How Automate Remote Channels and Groups Work
Updated: 6 days ago
The channel number on an Automate remote does not tell you how many motors it can move at once. A channel is simply a control selection. One motor can be assigned to it, or several compatible ARC motors can share it and move together.
Understanding that distinction makes it much easier to choose between Push ONE, Push 5, Push 15 and Push Pro—and prevents paying for more channels than you need.
What is an Automate remote channel?
Think of a channel as an address that the selected motor or motors listen to. When you select the channel and press up, stop or down, every motor paired to that address responds.
One channel controlling one blind gives individual control.
One channel controlling several blinds creates a simple group.
A motor may also be included in another group selection, subject to the pairing capacity of the motor.
A multi-channel remote lets you move between different individual or grouped selections.
What is a group?
A group is a set of blinds you want to operate together. It might be every blind in a room, all western-facing blinds, or the whole ground floor. Group control is useful for daily routines, glare control and closing several blinds at night.
A group does not remove individual control when it is planned correctly. Each blind can keep an individual channel while also being included in a group. The important point is that the remote needs enough useful selections for the way you want to operate the home.
A practical five-blind example
Imagine three blinds in the living room and one blind in each of two bedrooms. If the living-room blinds will always move together, you could use one selection for the living room and one for each bedroom: three everyday selections for five motors.
If you want each living-room blind to move separately as well as together, you need three individual living-room selections, two bedroom selections and a method of selecting the living-room group. That is why control behaviour—not simply motor count—should determine the remote.
Choosing the right channel count
Push ONE
Best for one blind or one group that always operates together. It is not suitable when you need to choose different blinds separately.
Push 5
Best for a modest installation with up to five useful individual or grouped selections. It is easy to use when the channel plan is simple and clearly documented.
Push 15
Best when a larger installation needs more selectable channels. The screen helps identify the selected number, and unused channels can be hidden to reduce scrolling.
Push Pro
Best when names are more useful than numbers. Push Pro can name shades and groups, which makes a larger home easier to operate. It also adds offline timers for automatic routines.
Plan the channels before pairing
List every blind and give it a clear room or window name.
Mark which blinds must move independently.
Mark the groups you will use regularly.
Allocate individual channels first, then group selections.
Leave spare capacity if more blinds may be motorised later.
Write the finished channel plan inside a cupboard or save it with the manuals.
Common channel mistakes
Pairing several blinds to one channel and later discovering that individual control is needed.
Copying an ALL or group selection when the copying procedure requires an individual shade channel.
Forgetting which motors are paired to a numbered channel.
Using every available channel without leaving room for a future blind.
Factory-resetting a motor to fix a channel-plan issue when the channel can be added or removed without erasing the complete setup.
Can one motor be controlled by more than one remote?
Yes. A compatible ARC motor can be paired with more than one controller or channel, up to the motor’s supported pairing capacity. This allows a handheld remote in the room, a wall control near the door and a broader whole-home controller to coexist.
When copying from an existing remote, use an individual shade channel rather than channel 0, ALL or a prebuilt group. The copy sequence is time-sensitive, so prepare both controls and select their source and destination channels before starting.
Which guide should you read next?
Read How to Add a Second Automate Remote to Your Blinds for the copying process. If you are still choosing the controller, read the complete Automate remote guide and the Push handheld comparison before ordering.
Related Guides
Choose and Compare Automate Controls
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