ᐅ Which Sensors for What? Inspiration

Hammer, that is exactly the kind of input I would like to see. Please, more of this!

Tarnari schrieb:

Another example: I’m considering using the Steinel True Presence PM in the living/dining area. It also has a temperature sensor, CO2 sensor, and more. How could such a PM be used most effectively...
Maybe now it’s clearer what kind of inspiration we are currently looking for...

Well, various controls/regulations for heating (temperature), cooling (temperature), ventilation (CO2, VOC), shading (light levels, indoor + outdoor temperature, presence), lighting (presence + absence), presence simulation (absence), and so on...

But what’s also simply important: The sensor provides data on the bus that other devices can access. What you do with that over time depends on how familiar you get with the system.

Otherwise, here are some other uses. Everything is very subjective, and some will probably seem completely crazy. But the residents of the houses find these functions useful for themselves, and that’s what counts.

• (Classic) Motion detector under the bed to activate night lighting when placing a foot on the floor beside the bed in the dark.
• Leak sensor (like an electric fence) under water-related appliances/fittings, e.g., washing machine, dishwasher, water softener, heat pump heater, sink, etc., to detect leaks or malfunctions.
• Light barrier at the stairs to switch the stair light on/off.
• Light barrier / reed switch at the mailbox to detect if it has been opened (maybe there’s mail inside).
• Pipe temperature sensor on the heating water supply line to the bathroom/shower to automatically trigger a scene or keep the light on when standing behind glass/wall in the shower and the PM doesn’t detect presence.
• Pressure-sensitive mats in the bed/sofa to control night light, automatically trigger scenes, or for other quirky uses.
• RGB LED strip in the entrance area with a quick signal effect when the front door is opened via a reed switch—for example, yellow for recycling day, blue for paper waste, or red for general waste pickup reminders.
• Reed switches on windows and doors to lock blinds/shutters and possibly serve as a basic alarm system.
• Garage door connected to the bus system, whatever the type (a non-smart garage door is really inconvenient).
• Ekey integrated into door communication, e.g., unlocking the front door or garage based on the registered finger.
• Integration of a robotic lawnmower.
• Integration of a garden irrigation system.
• Bathroom glass wall facing corridor/staircase equipped with switchable glass, turning opaque when presence is detected in the bathroom and the sliding door is closed.
• Pipe temperature sensor in the shower that starts the towel warmer for a set time.
• Intelligent control of the circulation pump based on presence and mode (sleeping, at home, away, etc.).
• Hall light blinks a few times when logging off if any window is still open.
• Living room blinds close when it’s very bright outside, and the TV is turned on—before the blinds close, the ceiling light blinks a few times to give 10 seconds to override the logic.
• Muting all music when the phone or doorbell rings.
• Air conditioning automatically turns on only if the room temperature is too high and enough electricity is available from the photovoltaic system; otherwise, a notification says, “Room temperature too high, AC uses purchased electricity.”
• At dusk, if the kitchen light is on, the blinds facing the street close automatically to prevent anyone from seeing inside.
• No longer needed: lowering the blind halfway when the sun shines on the changing table and someone enters.
• Depending on the Google calendar, the blinds stay down in the morning if my wife is on night shift and sleeping in.
• Motion detector in the garden for lawn sprinklers to prevent the neighbor’s cat from using the garden as a litter box at night.
• Dog barking played through ceiling speakers if the (pseudo/KNX) alarm system is triggered.
• Temperature, date, and time-controlled activation of the vehicle’s parking heater (a remote control must be sacrificed for this).
• Detecting whether the TV is on and activating living room shading or lighting scenes accordingly.
• If away, the robot vacuum starts automatically, ventilation runs full power for 30 minutes, then switches to low power.
• Lighting in various combinations and dim levels by time of day via PM (currently 5 different dimming stages/combinations in the hallway).
• Depending on the position of the terrace door window handle, the blinds open or stay up. If tilted, the blinds open slightly.
• Soil moisture measurement in the garden for automatic irrigation, preferably even selectively (e.g., the vegetable garden needs different watering than the hedge).
• Control of circulation pump based on PM and schedules.
• Integration of the phone system into KNX to lower music volume or pause the TV during calls and display caller info on the TV.
• Warning message via USB speaker built into the room divider at the visualization PC if windows remain open too long during manual ventilation or if rain is detected.
