Somfy Tahoma Switch is a home automation hub from the French multinational company Somfy, present in 58 countries around the world and renowned for its motorised systems for blinds, curtains, blinds, roller blinds, awnings, gates, among others.
Why does Somfy Tahoma Switch have this price?
The Somfy home automation hub integrates 3 technologies (Somfy RTS, IO and Zigbee), is compatible with different popular ecosystems on the market and you can use the App for free with no monthly fees.
Advantages / Disadvantages of the Somfy Tahoma Switch
Advantages
- 3 technologies: If you have an installation with Somfy IO or RTS, this hub can be your ally, knowing that you can also use additional Zigbee devices.
- Free remote access: The Somfy App allows you to access your smart home without monthly fees.
- Intuitive interface: Somfy offers a very pleasant and simple interface on its App.
- Compatibilities: In addition to integrating 3 technologies (Somfy RTS, Somfy IO and Zigbee), you can also link different famous ecosystems to unify your installation (Schneider Electric, Danfoss, Netatmo and more).
- Physical scene buttons: You can use the 2 buttons on the Somfy hub to activate scenes by pressing these buttons without using your phone.
- Attractive design: This home automation hub integrates well into the decoration of your home with its pleasant design.
Disadvantages
- Price: The price of the Somfy TaHoma Switch is high compared to other popular home automation hubs on the market, but if you have Somfy RTS or Somfy IO blinds, this may be the best compromise.
- No USB port: If you need to add extensions for any reason, this is not possible with the Somfy TaHoma Switch as it does not have an integrated USB port.
- No Ethernet port: It would have been interesting to have an Ethernet port with this Somfy hub to connect it by RJ45 and have the best reliability.
- Not compatible with all Zigbee devices: You should be very careful when choosing Zigbee devices as not all of them are compatible with this Somfy hub.
Somfy Tahoma Switch tutorial (1870595)
In many cases, in your home, you may have these motorised systems with Somfy and they may integrate Somfy RTS or Somfy IO HomeControl wireless technologies.
And for a complete and unified smart home experience, being able to manage more aspects, I usually recommend Zigbee technology, as it is adopted by multiple brands in the market and covers a wide range of needs in a home.
So, if you have motorised systems with Somfy RTS or IO HomeControl and you also want to add Zigbee devices in your home, the perfect combination for your case may be this Somfy Tahoma Switch home automation hub.
There is a wide variety of home automation hubs on the market, and complete solutions such as Jeedom and Home Assistant are very interesting to have the most advanced and complete smart home experience.
But if you have Somfy RTS or IO HomeControl technologies at home and you want to integrate them with Home Assistant or Jeedom, in addition to buying your Home Assistant or Jeedom home automation hub, you will also have to buy a Devmel gateway if you have Somfy RTS.
Or the Velux gateway if you have Somfy IO HomeControl to be able to connect them to Home Assistant or Jeedom to unify your installation.
This combination represents a cost overrun that you should consider. Moreover, they are more complex solutions and are not adapted to the needs of all users.
So this Somfy Tahoma Switch hub, which integrates Somfy RTS, Somfy IO HomeControl and Zigbee, can be your ally to unify your installation and, moreover, with a very pleasant and simple user experience, as we are going to see below.
Technical details of Somfy Tahoma Switch
To begin with, if we open the packaging, we find the Somfy home automation hub.
And its power supply with a 1.5 m cable.
Its dimensions: 162 x 67.5 x 34 mm and it is white with a yellow base.
It has a design that I find relatively attractive.
Above, we can see 3 physical buttons, and the 2 that are on the extremities are buttons that allow us to activate 2 scenes, being a detail that I find very interesting because it avoids us having to take out our phone or wait for a defined timetable for the activation of a scene.
For example, we can press the first button when we leave home, which would have the effect of turning off all smart devices such as sockets and lights and closing the blinds, and the other way around when we get home by pressing the second button.
We have 2 LED indicators, one at the top and one at the bottom.
Underneath, we have the possibility to connect this hub to the mains and we can see QR codes, one of them to link it with HomeKit.
