Hello everyone,
Please don’t take this thread too seriously – but I’m curious to see where the discussion goes.
I’m about to build a single-family house with 1.5 stories, including private and commercial space, around 150 m² (1,615 sq ft) just for myself.
When the plan started to take shape, it was clear to me – of course Flo is going to do smart home, being tech-savvy, formerly working in IT, and naturally wanting everything connected and automated, because that’s what you need these days.
And it would be silly not to include smart home features in a new build in 2022, whether you actually need them or not.
So I looked into it and especially the costs.
$20,000 plus normal electricity costs (whether KNX or Loxone) are no small expense, so I decided to first see what a smart home really can do and whether I even want it.
Ventilation control – NO (I don’t have ventilation)
Shutter control – NO (I don’t need to control it from anywhere in the world)
Window open/close – NO (window motors alone are too expensive)
Alarm system – NO (I don’t have one)
Door intercom – YES, but this is covered by the intercom provider, and since I’m alone, the app is enough for me.
Weather sensors – NO
Mailbox – YES, that would be cool: like having a display at the entrance and a sensor in the mailbox so you don’t always have to open the door.
Surveillance cameras – YES, but those are covered by the camera provider.
Heat pump / photovoltaics / underfloor heating monitoring and control – YES, that would be nice, but does it justify the cost?
Switchable sockets – YES, that would actually be the first thing I really want.
Lighting control – NO for scenes. YES for motion detectors and different brightness levels for day and night.
So I came to the conclusion: no real smart home, I’ll wire everything conventionally.
Hallway, bathroom, utility room, guest toilet, pantry will have motion sensors, but without adjusted lighting levels – that’s about all I can do.
Now, feel free to share your thoughts. As I said, I’ve more or less given up on the topic.
But if anyone has an intermediate solution, I would still appreciate hearing about it.
Best regards
Flo
Please don’t take this thread too seriously – but I’m curious to see where the discussion goes.
I’m about to build a single-family house with 1.5 stories, including private and commercial space, around 150 m² (1,615 sq ft) just for myself.
When the plan started to take shape, it was clear to me – of course Flo is going to do smart home, being tech-savvy, formerly working in IT, and naturally wanting everything connected and automated, because that’s what you need these days.
And it would be silly not to include smart home features in a new build in 2022, whether you actually need them or not.
So I looked into it and especially the costs.
$20,000 plus normal electricity costs (whether KNX or Loxone) are no small expense, so I decided to first see what a smart home really can do and whether I even want it.
Ventilation control – NO (I don’t have ventilation)
Shutter control – NO (I don’t need to control it from anywhere in the world)
Window open/close – NO (window motors alone are too expensive)
Alarm system – NO (I don’t have one)
Door intercom – YES, but this is covered by the intercom provider, and since I’m alone, the app is enough for me.
Weather sensors – NO
Mailbox – YES, that would be cool: like having a display at the entrance and a sensor in the mailbox so you don’t always have to open the door.
Surveillance cameras – YES, but those are covered by the camera provider.
Heat pump / photovoltaics / underfloor heating monitoring and control – YES, that would be nice, but does it justify the cost?
Switchable sockets – YES, that would actually be the first thing I really want.
Lighting control – NO for scenes. YES for motion detectors and different brightness levels for day and night.
So I came to the conclusion: no real smart home, I’ll wire everything conventionally.
Hallway, bathroom, utility room, guest toilet, pantry will have motion sensors, but without adjusted lighting levels – that’s about all I can do.
Now, feel free to share your thoughts. As I said, I’ve more or less given up on the topic.
But if anyone has an intermediate solution, I would still appreciate hearing about it.
Best regards
Flo
@Nida35a
It’s like many other things. I don’t have a large garden and don’t miss it. Or exposed concrete, a cantilevered staircase, a guest room, a balcony, and visible roof beams... I don’t miss any of those either.
But living in a house where you don’t have to press switches all the time is definitely convenient. Or having things handled that you tend to forget (alarm system, saving electricity and other resources). The house takes care of that on its own.
That’s why certain systems (to varying degrees) have become established that are intuitive to use or require little to no action from the occupants.
But only if the house is specifically set up for that. Otherwise, the mother-in-law behaves like other guests and the opposite effect happens. They usually don’t want to leave.
It’s like many other things. I don’t have a large garden and don’t miss it. Or exposed concrete, a cantilevered staircase, a guest room, a balcony, and visible roof beams... I don’t miss any of those either.
But living in a house where you don’t have to press switches all the time is definitely convenient. Or having things handled that you tend to forget (alarm system, saving electricity and other resources). The house takes care of that on its own.
Nida35a schrieb:
And since IT people don’t like to document, especially small changes between 3 and 20, it always comes as a surprise to the family at times.
That’s why certain systems (to varying degrees) have become established that are intuitive to use or require little to no action from the occupants.
Nida35a schrieb:
PS: a way to drive the mother-in-law away
But only if the house is specifically set up for that. Otherwise, the mother-in-law behaves like other guests and the opposite effect happens. They usually don’t want to leave.
Mycraft schrieb:
That’s because Openhab is just a small part of the whole system. A smart home isn’t only the top software layer, but also the rest of what belongs to it—the field level and everything in between. That’s why I mentioned doing the proper wiring right from the start (star / bus topology). Anyone who handles the infrastructure themselves (at least wiring including switches and sensors) saves a lot of money and knows exactly what has been done. This way, additional sensors, actuators, and other centralized or decentralized logic of any kind can be retrofitted or replaced later.
Those who want to can then start programming, configuring, and so on.
Still, this is clear: I am at best the one-eyed man among the blind. I haven’t come across a clear definition of what a smart home actually is—at least not one that isn’t contradicted by at least 38 others 😉 For my part, I came up with and partly implemented a definition that suits me. But I also agree that just because Alexa is in the house doesn’t mean the house is smart—in fact, Alexa itself isn’t smart as I still have to tell it what to do. A truly smart Alexa would read my mind :p
i_b_n_a_n schrieb:
That’s why I mentioned doing the appropriate wiring right from the start (star / bus topology). For those who handle the infrastructure (at least wiring including switches and sensors)For most people, this is the biggest challenge by far. Because it goes against the usual way of thinking—not only for homeowners but also for electricians.Power -> Switch -> Light On
Additionally, there is the question:
Why should I install more cables when it somehow works like this anyway?
Mycraft schrieb:
"Regular electrical work" and smart home systems are two completely different things.That is probably true, BUT if I do the "regular" electrical installation myself and, in the process, for example, pre-install the control cables, I can save the money I would otherwise pay to the smart home installer.nullhorn schrieb:
BUT if I do the "standard" electrical work myself,What exactly do you mean by that in a smart home context?Mycraft schrieb:
What exactly do you imagine under this term in a smart home?Well, installing the electrical panel, running 3x1.5mm² (about 14 AWG) copper cables or similar, setting up sub-distributions, chasing walls, installing boxes, fitting switches and sockets, wiring everything. Something along those lines.Similar topics