• DAX stock index-dependent lighting effects on the baseboard: green for strong gains, orange for moderate losses, red for larger losses, off for little movement—24V LED strip controlled via DALI.
• TV displays incoming phone number with reverse lookup for caller’s name and volume reduction.
• Warning call if water consumption is detected (pulse output on central softener) and nobody is home, and neither washing machine nor dishwasher is running. Also at night if no presence in bathroom or toilet (presence detector).
• KNX/1-wire key holder: if no one is home (all keys removed), every xx minutes a “all lights off” telegram is sent, in case lights were forgotten.
• Later: when keys are removed or motion is detected in the hallway and it’s dark outside and the apartment door opens => stairwell light turns on (multi-family house).
• (Currently) controlled by a timer, later by a weight sensor in the bed: night mode in bedroom, hallway, and toilet to avoid harsh lighting that might disturb sleep.
• As described above, if it’s dark outside but lights turn on inside, the blinds lower.
• Later: if the sun shines on the south side and the temperature there is much higher than on the north side and no one is home => lower blinds on the south side to avoid overheating.
• Balcony light turns on when the balcony door is opened (blinds also raise) and it’s dark outside.
• Guest toilet/bathroom: reacts to locked door => PM is disabled so that the light doesn’t turn off during long stays or standing in the shower.
• Garage door opens when a certain phone number calls.
• Wake-up sequence with slow light dimming (winter) or gradual raising of blinds (summer).
• Bedroom blind position at night depends on outside temperature (in summer the blind should be more open than in winter for the same air exchange through a tilted window).
• Timers that handle “flexible” days such as the first Sunday of Advent.
• Warning if the awning is retracted during rain alarm (usually a few drops on the awning before the rain sensor reacts, so there is a theoretical risk of mold stains).
• Balcony light turns off when the balcony door is locked.
• Disabling the PM (and turning off the light) when the blind in the child’s room is lowered.
• Hall light dimmed on when child is sleeping (similar to night light).
• All lights on and blinds raised when smoke detectors or temperature sensors (e.g., server cabinet) exceed threshold.
• Intelligent shading that, among other things, retracts the awning only in the evening if the terrace door is closed.
• RGB lighting depending on the degree of doneness of the meat in the smoker.
• Blinds don’t close fully before freezing weather as forecasted but leave a small gap open. Weather forecast is obtained in my case from one of three local weather stations registered with Wunderground, without using a private weather station.
• Via Asterisk and querying with the Harmony plugin, detecting which device is in use and sending different messages accordingly (TV only -> soap message on TV, Dreambox -> message to Dreambox, Shield TV -> overlay via Tasker).
• Movie playback is paused during watching.
• Lights raised to 70% during “light times” to help find the phone.
• Lights dimmed to 25% automatically when answering or ending a call.
• Lights must then be turned off manually, and the movie resumed manually.
• Next to the toilet, I installed a light sensor (a kind of reflective light barrier). When sitting on the toilet, the Geberit Duofresh odor extraction activates automatically (originally started by a button, very unsmart). This works with any conventional toilet bowl—odor is sucked out through the flush opening and passed through an activated carbon filter. There is also a version for connection to an exhaust pipe.
• We once built a parcel box from stainless steel sheet, embedded in the property wall with two doors—one facing the street and one towards the yard. If the delivery person rings the gate and the package can’t be accepted in person, the front door can be opened remotely via the home server, allowing the courier to deposit the parcel inside.
• In many rooms, a long button press triggers “all lights off in the room.”
• I run a 5-core cable to the power outlets connected to actuators, allowing each socket to be rewired and remotely controlled later (essential for Christmas lights—no timer needed—as well as helpful for TV, hi-fi in the living room).
• RGB LED strip in the stairway turns on via motion detector from 3 p.m., while normal lights activate later at dusk.
• Connection of a standard weather station as a backup for the KNX weather station.
• Balcony light turns on when a balcony door handle contact is triggered AND it’s dark outside.
• Automatic ventilation by turning on the extractor fan at night and opening a window with an actuator (I don’t have a central ventilation system in the house).
• A friend wants to control the bathroom window motor based on humidity (he also does not plan a central ventilation system).
• When working “quietly” at the PC (long reading, just scrolling), a PM often detects no movement. Solution:
PC and/or monitor connected to a switch actuator with power measurement—while PC/monitor are on, the presence detector is blocked so the light doesn’t turn off.

