Somfy's New Smart Home Products Benefit from Zigbee 3.0 Technology

According to the Connectivity Standards Alliance (a.k.a. an organization dedicated to the future of IoT’s foundation, and an organization many of our previous articles have covered in greater detail) Zigbee is best defined as “a full-stack smart device solution that is globally adopted, interoperable with a large product ecosystem, reliable and low-power, and built with a variety of security mechanisms, including over-the-air AES-128-CCM encryption and state-of-the-art security curves.” With more than a billion Zigbee chipsets sold, hundreds of companies across the industry contribute market-proven, Zigbee-certified technologies.

Somfy Systems, manufacturer of motorization solutions from smart homes, is one such contributor.

Somfy builds motors for interior window coverings (e.g. motorized blinds and shades, curtains and draperies and even protection screens), as well as exterior shading (e.g. motorized awnings), exterior rolling shutters, smart home automation controls, solar protections and more. And last month, Somfy revealed an all-new line of motors that use Zigbee 3.0 technology. (The line is expected to be available in North America later this year.)

With the integration of Zigbee 3.0 into these new smart home products, connecting them on a single platform (i.e. one that consumes less energy and eliminates single points of failure with a self-healing mesh network) is achievable. Additionally, per a statement from Somfy, “the bi-directional device communication allows for real-time data like battery level, shade position and status to be securely accessed from anywhere, offering more information for more seamless experiences.”

“Following this launch, the new line of Somfy motors will be able to connect with Zigbee 3.0, Somfy RTS and future smart home innovations,” said David Parrett, Vice President of Marketing at Somfy North America. “This platform allows our products to be more widely adopted, enabling a new game-changing ecosystem we call Somfy Smart Shading. This will reinforce Somfy North America as the leader in the market, with new tools for fabricators, dealers and installers to set us apart.”

Learn more about Somfy’s professional tools, apps and other capabilities here.