ᐅ Which smart home system is best for our new build?

xMisterDx schrieb:

I already understand your concept, but it doesn’t give me the option to control each switch individually as I want. Even with 5x1.5, I can only control 3 groups per circuit.

Obviously not. It’s not about what you want or don’t want. That’s just not how it’s done. You put the junction boxes in the distribution panel and control them there using actuators. Doing this with KNX flush-mounted actuators is a completely unnecessary waste of material. Running a few cables to the distribution panel is definitely much cheaper than 45 actuators and their connections. This kind of setup is usually only considered if something was forgotten, and even then it’s more common with RF.

Pacc666 schrieb:

Yes, the problem isn’t specifically with KNX but with the occupancy sensors (which are mostly used with KNX).

Does anyone here have dogs and KNX?
Would you say that KNX is even practical with dogs (especially for lighting control)? I imagine it can get annoying if the dog keeps triggering the lights.

But it’s hard for me to judge since I haven’t lived in a KNX home with a dog yet.

Oh, that’s exhausting. This has absolutely NOTHING to do with KNX, and sensors exist in pretty much every automation system! Nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing has to do with KNX! You’d experience the same with DIY smart home kits from hardware stores, and yes, also with wireless systems 🤨

Araknis schrieb:

Obviously not. It’s not about whether you want to do it or not. That’s just not how it’s done. The boxes are installed in the distribution board, and then switched from there using actuators. Using KNX flush-mounted actuators for this is a completely unnecessary overuse of material. Running a few cables to the distribution board is definitely much cheaper than 45 actuators and their wiring. This approach is normally only used if something was forgotten, and even then only wirelessly.

I would need 15 cables, each 5x1.5mm² (5x16 AWG) to the distribution board to switch all the boxes individually.
Wait, no—that applies to bus cables. Actually, there are 45 positions with nearly 80 outlets. So roughly 25 cables, each 5x1.5mm² (5x16 AWG), to the distribution board.

Let’s drop it. You have your perspective, which doesn’t match mine, and that’s fine.
And I’m not a layperson either 😉

Just do the math yourself, and your perspective will change. Fortunately, we don’t need to discuss whether it makes sense or not.

Having 80 switching points in a larger single-family house is not uncommon. Four 20-channel switching actuators, and the setup is complete.

Pacc666 schrieb:

What would a budget KNX installation look like?

Exactly what you are planning. I don’t find $20,000 particularly expensive, considering that nowadays even a simple plug-and-play installation in a single-family home usually doesn’t cost less than $15,000 (yes, I know the general contractor will still only credit you about $5,000 when excluding it).

Regarding your other questions: what do you mean by "all"? I don’t know your house. Are all 5 or all 25 heating zones involved?

With underfloor heating, it’s less critical nowadays. The actuators are usually supplied by the heating contractor, so you’ve already paid for those. You only need 2 actuators for KNX, and you can calculate their cost. You will need the control sensors anyway for other functions.

It’s unfortunate that the window contact series has been discontinued. Here I would at least try to properly integrate the patio door and main entrance during construction. The rest can be added later with EnOcean if needed.

Pacc666 schrieb:

-For sockets, you can install KNX RF or other wireless sockets recessed later (probably don’t need many anyway) (we want to retrofit a few sockets outside the standard ourselves)

That is exactly what you shouldn’t do because it will end up costing two to three times as much. This approach is what makes KNX installations extremely expensive.

Keep in mind: the more you plan and implement at the beginning, the cheaper it will be in the long run.

But all of this is of course hypothetical thinking, since nothing concrete has been presented here.

here is our floor plan

I will talk to our electrician again regarding the KNX economy version to see what price he offers.
The electrician mainly emphasized the star wiring since it is the most complex part of a smart home for him and involves a lot of work, so it is expensive (probably not very enthusiastic about it).

If it turns out to be too expensive, we will stick with wireless for DIY retrofitting.

@xMisterDx as you already said, you usually only build once in your life, but eventually the money runs out.

I have one more question about access points.
Is one PoE access point per floor sufficient for us?

Unfortunately, we have to use wall-mounted access points. Ceiling mounting was reportedly not possible according to the builder (allegedly due to structural reasons).
We plan to hide the wall-mounted access points behind the TV on each floor (we don’t like them high up on the wall for aesthetic reasons).
There’s always a LAN cable behind the TV anyway.

xMisterDx schrieb:

If I were to choose premium everywhere in the house, I wouldn’t have a 5 but an 8 at the front.

Certainly, but you are mistaken to think that KNX is only reserved for the premium segment. One of the major advantages of KNX is that you can configure it exactly how you want/can afford/functionally need. Only a few elements are absolutely necessary in every installation. From there, the cost curve steadily decreases unless you specifically want something like gold-plated touch sensors (yes, those do exist).

But yes, you can bring KNX into your house with relatively little expense. You just need a partner who really knows KNX and understands more than what is typically covered during training, especially if you want to avoid a straightforward 1:1 replacement of conventional systems with KNX.

Of course, there is no upper limit to how much you can invest.

xMisterDx schrieb:

And in the end, the best thing is always what you’ve put together yourself...

Perfectly true with KNX. That’s exactly why I chose it for my house back then. There’s hardly any other system that offers so much flexibility to the resident or owner.