ᐅ How to smartly wire door/window sensors, push buttons, and LEDs? Home automation systems compared: HA vs. DALI-2 vs. KNX, etc.
Created on: 21 Jun 2025 17:10
M
mm56789
I need to finalize my electrical planning for a new build within the next 2 days. Here are the conditions:
(I don’t need a lecture on why I’m only starting this so close to the deadline—it has its reasons—I just need focused advice.)
- The developer does not allow any fundamental changes to the electrical wiring / lighting wiring / switches, so, for example, making every outlet switchable via KNX is not an option.
- However, I can request additional cables (any type, including KNX bus cables or extra 5x1.5 cables or pull wires) and empty conduits installed anywhere as empty boxes or wall outlets.
- Essentially, I want to use Home Assistant with a NUC/MiniPC in the basement as the “brain” (I’m really excited about programming and integrating different components, and already have many), and control various functions throughout the house via retrofitted push buttons as well as voice control.
- Which push buttons to use (Zigbee, Aqara, etc.) or something from DALI is still undecided.
- For lighting, I mainly want to use LED strips along ceiling edges, in suspended ceilings, and along baseboards, especially in the living room and kitchen.
- I want to exclude Loxone as it is too proprietary.
- For LAN/WiFi, access points, and possibly cameras (PoE), I will use UniFi equipment.
- Most outlets don’t need to be smart, only a few on demand via Shelly/Sonoff or directly with smart LEDs/Zigbee.
After days of research, I’m still stuck in the endless possibilities. My goal is to stay flexible:
All these questions are connected, so it’s better to read everything first!
I want to avoid installing both DALI and KNX bus cables simultaneously as a backup (double the cost).
a) Main question: How/with what do I integrate door and window contacts, glass break sensors? I prefer a wired solution here.
1) Via Home Assistant/ESPhome -> Konnected Alarm Panel -> many binary inputs, with reed contacts/sensor cables running directly to the basement?
2) Via DALI-2 bus? DALI-2 is supposed to support binary devices, Part 306 supports universal sensors—I’m not finding detailed info. Are these still classic reed contacts that I feed as binary inputs in the main panel (e.g., Helvar Imagine 910 DALI server or Lutron Vive DALI system)? Or are these special sensors that connect directly to the DALI bus (2 bus wires 1.5mm²), star-shaped or anywhere except a ring? Can you also connect reed contacts directly to the DALI bus? I’ve read there are DALI presence detectors with free binary inputs (although one input is too few), or are there special binary input devices where I can collect reed signals per room and translate them to the bus?
I could have an additional DALI bus line / outlet (5x1.5mm², two wires for the bus) in every room near the main light switch and then branch off to all needed sensors/actuators (DALI lamps/LED controllers, roller shutter actuators, window contacts), so I wouldn’t have to run every sensor back to the basement/main panel. – WHAT is the best, smartest solution here?
For every light switch (which will become a push button with DC LED powered separately, switched via DALI bus) I will have 5x1.5 instead of 3x1.5 cables going to the corresponding lamp.
3) All of the above, but via KNX bus? Only if DALI-2 doesn’t work at all? It would be nice to have the option to use DALI, and also easier not to run additional KNX bus cables directly to the lamps. Besides Home Assistant NUC and DALI server, I would prefer not to run a third KNX server.
b) Would DALI/KNX be the best choice for my project with these limitations, or should I just run all cables for sensors back to the basement and decide later how to read them? Or should I prefer KNX bus cables instead of DALI bus cables?
c) If DALI bus is installed, could I use DALI/Gira push buttons instead of Zigbee push buttons, and control/program them just as well in Home Assistant?
d) Does DALI make sense for lighting if I want to use lamps from different manufacturers anyway? I really like the Paulmann MaxLED for good price/performance. Barthelme LEDs are also said to be very good (but again only with DALI/KNX/BT).
Thank you all, any tips are very much appreciated!
(I don’t need a lecture on why I’m only starting this so close to the deadline—it has its reasons—I just need focused advice.)
- The developer does not allow any fundamental changes to the electrical wiring / lighting wiring / switches, so, for example, making every outlet switchable via KNX is not an option.
- However, I can request additional cables (any type, including KNX bus cables or extra 5x1.5 cables or pull wires) and empty conduits installed anywhere as empty boxes or wall outlets.
- Essentially, I want to use Home Assistant with a NUC/MiniPC in the basement as the “brain” (I’m really excited about programming and integrating different components, and already have many), and control various functions throughout the house via retrofitted push buttons as well as voice control.
- Which push buttons to use (Zigbee, Aqara, etc.) or something from DALI is still undecided.
- For lighting, I mainly want to use LED strips along ceiling edges, in suspended ceilings, and along baseboards, especially in the living room and kitchen.
