Awning Wind Sensor Placement: Where to Fit It and Why
Place the sensor where it feels the same wind as the awning, with nothing sheltering it. On a folding-arm awning, a vibration sensor goes on the front bar. A wind-speed sensor (anemometer) goes on the wall or roof beside the awning, upright, never underneath it. Get this wrong and the sensor either misses gusts or retracts the awning on a calm afternoon. This guide covers both sensor types, how to fix and orient them, how to set sensitivity, and how to test the result.
TL;DR
Vibration sensors fit on the awning’s front bar. Wind-speed sensors fit beside the awning, in open air, with the anemometer on top.
Never mount a sensor under the awning or in a sheltered corner. It must see the same weather as the fabric.
Keep the radio path clear and the sensor within range of the motor receiver.
Test with the awning fully out, by simulating wind, and repeat the test every few months.
A sensor reduces risk but does not replace you: bring the awning in before a storm.
Table of Contents
First, which type of sensor do you have?
Placement depends on how the sensor works, so check this before you pick a spot.
Vibration sensors sit on the awning itself. Somfy describes its Eolis 3D RTS as a wire-free vibration sensor for folding-arm awnings: it detects the vibration caused by high winds and retracts the awning automatically. Because it feels what the awning feels, it measures the real load on the structure.
Anemometers (wind-speed sensors) are fixed to the building and measure the air moving past them. Some also include a sun sensor, so the awning extends when it is bright and retracts when it is not. These suit awnings where the front bar is hard to reach, or where one sensor serves several units.
Vibration sensor | Wind-speed sensor (anemometer) | |
Where it sits | On the awning’s front bar | On the wall or roof beside the awning |
What it measures | Movement of the awning | Air speed at the sensor |
Main placement risk | Fouling the closing movement | Shelter, or standing under the awning |
Group use | One per awning | Possible only if exposure is identical |
If you are not sure which you have, look at the model name on the sensor or in the motor paperwork. Our wider explanation of how wind sensors protect an outdoor space covers the basics.
Where to mount a wind-speed sensor
The manufacturers agree on the principles. Somfy’s Eolis io instructions say to choose a location with maximum wind detection, clear of obstacles and shelter, near the product it controls, never underneath it, and with the anemometer on top.
Cherubini’s WindTec instructions give a similar rule in plain terms. The wind-and-sun sensor goes to the side of the awning, as close as possible to it, and not above or below the area the awning covers.
In practice, on a UK house, that means:
Beside the awning, at roughly its height. A sensor a floor higher or lower reads a different wind.
On the corner or face that takes the weather. In most of Yorkshire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire the prevailing wind is from the west or south-west, so a sensor tucked on a leeward wall under-reports. Check how your own garden behaves before choosing.
Clear of eaves, bay windows, chimney breasts, trees and fences. Each creates a pocket of calmer air, or a pocket of turbulence, that does not represent what hits the awning.
Not under the awning. The fabric and arms shield the sensor, and in a gust the sensor reads calm while the front bar is already straining.
Where you can reach it. You will need to change batteries (on wireless models), clean it and test it.
A sheltered spot is the commonest mistake
People like to hide a sensor neatly beneath the cassette or round a corner. It looks tidy and it works badly. The same logic applies to anything that has to be rated against wind: the habit of reading wind rating labels and installation drawings before you drill is a good one, and a sensor manual’s installation diagram is the equivalent for an awning.
Where to mount a vibration sensor
Vibration sensors live on the front bar (the drop profile or load bar), because that is the part that moves most.
Elero’s Protero manual specifies a vibration sensor screwed or glued to the awning’s drop profile, longitudinally aligned with it. It can sit near an end or centrally, provided it does not obstruct closing.
Some systems go further and fit inside the end of the bar. Cherubini, for example, describes a vibration sensor that is installed in the end load bar and is immediately operational. Whichever design you have, follow its own instructions: the right spot is a model-specific detail, not a general one.