I can only read it later because right now it’s my four-year-old-wants-to-eat-and-needs-full-attention time.
But already in advance: I’m very grateful to you!
My wife has read it and had a positive smile.
I’ll get back to you.

Tarnari schrieb:

I probably didn’t express myself clearly. By switchable, I don’t mean switches in the traditional sense. The plan is to install a smart push-button from MDT only in the frequently used rooms. The rest will be controlled via push modules. By switchable, I meant controlling through the bus, not manually.

Then you are on the right track, and your electrician is probably quite competent after all. I just wanted to warn you about the bad experiences some electricians (like ours) can cause. I would have liked to have the smart push-buttons too, but right now I have 4 pieces of 4-gang rocker switches at the living room door. Of course, you can retrofit later, but then you have to patch and repaint properly again…

Mycraft schrieb:

Well, various controls/regulations for heating (temperature), cooling (temperature), ventilation (CO2, VOC), shading (light level, indoor and outdoor temperature, presence), lighting (presence + absence), presence simulation (absence), and so on...

What is also simply important: The sensor provides data on the bus that other devices can access. What you do with it later comes with time as your affinity for the system grows.

Otherwise, here are application possibilities from others. Everything is very subjective and some things might seem completely crazy. But the house occupants find these functions useful for themselves, and that's how it is.