- I want to exclude Loxone as it is too proprietary.
- For LAN/WiFi, access points, and possibly cameras (PoE), I will use UniFi equipment.
- Most outlets don’t need to be smart, only a few on demand via Shelly/Sonoff or directly with smart LEDs/Zigbee.
After days of research, I’m still stuck in the endless possibilities. My goal is to stay flexible:
All these questions are connected, so it’s better to read everything first!
I want to avoid installing both DALI and KNX bus cables simultaneously as a backup (double the cost).
a) Main question: How/with what do I integrate door and window contacts, glass break sensors? I prefer a wired solution here.
1) Via Home Assistant/ESPhome -> Konnected Alarm Panel -> many binary inputs, with reed contacts/sensor cables running directly to the basement?
2) Via DALI-2 bus? DALI-2 is supposed to support binary devices, Part 306 supports universal sensors—I’m not finding detailed info. Are these still classic reed contacts that I feed as binary inputs in the main panel (e.g., Helvar Imagine 910 DALI server or Lutron Vive DALI system)? Or are these special sensors that connect directly to the DALI bus (2 bus wires 1.5mm²), star-shaped or anywhere except a ring? Can you also connect reed contacts directly to the DALI bus? I’ve read there are DALI presence detectors with free binary inputs (although one input is too few), or are there special binary input devices where I can collect reed signals per room and translate them to the bus?
I could have an additional DALI bus line / outlet (5x1.5mm², two wires for the bus) in every room near the main light switch and then branch off to all needed sensors/actuators (DALI lamps/LED controllers, roller shutter actuators, window contacts), so I wouldn’t have to run every sensor back to the basement/main panel. – WHAT is the best, smartest solution here?
For every light switch (which will become a push button with DC LED powered separately, switched via DALI bus) I will have 5x1.5 instead of 3x1.5 cables going to the corresponding lamp.
3) All of the above, but via KNX bus? Only if DALI-2 doesn’t work at all? It would be nice to have the option to use DALI, and also easier not to run additional KNX bus cables directly to the lamps. Besides Home Assistant NUC and DALI server, I would prefer not to run a third KNX server.
b) Would DALI/KNX be the best choice for my project with these limitations, or should I just run all cables for sensors back to the basement and decide later how to read them? Or should I prefer KNX bus cables instead of DALI bus cables?
c) If DALI bus is installed, could I use DALI/Gira push buttons instead of Zigbee push buttons, and control/program them just as well in Home Assistant?
d) Does DALI make sense for lighting if I want to use lamps from different manufacturers anyway? I really like the Paulmann MaxLED for good price/performance. Barthelme LEDs are also said to be very good (but again only with DALI/KNX/BT).
Thank you all, any tips are very much appreciated!
Thanks again!
I understand what you mean now. I can only use KNX in a very limited way, and because of the decentralized setup (since I can’t run direct 230V lines to every actuator), it becomes significantly more expensive as I need actuators everywhere, instead of using a few central actuators in the basement that can control many devices, for example, one blind actuator for 4–8 blinds.
Originally, I just wanted to “misuse” KNX/DALI as a wired alarm system and collect the door/window contacts intelligently with less wiring effort via BUS.
The problem is the cost anyway. The builder wants 200 euros per each additional cable they pull from the basement to any random point (empty conduit). If I run BUS cables to a single outlet in 5 rooms, that already adds up to 1,200 euros. But I had already budgeted for that. And with the remaining wiring (whether for switches or actuators) done by myself, there are only material costs (and hardware) left. So my idea was that this solution would still be cheaper than running a separate 4-core/8-core bell wire for every door/window contact back to the basement, plus the advantage that the switches would already be on the BUS and not wireless (Zigbee). I also wanted to replace some of the existing switches with push-buttons that could then control individual lights/scenes via HomeAssistant.
My FINAL idea: KNX ONLY for blinds/binary contacts with KNX flush-mounted blind actuators with binary inputs, no lighting, no push-buttons. I’ll bring the BUS out under the main switch of the blind (it has to be separated anyway, either a separate box or a double box with mechanical separation). This BUS cable then goes to the basement, power supply (100 euros), connected to HomeAssistant via IP interface (150 euros). Actuators cost 50–80 euros each (other actuators like Rademacher, Shelly, etc. also cost something, sometimes as much as what I wanted to use anyway). With 8 blinds, I’d be at about 890 euros + 1,200 euros for cable installation = 2,100 euros total.
And if I want to later add more BUS lines to other components when their positions are fixed, I can still run BUS cables to those components flush-mounted. Everything else would be done using Zigbee and Shelly devices.
Or do you also think this solution is a mess for my particular situation? A non-KNX solution is roughly the same price (mainly because of the expensive installation costs).
