Somfy Connectivity Kit or TaHoma Switch: Which Do You Need?

If you have motorised blinds with Somfy motors, you’ve probably wondered whether you can control them from your phone, or ask Alexa to close them for you. You can, and it takes one small box plugged in at home. Somfy makes two of these boxes, the Connectivity Kit and the TaHoma Switch, and customers often ask us which one they need.

The short answer: the Connectivity Kit is for controlling your blinds from your phone and by voice, and the TaHoma Switch is for automation. Here’s what that means in practice.

Which Somfy blinds does this apply to?

Most of the motorised shaped, gable, skylight and lantern blinds we fit run on Somfy RTS motors. If your blinds came with a Somfy Situo or Telis handset, they’re almost certainly RTS. RTS is a radio system, so the handset talks straight to the motors with no Wi-Fi involved, and it keeps working even when your internet is down.

To bring RTS blinds into your phone and your voice assistant, you add a Somfy hub. The hub joins your home Wi-Fi and talks to the blinds by radio, just as your handset does. Your handset keeps working exactly as before.

What the Connectivity Kit does

The Connectivity Kit is the simpler of the two. It lets you:

open and close your blinds from the free TaHoma by Somfy app, at home or away
control them by voice with Amazon Alexa or Google Home
group blinds into manual scenes, so one tap moves several blinds together

It controls up to 20 products. What it doesn’t do is run anything by itself. It has no timers or schedules, and it doesn’t work with Somfy’s sun or temperature sensors.

What the TaHoma Switch does

The TaHoma Switch does everything the Connectivity Kit does, and adds:

schedules, so your blinds can close at a set time every evening
sensors, so a Somfy sun sensor can lower your blinds when the sun comes round
advanced scenes, triggered automatically rather than by a tap
home automation systems, through a local connection they can use
room for far more products: up to 200 in total, including up to 50 on RTS

It also works with Somfy’s io and Zigbee products, which matters if you’re building a larger system over time.

A note for Apple users

Somfy states that Apple Home only supports certain Somfy io products. RTS blinds won’t appear in the Apple Home app or respond to Siri through either hub. You can still control them from the TaHoma by Somfy app on your iPhone, which is how most of our customers use them.

If Apple Home matters to you and you’re choosing new blinds, tell us at the start. Some of the blinds we fit use Luxaflex PowerView, which works with Apple HomeKit, and we can talk you through which products that covers.

Which one should you choose?

“I’d like to open and close my blinds from my phone, or ask Alexa or Google.” The Connectivity Kit does this.
“I’d like my blinds to close at a set time, or when the sun comes out.” Choose the TaHoma Switch.
“I’d like my blinds to work with my home automation system.” Choose the TaHoma Switch, and check with whoever looks after your system that it supports Somfy TaHoma.
“I have more than 20 Somfy products.” Choose the TaHoma Switch.

For a single room with a couple of rooflight blinds, the Connectivity Kit is often all you need.

Setting it up yourself

Either hub is something you can set up at home. You don’t need an engineer, and nobody has to reach the blinds, because your existing handset does the pairing from floor level. The TaHoma by Somfy app guides you through each step. Its screens may be worded slightly differently from what’s here, as Somfy updates the app from time to time.

Before you start

Your blinds should already work properly from your handset. The hub copies what your handset does and doesn’t change how far the blinds open and close.
You’ll need a smartphone or tablet with the TaHoma by Somfy app and Bluetooth switched on.
Your Wi-Fi must be a 2.4 GHz network protected by a password.
The hub stays plugged in all the time. The Connectivity Kit is powered by USB (5V, 0.5A) and doesn’t come with a plug, so use a USB plug adapter or a USB socket.

Step 1: connect the hub to your Wi-Fi

Plug the hub in.
Open the TaHoma by Somfy app, choose to add a new hub, and pick your model.
Create a TaHoma account, or log in if you already have one.
On the TaHoma Switch, press and hold the button on top until its light flashes blue, then confirm this in the app.
Choose your 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi network and enter its password, then wait while the hub connects.

In the app, go to My home and tap + to add a product, then choose the type of blind.
When asked how it’s controlled, choose remote control and tell the app it’s an RTS handset, or scan the QR code on the back of the handset if it has one.
If your handset has several channels, like a Situo 5, select the channel for this blind first.
Press and hold the PROG button on the handset, usually on the back, until the blind briefly moves up and down. Then carry on in the app.
Test the blind from the app, give it a name and choose a room. Repeat for each blind.

Step 3: add Alexa or Google

In the Alexa app or the Google Home app, search for Somfy TaHoma, link it, and sign in with your TaHoma account. Your blinds appear under the names you gave them, so choose names that are easy to say.

If a blind doesn’t respond, check you selected the right channel before pressing PROG, and try again. If it still doesn’t, try the hub nearer the blinds.

In summary

Both hubs work with Somfy RTS blinds and with Alexa and Google Home.
The Connectivity Kit is for app and voice control, with manual scenes only.
The TaHoma Switch adds schedules, sensors, automation and home system integration.
Neither brings RTS blinds into Apple Home or Siri.
You can set up either one yourself using your existing handset.

If you’re not sure which suits your home, or you’d like us to supply one for blinds we’ve fitted, call us on 0800 086 2989 and we’ll talk it through. You can read more about how we motorise blinds on our motorised blinds page, or see the lantern blinds we fit.

Frequently asked questions

Does the Somfy Connectivity Kit work with RTS motors? Yes. Somfy lists the Connectivity Kit as working with both RTS and io products. It controls up to 20 products from the TaHoma by Somfy app and through Alexa or Google Home.

What’s the difference between the Somfy Connectivity Kit and the TaHoma Switch? Both let you control Somfy blinds from your phone and by voice. The Connectivity Kit only supports manual scenes, while the TaHoma Switch adds schedules, sensors, automatic scenes and home automation integration, and controls far more products.

Can I control Somfy RTS blinds with Apple HomeKit or Siri? Not through either Somfy hub. Somfy states that Apple Home only supports certain io products, so RTS blinds won’t appear in the Apple Home app. You can still control them from the TaHoma by Somfy app on an iPhone.

Do I need an engineer to set up a Somfy hub? No. You set it up with the TaHoma by Somfy app, and you pair each blind by pressing the PROG button on your existing handset. Nobody needs to reach the blinds themselves.

Will my Somfy remote still work after I add a hub? Yes. Your handset keeps working exactly as before, and because RTS is a radio system it works even when your Wi-Fi or internet is down.