• (Classic) Motion sensor under the bed to activate night lighting in the dark as soon as a foot is placed on the floor next to the bed.
• Leak sensor (electric fence type) under water-related appliances/fittings such as washing machine, dishwasher, water softener, heat pump heating, sink, etc., to detect leaks or defects causing water escape.
• Light barrier at the stairs to control the stair light.
• Light barrier / reed switch on the mailbox to detect if it has been opened (there might be mail inside).
• Pipe temperature sensor on the heating water supply line to the bathroom/shower to automatically trigger a scene or ensure the light stays on when standing behind a glass/wall in the shower and the presence sensor doesn't detect you.
• Pressure mats in the bed/sofa to control night light or automatically trigger scenes or other uses.
• RGB LED strip in the entrance area with a short, quick "signal effect" when opening the front door with a reed switch—for example, yellow for recycling collection, blue for paper, or red for residual waste pickup days, reminding you to put out the bin.
• Reed switches on windows and doors to lock blinds/shutters and possibly serve as a basic alarm system.
• Garage door with bus connection, whatever type (an unsmart garage door is really inconvenient).
• Fingerprint scanner integrated into door communication—for instance, depending on the finger used, it opens the front door or garage door.
• Integration of a robotic lawn mower.
• Integration of a garden irrigation system.
• Glass wall between bathroom and corridor/staircase equipped with switchable (smart) glass, turning opaque when presence is detected in the bathroom and the sliding door is closed.
• Pipe temperature sensor in the shower to start the towel warmer for a set time.
• Intelligent control of the circulation pump based on presence and mode (sleeping, home, away, etc.).
• Hallway light blinks a few times when logging out and a window is still open somewhere.
• Living room blinds lower automatically when it’s very bright outside and the TV is on—before the blinds close, the living room ceiling light blinks a few times, giving 10 seconds to disable the logic.
• Muting all music when the phone rings or there is a doorbell at the front.
• Air conditioning only automatically turns on at high indoor temperatures when there is enough power from the photovoltaic system; otherwise, a notification appears: "Room temperature too high, AC uses purchased electricity."
• At dusk, if the kitchen light is on, the blinds facing the street close automatically so no one can see into the kitchen.
• No longer needed: when the sun shines on the changing table and someone enters, the blinds lower to 50%.
• Depending on the Google calendar, the blinds stay down in the morning if my wife has a night shift and sleeps in.
• Motion sensor in the garden activates irrigation sprinklers to prevent the neighbor's cat from using the garden as a litter box at night.
• Dog barking plays through ceiling speakers if the (pseudo/KNX) alarm system triggers.
• Temperature, date, and time-controlled activation of the car’s diesel heater (a remote control must be sacrificed for this!).
• Detection of whether the TV is on. Depending on that, living room shading or lighting scenes activate.
• When away, the robot vacuum cleaner activates independently, ventilation runs at full speed for 30 minutes, then lowers to level 1.
• Lighting in various combinations and dim levels by presence detection depending on time (currently 5 different dimming levels/combinations in the hallway).
• Depending on the terrace door handle position, the blinds open or stay up; if tilted, the blinds open only slightly.
• Soil moisture measurement in the garden for automatic watering, preferably selectively (for example, the vegetable patch needs different water than the hedge).
• Circulation control based on presence detection and time schedules.
• Telephone system integration into KNX to reduce music volume or pause TV during calls, showing caller ID on the TV.
• Warning message via USB speaker built into the room divider connected to the visualization computer if windows are left open too long during manual ventilation or if rain is detected.
• DAX stock index-based effect lighting in the baseboard: significantly up: green, moderate down: orange, major down: red, little movement: off — via 24V LED strip controlled by DALI.
• TV shows the incoming caller’s number (with reverse lookup for the name) and lowers volume during phone calls.
• Warning call if water consumption is detected (pulse output at central water softener) but nobody is home and neither washing machine nor dishwasher is running; also at night if no presence detected in bathroom or toilet.
• KNX/1-wire key holder: if no one is home (all keys are gone), it sends an "all lights off" command every XX minutes in case a light was forgotten.
• Later: if a key is removed or there's movement in the hallway when it's dark outside and the front door opens → stairwell light turns on (apartment building).
• (Still) via timer, later via weight sensor in the bed: night mode in bedroom, hallway, toilet to prevent harsh lighting that startles or wakes you up too much.
• As described above, when it’s dark outside but lights come on inside, the blinds lower.
• Later: if the sun shines on the south side and the temperature is much higher there than on the north side, and no one is home → blinds on south side lower to prevent overheating.
• Balcony light turns on when the balcony door opens (blinds also go up) and it’s dark outside.
• Guest toilet/bathroom: reacts to locked door → presence sensor is blocked so the light doesn’t go off during longer stays or when standing in the shower.
• Garage door opens when a specific phone number calls.
• Wake-up sequence: slowly brightening the lights (winter) or gradually raising the blinds (summer).
• Bedroom blind position at night depends on outside temperature (in summer, blinds stay more open than in winter to maintain the same air exchange with a tilted window).
• Timers that also handle "flexible" days like the first Sunday of Advent.
• Warning if the awning retracts during a rain alert (usually there are already a few drops on it before the rain sensor reacts, which theoretically risks mildew).
• Balcony lighting turns off when the balcony door is locked.
• Presence sensor deactivates (and lights off) when the blind in the child’s room is lowered.
• Dimmed hallway light on when the child is sleeping (similar to night light).
• All lights on and blinds up when smoke detectors trigger or if temperature sensors (e.g., server cabinet) exceed a threshold.
• Intelligent shading that, among other things, retracts the awning in the evening only if the terrace door is closed.
• RGB lighting depending on meat doneness in the smoker.
• Blinds don’t close fully if the weather forecast predicts freezing, leaving a small gap open. I get the weather forecast from one of three locally registered Weather Underground stations instead of my own weather station.
• Via Asterisk and Harmony plugin, querying what is currently in use and sending messages accordingly (TV: soap message directly on TV, Dreambox: message to Dreambox, Shield TV: overlay via Tasker).
• Pauses the movie while watching films.
• Lights increase to 70% during "lighting times" to help find the phone.
• Lights dim down to 25% automatically when the call is answered or ended.
• Lights must then be turned off manually and the movie restarted manually.
• Next to the toilet I installed a light switch (a kind of reflection light barrier). When sitting down, it automatically starts the Geberit Duofresh odor extraction (originally started by a button, quite unsmart). This works with any conventional toilet; the odor is extracted through the flush opening and filtered through an activated carbon filter. There is also a version for connection to an exhaust pipe.
• We once built a parcel box from stainless steel sheets. It was built into the property wall with two doors—one facing the street and one facing the yard. If the delivery person rings the gate and you can’t receive the package personally, you can remotely open the door facing the street via the home server, allowing the courier to deposit the package.
• In many rooms, a long button press triggers "all off in room."
• I run a 5-wire cable to the floor outlets, which then connect to actuators, so any socket can be switched remotely (essential for Christmas lights—no timer needed, also useful for TV, hi-fi in the living room).
• RGB LED strip on the stairway controlled by a motion detector that switches it on from 3 p.m. onward, while the normal light only turns on later at dusk.
• Connecting a standard weather station as a replacement for the KNX weather station.
• Balcony light turns on if a balcony door is opened (door handle contact) AND it’s dark outside.
• Automatic ventilation by turning on the kitchen extractor fan at night and opening a window with an actuator (I have no central ventilation system in the house).
• A friend wants to control the bathroom window motor based on humidity (also no central ventilation planned).
• During quiet work at the PC (long reading, just scrolling), a presence sensor often detects no movement. Solution:
PC and/or monitor connected to a switching actuator with power measurement → presence sensor is blocked as long as PC/monitor is ON so the light doesn’t turn off.