I could also have those BUS cables put into a larger conduit and still lay 1–2 additional 8-core cables alongside, just in case—you never know.
I understand what you mean now. I can only use KNX in a very limited way, and because of the decentralized setup (since I can’t run direct 230V lines to every actuator), it becomes significantly more expensive as I need actuators everywhere, instead of using a few central actuators in the basement that can control many devices, for example, one blind actuator for 4–8 blinds.
Originally, I just wanted to “misuse” KNX/DALI as a wired alarm system and collect the door/window contacts intelligently with less wiring effort via BUS.
The problem is the cost anyway. The builder wants 200 euros per each additional cable they pull from the basement to any random point (empty conduit). If I run BUS cables to a single outlet in 5 rooms, that already adds up to 1,200 euros. But I had already budgeted for that. And with the remaining wiring (whether for switches or actuators) done by myself, there are only material costs (and hardware) left. So my idea was that this solution would still be cheaper than running a separate 4-core/8-core bell wire for every door/window contact back to the basement, plus the advantage that the switches would already be on the BUS and not wireless (Zigbee). I also wanted to replace some of the existing switches with push-buttons that could then control individual lights/scenes via HomeAssistant.
My FINAL idea: KNX ONLY for blinds/binary contacts with KNX flush-mounted blind actuators with binary inputs, no lighting, no push-buttons. I’ll bring the BUS out under the main switch of the blind (it has to be separated anyway, either a separate box or a double box with mechanical separation). This BUS cable then goes to the basement, power supply (100 euros), connected to HomeAssistant via IP interface (150 euros). Actuators cost 50–80 euros each (other actuators like Rademacher, Shelly, etc. also cost something, sometimes as much as what I wanted to use anyway). With 8 blinds, I’d be at about 890 euros + 1,200 euros for cable installation = 2,100 euros total.
And if I want to later add more BUS lines to other components when their positions are fixed, I can still run BUS cables to those components flush-mounted. Everything else would be done using Zigbee and Shelly devices.
Or do you also think this solution is a mess for my particular situation? A non-KNX solution is roughly the same price (mainly because of the expensive installation costs).
I could also have those BUS cables put into a larger conduit and still lay 1–2 additional 8-core cables alongside, just in case—you never know.
KNX-RF could also be an option in this setup. Again, of course it’s somehow doable, but the critical factors are time and money. There is no time available, and the original poster must decide how much money it is worth to them. I still bet that in the end, after spending a lot of money in several areas, the right cables won’t be in place and you’ll either have to accept compromises or move from one makeshift solution to the next.
What about bus cables in the ceiling? In the exterior wall? Outside (garage/carport/weather station/terrace/...)?
What type of motion/presence detectors do you plan to install (this affects the suitable mounting location)?
Do the brands you have selected support the required functions?
Have you planned a central location for an RF receiver, and is the radio range from this point sufficient to cover all necessary areas?
What about bus cables in the ceiling? In the exterior wall? Outside (garage/carport/weather station/terrace/...)?
What type of motion/presence detectors do you plan to install (this affects the suitable mounting location)?
Do the brands you have selected support the required functions?
Have you planned a central location for an RF receiver, and is the radio range from this point sufficient to cover all necessary areas?
mm56789 schrieb:
My FINAL idea: KNX ONLY for blinds/binary inputs with KNX flush-mounted blind actuators with binary inputs, no lighting, no switches, And what will you do with that? Compared to a classic installation, you can only freely control blind groups, nothing more. For that, KNX is overkill.
mm56789 schrieb:
no switches How do you operate the blinds then?
mm56789 schrieb:
connected to HomeAssistant via IP interface (€150) What does HA do then? Control the blinds? Using what data?
mm56789 schrieb:
The problem is the costs anyway, the builder wants €200 for every single cable he pulls additionally from the basement to any random location (empty conduit) That’s just a polite way of saying: “I don’t want to do it!”
N
nordanney22 Jun 2025 11:29mm56789 schrieb:
Or do you also find this solution clumsy for my specific situation? A non-KNX solution is almost just as expensive.Yes! It’s clumsy. You don’t really have a special situation – except that the builder you chose (not the right one for your requirements) is charging you high but normal costs for custom features.Either do it “properly,” but then one day will no longer be enough for planning, or go a completely different way (I’m a fan of Shelly devices and iOBroker).
What about bus cables in the ceiling? In the exterior walls? Outside (garage/carport/weather station/terrace/...)?
Nothing planned in the ceiling, since I will mainly use Paulmann ZigBee LED strips anyway (a second dropped ceiling with space for drivers/controllers).
In the exterior wall, only security cameras (UniFi) are planned, connected via Cat7 PoE to the UniFi gateway/switch.
