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

Pacc666 schrieb:

The electrician especially emphasized that star wiring is the most complex part in a smart home, and for him it involves a lot of work and is expensive (probably just doesn’t feel like doing it)

Yes, it is definitely more complex. But nowadays, I would do it in every modern building, especially if you have an interest in this and want to automate things in the house. Completely independent of which system is installed on top later.

Possibly the electrician simply knows that star wiring takes longer and usually plans for only 7-14 days per project. So your build might disrupt his schedule.

KNX and other wired systems already start at this stage. Others, like many wireless systems, overlook this important aspect and only come into play much later. This is mainly because wireless is primarily developed for the retrofit market and existing buildings.

Pacc666 schrieb:

Unfortunately, we have to use WALL access points. According to the builder, ceiling installation was not possible (supposedly due to structural reasons).
We plan to hide the WALL access points behind the TV on each floor (we don’t like them high up on the wall for aesthetic reasons).
There is always a LAN cable behind the TV anyway.

Oh dear, that sounds like a really bad idea.
Access points should be installed as high as possible and definitely not placed behind a TV, which acts like a shield.

Especially if you’re thinking about smart home devices using Wi-Fi, signal reception is very important!

Pacc666 schrieb:

Pacc666 schrieb:


What definitely needs to be done:
-All push buttons are definitely necessary (we like the MDT glass push buttons)

At least where there are no detectors. Otherwise, make sure to lay the bus wiring to places where you might need a push button later. You can install the button on the wall gradually. Buy/order push buttons sparingly. For example, we have only one GT II in each kids’ room, which handles everything including roller shutters and music control.

Pacc666 schrieb:

-All light points should be wired star-shaped to the basement and connected to the actuators

Not exactly. At least cables should be run from the distribution box to where you might need lighting later. Whether you connect a lamp now (which requires an actuator channel) is up to you. For example, we have some rooms with wiring ready for LED strips that aren’t connected yet.

Pacc666 schrieb:

-All presence detectors must be installed

Not necessarily. If you have push buttons, you can add presence detectors gradually. Again, it’s better to have the bus wiring than to need it later.

Pacc666 schrieb:

-The weather station must be installed.

Yes, you need that for any system if you have exterior blinds.

Pacc666 schrieb:

-Floor heating probably also needs to be done (so that the KNX push buttons can replace the ERR)

Have power and bus wiring installed in the heating manifold (HKV), so you can install actuators there—or skip it if your heating installers and you perform a good hydraulic balancing.

Pacc666 schrieb:

What can be omitted and retrofitted later:
-Window sensors can possibly be added later using EnOcean (for us, it’s probably too late since the windows are already ordered) (our electrician appointment was unfortunately extremely delayed)

For me, those are one of the biggest comfort features in the house—checking if everything is closed, ventilation controls, lockout protection at the door... But if it’s too late, there’s no point. Maybe ask your window supplier if anything is still possible.

Pacc666 schrieb:

-Sockets can be added later with flush-mounted KNX RF or other wireless sockets (probably not many needed). We plan to retrofit some sockets ourselves that are outside the standard locations.

I would consider where you want sockets to be switchable or even measurable (TV? AV receiver? Dryer, washing machine, so you know when they finished? Display cabinet with lighting plug?). Otherwise, check how much the electrician charges extra if you have rooms wired with 5- or even 7-conductor cables—then you can make multiple sockets switchable later. I must admit we didn’t do that consistently either.

Pacc666 schrieb:

Did I forget anything?

I ordered 200 m (650 ft) of bus cable myself on eBay and ran it along sockets in some rooms. It doesn’t cost much and you have the green wiring ready if you need one somewhere later. Buy ETS Home, take the ETS course from Eibmeier, read a lot and watch YouTube tutorials, then you can do the setup yourself and won’t need to call the electrician for every little thing.

RotorMotor schrieb:

Oh dear, that sounds like a really bad idea.
Access points need to be placed as high as possible and definitely not behind a TV that blocks the signal.

Especially if you’re considering a smart home with Wi-Fi, having good reception is very important!

I would like a wireless smart home where not every device has to connect to Wi-Fi.
For example, I would prefer EnOcean, Thread, Zigbee, or similar wireless protocols.

We would prefer if the access points were hidden in the low cabinet under the TV.
Our house is 150 sqm (1,615 sq ft) plus basement, with walls made of calcium silicate blocks, and it’s not that large, so it should manage with one access point per floor, right? (Even though the placement isn’t ideal.)

Which access point system would you recommend?

Unifi, TP-Link Omada, Netgear, or just use AVM and supply the repeaters via Ethernet?

Regarding KNX, I will first discuss with the electrician how much the budget-friendly version would cost.
Yes, the electrician will be under time pressure from the builder; he has to complete many semi-detached houses relatively quickly and may not want to spend more time on star wiring. That’s why he’s giving pushback offers.
(This is only the replacement electrician; the original electrician dropped out and did not follow up.)

Pacc666 schrieb:

We would prefer if the access points were hidden inside the lowboard under the TV.
Our house is 150 m² (1,615 sq ft) plus basement (walls made of calcium silicate bricks), so it’s not that big and should still manage with one access point per floor, right? (even though they are not ideally positioned)

Which access point system would you recommend?

Unifi, TP-Link Omada, Netgear, or simply AVM with repeaters connected via LAN?

I have many customers who hide their APs in sideboards or similarly poor locations. With an AVM 6000, you can somewhat compensate for a bad position (for example, compared to a well-placed 1200AX). But this is still as far from a good solution as the sun is from Pluto. Stomping your foot and shouting "I want, I want, I want" won’t change anything here; physics can’t be tricked. I expect the original poster, if they are seeking professional advice here, to at least acknowledge the technical advice given and not completely ignore it by asking the same questions repeatedly.

Access points belong mounted high on walls or under the ceiling. A more economical option might be an AVM 2400 with a LAN socket installed nearby, but even here there are less conspicuous devices (for example from Unifi) with Power over Ethernet (PoE) that don’t require a power outlet (which is likely more expensive to install by an electrician than the price difference between the AVM 2400 and a Unifi HD).

@i_b_n_a_n Yes, I’m looking for help with my access points.

The ceiling access points were not a visual problem for us (but the builder has complicated things – due to structural reasons, they won’t allow the electrician to prepare ceiling access points).

We find wall-mounted access points visually unattractive and would prefer to install them hidden (even if this reduces performance, I don’t need gigabit speeds on Wi-Fi).
Because of the less ideal position, I’d want to choose good access points with the new Wi-Fi 6 standard to compensate for the weaker placement.

The wall access points from Unifi or Omada even have a built-in switch, so you definitely have enough LAN ports.

That way, we don’t have to spend €200 net per access point just for a simple CAT cable.

Are TP-Link or Unifi better than AVM?

On the internet, the Fritzbox is often named the best router.

What do Unifi or Omada do better than the Fritzbox, besides the PoE operation—which is not very important for us since the access points will be hidden?