Points that apply to most fitted-on-the-bar designs:
Check the closed position. Close the awning and look at the sensor. It must not catch on the cassette, the wall or the roller.
Keep it off the fabric. A bracket that rubs the canvas will wear it.
Prefer the position the manufacturer recommends for sensitivity. If the manual says the end of the bar is more responsive than the middle, use the end.
Do not enclose it. A sensor sealed inside a profile or covered by a trim may lose radio signal.
Orientation and fixing
Getting the sensor in the right place is half the job. The other half is how it is fixed.
Anemometers must stay upright. Somfy’s guidance is to keep the anemometer on top, and its Eolis io has an articulated structure that allows wall or roof mounting on slopes up to 15°. The bracket uses two horizontally aligned holes 38 mm apart, followed by plugs, screws, housing insertion and final fixing. Use the template or bracket supplied, not a guess.
Some brackets are adjustable. Cherubini describes a mechanism where you press the support button and rotate the mounting support to set the fitting angle, so the sensor can sit correctly on a wall that is not perfectly square.
Masonry matters. Fix into sound brick or block with the correct plugs. Avoid fixing into loose render, soft pointing or timber that is rotting. A sensor that moves on its fixing sends false readings.
Keep cabling and brackets weatherproof. On wired models, seal the cable entry and avoid leaving a drip loop that channels rain into the housing.
For the awning itself, see our guide to installing retractable awnings, because sensor position and bracket position are usually decided together.
Range, interference and sharing a sensor
Most modern sensors talk to the motor by radio, so location also means signal.
Distance. Somfy’s Eolis 3D WireFree installation notes say the sensor should not be more than 20 m from the motor. Cherubini quotes a WindTec radio effectiveness of 10 to 15 metres. Treat the lower figure as your limit unless your manual says otherwise.
Obstructions. Elero tells installers to keep the radio path unobstructed. Thick stone walls, metal cladding and foil-backed insulation are the usual culprits.
Density. Cherubini advises limiting sensor density: no more than five sensors in the same 10 to 15-metre range.
Sharing. One WindTec sensor may control a group only when the awnings share the same exposure to sun and wind, and no more than five motors should connect to one sensor. A pair of awnings on opposite sides of a house does not qualify.
On a terrace of several shopfronts or a hotel with awnings on different elevations, give each exposure its own sensor. That is a common job for our commercial installations.
Connecting and setting sensitivity
Somfy requires compatibility checks and professional installation. Its Eolis io is paired through a programmed io control point, and the wind threshold is adjusted for the actual weather conditions and requirements. Wiring work needs the mains switched off.
Sensitivity is a trade-off:
Too sensitive and the awning retracts in a breeze that a well-built awning shrugs off. Owners then stop using it, or switch the automation off, which defeats the purpose.
Too relaxed and the awning stays out when it should not.
How you adjust depends on the make. Elero’s calibration requires a calm day: extend the awning fully, wait 210 seconds for the reference, manually reproduce the vibrations that should trigger retraction, then adjust the acceleration threshold. Every changed setting must be checked. Its inclination calibration also needs full extension and at least 210 seconds, and you check the preset 1° threshold by pressing the drop profile slowly downward.
The awning’s own wind class sets the ceiling, so settings should never be pushed beyond what the frame can take. Our article on wind resistance in awnings explains how to read it. For the wider choice of remotes, timers and automation, see our guide to motorised awning controls.
How to test the sensor properly
Test after installation, after any change in settings, after battery changes and at the start of each season.
Pick a calm, dry day. Testing in real wind is unsafe and gives you unrepeatable results.
Extend the awning fully. Sensors are calibrated against the open position.
Wait for the reference period. Some models need minutes after extension before they are armed. Elero, for instance, uses 210 seconds. Check your manual.
Simulate wind. For a vibration sensor, shake or push the front bar up and down by hand, gently and at the sensor end, as the manual describes. For an anemometer, follow the manufacturer’s test procedure: many have a way to spin the cups or trigger the threshold by hand.
