Actually I had the same exact issue with my somfy motorized shades. I live close to Lindbergh Field, (the San Diego airport) and the control tower transmissions were repeatedly activating the receivers in my shades, causing the LEDs to blink randomly all the time when I was not pressing any remote control buttons. In any event, my batteries kept draining about every 6 months as well and became a chore and an expense to replace. My solution? Was to hardwire these using a somfy AC/DC transformer and low voltage wiring like doorbell or telephone wiring. Because I didn't want the wiring to be exposed, I ended up installing it behind the drywall which became a pretty big project overall, but has saved countless battery changes since doing this. The transformer plugs into an outlet near my windows and the shades are now hardwired. This might not be the solution for everybody, but for those willing to put in a little extra effort it makes a world of difference! I was able to purchase all of the parts I needed on eBay or through a somfy dealer.
One last comment, if you are going to stick with batteries, why not use rechargeable AA batteries? These are available at big box stores and Amazon, eBay etc and average roughly a dollar per battery that can be recharged hundreds of times. Just purchase enough so you have a full set of charged ones ready to replace the dead ones when you bring them down and save your wallet and the environment!
Agreed, would never buy again! Same thing, batteries constantly going out and when they're working, they just work "decent" and the company that I bought them from also went out of business
Actually I had the same exact issue with my somfy motorized shades. I live close to Lindbergh Field, (the San Diego airport) and the control tower transmissions were repeatedly activating the receivers in my shades, causing the LEDs to blink randomly all the time when I was not pressing any remote control buttons.
In any event, my batteries kept draining about every 6 months as well and became a chore and an expense to replace. My solution? Was to hardwire these using a somfy AC/DC transformer and low voltage wiring like doorbell or telephone wiring.
Because I didn't want the wiring to be exposed, I ended up installing it behind the drywall which became a pretty big project overall, but has saved countless battery changes since doing this. The transformer plugs into an outlet near my windows and the shades are now hardwired. This might not be the solution for everybody, but for those willing to put in a little extra effort it makes a world of difference!
I was able to purchase all of the parts I needed on eBay or through a somfy dealer.
Great information here, thank you! I might give some a try
they do make a solar powered unit instead of the battery tubes.
Hmm .. I will need to look into this. Does it just attach to the window? Can I retrofit mine?
One last comment, if you are going to stick with batteries, why not use rechargeable AA batteries? These are available at big box stores and Amazon, eBay etc and average roughly a dollar per battery that can be recharged hundreds of times. Just purchase enough so you have a full set of charged ones ready to replace the dead ones when you bring them down and save your wallet and the environment!
I bought those batteries that charge off a USB port. They were the cheaper ones and didn't last long. Maybe I need to try a better brand.
Agreed, would never buy again! Same thing, batteries constantly going out and when they're working, they just work "decent" and the company that I bought them from also went out of business
I went to open them again. Yup, a few months and the batteries are dead.