The Language of Motorization

How do you know which devices will talk to each other and how they will communicate? We provide some insights

BY O’D MCKEWAN

“What language do your motors speak?”

That is probably not a question you get asked a lot by your clients when offering them motorized window coverings. You might have been asked the more common question, “Will your motors work with my system?” This is becoming a more difficult question to answer as more and more companies and clients enter the world of automation.

In this article, I am going to break down the most common forms of communication (languages) for motorized window coverings and how

they communicate with each other. First, let’s start with a brief history of control options for motorized window coverings. In the beginning, we had direct switching. This is where you run a power wire to a wall switch and then the motor. When the switch is moved either up or down, it allows current to flow to the motor and activate it. This is what we typically call a dumb motor now. This option is still used in some commercial applications for safety and reliability purposes. Very little can go wrong with this system when properly installed, as it has the smallest number of components and no real communications are used.

Next, we had IR (infrared) control. This is where a hand-held remote (transmitter) sends a light beam from the remote to an IR eye (receiver) somewhere on or near the motor and activates the motor. The transmitter sends different flashes of light depending on what button is pushed and the receiver sends the corresponding action to the motor to respond. This form of communication is like Morse code with flashlights.

The problem is that this requires a line of sight from the transmitter to the

receiver. If the IR eye is hidden or the remote is not pointing at the IR eye, the signal will not go through and the motor will not activate. You have to have an unobstructed view from the transmitter to the receiver. This is similar to how most TV remotes work. You have to point the remote at the TV to get it to work.

Because IR requires a line of sight to work properly, when multiple shades are in the same area, the reliability to communicate with each shade individually is very poor. Professionals wanted a new method of communication that was more reliable. That led to the introduction of RF (radio frequency) communication, which is now the standard for our industry. RF uses radio waves that can pass through walls and many other objects, allowing it to be used at greater distances. It is the most popular way to communicate electronically these days. It is used for cellular service, Wi-Fi and many other forms of communications. Some forms of RF, like Wi-Fi, are designed to be universal, meaning they allow multiple manufacturers to use the signal for their own purposes.

Radio waves can be produced in a

large variety of lengths and sizes. In the window covering industry, each motor manufacturer creates its own proprietary RF signals that only work with its transmitters (remotes) and receivers (motors). Oftentimes, they brand their proprietary signals with names such as RTS by Somfy, Powerview by Hunter Douglas, Clear Connect by Lutron and ARC by Rollease. Sometimes it helps to

ARE YOU TALKING TO ME?

You use your choice of control device to send an RF signal to the hub, and then the hub translates that signal to its proprietary signal and sends that signal to the corresponding motors ... many manufacturers require multiple hubs or repeaters to get the signals out properly.

think of them as different languages, such as French, German or Chinese. These are all independent RF signals that only communicate with themselves. You cannot use one brand’s remote to control another brand’s motor.

There are two newer branded RF signals

available now: Zigbee and Z-Wave. They are still RF signals and technically still proprietary signals, but they allow other manufacturers to use them to try and make RF communication more universal. Anything with a Zigbee signal should be able to talk to anything else with a Zigbee signal, no matter who made the item. The same principle applies with Z-Wave. Thus, new languages have been created.

Both of these companies are competing to be the standard universal language. For those that remember, this is very similar to the old Betamax versus VHS showdown of the 1980s. Some motor manufacturers are now offering the option of one of these universal signals as well as their proprietary signals.

So, what do we do with all these different RF languages, and how do we

know what will talk with what? That is the big dilemma we face these days, as everyone wants a piece of the RF market. Until everyone decides to use a universal signal like Wi-Fi, we have to rely on language (signal) interpreters commonly known as hubs, bridges or gateways.

Almost every motor manufacturer now offers some form of hub that takes the different RF signals and converts

them to their proprietary signals. The most common translation is from Wi-Fi to a proprietary signal. Since Wi-Fi is universal and almost everyone uses it, most motor manufacturers have created their own hub that converts Wi-Fi to their signal. Examples include Somfy myLink, Lutron Caseta and Graber Gateway. Some manufacturers offer multiple hubs to translate multiple languages (signals) such as Zigbee or Z-Wave to their proprietary signals.