We also have a programming and reset button.
In terms of capabilities, this hub is capable of managing up to 200 devices with IO technology, 50 with RTS technology, 50 with Zigbee technology, up to 50 sensors and up to 40 scenes and 40 agenda schedules.
And it is worth noting that this home automation hub comes with a 5-year warranty.
Somfy Tahoma Switch configuration
Now we are going to see how to configure this home automation hub. To begin with, let’s connect its power supply.
Let’s download the TaHoma by Somfy App.
And now, we can click on “More”.
We chose our country.
Select the Somfy hub.
We chose the TaHoma Switch model.
If you do not have a previously created account, click on “I don’t have a TaHoma account”.
And we must verify that the LED indicator on the hub is blue. If this is not the case, follow the steps indicated in the application.
We have our hub connected.
Now we must select our WIFI network and enter the password.
That’s it, we have the hub linked to our network.
And it will check for updates at this time.
How to link devices with Somfy Tahoma Switch
We will be able to link our smart devices to this Somfy hub. To add each device, the process is similar.
Integration of a roller shutter with IO HomeControl module
To begin with, we are going to test a Somfy module that uses HomeControl IO technology and manages a motorised roller shutter.
In the “My Home” tab, click on “Add a device”.
Select “Windows and solar protection”.
Click on “Blinds”.
We click on “Micromodules”.
In my case, I select “Wall switch”.
And “Another switch”.
I click “Next”.
And I will choose the “Somfy IZYMO io” module.
I click “Next”.
Now, I have to follow the instructions by pressing the “Prog” button for 3 seconds.
So we give it 3 seconds on this button.
And I click “Next”.
Done, my blind is now available in my phone application.
So now I can open or close my shutter from my phone.
Zigbee device integration
The very interesting thing about this Somfy home automation hub is that it also integrates Zigbee technology, and you will be able to link different Zigbee devices from different brands, which can help you to personalise your smart home. But be careful, you should always check the compatibility of a Zigbee device with this Somfy hub before any purchase, as not all devices are compatible.
And another disadvantage is that Zigbee devices usually have adjustable parameters to modify the default use of the device, but with Somfy Tahoma Switch we will only have direct control of the device without being able to modify its settings. This means that you should also take this into account when buying your device.
To link a Zigbee device, the process is similar. From the “My Home” tab, click on “Add my device”.
Then, you must choose the correct profile that corresponds to your device.
You must choose “Zigbee”.
You must choose the type of sensor if you are linking a sensor.
You must click on “Continue”.
You must select the option “QR code missing or unreadable”.
And you must click “Yes”.
Now, you have 3 minutes to link your Zigbee device. We start with a Zigbee smoke sensor from Heiman.
After having put it in association mode, it appears on the interface of our Somfy home automation hub. We can click on “Cancel” to stop the inclusion mode and we will follow the same steps to link the following Zigbee devices.
We are going to link a Sonoff door or window sensor.
Now, we link a motion sensor of the Neo brand.
And we are going to link a temperature sensor with a deported cable from Owon.
Now, we link an indoor Zigbee plug of the brand “Nous”.
And we linked another outdoor double Zigbee socket of the same brand “Nous”.
Now, we link a temperature and humidity sensor with a Sonoff display.
And finally, a Sonoff flood sensor.
Ready, as you can see, we have different devices from different brands and we have been able to put everything together with this Somfy hub.
It is worth noting that this home automation hub can also be linked to other large ecosystems such as Danfoss, Netatmo, Schneider Electric and more, so if you have smart devices from other brands, even if they do not use technologies such as Zigbee, Somfy IO or RTS, there is a large list of compatibilities with Somfy Tahoma Switch, so it is interesting to be able to unify our installation.
How to control smart devices
For my blind, I will be able to click “Open” or “Close” if I want to open 100% or close 100% of the blind.
I also have the “Stop” button which, as its name suggests, allows me to stop the roller shutter from going up or down by pressing this button. And I can also choose an opening percentage thanks to the cursor available on this device.
I have control of each Zigbee socket, being able to turn them on and off individually.
