ᐅ Is it possible to retrofit a smart home?

That's how it is—everything considered "smart" often depends on the central control unit for many people and comes and goes with it.

Sascha aus H schrieb:
May I ask which applications you currently use and would use again?
I am currently dealing with this topic myself and trying to figure out which areas make sense for us.

For me, it started with heating thermostats, as I was often on business trips or away over the weekend and wanted to control the temperature on a timer. Soon, a few light switches were added (wireless switches by the bed so I wouldn’t have to get up to turn off the lights; additional lights for the home theater room; dimmers for the living and dining rooms). For the Christmas lights, I then added switched outlets and an outdoor temperature sensor.

However, the system only became truly smart for me after I started using Mediola and the Logitech hub, which I’ve been using since last year. With a tablet and smartphone, I can now automate many things (turning on the TV, receiver, and AVR; dimming the lights; automatic dynamic range compression and volume adjustment at certain times), lowering the temperatures when on vacation, including automatic adjustment on arrival day; higher temperatures in the living room and guest bathroom when guests visit; absence lighting control during holidays; email notification when the washing machine is done; ambient lighting in the living room and bathroom through integration with Philips Hue. I also get notifications when leaving the apartment if lights are still on or windows are open. Additionally, I have visualization of the best fuel prices and local weather data. Currently, I’m working on a visualization of my calendar.

Much of it is just for fun, but there’s also real convenience. A motion detector acts as a mini alarm system when I’m away, and I can check the status of my devices worldwide via VPN and control them remotely. In theory, I can turn the washing machine or TV on and off from anywhere.

86bibo schrieb:
I am using Homematic.

Would you recommend HomeMatic or Homematic IP?

I am currently building a new house and initially want to control just the roller shutters and venetian blinds. Later, I plan to connect these to light and wind sensors as well.

Where do you begin and where do you stop....

Tihiddi schrieb:
Would you recommend Homematic or Homematic IP?

I am currently in a new build and initially want to control only the roller shutters and venetian blinds. Later, I want to connect these to light and wind sensors.

Definitely Homematic. Homematic IP is just a simplified version. It is easier to set up but much more limited. All Homematic IP components can currently also be controlled by the Homematic central unit, so this offers flexibility.

If you are still in the construction phase, I would consider whether Homematic wired might be a better option. Fundamentally, the Homematic system is very reliable in terms of transmission, but if the central unit happens to be processing a large script at the same time, there can sometimes be a delay of about one second when executing an action (this applies when running through the central unit, not for direct linkages).

86bibo schrieb:


If you are still in the construction phase, I would consider whether Homematic wired might be the better option..

Thanks.
I have thought about that as well.
As a layperson, it's not doable for me to learn this on top of managing the new build.

Unfortunately, the electrician's knowledge regarding smart home systems / Homematic is limited.

So it will probably be the CCU2 and the wireless roller shutter actuator.

While searching online, I came across the SmartHome/Homematic solution from Telekom.
I guess it’s better to avoid that one?!