ᐅ Lighting for Semi-Detached Houses – DALI & DMX or REG-LED Controller?

Yes, it’s not cheap... but it is the simplest solution.

That’s why I wrote “a different wireless system.”
Using Z-Wave or something similar will probably be cheaper.

Or simply try to get the green cable through the wall from one of the neighboring rooms (drill through one of the back boxes) and mount the power meter on the wall.

Matt Yao schrieb:
Hello everyone,

this year we are building a semi-detached house in Lower Bavaria. We are currently working on the lighting design, which we want to implement partly with KNX, but we are still unsure which system to choose (DALI & DMX or REG-LED controller).

We made an initial draft and would like to hear/read your opinions...

What could be improved? Which system would you recommend for the lighting? The spots in the kitchen and bathroom are dim-to-warm, otherwise, we would like to use LED RGBW(W).

We look forward to your suggestions for improvement.

Best regards

KNX control is worthwhile for lighting only if you want to switch different lighting scenes independently. This also includes wall lamps, picture lighting, or lighting of the entertainment unit.
So, if you only have one lamp in your bedroom, you don’t really need KNX to control just that lamp.
For example, in our bathroom, the following scenarios are implemented via a Merten KNX system:
A) Only the spot above the toilet
B) Only the three spots above the washbasin
C) Only the spot over the whirlpool bathtub
D) Spot and indirect lighting of the whirlpool
E) Only indirect lighting of the whirlpool
F) All on

Our lighting plan cost us 350€ (Euros) initially. However, the house was completely redesigned afterwards. Still, the consultation was so good that we were able to create the second lighting plan ourselves.

Regarding brightness, we have had good results with the following figures:
Standard brightness: 150 lumens/m² (lux)
Bathroom / kitchen / home office: 300 lux
Bedroom: about 100 lux
You can allocate per room one primary and up to four secondary light sources, which then create the different lighting scenes.

At the moment, your hallway has about 18,000 lumens. At 150 lux, it could cover 120 m² (1,292 ft²), and at 300 lux still 60 m² (646 ft²). In reality, for a semi-detached house, it is more likely around 10 m² (108 ft²), so the hallway is significantly overlit.

ONeill schrieb:
I haven’t dealt with KNX-RF so far, but don’t I need a line coupler (200 euros) and also the presence detector (approx. 100 euros)? That would add up to quite a lot if I don’t need KNX-RF elsewhere.

If you already find 300€ expensive: Are you aware that even a very basic KNX system starts at 5000€ and up?

I wouldn’t like 6,000K lighting in the hallway. We once tested 3,200K there, which felt a bit too cool for us. Now we are waiting for lights with adjustable color temperature.

Marvinius II schrieb:
KNX control in connection with lighting only makes sense if you want to switch different lighting scenes independently. This includes wall lamps, picture lights, or the lighting of a media wall.
So, if you only have one lamp in your bedroom, you don’t need KNX there just to switch that lamp.

and

Marvinius II schrieb:
If you already find 300€ steep, are you aware that a very basic KNX system starts at around 5000€?

I’ll grab a beer and a bag of chips and look forward to what’s coming next [emoji23][emoji6]

Marvinius II schrieb:
If you already find 300€ expensive: are you aware that a very basic KNX system starts at 5000€ and up?

I planned and installed my KNX system entirely myself, so I know the cost of every cable. [emoji6]

Regarding my PM issue, there should definitely be a more affordable solution. The advantage of KNX-RF would be that I stay within one system and wouldn’t need a gateway or something similar. But we’ll see.

However, why equip the whole house with KNX and then stop at the lighting in rooms with just one lamp or so? The cost to control this lamp via KNX is about 20 euros (one switching channel) or 60 euros (one dimming channel). Additionally, you would have to run a conventional connection from the switch to the lamp in that room and wouldn’t be able to use KNX switches there.