Hello everyone
We are currently building a house and I am looking for a system to control the roller shutters/blinds and the heating, and possibly also the garage door, via an API.
It should not be wireless but wired. Since we are in a new build, I can easily install cables.
The system itself does not need to have any logic (e.g., turn on the heating at 12 o’clock).
I plan to handle that with my own software.
(It basically needs something like a controller with Ethernet connectivity.)
There is a flood of information online, but I haven’t really found a clear answer on who offers this.
Can anyone help me out?
Thanks and best regards, Claudio
We are currently building a house and I am looking for a system to control the roller shutters/blinds and the heating, and possibly also the garage door, via an API.
It should not be wireless but wired. Since we are in a new build, I can easily install cables.
The system itself does not need to have any logic (e.g., turn on the heating at 12 o’clock).
I plan to handle that with my own software.
(It basically needs something like a controller with Ethernet connectivity.)
There is a flood of information online, but I haven’t really found a clear answer on who offers this.
Can anyone help me out?
Thanks and best regards, Claudio
untergasse43 schrieb:
Are you single and living alone? Your approach to heating and blind control sounds like a WAF of almost zero
Otherwise, the price depends on the number of blinds. Assuming 8 blinds and the minimal configuration (MDT 8-way blind actuator, MDT 160mA power supply, MDT IP gateway), the cost per blind channel is about 60€ (about $65). If there are more channels, the cost per channel usually becomes cheaper.
Then you can use any available visualization or other software packages to let your programming creativity run free. There is even software for those with a high tolerance for complexity Hi there
No, not single. I have 2 kids, a wife, and a dog
The house has 225m2 (2420 sq ft) of living space, 14 windows, and two glass fronts. So there should be around 16 blinds.
How exactly does this work? Is there a cable from each blind motor running down to the basement to the MDT blind actuator? That actuator is connected to the MDT IP gateway, and from there it communicates via IP with my LAN?
Regarding the costs I found online, it would be around 250€ (about $270) for the 16-channel actuator and 350€ (about $380) for the IP gateway, plus cables?
Is that correct?
This could work, but your plan lacks physical switches in every room.
An alternative might be decentralized switch actuators installed directly on the blinds? That way, you could avoid the star wiring if desired.
The rest of the house is NOT intended to be smart? If it’s only about the blinds, I would suggest a wireless solution, which is available directly with Wi-Fi (for example, Shelly).
An alternative might be decentralized switch actuators installed directly on the blinds? That way, you could avoid the star wiring if desired.
The rest of the house is NOT intended to be smart? If it’s only about the blinds, I would suggest a wireless solution, which is available directly with Wi-Fi (for example, Shelly).
Please introduce your building project.
This would make things much easier, and we are also curious.
Do you have venetian blinds or regular roller shutters?
What exactly is your goal? Should it be smart or just centrally and (remotely) controllable?
If you want it to be smart, you need more than just control via KNX. For example, a weather station for sun tracking and as a wind sensor...
The KNX components need to be programmed using ETS.
This way, all basic functions will work, and depending on the components, some logic can already be implemented.
With a logic server, you can handle everything else afterward.
For underfloor heating, control is not necessarily required. It is too slow to react, so it only makes sense if linked to weather forecasts.
What is your budget?
I would recommend installing all bus cables at once. This way, you can expand your system later to include, for example, lighting, motion detectors, smoke alarms, and so on, even if your budget is limited now.
I don’t recommend writing the software for your project yourself. There are so many options and software solutions to control KNX, ranging from logic servers for DIN rail mounting to facility servers. You will be better off using these. And believe me, you will have enough programming to do anyway. The advantage is that there is a large community to support you. There are also many ready-made modules. The tasks are usually the same or at least very similar.
There is a forum dedicated solely to KNX. You will probably find better advice there for this part of your house planning.
Regarding the actuators, you also need switches with bus couplers. That means only one bus cable is connected to the switches. There are many possibilities here. For example, a single pushbutton with a bus coupler in the basement, a glass switch with two buttons in the kitchen to trigger multiple functions, and a panel in the living room...
The great thing about KNX is that it is a standard. You are not tied to one manufacturer and can freely combine components.
This would make things much easier, and we are also curious.
Do you have venetian blinds or regular roller shutters?
What exactly is your goal? Should it be smart or just centrally and (remotely) controllable?
If you want it to be smart, you need more than just control via KNX. For example, a weather station for sun tracking and as a wind sensor...
The KNX components need to be programmed using ETS.
This way, all basic functions will work, and depending on the components, some logic can already be implemented.
With a logic server, you can handle everything else afterward.
For underfloor heating, control is not necessarily required. It is too slow to react, so it only makes sense if linked to weather forecasts.
What is your budget?
I would recommend installing all bus cables at once. This way, you can expand your system later to include, for example, lighting, motion detectors, smoke alarms, and so on, even if your budget is limited now.
I don’t recommend writing the software for your project yourself. There are so many options and software solutions to control KNX, ranging from logic servers for DIN rail mounting to facility servers. You will be better off using these. And believe me, you will have enough programming to do anyway. The advantage is that there is a large community to support you. There are also many ready-made modules. The tasks are usually the same or at least very similar.
There is a forum dedicated solely to KNX. You will probably find better advice there for this part of your house planning.
Regarding the actuators, you also need switches with bus couplers. That means only one bus cable is connected to the switches. There are many possibilities here. For example, a single pushbutton with a bus coupler in the basement, a glass switch with two buttons in the kitchen to trigger multiple functions, and a panel in the living room...
The great thing about KNX is that it is a standard. You are not tied to one manufacturer and can freely combine components.
bauenmk202010 Sep 2019 21:26apokolok schrieb:
If you might consider a Wi-Fi-based solution, Shelly 2.5 modules are exactly what you’re looking for. They have an open API and can be easily installed behind the traditional switches. I want to control my roller shutters smartly as well (house construction will start at the end of the year). Are these Wi-Fi solutions reliable? How "secure" are they if the Wi-Fi protocol becomes outdated in 10 years?