Watch the response. The awning should begin retracting promptly and close fully without catching.
Repeat at a gentler level. A light push should not trigger retraction if the threshold is set sensibly. If it does, lower the sensitivity.
Check the closed position. Make sure the sensor bracket clears the cassette and wall.
Write down the date and settings. It saves time next season.
A sensor that retracts the awning for no reason, repeatedly, is often a flat battery, a lost radio link or a loose fixing rather than a wind problem. Replace batteries in line with the manual before changing sensitivity.
Safety and the limits of any sensor
A sensor is a backstop, not a guarantee. Somfy says the Eolis io does not protect against strong gusts and that the awning should be kept closed if strong gusts are a risk. Elero says the sensor can protect against sudden gusts only to a limited degree, because the awning needs time to retract, and tells users to leave the awning retracted during an impending storm and test regularly.
So:
Bring the awning in when a named storm or a gale warning is forecast, and when you leave the house for long.
Keep power safe: switch off the mains before any wiring, and have a qualified electrician or the awning installer do it.
Do not climb ladders on a windy day to adjust a sensor. Wait for calm weather.
If the awning has been out in a severe gust, check arms, brackets and fixings before using it again.
For upkeep of the whole system, our guide to maintaining retractable awnings lists what to inspect each season. If the motor runs from a non-standard supply, see the electric awning power supply options. A rain sensor works alongside the wind one, and rain sensor technology is worth reading if you want both.
Our view: place it once, properly
We have fitted awnings for over 15 years across Yorkshire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire, and the sensor problems we are called to rarely come from a faulty sensor. They come from a sensor put where it was convenient rather than where the wind is.
Our advice is simple. Decide the sensor position at the survey, not on the day of fitting, because the best spot depends on the wall, the neighbouring buildings and the way the garden or terrace funnels air. Set the sensitivity on a calm day with the customer present, so they see what triggers it. And tell every customer plainly that the sensor is there to help, not to be relied on in a storm.
We supply premium brands including Weinor, Llaza, Selt, Tarasola and Morvelle, and we choose controls to suit each project rather than pushing one system. For a pub terrace, a school or a family patio, the question is the same: what will this sensor actually feel?
— Andrew
Getting a sensor fitted or checked
If your awning retracts for no reason, stays out in a blow, or you are adding automation to an existing awning, we can survey, advise on position and fit it. We install and maintain retractable awnings for homes and businesses, and our surveyors will mark the sensor position before anything is drilled.
To discuss a new awning, a repair or a sensor upgrade, get in touch for a free quote. Residential customers can start with our residential awnings and canopies page, and pubs, restaurants and hotels with our commercial awnings and canopies page. For how automatic retraction fits into a quote, see our auto-retract awning guide.
FAQ
Can I put the wind sensor under the awning to protect it from rain?
No. Somfy’s instructions say the sensor should never be underneath the awning it controls, because the awning shelters it and it will under-read the wind. Choose a position beside the awning that is exposed but weatherproof by design.
Does a vibration sensor go in the middle or at the end of the front bar?
Both can work, depending on the make. Elero allows a position near an end or central, provided closing is not obstructed. Somfy’s Eolis 3D notes say vibration detection is more effective at either end, so follow your model’s manual.
Can one sensor control two awnings?
Only where both awnings have the same exposure to sun and wind. Cherubini allows one WindTec sensor to control a group on that condition, with no more than five motors. Awnings on different walls need their own sensors.
How often should I test the wind sensor?
Test it after installation, after changing settings or batteries, and at the start of each season. Use a calm day, extend the awning fully and simulate wind as your manual describes. Elero also instructs regular testing.
Will a wind sensor save my awning in a storm?
Not reliably. Both Somfy and Elero state that a sensor offers limited protection against sudden strong gusts, because the awning needs time to retract. Bring it in yourself when a gale or storm is forecast.
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