ᐅ New Construction – Which Smart Home System?

Created on: 14 Feb 2020 11:38
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bonkers223
Hello everyone,

I am finally planning to build our own house with my family. I don’t want to do without a smart system and have already done some research.

Loxone is basically off the table for me because it mainly relies on its proprietary system and products.

Of course, I have repeatedly come back to KNX (as here in the forum as well). However, I am not entirely happy with it because I don’t want to have to call a programmer every time I want to make a change; I also don’t really want to buy the ETS license. Additionally, I want to integrate and network fingerprint scanners, Sonos, and a heat pump, but I haven’t fully figured out how to do this with KNX.

The house basically has two floors with an open-plan kitchen/living area, entrance hall, utility room, bathrooms, children’s rooms, bedroom, garden, and so on.

The following systems should be connected:
- Lighting (some dimmable)
- External blinds / weather station
- Underfloor heating
- Heat pump
- Music system (Sonos)
- Fingerprint access
- Video intercom
- Some switched power outlets
- Photovoltaic system

Since I am technically fairly knowledgeable, I want to be able to manage, adjust, and optimize my system myself in the end.

Does anyone have good input here? Or already experience with Loxone, KNX, or others?

Thanks and best regards,
Stefan
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Piotr1981
23 Feb 2020 21:49
Katdreas schrieb:

We are implementing everything from your list except for the photovoltaic system (we don't have one) using free@Home. The only thing that doesn’t work with this, and that I miss, is the controlled residential ventilation. The manufacturer offers a system/app for that.

Are you satisfied with Busch-Jaeger?
What do you control via free@Home?
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Katdreas
24 Feb 2020 23:16
Piotr1981 schrieb:

Are you satisfied with Busch-Jaeger?
What do you control via free@Home?

If you remind me in April, I can gladly share my initial experiences. The electrician is currently doing the final installation, and we will be moving in within 4 weeks.

We have: lighting, blinds, heating, doors, awnings, windows, a few sockets, Sonos.

We have known our electrician personally for a long time, so we know that he and his partner are experienced in this field and also proficient with KNX... He recommended F@H to us, and we trust his assessment.
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Johanneslisa
11 Mar 2020 00:03
We use a pre-programmed PLC for the venetian blinds and Homematic IP for the heating.
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bonkers223
16 Mar 2020 13:03
Hello everyone,

maybe some of you are still following this topic. Since the Light & Building fair in Frankfurt was unfortunately canceled, I started exploring myGEKKO and visited a "Solution Partner" to see the system in action.

I have to say, the simplicity is hard to beat. Commissioning Raumbus (=KNX) is very easy, and the great thing is, I don’t need ETS software.
Additionally, I can integrate other devices and systems with familiar interfaces following the same principle, which I found lacking in other systems.
I can handle everything myself: commissioning, connecting Sonos, lawnmower via API, and so on. Even my wife can adjust timers on her own since it’s really straightforward.

So, I decided to go with this system, including the display, because I can also use it as an indoor intercom. Plus, I can save some switches near the display.

I’m curious to see if it will be as easy to use and implement in practice as it seems so far.

If I run into any issues, I still have KNX installed in the house and can switch back anytime.

If anyone is interested, I’m happy to share my experiences later.

Best regards
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Notstrom
11 Apr 2020 20:31
Hello,

we have now settled on the BJ KNX system combined with the BJ Welcome solution. We expect this to provide a solid “framework” for end users and to avoid having too many control panels throughout the house.

Does anyone have experience with this?
Mycraft14 Apr 2020 11:03
Do you mean free@Home? There is no such thing as "BJ KNX," just as there is no "GIRA KNX."
Notstrom schrieb:

We expect a kind of “framework” for end users as well as not too many panels in the house.
What do you mean by "framework"? Usually, the number of panels installed is entirely up to you. It is also possible to have none at all, if desired.