Hello everyone,
In about three weeks, we are supposed to finalize our electrical planning on site. Unfortunately, our electrician is somewhat old-fashioned, which makes it difficult for me to collaboratively plan a future-proof electrical setup with him. Therefore, I am currently educating myself to ensure that the networking in our single-family home is fundamentally future-proof.
Basically, it’s about the LAN network... LAN wall outlets are relatively expensive, so proper planning is even more important.
About us:
- Mid to late 20s – couple without children. Planning for 2 children in the near future.
- Single-family house with a usable basement, 2 full floors, and fully equipped with concrete ceilings
- Utility room in the basement with air-to-water heat pump, ventilation system, photovoltaic system
- The router is planned to be located in the office on the ground floor
- The upper floor includes bathroom / bedroom / 2 children’s rooms
- No satellite dish or cable TV — we will use Internet TV exclusively!
Now, I am struggling to network our single-family home sensibly but as cost-effectively as possible.
I have the following questions:
1. Slightly off-topic: In the living room, I would like to have an in-wall conduit installed on the TV wall (the TV will be wall-mounted) so that no cables are visible. Is this sensible and affordable? I will get exact prices from my electrician if this makes sense at all. Would it also make sense to install power outlets at TV height? How do you plan the connections on your media wall reasonably? What should be considered?
Since we plan to use a Magenta TV box and thus IP-TV, a total of four LAN ports in the living room area would presumably be useful, right?
2. How many LAN outlets and especially where should LAN outlets be installed? Mainly: which cable? Is CAT6 sufficient?
→ Such a double LAN outlet certainly costs close to €200, so planning must be really sensible.
Is it really necessary to install 2 double LAN outlets in each children’s room? I always wonder: what is actually going to be plugged in there?
One port for the TV and one port for a multimedia device should be enough, right? So four connections would probably be overkill, correct?
The fact is: It will certainly take years or decades before our children actually use these outlets... Who knows what changes might happen by then? Therefore, could we not cost-effectively use empty conduits (empty pipes) instead?
Is it also possible to “branch off” from an existing double outlet afterward to add more ports for the room? What should be considered here? Or should we consider having an empty conduit prepared in another spot in the room so that a socket can be installed later?
3. How do you solve the “router problem”? Should the one router be placed in the office (ground floor) with LAN outlets in the existing bedrooms upstairs to ensure a stable LAN connection? Or is a router upstairs absolutely necessary?
4. How important are LAN outlets in the utility room? Should the router possibly even be located in the utility room? Because of the concrete ceiling between basement and ground floor, a second router would almost certainly be needed. How should this situation be handled with a basement?
5. What do you think about installing empty conduits for CAT cables in the kitchen / hallway etc. to enable later retrofitting? Is this relatively affordable in new builds?
I would appreciate any feedback so we can make the best possible plans 🙂
In about three weeks, we are supposed to finalize our electrical planning on site. Unfortunately, our electrician is somewhat old-fashioned, which makes it difficult for me to collaboratively plan a future-proof electrical setup with him. Therefore, I am currently educating myself to ensure that the networking in our single-family home is fundamentally future-proof.
Basically, it’s about the LAN network... LAN wall outlets are relatively expensive, so proper planning is even more important.
About us:
- Mid to late 20s – couple without children. Planning for 2 children in the near future.
- Single-family house with a usable basement, 2 full floors, and fully equipped with concrete ceilings
- Utility room in the basement with air-to-water heat pump, ventilation system, photovoltaic system
- The router is planned to be located in the office on the ground floor
- The upper floor includes bathroom / bedroom / 2 children’s rooms
- No satellite dish or cable TV — we will use Internet TV exclusively!
Now, I am struggling to network our single-family home sensibly but as cost-effectively as possible.
I have the following questions:
1. Slightly off-topic: In the living room, I would like to have an in-wall conduit installed on the TV wall (the TV will be wall-mounted) so that no cables are visible. Is this sensible and affordable? I will get exact prices from my electrician if this makes sense at all. Would it also make sense to install power outlets at TV height? How do you plan the connections on your media wall reasonably? What should be considered?
Since we plan to use a Magenta TV box and thus IP-TV, a total of four LAN ports in the living room area would presumably be useful, right?
2. How many LAN outlets and especially where should LAN outlets be installed? Mainly: which cable? Is CAT6 sufficient?
→ Such a double LAN outlet certainly costs close to €200, so planning must be really sensible.