I can see the measured temperature of each sensor in real time and over time with a history according to hours, days and months.
The same applies to the humidity level.
Then, I can see the status of my door or window in real time: open or closed.
I also have the history of the activities.
I can tell when there is motion detected or not.
And I can see the activities of each movement.
I can tell when smoke is detected or not.
And, of course, see a history of activities.
And finally, I can know when water is leaking or not in my house.
Also with a history of activities.
These are just a few examples of uses we can have in a smart home, but of course there are more possibilities.
We have a control of all these devices organised according to the profile of each device, but we can also gather them by room, such as our kitchen, living room, terrace and more.
An interesting detail is that, if we access each device, we can choose to set it as a favourite.
This allows us to have a shortcut for easy access to our favourite devices.
How to connect Somfy Tahoma Switch with voice assistants
In addition to controlling our devices on our phone, it is possible to do so by voice, with voice assistants.
To do this, go to the “Settings” tab in the Somfy app.
We go to “Voice Assistants”.
In our example, we give “Amazon Alexa”.
We click on “Configure Alexa and TaHoma” and click on “Open the application”.
In Amazon Alexa, let’s search for the skill “TaHoma by Somfy”.
And we must activate it and fill in the login details for our Somfy app account.
After a few seconds, we have our plugs appearing in the Amazon Alexa interface, so we will be able to control them by voice.
Apparently, it is possible to control devices by voice, but NOT to know the status of the sensors by voice.
How to create scenes with Somfy Tahoma Switch
Of course, the magic of a smart home is being able to create different scenes where devices interact together or according to events.
Go to the “Scenes” tab and click on “Create your first scenario”.
We can choose between “Create my own scenario” to customise this scenario according to different criteria of our own or choose scene suggestions. Let’s start with a suggestion “I’m going out”.
Click on “Start”.
The suggestion in this case is to switch off all plugs. We click “Finish” to confirm our scene.
Of course, if we had intelligent blinds and light modules, they would also appear here, so that in one setting we could decide to select them all, and the effect would be that when we leave the house, the blinds are closed, the lights are switched off and the sockets are switched off.
In my example, if I hit “Play” on our scene, it will have the effect of turning off my plugs.
And we can do the reverse with the “I arrive” scene, where we can decide, this time, to turn them on.
Now, we go to “Agenda”, where we can define periods of absence.
And we can add an action.
We have the possibility to choose a “Planned action”, “Presence simulation” and “Heating saving”. Let’s try “Presence simulation”.
Click “Next” and choose a start and end time and click “Next”.
Choose one or more devices and click “Next” and then “Finish”.
Now, during our period of absence, we can have a lamp connected to our socket that will activate during a programmed schedule to simulate a presence at home.
Now, let’s create a custom scenario by clicking on “Create my own scenario”.
Choose “Advanced”.
And, as we can see, we have different methods of activation, whether it is a schedule, a door or window status, a movement, the temperature, if there is smoke, a water leak or a humidity level. We also have other events that we could take advantage of if we have more smart devices with different profiles linked to our hub.
For example, we can decide that if there is a movement detected with our sensor, it will automatically switch on the socket where a lamp is located.
And another example of scene activation, which I mentioned previously, is thanks to the physical buttons on the home automation hub.
To configure them, go to “Settings”, “Installation configuration”.
We hit our hub.
And click on the option “Buttons configuration”.
Now, click on “More”.
And we select the actions we want to execute, such as turning off a socket.
We repeat the process with the other button. This time, we choose to turn on the plug.
Ready, now, if we press a button on the hub, we activate the plug.
And with the other button we turn it off.
Of course, in a real installation, it can be very useful to be able to close all blinds and turn off all lights when leaving and, conversely, to open all blinds and turn on certain lights when we arrive.
And a very interesting detail if you already have Somfy blinds with IO or RTS technologies is that this home automation hub complies with a French regulation called RE2020, which allows you to achieve energy savings.
So definitely, if you already have Somfy blinds with wireless IO or RTS technology at home, this Somfy Tahoma Switch hub can be your ally for an advanced smart home experience.
