SOMA Smart Shades 3

Quick verdict

The Smart Shades 3 is the current SOMA chain driver and the model that replaced the Smart Shades 2. It clamps onto a bead chain or cord loop and leaves the shade itself alone, so it suits renters. The reason to pick it over the older model is the radio: it carries Zigbee alongside Bluetooth, and after a one-time firmware update pushed from the SOMA app it joins a Zigbee 3.0 network directly. Zigbee2MQTT supports it as SOMA SmartShades3 and exposes position and battery, so if you already run a coordinator there is no SOMA Connect bridge in the path at all. Battery life runs several months on a charge, and an optional solar panel keeps it topped up on a sunny window. SOMA describes the hardware as Matter and Thread ready, but that is pending certification and a firmware update, so buy it for the Zigbee path rather than for Matter.

Standout: A clamp-on chain driver that carries a Zigbee radio alongside Bluetooth, so it joins a Zigbee 3.0 network directly and needs no SOMA Connect bridge.

Notes last checked Aug 6, 2026.

Compatibility snapshot

Why it stands out

• carries both Bluetooth and Zigbee, so after a firmware update from the SOMA app it joins a Zigbee 3.0 network directly with no bridge
• Zigbee2MQTT supports it as SOMA SmartShades3 and exposes position and battery
• clamps onto an existing bead chain or cord loop, so the shade itself is untouched and the install is fully reversible

Reasons to hesitate

• the Zigbee radio needs a one-time firmware update pushed from the SOMA app before it will join a coordinator
• the solar panel is a separate accessory, and so is the USB-C charger
• voice assistants (Alexa, Google, Siri) still route through the optional SOMA Connect bridge
• only fits shades worked by a bead chain or cord loop, so it cannot drive a cordless or in-tube shade

Best for

• renters and anyone who wants to motorize an existing chain-operated shade without replacing it
• Zigbee-based Home Assistant setups that already run a coordinator and want no extra bridge

Avoid if

• your shades are cordless or driven by an in-tube motor, since this grips a chain or cord loop
• you need Matter today - SOMA lists the hardware as Matter and Thread ready, but that is pending certification and a future firmware update, not a shipping feature

Privacy and local-control notes

Once it is on Zigbee it is an ordinary Zigbee 3.0 device: no SOMA account, no cloud, and no SOMA Connect bridge in the path. The bridge is only needed for the voice assistants or for the Bluetooth path.

Home Assistant support: supported · integration path: ZHA / Zigbee2MQTT (SOMA SmartShades3), or the SOMA (soma) integration via a SOMA Connect bridge.

Buying reality check

Price notes: $159 direct from SOMA, down from $199 (verified 2026-08-06). The solar panel and the USB-C charger are sold separately. No subscription.

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