Channel Count Is a Customer-Facing Decision
The installer is not choosing a technical specification. They are choosing what to hand to an end customer who will press buttons without reading instructions. A five-channel handset that matches how the building actually works is worth more to the installer than a sixteen-channel handset that leaves the customer guessing which button opens which zone.
What Each Configuration Is For
| Channel count | Covers | Where it is the right choice |
|---|---|---|
| 1 channel | Single screen | Simplest handover, keyfob format |
| 5 channel | Up to five screens or zones | Most common specification in European installer work |
| 16 channel | Large sites, grouped zones | Hotel rooms, apartment blocks, multi-terrace commercial |
How Installers Decide in Practice
The rule that works is simple: count the independently operated screens, then count the open, stop and close functions each one needs. Most residential and small commercial installations land on one to five channels. Apartment blocks with grouped zones, hotel rooms and multi-terrace commercial properties are where sixteen channels become necessary.
The failure mode in both directions is the same — too many channels for the job, or too few. A sixteen-channel handset given to a customer with three screens is a handset with thirteen buttons that do nothing, and the customer will stop using it.
The LCD Question, Briefly
- Non-LCD keyfob: lower cost, no channel names. Correct for single-screen jobs.
- LCD handset: labelled channels, better for multi-zone sites, and the only sensible choice when the customer has to remember what each button does.
Our 5-channel and 16-channel LCD remotes are both supplied with identical button numbering to the incumbent RTS handsets, so no retraining is required on the customer’s side.
Request a Quotation — 5-Channel and 16-Channel RTS Remotes
Send the shutter width and height, tube diameter and the brand or model you need to replace. We reply with the exact motor size, EXW price, MOQ and lead time. MOQ 100 pcs per SKU.
Send Inquiry on WhatsAppEmail: Joanna@rfmando.com · MOQ 100 pcs per SKU · 1 free sample per SKU ($30 DHL, buyer pays) · Lead time 7-15 days · T/T 30/70 · EXW Xiamen
Terms and Where to Order
MOQ 100 pcs per SKU. One free sample per SKU ($30 DHL, buyer pays). Lead time 7-15 days. Payment T/T 30/70. Prices EXW Xiamen.
Somfy, Telis and RTS are trademarks of Somfy. Our compatible remotes are independently engineered products using our own PCBA and our own housing tooling. We are not an authorised Somfy distributor, we do not supply Somfy-branded goods, and no Somfy trademark or patent is reproduced on our product.
Catalogue references for the specification above: RF Mando Dooya 16-channel RF433 curtain handset and RF Mando Telis 4 Pure / Telis 1 compatible 433.42 MHz RTS handset. Both are MOQ-based, ship on our own PCBA and housing tooling, and one free sample per SKU is available before you commit to a production order.
Where to Order
- Somfy RTS Compatible Remotes — 5-channel and 16-channel LCD handsets
- Dooya Compatible Remotes — tubular motor controls and wall transmitters
- RF Remote Controls — full catalogue