ᐅ Preparing a Smart Home for Future Expansion (No Wireless/Cloud)

Hello,
I am currently building a house; the walls are up, and the roof will be installed in the next few days. I work in IT, but for cost reasons, and because my electrician isn’t very familiar with the topic, I haven’t paid much attention to smart home systems. HOWEVER, I would like to prepare everything so that the basics are in place. I would rather not have to open up walls again later just because I got bored. Ideally, KNX would be great, but it’s quite expensive. My preferred option is probably Home Assistant; I will definitely install my own server using Docker/VMs. That will be a lot of work. Or simply a basic system like Homematic wired. This is my intention and line of thought. Here are some additional points to help understand what is important to me and what I have already planned.

- Power over Ethernet (PoE) RJ45 cables planned so far for the garage door, 2 outdoor cameras (if installed), front door, and 2 ceiling access points.
- I do not want any product that requires an internet connection. If there is an app, it should be optional and accessed via VPN into the house before use—no “cloud product” from a manufacturer. Also for data privacy reasons.
- I would like everything to be wired wherever possible, no wireless/Wi-Fi.

Now that electrical wiring is about to begin and I will soon be chiseling wall channels:
- What makes sense to wire, and which type of cables? For example, electric roller shutters are currently controlled by a classic switch at the door. Which cables should I run down to the fuse box? Just extend the existing 2-wire cable? Or should I run at least one RJ45 cable per room to the control boxes?
- For lighting, I might extend only outdoor lights and living room lights. The hallway will be controlled by a motion sensor, and I don’t currently see any point in individual room lighting control (or do I?).
- How much space should I allow for the distribution board/panel, or should I keep some free space? Or would it be better to install a second panel next to it in 1-4 years instead of reserving empty space now?

Are there any other aspects I should consider now that would be difficult to deal with later?

I would really appreciate it if someone with experience could help me out.

Best regards, and have a great Sunday!

Same situation: New build almost finished, IT professional, experienced with Home Assistant, KNX too expensive.

Question: What is your issue with wireless? Rely on Wi-Fi (Shelly) and Zigbee. Everything local. No cloud. I haven’t had any problems with this setup in recent years. The key is to have a proper infrastructure (Unifi system or similar). Wi-Fi performance is excellent, and I also use their cameras.

Often the same choice because of data privacy, as I don’t want to make a big deal out of it. Wired connections always work, and there’s no need to debate their reliability. Wi-Fi/wireless uses more power, and wired is more secure or at least cannot be intercepted from outside. Or I use a definitive argument: I don’t want to have to sleep wrapped in aluminum foil.

I now have the opportunity to install wiring. If I mess it up, I’ll eventually need some wireless equipment, but I want to avoid that as much as possible! I also don’t want to commit to a single standard right away.

Alright, have fun looking for a system. Besides KNX, I don’t know of any open ones. Sure, Loxone, Homematic IP. But in that case, you might as well stick with KNX. I also had the argument about being able to still lay cables now. And then?

What was more important in the end: deep back boxes and plenty of CAT cables.

I’ll follow the thread and am curious.

Why should KNX be more expensive? It always depends. Cables are inexpensive. If you program yourself or set up the server, you save a lot of money.
Install a KNX wiring system. Then you can do whatever you want later.

Hello,
yes, thank you. But what is KNX wiring? My question was: What makes sense and how many conductors are needed, etc.?
Best regards