A Homebridge plugin to add HomeKit compatibility to Somfy RTS rolling shutters requiring only a Raspberry Pi and a simple 433 MHz transmitter.
Instead of the origin version of the package homebridge-rpi-rts, this package handle a rolling shutters as a WindowCovering so it has only one button for each shutter instead of 3 (Up, Down, My).
!!! Be warned that the state will not be good if you mix the command from home kit and with the Somfy remote as explained here.
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Somfy RTS uses a frequency of 433.42 MHz instead of the usual 433.92 MHz, which requires to replace the resonator to increase the range of the transmitter. The range is typically less than 3 meters at 433.92 MHz and more than 20 meters at 433.42 MHz with a 17 cm antenna (quarter wavelength).
- Raspberry Pi (tested successfully on Zero WH and 4 Model B) with micro SD card and power source
- 433 MHz RF transmitter (example)
- 433.42 MHz saw resonator (example)
- 17 cm antenna (a straight piece of wire of 17 cm works well)
- 3 female to female jumper wires (example)
- Remove the original resonator by pulling it while heating its 3 pins with a soldering iron
- Clean the remaining solder
- Solder the 433.42 MHz resonator instead
- Solder the antenna to the ANT pad
Using the female to female jumper wires, connect the transmitter to the Raspberry Pi GPIO:
- Transmitter GND to Raspberry Pi GND
- Transmitter VCC to Raspberry Pi +5V
- Transmitter ATAD (DATA) to Raspberry Pi GPIO 4
If not done yet, install Raspberry Pi OS, Node.js and Homebridge. You can get there directly by installing the Homebridge Raspberry Pi Image.
Install the pigpio C library with the following command in a terminal window:
sudo apt install pigpio
To install the plugin, go to Homebridge Config UI X (the visual interface of Homebridge accessible with a browser), go to the Plugins tab, search for homebridge-rpi-rts and click Install.
Alternatively, use the following command line in a terminal window:
sudo npm install github:acemtp/homebridge-rpi-rts
or
sudo npm install github:acemtp/homebridge-rpi-rts --unsafe-perm
if any error appears while instalation
Root privileges are required to send waveform signals to the transmitter through the Rapsberry Pi GPIO.
- Open the file
/etc/systemd/system/homebridge.service:
sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/homebridge.service
Change the user to root:
User=root
Comment the line starting by CapabilityBoundingSet by adding # at the beginning of it:
# CapabilityBoundingSet=CAP_IPC_LOCK CAP_NET_ADMIN CAP_NET_BIND_SERVICE CAP_NET_RAW CAP_SETGID CAP_SETUID CAP_SYS_CHROOT CAP_CHOWN CAP_FOWNER CAP_DAC_OVERRIDE CAP_AUDIT_WRITE CAP_SYS_ADMIN
Ctrl + O to save and Ctrl + X to exit.
The final file should look like this (some lines may differ depending on Node.js and Homebridge configuration, leave them as they are):
sudo cat /etc/systemd/system/homebridge.service
[Unit]
Description=Homebridge
Wants=network-online.target
After=syslog.target network-online.target
[Service]
Type=simple
User=root
PermissionsStartOnly=true
WorkingDirectory=/var/lib/homebridge
EnvironmentFile=/etc/default/homebridge
ExecStartPre=-run-parts /etc/hb-service/homebridge/prestart.d
ExecStartPre=-/usr/local/lib/node_modules/homebridge-config-ui-x/dist/bin/hb-service.js before-start $HOMEBRIDGE_OPTS
ExecStart=/usr/local/lib/node_modules/homebridge-config-ui-x/dist/bin/hb-service.js run $HOMEBRIDGE_OPTS
Restart=always
RestartSec=3
KillMode=process
# CapabilityBoundingSet=CAP_IPC_LOCK CAP_NET_ADMIN CAP_NET_BIND_SERVICE CAP_NET_RAW CAP_SETGID CAP_SETUID CAP_SYS_CHROOT CAP_CHOWN CAP_FOWNER CAP_DAC_OVERRIDE CAP_AUDIT_WRITE CAP_SYS_ADMIN
AmbientCapabilities=CAP_NET_RAW CAP_NET_BIND_SERVICE
[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target
- Open the file
/etc/default/homebridge:
sudo nano /etc/default/homebridge
Append --allow-root at the end of the HOMEBRIDGE_OPTS line (the /var/lib/ path may differ, leave it as it is):
HOMEBRIDGE_OPTS=-I -U "/var/lib/homebridge" --allow-root
Ctrl + O to save and Ctrl + X to exit.
- Refresh systemd:
sudo systemctl daemon-reload
- Restart hb-service:
sudo hb-service restart
Each Somfy device listens to a list of remotes that were previously registered on this device.
