Somfy Connexoon OR Tahoma, same functionatities on Homey?

Great man! Sounds like i have a lot of learning to do when I get my Homey! :smiley:

SAME HEREā€¦ you can build all kind of flows in Homeyā€¦
TAHOMA box does IO and RTS motors
CONNEXOON box doe IO only (or RTS only if you buy the RTS version)

My configuration:
7 Somfy IO screens
2 Velux IO shutters
1 Somfy RTS awning

Note 1: The Somfy RTS motors can also be used directly by Homeyā€¦ (seperate app)
Note 2: All can be combined in one flow of course
Note 3: All is depending on working apps (incl valid security certificates which is normally not a problemā€¦ last month a security certificate was expiredā€¦ corrected and all is working again)

Hi !

I have different Somfy elements at home (roller shutters and blinds) and a Homey. Here is the thing : Connexoon works with IO protocol only and Tahoma with IO and RTS protocols.

There is an app on Homey called Somfy RTS which enables Open Close and My position actions for blinds. For the other elements and mainly the IO protocols, it seems like you need a bridge that can be either Connexoon or Tahoma.

If you need a bridge to manage IO protocols only then the Connexoon should be enough since there is the RTS app in the Homey.

That said, Iā€™m pretty sure there could be another way with a virtual device but Iā€™m not skilled enough to understand how to use it.

Let me know how that works for you !
Sophie

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Thnx for the info @Rob_Delpeut!! Really helpfull. :slight_smile: Kinda my situation to.

Hello @SophMascotte,

Sounds like your answer is exaclty what I was looking for! Simple answer, but very helpfull.

It was my thought as well, since I only need a bridge for the IO protocol. The RTS engines, I will connect them without a bridge. It will save me some money to, since I donā€™t need the buy the Tahoma for the extra functionalities.
Thatā€™s why Iā€™am buying a Homey.

Thanks for the confirmation! :100:

Hi. Iā€™m thinking of buying the connexoon so I can control my velum blinds. So if I do, can Homey use the connexoon or must I use it independent of Homey?
Many thanks.

With Homey you can use connexoon. Connexoon can only handle the io protocol. Tahoma Box IO and RTS protocol. For RTS there are Homey apps which do have no need for an extra Somfy controller, as long as you have the original Somfy remote control. You need the remote control to pair your device with Homey.

Hi all, sorry to jump on this thread but seemed most appropriate placeā€¦

Iā€™m planning on getting some smart roller blinds and Somfy seems to be the goto brand for this.
Iā€™m looking for as little footprint as possible on the casing as will be butting two together across a bifold and also want control with homey and Alexa

There seems to be such a wide variety of options available that I wanted some advice on the best/safest models to go for both in terms of blind and remote - can anyone advise?

Thanks!

Iā€™m not sure Somfy actually sell the blinds. As far as I know they sell the motors to blind manufacturers. They seem to have a huge range of motors and itā€™s often difficult to know which one a manufacturer has used.
Maybe the situation is different in other countries.

If you want control with Alexa then you will need a gateway of some sort as they are not directly connected.
Tahoma and Connexoon are Somfyā€™s official bridges.

Thanks. I went via their site to suppliers local and they do list the device used, which is where it gets confusing as I donā€™t see a lot of difference in the spec sheet!

Can I not connect to homey and then control via Alexa with homey rather than getting a tahoma hub?
And whatā€™s the difference between tahoma and conexxion?

If you want to connect directly to Homey then make sure you get RTS motors. See above for the difference between RTS and IO.
Connexoon is the cheapest option but you decide if you purchase the RTS or IO version. Tahoma does both plus zwave (or zigbee on the new Switch version).
I have Tahoma and use it for both RTS and IO then connect Homey to Tahoma.

Shameless plug by the app developer: If youā€™re just looking for blinds (not sunscreens and such), [APP] Motion Blinds may provide an alternate solution. Cheaper than IO and, in contrary to RTS, Motion blinds have two way communication so you know the state of the blind at any time. The Motion blinds can easily be retrofitted to existing rollerblinds.

Thanks, will take a look! Where can I source?

So it seems that the Io home control is their latest devices, so do you know the disadvantages of the RTS in comparison, or have they just decided to change protocols?

One other question, does the charging mechanism change with the different Somfy devices?

Looks like I can use Tahoma with my Velux devices too if Iā€™m not mistaken?

Sorry, wasnā€™t meant to be. I was just answering with respect to Somfy as that is the context of this topic, There are indeed many alternative solution and I uses other solutions myself (but I wonā€™t list them as I also make the apps for them and I donā€™t want it to be another plug :wink: ).

Somfy has produced both IO and RTS for a very long time.

I think RTS is a simpler and cheaper solution and possibly better for battery powered devices as it only receives commands and therefore doesnā€™t have to provide power to transmit data. However, because it is only able to receive commands there is no way to know if the the blind / curtain is open or closed.

IO on the other hand is more secure so is better placed for external security screens that are mains powered. Also, as it is bidirectional communications it is used for many of their sensors that report information such as light, wind, rain, etc.

My Somfy RTS blinds use rechargeable AA batteries that are charge from solar panels mounted in the windows. So far they have run for over two years since I fitted them without any manual charging.

My Somfy RTS curtains have a Lithium Ion rechargeable battery that I have to plug in about once per year for about an hour.

I donā€™t have Velux devices but I have added support for these to the Homey Tahoma and Connexoon app for other users so I believe that is true.

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Sorry! I wasnā€™t commenting on you, I was commenting on the fact that I am the developer of the Motion Blinds app. I hold you in high regard for your excellent app and support. I use it myself. I would never mean any disrespect.

The reason I mentioned is to provide other options too. Motion blinds are available from various suppliers, such as Robbshop (sponsor of my app), Hornbach, Kwantum and many other manufacturers across the world who integrate Motion products in blinds sold under their own brand. You can recognize them by the fact that the use the Motion Blinds app for control.

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Thanks for the detailed response.
I didnā€™t realise there was a solar option that might be usefulā€¦ How big is the panel? And can it be externally mounted?

Also, you mention Connexion also works with Velux, didnā€™t realise that, so may be a consideration too

So much to think about!

Ah, sorry, Iā€™m not sure if Velux works with Connexoon. The name of my app is Somfy Tahoma and Connexoon as it supports both boxes but I not sure about the Connexoon support. Maybe a Connexoon user can confirm if it does or not.

The panels are about 300mm long x 50mm tall x 10mm thick (from memory but will measure them when I get home)
They are meant to stick to the inside of the window and not sure they are waterproof.

Is anyone able to advise on using Tahoma with Velux at all - leaning in that direction but want to ensure it will work!

https://service.somfy.com/downloads/master_v4_b2c/9019861velux_0916_eng.pdf

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