Somfy Zibgee 3.0 Release
In April 2024, Somfy released its latest range of indoor motors, curtain motors, remote controls, and Tahoma Hub. As a Somfy Expert, Stan Bond attended the Sydney launch event and here is a quick overview of the latest technology and what it all means for the future of Smart Home Integration.
What is Zigbee?
Zigbee technology is a game-changer in home automation. By allowing your smart devices to communicate effectively in a mesh network, Zigbee 3.0 ensures broader coverage and consistent performance without worrying about dead spots. Think of Zigbee as the near-universal language that smart objects use to work together in harmony. The result is a well-connected and responsive home environment that supports a wide range of products and applications.
Introducing Somfy’s Smart Shading with Zigbee 3.0
Somfy calls its implementation of Zibgee ‘Somfy Zigbee 3.0’, but it is actually compatible with most Zigbee components. The new bidirectional motor range is all about exceptional control and flexibility. From sleek, wire-free motors to the innovative TaHoma Switch, users can seamlessly integrate various devices under one roof. Whether it’s blinds, curtains, lighting, or security, everything can be orchestrated to fit your lifestyle perfectly.
What is the Benefit
Key advantages that Somfy’s Zigbee-powered solutions offer include:
– Open and scalable control system designed to grow with your needs.
– Voice command capabilities, so your hands are never tied.
– The convenience of app-based centralized control, locally or remotely.
– Enhanced comfort and ambience control, made possible by custom scene schedules and timers.
– Bi-directional feedback and battery level monitoring give you real-time updates and peace of mind.
A Blind Man View
So, let’s cut all the marketing speak and tech words. I’ll give you a Blindman’s opinion of what this all means.
Firstly, Somfy is a great motor producer. They produce high-quality motors, and they’re recognized around the world as the premier supplier of motors. However, that has sometimes meant they have been a little staid and slow to introduce new technology, partly because of how vital consistency, quality, and reliability were to them. Introducing Zigbee is, therefore, a big deal!
The key change is this – we are moving away from remote control technology, where the remote control sends a radio signal to put the blinds up or down, into the world of smart home ecosystems using Zigbee as the platform to send the ‘up/stop/down’ command.
Somfy is releasing four major elements:
- A motor with an integrated Zigbee chip, which means that it can receive and send signals on the Zigbee frequency and Zigbee protocol.
- A Zigbee set of remote controls, which send an up, down, or stop signal via that Zigbee frequency and Zigbee protocol.
- The Tahoma Hub, which acts as an interface for Zigbee Motors to be able to interact with the Internet. It acts as a connection between the Zigbee frequency and Zigbee protocol, which is operating your blinds, and the Somfy app.
- Upgraded consumer and installer apps for customers to be able to easily operate their blinds and for installers to be able to more easily set them up in the customer’s home.
These four elements are fantastic for customers who have no smart home integration. But for consumers who already have Zigbee components and systems in their smart home, this is even better. Now, you don’t need the Somfy remote controls, the Somfy Tahoma hub, or the Somfy app to operate your blinds; you can use almost any smart home integration to send an UP/STOP/DOWN message to the Somfy motors.
This is incredibly important because that’s what we’ve been waiting for: major motor brands with high-quality motors that have integrated a generic protocol and frequency to be able to operate our blinds from the infrastructure we already have.
The Somfy app is great, but what really matters is being able to control all of our home in one place, whether that be through Apple, Google, Amazon, or an open-source project like Home Assistant. This motor is going to be much easier for us to integrate in a generic way without needing to have all of the extra Somfy bits, and that’s a big deal. I suspect we’ll see other motor companies coming soon with the same approach but likely based on Matter and Thread rather than Zigbee.
Zigbee vs Matter
Why Zigbee and not Matter was an obvious question; the answer isn’t completely clear yet. Somfy’s official answer is they felt that was the reliable technology already in customers home; maybe it’s their preference for ‘tried and tested’ over ‘new and improved’, but it is likely Somfy will eventually add Matter support to their products down the line, as the protocol gains more traction and the ecosystem of Matter-compatible devices grows. In the meantime, Zigbee is a solid choice that will serve Somfy and our customers well.
How Much?
So the big question is obviously, how much are these motors going to cost?
Some of this is still working through the pricing process, but here is a quick guide –
- Internal Roller Blind Sonesse Zigbee Motor – $525 inc
- Internal Roller Blind Wirefree Sonesse Zigbee Motor – $760 inc
Availability and How to Order
The new range of Somfy Zigbee 3.0 motors and the TaHoma Switch are available for pre-order now. The products will likely be available in early June. We aim to have our displays upgraded in May.
If you want to find out more, drop into the Display Centre @ Campbelltown or book a consultation with one of our team.
Find out more @ https://stanbondsa.com.au/somfy-zigbee-homeautomation-release/