The remotes send 3 values:
- Its unique ID
- A rolling code that is incremented each time a button is pressed on the remote
- A command: Up, Down, My, Prog
When a device receives a signal it does the following:
- It verifies that the unique ID of the remote is in the list of its registered remotes
- It verifies that the rolling code is the same or very close to the one it knows for this remote ID
- It increments the rolling code for this remote ID (so it keeps the same value than the one stored on the remote)
- It performs the command (move up, down, ...)
A same remote can even be registered on many devices (intentionally or inadvertently), and thus control simultaneoulsy many devices.
Go to Homebridge Config UI X, go to the Plugins tab, and click on Settings under Homebridge Rpi Rts.
Create as many accessories as needed (e.g. one per device to control). Each accessory is equivalent to a virtual remote. Each accessory must get a unique ID.
Alternatively, edit the JSON config file and add the following block inside the accessories array for each accessory to create:
{
"accessory": "Somfy RTS Roller Shutter",
"name": "XXXXXX",
"id": 12345,
"shuttingDownDuration": "14000",
"shuttingUpDuration": "17000",
"shuttingLockingDuration": "3000",
"prog": true
}Where:
nameis the name of the accessory as it will appear in HomeKit (required)idis the unique ID of the virtual Somfy RTS remote to choose between 0 and 16777216 (required)progis an option to show (true) or hide (false) the Prog button (optional)*accessorymust be "Somfy RTS Roller Shutter" (required)*shuttingDownDurationTime in millisecond to go for the shutter to go from top to bottom (just touch the bottom of the window (required)*shuttingUpDurationTime in millisecond to go for the shutter to go from bottom (just touch the bottom of the window) to top (required)shuttingLockingDurationTime in millisecond to go for the shutter to go from bottom to completely down (required)
Unwritten (required) variables causing the error [Unhandled signal 15]
For each virtual remote created:
-
Take the current physical remote that controls the Somfy device to be programmed. If the remote controls several channels, make sure to select the good one.
-
With this remote, use the Up/Down/My buttons to make the device approximately half way between the opened and closed positions (the aim is to not be totally opened or totally closed).
-
On the same remote, locate the Prog button (usually a small button on the back) and keep it pressed until the Somfy device does a short up and down movement.
-
Without waiting, press the Prog button on the virtual remote to pair with this device. The Somfy device should do again a short up and down movement confirming the registration of this new remote.
-
Wait at least 5 minutes before pairing another remote to avoid pairing a remote to multiple devices.
Once pairing is complete, it can be useful to hide the Prog button to avoid pressing it inadvertently. Go to Homebridge Config UI X, then in the Plugins tab, click on the Settings button. Uncheck Show Prog Button, click Save and restart Homebridge.
Any loss of unique IDs and/or rolling codes, leads to the impossibility to control the Somfy RTS devices.
Even worst, it makes unregistering the virtual remotes impossible, because the unique ID and correct rolling code are necessary to send the command to unregister a remote. The only solution would be a hard reset of the device involving accessing the motor, resetting the upper/lower limits and registering the remotes from scratch.
As rolling codes are incremented each time a signal is sent, it is strongly advised to perform Homebridge backups frequently.
Rolling codes are stored in text files in the Homebridge storage path with the unique ID as the name, e.g. 12345.txt, and are thus normally backed-up during Homebridge backups.
- Error below: make sure to follow the instructions in Modification of Homebridge Service
+---------------------------------------------------------+
|Sorry, you don't have permission to run this program. |
|Try running as root, e.g. precede the command with sudo. |
+---------------------------------------------------------+
-
Error
initMboxBlock: init mbox zaps failed: reboot the Raspberry Pi:sudo reboot. -
Error
Can't lock /var/run/pigpio.pid: stop current pigpio daemon instance:sudo killall pigpiod. -
Error
Unhandled signal 15: Check Configuration of the Plugin
If it does not solve the problem, please open an issue in GitHub with as much information on the environment and error as possible (Raspberry Pi model, Node.js version, Homebridge version, ...)
- Pushstack for a detailed description of the Somfy RTS protocol.
- joan2937 for the pigpio C library.
- fivdi for the pigpio javascript wrapper.
- Nickduino for a python implementation of the Somfy RTS protocol.
THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT.
THE INTENDED USE OF THE SOFTWARE IS TO ENABLE THE END-USER TO BUILD THEIR OWN AUTOMATION SYSTEM AROUND THE PDT ROLLERTEC DOOR INTERFACE. THE SOFTWARE HAS NOT BEEN TESTED IN ALL POSSIBLE SCENARIOS AND IS NOT A FINISHED PRODUCT IN ITSELF. THE END USER IS RESPONSIBLE FOR TESTING THE COMPLETE SYSTEM AND ALL LIABILITY ARISING FROM ITS USE. BY USING THIS SOFTWARE, YOU ARE ACCEPTING THESE TERMS OF USE.