ᐅ Upgrading Roller Shutter Controls Later and Centralized vs. Decentralized Systems

Hello everyone,

We are currently planning the roller shutter control system for our semi-detached house.
For each roller shutter, we have an electric motor as well as a simple control switch from Gira, which allows you to manually tap to move the roller shutter up and down.

This is not very practical for everyday use, so we wanted to have at least a programmable timer for each roller shutter so that they automatically move up and down.

The electrician also recommended a central control system for all the roller shutters with a timer function, allowing all roller shutters in the house to be operated or adjusted at once with a single control. This naturally offers greater convenience and, according to him, would not be much more expensive than our initial idea, without a concrete quote yet.

We do not have an exact price, but from what we have seen, the electrician passes on the Gira catalogue price 1:1 to the customer. That would be the "Gira Electronic Blind Control 2" at 238 Euro minus the standard discount of 100 Euro, which amounts to about 138 Euro per roller shutter, plus an additional cost for the central control option. I suspect this will get quite expensive overall.

For the option we have in mind, I noticed that a larger online retailer already sells the "Gira Electronic Blind Control 2" add-on for 85 Euro. Additionally, the simple control switch could potentially be resold if the new add-on fits on the base of the simple switch.

Does anyone have experience with whether it is really this "easy" to replace just the control unit later with Gira products, so that you do not have to rely on such expensive offers? Or is much more required than simply exchanging the operating element?
As far as I understand, the roller shutter motor is connected rather simply to the control unit, so it should be possible to replace and modify everything at the switch later, except for the central control system, right?
Or would you generally recommend installing a central control system for all roller shutters from the start and go for the complete package?

Many thanks in advance for all feedback!

From my point of view, a central control system is not necessary. The switches should always be placed next to the room doors; that works well and allows selective raising and lowering with ease. In the living room with dining area, we installed a semi-central solution. There is a Gira switch with an astro function that controls all four roller shutters, and each window also has a separate secondary switch. In the end, we don’t use either the astro function or the central control because it simply doesn’t suit our needs. Usually, only one or two roller shutters need to be lowered, and not at specific times, and I often want to control how far the shutter goes down individually. Or are you more the type who would lower all the shutters in the entire house in the evening? Then a central control system certainly makes sense.

For central control, each switch is connected to the central unit. As far as I know, this would mean running cables later on, and you can’t use the standard base for individual control. I would have that done right away. But why connect each one individually with the large control system? Wouldn’t it be better to have a central system and then equip it with timers or similar features?

ares83 schrieb:
For centralized control, each switch is connected to the central unit. As far as I know, this would require running cables later on, and you can’t use the standard base meant for individual control. I would have this done right from the start. But why connect each one individually to the big control system? Wouldn’t it be better to have a central unit and equip it with a timer or similar functions?

As far as I understood from the electrician, full control options would remain available at the roller shutters themselves, while at the same time there would be full centralized control, allowing either the central or the individual controls to override each other as desired.

Overall, I find it a bit challenging because running cables from each roller shutter to a central location will likely be costly, and I think it might be significantly cheaper in a few years to expand such a system wirelessly. But honestly, I just don’t have the experience to judge that yet...

At the moment, we have standard roller shutter straps, so even just having an automatic function with a fixed timer would be a huge improvement.

Knallkörper schrieb:
In my opinion, a central control unit is not necessary. The switches should always be placed next to the room door; that works well and allows for convenient selective raising and lowering. In our living room with dining area, we installed a semi-centralized solution. There is a Gira switch with an astro function that controls all four roller shutters, and additionally, each window has a “secondary control.” In the end, we don’t use either the astro function or the central control because it simply doesn’t fit our needs...

From my perspective, and considering the costs, a central control system with the features you described might sound appealing in theory, but in everyday use, it’s probably used less frequently. Generally, we would lower all the roller shutters in the evening anyway, but that can also be done with a fixed timer.

I don’t yet see a huge added value in a central control system; however, I hope I’m not making an oversight or missing something important, because later on, installing cables can become quite complicated. As you described, having switches, for example on the ground floor in a central location, could be a good compromise!

Which motors are actually being installed? They aren’t necessarily as "simple" as they appear...

Maybe it’s also more cost-effective to use radio-controlled motors and then have all switches operate wirelessly... that way, you can buy and install the central control unit later yourself and select the desired functions without having to run any cables.