I am considering getting Elero RolMotion-868 motors to retrofit our manually operated blinds. Specifically, I am very interested in the whisper mode of these motors and I do not want to run cables (at least not now).
My questions are:
Can RolMotion work reliably with HA using radio-control? (I live in a relatively small flat (~120m2), reception should not be an issue)
Do any of the libraries below support the whisper mode or at least interoperate with the Elero remote controls? (then I could switch whisper mode with remote; this would be OK for me)
They need power, so you need to run cables anyway.
They work, but not reliably. Not even with the original remote control. Example: We had them set using the original remote to open at sunrise and close at sunset. Sometimes, one or two motors just wouldn’t move. This was always due to the wireless system.
Not directly, but in all cases you can use your original remote control. The last programmed mode, i.e. whisper or not, will be used. Please note that position control relies on the movement time, so it will be off if you switch the mode.
The /D+ requires fixed end stops and automatically adjusts the end positions. There is no other mode of operation. The other series supports usually at least one freely selectable end position.
I have a mix of about all RolMotion and RolTop motors and I do like the RolMotion very much for their silent mode of operation. I never switch mode, and I run all of them in wired mode.
The advantage of the RolMotion wireless is that you can always switch to wired mode if you have the proper cable. So my advice is to run 4-conductor cables in all cases so that you can implement central control later if you really want to go wireless. We replaced all cables with 5-conductor ones, that was quite challenging. Since there are some junction boxes, I had to run 18-conductor and even 25-conductor cables to the junction boxes in order to support all motors. The fact that my wireless system is gone is the reason why esphome-elero is unmaintained.
In the end, its much more convenient (and more stable) to control the blinds with the smartphone than with the remote controls. If you want wall switches, you can always add Home Assistant compatible ones, I went for HomeMatic 6 button remotes for this purpose.
The USB Transmitter Stick is discontinued and AFAIK not available anywhere - you might find one on the used market. The Mediola v4 and upwards support Elero and can be found way cheaper, but there is no easy HA integration (only a discontinued one by me, mediola2mqtt; and someone succeeded with HTTP commands).
Thank you so much for your input. It is highly appreciated!
Just to clarify:
I plan to get power to the blind casing above the window from the facade of the building (running a cable outside above the windows, which in our building is weather protected). So I would not have a cable running inside the room to a switch. This is why I would need radio-control. (But if I do renovate the rooms at some future point, I would probably run cables inside then.)
I am fully on Zigbee for my HA setup and it works very reliable. As alternative to using the Elero wireless connectivity/remotes, I consider controlling them with Zigbee roller blind controller (e.g. from Bosch or using a Shelly - which also now support Zigbee). So it would be wired like this:
Standard 3-wire power cable from outside → Zigbee roller blind controller inside the roller blind case → 4-wire cable to Elero motor
My understanding is that this should work by bypassing the wireless controls as you did it. Correct?
Basically, yes.
All our cables are on the outside of the building as well, but at some point they have to be connected to power and enter the building (somewhere in the basement). At this point, we have a big relay module with ESPHome that manages all blinds (connected via Ethernet).
In another, small flat I have a Shelly at each window. I use WiFi and this works quite well.
There should be enough space for a Shelly or other wireless controller, but all the metal around it will probably reduce the wireless signal. This might be even cheaper than getting the Elereo wireless system. IIRC, the wireless motors are significantly more expensive than the wired version.
I just read the documentation for the RolMotion M here and it mentions that I require a “Montagekabel”.
I see in the documentation that in the end it also “just” connects to the 4-wire cable going to the motor and has push-button. So I assume that this is not a “special” switch.
Does this need to be specifically from Elero or can I buy a generic one? (Which I assume would be cheaper.)
I would be curious how you set the end-points of your motors?
Thank you in advance. (And apologies, if this is very basic question - I am still researching things.)
It really isn’t. In fact, I built one myself from a double push-button that I had lying around. In contrast to a blind switch, the two push buttons are not locked against each other. As they are electronic motors, applying power to both inputs triggers the end stop reset / learning mode. Just make sure to NOT do this with mechanical motors, they are probably destroyed.
Although I have this cable, I usually do this directly (e.g. from a Shelly with ESPHome):
Apply power to both phases for 5s to reset end points
Adjust the desired end positions - done
If you use my elero_wired integration, this is supported by the creation of an additional switch. Although it’s called “Funkmodus”, it resets the end stops if you keep it on for 5s.
Thank you for the information about how you set the end-positions. It is super helpful and much appreciated!
I would like to ask you another question, since you are likely very experienced with mounting (Elero) roller shutter motors. But I am not sure to what extend you can help me (it is more of an opinion question also):
I am currently having trouble deciding which motor head to get for the RolMotion M. I found that it is sold with 3 different types of motor heads.
We have roller shutter boxes from Warema and I will have to get adapters no matter which type of motor head I get - so all are equal in that regard:
(Note: Apologies for including many links to stores below. I provide them primarily, because my research might help others - it took me quite a while find this information.)
RolMotion M RH with round head: This appears to be the shape used by Becker motors, which appear to be the motors that Warema sells re-branded. But I am not sure about this - so a confirmation would great, if you know. (see e.g. here and here for links to example motors; for the Warema adapters see here or here)
Do you have a recommendation on which one to get? For instance, are there noteworthy differences between them with regards to e.g. reliability or ease of installation?
I feel like going with either star head or round head (if it is indeed same as Becker motors) would be a better pick for compatibility, in case I want to switch to another motor brand in the (distant) future.
Thank you in advance. Your insight is (again) much appreciated!
PS: For what its worth: Our Warema roller shutter boxes appear to be similar to the Type V4, V6, or V10 found here (though likely older models).