 2.5 years and still going strong. I went for the simple disposable battery route and use Kirkland batteries from Costco. I don't change them often, once or twice a year.

Is it fiddly changing the batteries?

Is yours integrated with Tahoma/google home/other smart home solution? If so, is it working well?

Someone (I don't know) suggested Louvolite motors are fine and as they're cheaper, go with them. But if their motors are just as good, why do they not offer a longer warranty? Or am I placing too much value on the 5 year warranty on the Somfy motor?
 
Is it fiddly changing the batteries?

Is yours integrated with Tahoma/google home/other smart home solution? If so, is it working well?

Someone (I don't know) suggested Louvolite motors are fine and as they're cheaper, go with them. But if their motors are just as good, why do they not offer a longer warranty? Or am I placing too much value on the 5 year warranty on the Somfy motor?
Changing the batteries is easy. The battery compartment is mounted behind the blind, you just unplug it, unscrew the top, empty the dead batteries and drop in the new ones. Only need to do it 1-2 times per year so no big deal. I don't have any smart home integration with them though.
 
Thanks d10brp.

Will have a think over the next few days.
 
If it helps I've got Somfy mains powered blinds installed for 5x 5m drops, using a Vera Edge controller which I can control using an Amazon Echo. They've been installed for 3 years and have had no problems whatsoever.
 
If it helps I've got Somfy mains powered blinds installed for 5x 5m drops, using a Vera Edge controller which I can control using an Amazon Echo. They've been installed for 3 years and have had no problems whatsoever.

Nice! What do you use to trigger the blinds from the Vera?
 
If it helps I've got Somfy mains powered blinds installed for 5x 5m drops, using a Vera Edge controller which I can control using an Amazon Echo. They've been installed for 3 years and have had no problems whatsoever.
Thanks. Unfortunately for me mains powered blinds aren't an option. :(
 
Nice! What do you use to trigger the blinds from the Vera?

I setup a series of scenes in the Vera dashboard corresponding to opening, closing and stopping the blinds. Then I setup routines in Alexa to call them (the Echos are aware of the Vera Edge as a Smart Home device).

Worked example:
  • In Vera dashboard the scene is called Blinds Open
  • When I say "Alexa open the blinds" trigger smart home Turn On: blinds stop
I've not yet had the inclination to setup routines for each individual blind, and don't tend to use them that way often enough.

For info, I also purchased a couple of ThermoSunis sensors for the windows. The idea was that I'd setup two groups of blinds (1-3 and 4-5) and use the sensors to close them when the room reaches a specific temperature or it's sunny.

The challenge is that it's not possible to override the sensors, so if you use the sun setting the blinds will always open in dull or dark weather. This means I'd be constantly fighting to close the blinds in the evening. So they remain in a cupboard until I find another solution which is also aware of day & time.
 
Haven't got blinds, but I do have a Somfy system on the garage door. Can't fault it.
 
I setup a series of scenes in the Vera dashboard corresponding to opening, closing and stopping the blinds. Then I setup routines in Alexa to call them (the Echos are aware of the Vera Edge as a Smart Home device).

Worked example:
  • In Vera dashboard the scene is called Blinds Open
  • When I say "Alexa open the blinds" trigger smart home Turn On: blinds stop
I've not yet had the inclination to setup routines for each individual blind, and don't tend to use them that way often enough.

For info, I also purchased a couple of ThermoSunis sensors for the windows. The idea was that I'd setup two groups of blinds (1-3 and 4-5) and use the sensors to close them when the room reaches a specific temperature or it's sunny.

The challenge is that it's not possible to override the sensors, so if you use the sun setting the blinds will always open in dull or dark weather. This means I'd be constantly fighting to close the blinds in the evening. So they remain in a cupboard until I find another solution which is also aware of day & time.

Thanks for the information. Mine are for the cinema so not too fussed about sun sensors. Do you use a relay module (Fibaro for instance) to interface the Vera to the Somfy or do you use a Somfy Hub?
 
Uhm, you're testing the limit of my technical know-how so this may not be the answer you're looking for. o_O

I've got a Vera Edge controller which has an RFXtrx433E antenna attached to it. This I believe is the thing sending the signals directly to each blind. I don't have a hub in the config.
 
Thanks everyone who replied.

Ended up going with Louvolite.

I understand there will be a new product launched (similar to Tahoma for Somfy) in Jan 2019 by Louvolite. Looking forward to seeing it in action.

Glad I used a local company. They've been great throughout from pre sales to addressing a couple of small issues during the install.
 
Thanks everyone who replied.

Ended up going with Louvolite.

I understand there will be a new product launched (similar to Tahoma for Somfy) in Jan 2019 by Louvolite. Looking forward to seeing it in action.

Glad I used a local company. They've been great throughout from pre sales to addressing a couple of small issues during the install.

Hi, I hope this posts ok, first time using this forum.
I have just had Louvolite blinds installed because that is what the local company offered me, I had no real knowledge of the home automated blinds area. Anyway, they offered me the opportunity to trial their new product which is the bridge that can control the blinds via an app. Have to say I am very happy with it and now would like to have a centralised manager, such as Vera. I should say though that it is very expensive at £250.... more than say a Nest Thermostat! However, it does the job. I'm now looking for alternatives. Does anyone know if a Vera with an RFXtrx433XL Transceiver would be able to control all 4 blinds without the Louvelite hub????
 
Hi, I hope this posts ok, first time using this forum.
I have just had Louvolite blinds installed because that is what the local company offered me, I had no real knowledge of the home automated blinds area. Anyway, they offered me the opportunity to trial their new product which is the bridge that can control the blinds via an app. Have to say I am very happy with it and now would like to have a centralised manager, such as Vera. I should say though that it is very expensive at £250.... more than say a Nest Thermostat! However, it does the job. I'm now looking for alternatives. Does anyone know if a Vera with an RFXtrx433XL Transceiver would be able to control all 4 blinds without the Louvelite hub????
Do you mean the Louvolite product that's just launched? I've been offered this for a lot less (£150) from the company who fit my blinds.
 
You can get them fit them all the time Somfy cassetted so not light blend around the edges

Hello - dragging up an old post but can you suggest any suppliers who sell somfy powered blinds with blackout channels in the UK? Thanks
 
I now have a Vera plus with an rfx433 antenna. Can anyone suggest how I may get this to operate the louvolite blinds please???? I’m a complete novice and just have no idea.
I’ve managed to integrate my best but that’s about it.
Many thanks
 
I have just purchased a pair Louvalite motorised blinds with the programmable remote R1723 6 channel.
The blinds, battery etc are very good, the remote control is not.
The R1723 remote is practically unusable except in absolute perfect lighting. It has a monochrome LCD display which appears to be 10 year old technology.
You have to be able to read this display in order to operate the blinds. It has no backlighting and is very small.
When you start to operate the blinds, the ambient light in the room starts to reduce and you can no longer read the display in order to carry out further operations.
All in all I think I'm going to have to change to the non-programmable remote without a display for day to day operation in combination with either the R1723 or upgrade to a hub.
 
That's odd. I have the same remote (but with more channels) and have no issues at all. I use this daily and have programmed all the blinds in the house to work with this. It's never failed once. Perhaps the remote you have is faulty? Might be worth exchanging for another if the dealer will let you experiment with another?
 
That's odd. I have the same remote (but with more channels) and have no issues at all. I use this daily and have programmed all the blinds in the house to work with this. It's never failed once. Perhaps the remote you have is faulty? Might be worth exchanging for another if the dealer will let you experiment with another?
Thanks for your reply. What is the reference for the remote that you have? It's always good to speak to someone who has positive experience.
 
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