ᐅ Retrofitting Roller Shutters for Smart Home Integration in Renovated Older Buildings

Dear smart home experts,

We are currently working on the electrical installation and would like to install flush-mounted smart home switches on the ground floor and most of the upper floor. Our family uses the Homematic system, but the external additional module is a drawback. We want to avoid using that.

We will also have additional rocker switches (open/close) in the rooms. Still, we want to use the exposed walls to enable smart home control for the roller shutters without major extras.

When searching on Google, the finesell SmartHome roller shutter module 4-pack for €99.99 is regularly shown. It can be used without an external additional module and works with apps such as SmartLife.

Questions:
1. What do you think about this offered set and the app?
2. Are there any worthwhile alternatives?
3. How do you assess the SmartLife app?
4. How does the pairing process work?
5. Integration with Apple HomeKit is probably not possible (but also not a requirement)?

Hopefully, you can shed some light on this.

Best regards!

Westfale0101 schrieb:

Dear smart home experts,

We are currently working on the electrical installation, and in the ground floor as well as most of the upper floor, we would like to install flush-mounted smart home switches. The Homematic system is used in our household. However, the external additional module is inconvenient. We would like to avoid using it.

2. Are there any practical alternatives?

Hello Westfale!

Personally, I could live with an additional module (do you mean the base unit?) and have therefore chosen the Bosch system (which offers other advantages and devices like TwinGuard), but in your case, Shelly 2.5 might also be an option.
These can also be integrated into HomeKit, albeit with a small workaround.

Hello netuser! Thanks a lot for the information.

Question about the additional device: The device would be installed in an inconvenient location in the house. The Wi-Fi should mostly be well covered via mesh. What exactly is the purpose of the additional device? Hopefully, the connection doesn’t have to be established from the flush-mounted devices to the additional device, and the “normal” Wi-Fi is sufficient? Is it controlled via a Bosch app?

The tip about Twinguard is interesting. I didn’t know about it, although it’s not exactly cheap.

Question about Shelly 2.5: Is that also basically a flush-mounted device? Do you have a link for it? I’m not quite clear on this and feel a bit overwhelmed by the options.

And the following is unfamiliar to me: finesell SmartHome blind module 4-piece set for 99.99 €? In that case, I would steer clear of it before it possibly doesn’t work.

Best regards
Westfale

Westfale0101 schrieb:

Question about the additional device: The device would be placed inconveniently in the house.

It can be placed anywhere in the house where you have a network connection. Try to find a better spot 😉

Westfale0101 schrieb:

Wi-Fi should mostly be well covered through mesh. What is the additional device for, exactly?

It’s basically a central unit for the whole system. It’s connected to the power supply but communicates on a different frequency (868 MHz) with its own devices. This frequency theoretically provides a longer range and is less susceptible to interference...

Westfale0101 schrieb:

Hopefully the connection doesn’t have to be between the flush-mounted devices and the additional unit, but the regular Wi-Fi is sufficient? Usage via a Bosch app?

No, the connection must be to the base unit. Usage via a Bosch app and HomeKit (Home) is possible.

Westfale0101 schrieb:

The note about Twinguard is interesting. I didn’t know about it, although it’s not exactly inexpensive.

In my opinion, it’s actually affordable. Good smoke detectors also cost quite a bit. The TwinGuards offer several very useful additional features...

Westfale0101 schrieb:

Question about Shelly 2.5: Is this also basically a flush-mounted device? Do you have a link? I’m a bit overwhelmed by the options.

Yes, it’s a flush-mounted device. Links are not allowed here, but you can easily look up the name with any search engine 😉
These devices are considered more established, cheaper, have a much larger community, and are HomeKit-compatible compared to the ones you mentioned.

Westfale0101 schrieb:

And the following is not well known: finesell SmartHome blind module set of 4 for 99.99 €? I would stay away from it before it ends up not working.
Best regards
Westfale

99.99 for 4 units isn’t a huge amount, but there are better alternatives.

With Loxone and the AIR actuators, such a retrofit is easily possible. However, it is important to know that this is wireless technology.

If still possible, wiring to the actuators or at least a distribution of the wireless transmitters would be recommended.

@netuser: Thank you very much for the additional information.

As a layperson, here is what I take away: a base station is absolutely necessary, and good Wi-Fi is essential. The pairing process was clearly shown in some videos. What are your experiences regarding malfunctions, i.e., do some roller shutters sometimes fail to lower? Do you sometimes have to re-pair individual controls?

Switches: As far as I understand, for the Bosch flush-mounted control combined with the S55 system + adapter, a "standard" on/off rocker switch is intended—similar to a light switch with a short press to raise and a long press for a personalized setting. So, not the "typical" roller shutter switches like those for the S55 (No.: 029403). Is it similar in your setup, and what are your experiences?

The more I read, the more interesting the Bosch system becomes with additional options for retrofitting. Maybe we will then have to accept the additional base station.

Best regards!