To the garage, only power + power for the wallbox + Cat7 is planned. The terrace is not planned extensively, just power, an access point facing the garden, cameras, and sensors using ZigBee simply.
What kind of motion/presence detectors do you plan to install (this affects the suitable mounting location)?
Senvolon motion detectors (Zigbee), powered via USB-C, are supposed to be very good.
Have you planned a central location for an RF receiver, and is the wireless range from there sufficient to cover all necessary areas?
I could place it nicely in the stairwell where there is no concrete ceiling; the signal reaches up to the attic.
And what do you do with that? Compared to a classic installation, you can then control shutter groups freely, nothing more. For that, KNX is overkill.
Mainly, I want to somehow wire all door and window contacts and glass break detectors so I can integrate them into Home Assistant to trigger scenarios, LEDs, sound, alarms, and notifications. For example, when a window opens, the blinds could be raised halfway; when leaving the house, a notification could alert if a window is open; or when sitting on the terrace, the blinds should not go down.
Having the blinds also operated via a KNX actuator would be secondary; otherwise, this would be done through Shelly, Rademacher actuators, or similar devices.
How do you operate the blinds then? What does Home Assistant do? Control the blinds? With what data?
Via switches (Zigbee) and voice commands (Home Assistant Voice and Alexa).
--
As mentioned, a KNX solution is probably about the same price as one without KNX.
Intuitively, I feel somewhat safer if at least these "security contacts" a) are wired and b) KNX might be more fail-safe than a solution via Home Assistant ESPHome, or is that relatively irrelevant? Also wireless systems like KNX RF/Zigbee/Wi-Fi can surely be manipulated if a burglar uses a jammer?
Nothing planned in the ceiling, since I will mainly use Paulmann ZigBee LED strips anyway (a second dropped ceiling with space for drivers/controllers).
In the exterior wall, only security cameras (UniFi) are planned, connected via Cat7 PoE to the UniFi gateway/switch.
To the garage, only power + power for the wallbox + Cat7 is planned. The terrace is not planned extensively, just power, an access point facing the garden, cameras, and sensors using ZigBee simply.
What kind of motion/presence detectors do you plan to install (this affects the suitable mounting location)?
Senvolon motion detectors (Zigbee), powered via USB-C, are supposed to be very good.
Have you planned a central location for an RF receiver, and is the wireless range from there sufficient to cover all necessary areas?
I could place it nicely in the stairwell where there is no concrete ceiling; the signal reaches up to the attic.
And what do you do with that? Compared to a classic installation, you can then control shutter groups freely, nothing more. For that, KNX is overkill.
Mainly, I want to somehow wire all door and window contacts and glass break detectors so I can integrate them into Home Assistant to trigger scenarios, LEDs, sound, alarms, and notifications. For example, when a window opens, the blinds could be raised halfway; when leaving the house, a notification could alert if a window is open; or when sitting on the terrace, the blinds should not go down.
Having the blinds also operated via a KNX actuator would be secondary; otherwise, this would be done through Shelly, Rademacher actuators, or similar devices.
How do you operate the blinds then? What does Home Assistant do? Control the blinds? With what data?
Via switches (Zigbee) and voice commands (Home Assistant Voice and Alexa).
--
As mentioned, a KNX solution is probably about the same price as one without KNX.
Intuitively, I feel somewhat safer if at least these "security contacts" a) are wired and b) KNX might be more fail-safe than a solution via Home Assistant ESPHome, or is that relatively irrelevant? Also wireless systems like KNX RF/Zigbee/Wi-Fi can surely be manipulated if a burglar uses a jammer?
Once again, just forget it. You are late to the project and working with the wrong company.
What you are describing is pure DIY smart home without any proper concept, but with a massive number of potential errors and incompatibility issues caused by the many different systems you mentioned. This might sound harsh, but my second sentence still applies. You are mixing up a thousand things and haven’t even remotely understood the KNX topology. Everything you are doing now misses the target or will definitely not lead to it.
Sometimes it just isn’t meant to be, simply because “you are late to the project and working with the wrong company.” Your only remaining option might be using a big box full of Shelly UP actuators—IF you at least remembered to choose switch boxes with sufficient depth.
What you are describing is pure DIY smart home without any proper concept, but with a massive number of potential errors and incompatibility issues caused by the many different systems you mentioned. This might sound harsh, but my second sentence still applies. You are mixing up a thousand things and haven’t even remotely understood the KNX topology. Everything you are doing now misses the target or will definitely not lead to it.
Sometimes it just isn’t meant to be, simply because “you are late to the project and working with the wrong company.” Your only remaining option might be using a big box full of Shelly UP actuators—IF you at least remembered to choose switch boxes with sufficient depth.