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
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
Well, I’ll try to be a bit more precise:
- Currently, the plan is to implement the visualization through BJ (Welcome).
Why BJ? I wanted a system with guidelines that I, as a “layperson,” can operate, tailored for a single-family home. The electrician recommended the Eisbär, but I felt quite lost with it.
Requirements
- The BJ server should function both as an intercom and as, or together with, a KNX server.
- A visualization is planned on every floor, and the cabling is already in place.
- Now I’m wondering if it would be possible to use, for example, the Gira X1 (which, based on my observation and research, is one of the best KNX servers) to manage both the system and the intercom.
- The goal: the visualization on wall-mounted tablets, which also serve as the intercom, since we don’t want too many devices lying around.
- So my question is: X1 as the server, and what could be used as the intercom? Or am I on the wrong track with the X1?
- Currently, the plan is to implement the visualization through BJ (Welcome).
Why BJ? I wanted a system with guidelines that I, as a “layperson,” can operate, tailored for a single-family home. The electrician recommended the Eisbär, but I felt quite lost with it.
Requirements
- The BJ server should function both as an intercom and as, or together with, a KNX server.
- A visualization is planned on every floor, and the cabling is already in place.
- Now I’m wondering if it would be possible to use, for example, the Gira X1 (which, based on my observation and research, is one of the best KNX servers) to manage both the system and the intercom.
- The goal: the visualization on wall-mounted tablets, which also serve as the intercom, since we don’t want too many devices lying around.
- So my question is: X1 as the server, and what could be used as the intercom? Or am I on the wrong track with the X1?
rick2018 schrieb:
With the TKS, you can connect almost anything. Gira is the easiest by far.
A tablet can be used as a doorbell station via the SmartHome app. With a gateway, this works worldwide.
The X1 is probably just as easy or difficult as the BJ. What is a TKS?
untergasse4313 Aug 2020 20:57Notstrom schrieb:
- BJ Server functions both as an intercom and as or with a KNX serverAttention! Don’t confuse Welcome with free@home!Notstrom schrieb:
- Now I’m wondering if we could create a solution where, for example, we use the Gira X1 (which, according to my observations and research, is one of the best KNX servers) and this could represent both the system and the intercom.
- The goal: the visualization on tablets mounted on the wall that also act as the intercom, since we don’t want a lot of devices hanging around.
- So the question: X1 as the server and what could be used as the intercom? Or am I on the wrong track with the X1?For video calling, you need the mentioned Gira TKS with IP gateway and ideally a Gira intercom system (I won’t comment on the video quality here). This then either rings on a G1 device (if you had one) or via the TKS app on your iPads. Generally, X1 and TKS don’t really work together. Video calling within the X1 visualization on the iPad doesn’t work with TKS either! So you end up with two separate apps for the visualization and TKS on the iPad. Personally, I don’t find that ideal, but it works.My two cents on the X1: It’s nice, but far from the "best" and has some significant limitations. However, that probably won’t be an issue given your requirements.
untergasse43 schrieb:
Beware! Don’t confuse Welcome with free@home!No. I’m talking about the Welcome system.
It’s an intercom system with video that also provides the visualization for KNX.
untergasse43 schrieb:
For video doorbell functionality, you need the mentioned Gira intercom system with IP gateway and ideally a Gira doorbell unit (I won’t comment on the video quality here). It then rings either on a G1 device (if you have one) or through the intercom app on your iPads. Generally, the X1 and the intercom system don’t have much to do with each other. Within the X1’s visualization on the iPad, video doorbell is not supported with the intercom system! So, you’ll end up with two separate apps for visualization and intercom on the iPad. Personally, I don’t like that, but it works.
My 2 cents on the X1: it’s nice, but far from the “best” and partly quite limited. However, that probably won’t be an issue with your requirements.I’m just wondering if I can get one system where I’m online with “one” app (like with Welcome), meaning both the intercom and the KNX visualization.
I’d prefer everything on one system if possible.
Welcome offers this, which is why the focus has been here so far, but if I can get that with another system (e.g., Gira X1), I’d be interested in considering it too.
What bothers me about BJ is that it only works through its own visualization.
What’s the problem? The devices are extremely expensive at a “reasonable” size, hence the idea of an “open” solution plus an iPad.
The electrician refers to the Eisbär, but I still don’t want that.