ᐅ Smart Home / Home Automation – Consultation

Hi,

I’m still undecided about installing home automation in our planned new build.

My requirements are as follows:

- Control of roller shutters or blinds (possibly window contacts to detect open windows)
- Control of heating / air source heat pump or solar system
- Control of a video intercom system via a tablet

Of course, I have looked into KNX and the material costs alone would be around 6000€ (approximately 6,350 USD). As an alternative, Loxone is mentioned increasingly often, although the proprietary format is a bit off-putting.
My requirements could also be met with a manufacturer-specific system.

Do you have any recommendations for or against home automation (in my case)?

Best regards
Acd85

Hmm, well, it seems you don’t really need full home automation; rather, you just want a few devices to perform certain tasks...

Blinds, for example, can be controlled over the internet using specific motors...

Heating, heat pumps, and solar systems don’t require additional control systems beyond what the manufacturer provides... and if you’re aiming to build an energy-efficient house, usually an outdoor temperature control is sufficient.

For a video intercom system with a tablet, you’ll need to go with a ready-made solution... or use an IP camera with an app.

So far, I don’t see a real need for a full automation system...

Just out of curiosity: How do you arrive at material costs of 6000 €?

I will also be using Loxone additionally, but in the end, it won’t save you much money: just for roller shutters and window contacts, you already need quite a few inputs and outputs. Let’s say you have 12 windows with contacts and roller shutters; for the roller shutters alone, you need 24 outputs, which means you’ll require 2 extensions (either standard or relay, depending on the requirements). For the window contacts, you need another 12 inputs, which could still be handled by the extensions. However, you also need 24 inputs to control the roller shutters, so in total, you end up with the MiniServer and 3 extensions, amounting to almost €2000 in hardware costs and quite a bit of space in the cabinet (15.5cm (6 inches) per extension).

That’s why I switched to KNX here, since I took a 12-channel blind actuator, which costs €460 and only requires 12 TE.

I won’t even start talking about the rest.

The logic engine and the apps from Loxone are, of course, also very good, so I will use a combination of both. It is just more complex to program.

Simon_SH schrieb:
Out of curiosity: How do you arrive at the material costs of €6000?

I calculated the costs using an Excel spreadsheet based on the following blog.

Interesting thing. Have you updated the prices? They don’t seem to be current.

Just realized, a password is required. In my opinion, this shows far too much information.

Example:
Shutter actuator 8-fold, 8 modules, regular, 10A, 230VAC JAL-0810.01

Listed there at €352, but it is already available for €232.