Battery or Mains Powered Curtain Motors: Which Suits Your Home?

Choose a battery curtain motor when avoiding a new permanent power connection matters and you can comfortably manage charging. Consider mains power when a suitable connection can be provided and you want to avoid routine battery recharging. In either case, confirm the motor and track are suitable for your curtains before buying.

Arklyfe lists separate 87E battery and mains-powered kits. Start with how the room will be used and maintained, then check the exact kit. A familiar product-family name does not make the power versions interchangeable.

Compare the 87E Lithium Battery Splicing Kit

Compare the 87E Mains-Powered Modular Kit

Generated illustrative planning scene using the 87E product image as a reference. Not a completed installation or proof of supplied components.

A quick way to decide

• Finished room with no convenient power connection: investigate a battery option, then confirm the charging method and safe access.
• New build or open renovation: ask the electrician to assess a suitable power arrangement before the walls or pelmet are finished.
• High curtain position or an awkward recess: treat future charging and servicing access as a deciding factor.
• Heavy curtains or a long track: compare the exact model’s approved load and track configuration. Power source alone does not establish suitability.

Battery power needs a charging plan

A battery motor can be worth considering when you want to avoid adding a permanent power feed at the window. But the practical question is what happens when it needs charging. Before ordering, ask whether the selected battery stays in place, is removable, or requires another charging arrangement. Confirm the approved charger, what is included and how the charging connection is reached once the curtains are fitted.

Look at the room as it will actually be furnished. A sofa under the window, a deep pelmet or a tall recess can make an apparently simple task awkward. If charging would depend on climbing or moving heavy furniture, resolve that access problem before committing to the battery version.

Do not choose around a generic promise of a fixed number of months between charges. For example, Somfy’s Australian curtain-motor datasheet ties its own estimate to a stated curtain weight, track configuration and daily opening-and-closing cycle. The useful lesson is to ask for the assumptions behind your selected model’s estimate; Somfy’s figures are not specifications for the Arklyfe 87E.

Source: Somfy Australia Movelite WireFree RTS technical datasheet

Mains power needs the right connection

Mains power removes routine battery recharging from the plan, but the connection still needs to be designed around the selected motor. Ask whether the exact version uses a plug-in supply or a hardwired connection, where the connection must be located, and what lead or power-supply equipment is supplied. Do not infer these details from the words “mains-powered”.

For a new build, settle these questions before the ceiling recess or pelmet is closed. In a finished room, include the cost and practical disruption of providing power in the comparison. Arrange a licensed electrician for fixed electrical work and check your state or territory’s requirements. Energy Safe Victoria explicitly states that fixed electrical installation work requires a licensed electrician.

Source: Energy Safe Victoria electrical licensing guidance

Compare the whole room plan

Two rooms in the same home may justify different choices. An accessible bedroom window with no nearby supply may be a candidate for battery power. A living-room window in an open renovation may make mains power more practical. These are planning examples, not guarantees that a particular kit fits either room.

Compare the complete scope: motor, suitable track, mounting, any charging equipment, electrical work and installation. Also ask what battery servicing or replacement involves for the chosen model. The cheapest motor-only price may not represent the simplest arrangement to live with.

Check controls separately

Battery and mains describe the power supply. They do not tell you which app, remote, wall control or smart-home platform will work. Somfy’s curtain selection guide also treats power supply and control mode as separate decisions. Ask for confirmation of the exact 87E version’s supported controls and any additional equipment needed for your intended setup.

Source: Somfy curtain motor selection guide

Questions to settle before ordering

• Which exact power version and motor model is being quoted?
• Does the proposed motor and track suit the curtain weight, opening direction and window?
• For battery power, how will I charge it safely, and what charging equipment is included?
• For mains power, what connection and electrical work are needed?
• Which controls are supported, and what extra equipment is required?
• Can the motor and track still be accessed for servicing after the room is finished?

Use the full curtain-motor buying checklist for track dimensions, opening direction and order contents. It helps you turn the power decision into a complete specification.

Read the curtain motor buying checklist

Common questions

Does a mains powered curtain motor have to be hardwired

Not necessarily. The connection method depends on the exact motor and power supply. Confirm it before planning an outlet or arranging installation; do not assume a plug or a hardwired connection is included.

How often will a battery curtain motor need charging

Use the selected model’s charging guidance and ask which curtain weight, track arrangement and operating frequency its estimate assumes. There is no charging interval in this guide for the 87E because that needs model-specific confirmation.

Does battery power mean a damage free installation

No. The track and brackets still need a suitable mounting arrangement. Confirm fixing requirements and obtain any necessary property permission before work starts.

Will either version work during a power cut

Ask about the exact motor’s behaviour, manual operation and controls. A charged battery does not prove the app or smart-home controller will remain available, and a mains-powered motor should not be assumed to have battery backup.

Choose with your room in mind

Browse the motorised curtain range, then send Arklyfe photos of the window and mounting area, your curtain details, available power and the controls you want to use. Include any concern about charging or servicing access so it can be addressed before the order is finalised.

Browse the motorised curtain range

Ask Arklyfe about a suitable configuration