Generally, when you get one of these hubs, they are controlled via a mobile app that is downloaded to your phone or tablet. You program the hub with the app using Wi-Fi.

Many of these hubs allow other communication devices to activate the programming. These include things like voice assistants (Amazon’s Alexa and Google’s Home), home automation systems (Crestron, Control 4, etc.) and universal remotes (URC, Harmony, etc.). How do these all work? You use your choice of control device to send an RF signal to the hub, and then the hub translates that signal to its proprietary signal and sends that signal to the corresponding motors. Since these hubs have limited capacity and signal strength to communicate with motors, many manufacturers require multiple hubs or repeaters to get the signals out properly.

But here is the kicker: Although each motor manufacturer makes their own hubs, they still will not talk to other

motor manufacturers’ hubs. For example, if you have Lutron motors hooked up to the Caseta hub and Somfy motors hooked up to the myLink hub in the same house, even though they both use the same Wi-Fi, they still will not talk to each other. They are competitors, as you know. You would need a third-party (outsidesourced) integration automation hub to be able to use both systems with one device. These automation hubs allow you to integrate and communicate across manufacturers.

This can be a daunting task, and I do not recommend you get involved with such tasks. Leave that for the automation techs. Just know that there is probably a device out there that will allow it.

So, going back to our original question, “What language do your motors

speak?” Now, you should understand it probably speaks some form of RF signal, but which one depends on which manufacturer you use. The real question becomes, “Will it work with my system?” Hopefully, the answer to that question is yes, but it depends on what hubs your manufacturer offers and what forms of communication (languages) they can translate. You need to contact your manufacturer to discuss what options they offer and who they can and cannot communicate with.

The more you work with these systems, the more you will recognize what works well with others. The good news is that technology is always evolving and it is getting easier to combine systems.

Keep in mind, too, that I limited the bulk of this article to forms of RF communications, as that’s the most popular and prevalent at

this time. There are other forms of communications that require custom wiring, such as serial and digital, but those are generally used in very large pre-wired and commercial jobs. We will have to save that for another day.

For the last entry in the Motorization Playbook series, we will look at the various options for voice control. V

O’D McKewan, the product coach for Window Covering World, is a master of motorization and a leader in the motorized window covering field. He has over a decade of hands-on experience with motorized window coverings, including fabrication, installation and selling. Interested in learning more about motorization? Sign up for the Window Fashion Certified Professional FastTrack course on motorization at wf-vision.com.

WindowCoveringWorld.com

The Language of Motorization

How do you know which devices will talk to each other and how they will communicate? We provide some insights

BY O’D MCKEWAN

“What language do your motors speak?”

That is probably not a question you get asked a lot by your clients when offering them motorized window coverings. You might have been asked the more common question, “Will your motors work with my system?” This is becoming a more difficult question to answer as more and more companies and clients enter the world of automation.

In this article, I am going to break down the most common forms of communication (languages) for motorized window coverings and how they communicate with each other. First, let’s start with a brief history of control options for motorized window coverings. In the beginning, we had direct switching. This is where you run a power wire to a wall switch and then the motor. When the switch is moved either up or down, it allows current to flow to the motor and activate it. This is what we typically call a dumb motor now. This option is still used in some commercial applications for safety and reliability purposes. Very little can go wrong with this system when properly installed, as it has the smallest number of components and no real communications are used.

Next, we had IR (infrared) control. This is where a hand-held remote (transmitter) sends a light beam from the remote to an

IR eye (receiver) somewhere on or near the motor and activates the motor. The transmitter sends different flashes of light depending on what button is pushed and the receiver sends the corresponding action to the motor to respond. This form of communication is like Morse code with flashlights.

The problem is that this requires a line of sight from the transmitter to the receiver. If the IR eye is hidden or the remote is not pointing at the IR eye, the signal will not go through and the motor will not activate. You have to have an unobstructed view from the transmitter to the receiver. This is similar to how most TV remotes work. You have to point the remote at the TV to get it to work.

Because IR requires a line of sight to work properly, when multiple shades are in the same area, the reliability to communicate with each shade individually is very poor. Professionals wanted a new method of communication that was more reliable.