Is it really necessary to install 2 double LAN outlets in each children’s room? I always wonder: what is actually going to be plugged in there?
One port for the TV and one port for a multimedia device should be enough, right? So four connections would probably be overkill, correct?
The fact is: It will certainly take years or decades before our children actually use these outlets... Who knows what changes might happen by then? Therefore, could we not cost-effectively use empty conduits (empty pipes) instead?
Is it also possible to “branch off” from an existing double outlet afterward to add more ports for the room? What should be considered here? Or should we consider having an empty conduit prepared in another spot in the room so that a socket can be installed later?
3. How do you solve the “router problem”? Should the one router be placed in the office (ground floor) with LAN outlets in the existing bedrooms upstairs to ensure a stable LAN connection? Or is a router upstairs absolutely necessary?
4. How important are LAN outlets in the utility room? Should the router possibly even be located in the utility room? Because of the concrete ceiling between basement and ground floor, a second router would almost certainly be needed. How should this situation be handled with a basement?
5. What do you think about installing empty conduits for CAT cables in the kitchen / hallway etc. to enable later retrofitting? Is this relatively affordable in new builds?
I would appreciate any feedback so we can make the best possible plans 🙂
Nida35a schrieb:
a few centimeters, you hopefully don't mean plaster thickness?
The 1cm (0.4 inch) layer is meant to help feel the switch position in the dark Feel? The individual buttons surely light up… (with these high-end super-duper products) 😉X
xMisterDx9 Aug 2022 22:21Araknis schrieb:
The issue isn’t necessarily that alternatives shouldn’t exist or aren’t welcome, but rather that many people just make claims without solid evidence. In the home automation world, there are definitely several good options besides KNX, but unfortunately the discussions often drift into unproductive directions because people simply lack a proper understanding of KNX. THAT is unfortunate and criticized—not the fact that there are other systems besides KNX. It’s always the same incorrect "arguments" against KNX, and that tends to trigger some people here 🙂 I believe the main argument against KNX is that when you’re working with a general contractor or developer who has an electrician on staff and/or the electrical scope is defined in the construction specifications, you can’t remove that work without extra cost to bring in an external system integrator...
Especially since that’s almost impossible right now anyway... for me, things only run somewhat smoothly because the trades have known each other for decades and coordinate well... with an "external" KNX electrician... well...
Of course, it’s the client’s fault for usually only thinking about KNX once the concrete slab is poured.
And for what most people understand as "Smart Home," a wireless solution actually makes a lot of sense. Especially since "Smart Home" is not a protected term in your context. If that triggers some people, I’m honestly sorry… but that’s something we’ll have to accept...
And, with all due respect… it’s also important to remember that some forum members here actually earn their living with KNX...
I’m happy to discuss with you all… but if a moderator keeps telling me I don’t know what I’m talking about… well, what is there really to say? 😉
xMisterDx schrieb:
I think the main argument against KNX is that when building with a general contractor/property developer who has their own electrician and/or the electrical work is specified in the construction contract, you usually can’t remove it without additional costs to bring in an external system integrator instead...Keep in mind, there are also general contractors whose electricians are very knowledgeable about this 🙂
X
xMisterDx9 Aug 2022 23:09sysrun80 schrieb:
Imagine there are also general contractors who have electricians very knowledgeable about this 🙂I don’t understand the argument.
Yes, there may be general contractors who are great at this. But their clients probably wouldn’t be complaining here in the forum, would they?
F
FrankChief18 Aug 2022 08:36Hello,
I wanted to ask how large the electrical cabinet should be.
We are building without a smart home system (so no KNX) but might retrofit some parts wirelessly later (for example, roller shutters).
How much space should be reserved for future expansions?
The planned expansions include:
Ekey controller (the new one when it becomes available). We will have the cables prepared for the Ekey xLine.
Does a photovoltaic smart meter make sense?
What other expansions might typically be added later?
I wanted to ask how large the electrical cabinet should be.
We are building without a smart home system (so no KNX) but might retrofit some parts wirelessly later (for example, roller shutters).
How much space should be reserved for future expansions?
The planned expansions include:
Ekey controller (the new one when it becomes available). We will have the cables prepared for the Ekey xLine.
Does a photovoltaic smart meter make sense?
What other expansions might typically be added later?