Respect for your answers, you could charge money for that.

Mycraft schrieb:

Well, various controls/regulations for heating (temperature), cooling (temperature), ventilation (CO2, VOC), shading (light level, indoor + outdoor temperature, presence), lighting (presence + absence), presence simulation (absence) and so on...

But what’s also simply important: The sensor provides data on the bus that other devices can access. What you do with it later comes with time as you develop a certain affinity for the system.

Otherwise, here are the application possibilities of others. Everything is very subjective and some things may seem completely crazy at first. But the residents of the houses find these functions useful for themselves, and that’s how it is.

Great. Exactly what I wanted to hear. Sure, there’s a lot that seems pointless at first. But when you think about it, it really is just great, as mentioned before. Two things interest me in particular:
1. How do you implement things with light barriers?
So far, I haven’t found a sensor like that in popular stores. I also haven’t searched much because I never thought of it.
Can you give me a tip on how to implement something like this?
2. How, can you remind me, do you make the braised meat?

RomeoZwo schrieb:

Then you’re on a good path, and your electrician is probably quite capable after all. I just wanted to warn you about bad experiences with some electricians (e.g., ours). I would have liked to have smart switches too, but for now I have 4 pieces of 4-gang rocker switches at the living room door. Sure, you can retrofit later but then it has to be properly plastered and painted again…

Thanks to you and Mr. Heinle, I have fortunately internalized that by now.

tumaa schrieb:

Respect for your answers, you could charge money for them.

Seriously, Mycraft’s knowledge base is so vast and informative, and his posts are always constructive. That is truly appreciated.

One more fundamental thing about wiring. I admit I’m still very green in the electrical part. Did I understand correctly that I should basically try to run everything with bus cables (4 cores?) wherever possible, so that in the end we are as flexible as possible? Can everything be controlled with that in the end? Also lighting, shading, etc.?