That led to the introduction of RF (radio frequency) communication, which is now the standard for our industry. RF uses radio waves that can pass through walls and many other objects, allowing it to be used at greater distances. It is the most popular way to communicate electronically these days. It is used for cellular service, Wi-Fi and many other forms of communications. Some forms of RF, like Wi-Fi, are designed to be universal, meaning they allow multiple manufacturers to use the signal for their own purposes.

Radio waves can be produced in a large variety of lengths and sizes. In the window covering industry, each motor manufacturer creates its own proprietary RF signals that only work with its transmitters (remotes) and receivers (motors). Oftentimes, they brand their proprietary signals with names such as RTS by Somfy, Powerview by Hunter Douglas, Clear Connect by Lutron and ARC by Rollease. Sometimes it helps to

think of them as different languages, such as French, German or Chinese. These are all independent RF signals that only communicate with themselves. You cannot use one brand’s remote to control another brand’s motor.

There are two newer branded RF signals available now: Zigbee and Z-Wave. They are still RF signals and technically still proprietary signals, but they allow other manufacturers to use them to try and make RF communication more universal. Anything with a Zigbee signal should be able to talk to anything else with a Zigbee signal, no matter who made the item. The same principle applies with Z-Wave. Thus, new languages have been created.

Both of these companies are competing to be the standard universal language. For those that remember, this is very similar to the old Betamax versus VHS showdown of the 1980s. Some motor manufacturers are now offering the option of one of these universal signals as well as their proprietary signals.

So, what do we do with all these different RF languages, and how do we know what will talk with what? That is the big dilemma we face these days, as everyone wants a piece of the RF market. Until everyone decides to use a universal signal like Wi-Fi, we have to rely on language (signal) interpreters commonly known as hubs, bridges or gateways.

Almost every motor manufacturer now offers some form of hub that takes the different RF signals and converts them to their proprietary signals. The most common translation is from Wi-Fi to a proprietary signal. Since Wi-Fi is universal and almost everyone uses it, most motor manufacturers have created their own hub that converts Wi-Fi to their signal. Examples include Somfy myLink, Lutron Caseta and Graber Gateway. Some manufacturers offer multiple hubs to

translate multiple languages (signals) such as Zigbee or Z-Wave to their proprietary signals.

Generally, when you get one of these hubs, they are controlled via a mobile app that is downloaded to your phone or tablet. You program the hub with the app using Wi-Fi.

Many of these hubs allow other communication devices to activate the programming. These include things like voice assistants (Amazon’s Alexa and Google’s Home), home automation systems (Crestron, Control 4, etc.) and universal remotes (URC, Harmony, etc.). How do these all work? You use your choice of control device to send an RF signal to the hub, and then the hub translates that signal to its proprietary signal and sends that signal to the corresponding motors. Since these hubs have limited capacity and signal strength to communicate with motors, many manufacturers require multiple hubs or repeaters to get the signals out properly.

But here is the kicker: Although each motor manufacturer makes their own hubs, they still will not talk to other motor manufacturers’ hubs. For example, if you have Lutron motors hooked up to the Caseta hub and Somfy motors hooked up to the myLink hub in the same house, even though they both use the same Wi-Fi, they still will not talk to each other. They are competitors, as you know. You would need a third-party (outsidesourced) integration automation hub to be able to use both systems with one device. These automation hubs allow you to integrate and communicate across manufacturers.

This can be a daunting task, and I do not recommend you get involved with such tasks. Leave that for the automation techs. Just know that there is probably a device out there that will allow it.

So, going back to our original question, “What language do your motors speak?” Now, you should understand it probably speaks some form of RF signal, but which one depends on which manufacturer you use. The real question becomes, “Will it work with my system?” Hopefully, the answer to that question is yes, but it depends on what hubs your manufacturer offers and what forms of communication (languages) they can translate. You need to contact your manufacturer to discuss what options they offer and who they can and cannot communicate with.

The more you work with these systems, the more you will recognize what works well with others. The good news is that technology is always evolving and it is getting easier to combine systems.

Keep in mind, too, that I limited the bulk of this article to forms of RF communications, as that’s the most popular and prevalent at this time. There are other forms of communications that require custom wiring, such as serial and digital, but those are generally used in very large pre-wired and commercial jobs. We will have to save that for another day.