ᐅ Best Smart Home Upgrade for New Construction

RotorMotor schrieb:

@AllThumbs: Did you really solve it that way or is that just the idealized version? It worked for me in the kids’ room and guest room, but the bathroom, kitchen, living room, heat pump, utility room, outdoor areas, and so on quickly became very complicated. Sometimes one neutral conductor is no longer enough; you have to discuss and plan very precisely.

The power outlets are mostly wired exactly like that—for the “normal” loads. Towel radiators in the bathroom, dishwasher, oven, washer/dryer, ventilation system, and possibly other major appliances are, of course, separately protected. But that’s something any electrician would do with a traditional installation as well.
The “free conductors” then connect directly to switching actuators in the distribution board, so there’s no need to re-terminate anything there if I want to make something switchable. I only have to rearrange the conductor at the outlet itself.
In the living room, the TV unit has an additional supply line, as do the sockets in the window recesses (for Christmas lights). The TV unit supply is less about turning off the TV and more about knowing whether it is running.

Disclaimer: no living experience yet, the cables are currently just installed and the walls are waiting for their interior plaster.

RotorMotor schrieb:

Better than nothing, sure, but my wife wants the socket in the window reveal to be switchable, I want the TV to be measurable for scenes, and then nothing is left over.

In our case, the living room also has the most supply lines and deviates from the standard concept of 5 conductors per room.
5x1.5mm² (5x16 AWG) for the TV unit
5x1.5mm² (5x16 AWG) for the window reveals
5x1.5mm² (5x16 AWG) for everything else

The 5 conductors are looped through from socket to socket. I passed this requirement on to the electrician, and it was implemented accordingly.

I need to see how we’ll handle this.

I just came across the new wireless standard Thread by chance.

Is Thread the new wireless standard of the future? That’s how it is being presented, at least.

From what I understand, it is supposed to be the result of Connected Home over IP. It is allegedly meant to be the wireless alternative to KNX.

Currently, there are only a few products available, just Eve and Nanoleaf 😀, but more could come since it’s still in its early stages.

What do you think—does the new wireless standard Thread have a future and will it replace others like Zigbee, Z-Wave, or EnOcean?

Thread is said to be a manufacturer-independent wireless standard without a central hub and with a mesh system.

And what exactly is Matter?

RotorMotor schrieb:

Better than nothing, that’s true, but my wife wants the flush-mounted outlet switchable, I want the TV measurable for scenes, and then nothing is left.

Since you already know this in advance, are you planning accordingly? Flush-mounted outlets get their own 3x1.5 mm² (3x1.5 mm²), TV and media corner as well. The 5x1.5 mm² (5x1.5 mm²) cables would then be for the remaining ring circuit in the room.

Don’t just look at everything one-dimensionally but think ahead about how things could be arranged. The biggest problem with wiring houses and apartments is that hardly anyone thinks it through beforehand. It’s built by rote, and afterwards people say, “Put a wireless actuator here and one there.” But all of that can be avoided with proper advance planning.

Pacc666 schrieb:

What do you think, does the new wireless standard Thread have a future and will it replace the others? (Zigbee, Z-Wave, EnOcean)

No, there will be coexistence just like with wired communication standards. Modbus, dating back to 1979, is still sometimes presented as the technology of the future today (albeit in a slightly modified form).

Mycraft schrieb:

Don’t look at everything one-dimensionally but think beforehand about what could be how.

I have, and I do. It takes a lot of time and money.

Did you build new and also completely plan the electrical system yourself alongside?