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ArmanyCorrupty9 Jul 2025 21:20Good evening everyone,
We built our first house in 1994, and back then, smart home technology or systems like Eurobus were not an option due to costs. Now the old house is much too big for us, so we are building a small bungalow.
I would like to automate/integrate the following:
Roller shutter control
Outdoor cameras
Music in every room
Motion detectors in the garage, entrance area, and utility room
Photovoltaic system + battery storage
Air source heat pump
Air conditioning
Except for Homematic IP, which I know from acquaintances, I am not familiar with such systems. Online, there is too much information to properly evaluate as a layperson.
I hope you can help me or at least point me in the right direction.
Best regards,
ArmanyCorrupty
We built our first house in 1994, and back then, smart home technology or systems like Eurobus were not an option due to costs. Now the old house is much too big for us, so we are building a small bungalow.
I would like to automate/integrate the following:
Roller shutter control
Outdoor cameras
Music in every room
Motion detectors in the garage, entrance area, and utility room
Photovoltaic system + battery storage
Air source heat pump
Air conditioning
Except for Homematic IP, which I know from acquaintances, I am not familiar with such systems. Online, there is too much information to properly evaluate as a layperson.
I hope you can help me or at least point me in the right direction.
Best regards,
ArmanyCorrupty
W
wiltshire10 Jul 2025 09:45The question is always how deep you want to get into it. A few years ago, I had to deal with this as part of a photovoltaic battery storage solution.
For “DIYers” and hobbyists, this is incomplete:
1. Open source: openHAB is very powerful and suited for people who want to delve deeply.
2. Open source: Home Assistant is somewhat easier to handle, with quick Q&A available from its active community.
3. Open source: Domoticz is popular among Raspberry Pi enthusiasts.
4. Commercial solutions for people with privacy concerns and advanced knowledge include Hubitat Elevation.
Additional tools like:
1. ioBroker for visualization
2. Tasmota for reflashing microcontrollers
If you only want to configure and not program, you look for one of the usual suspects and check the capabilities of Fritz!, Somfy, Loxone, Crestron, various KNX systems (Gira, Jung, ABB, Hager...), Apple Home, Google Home, Alexa, and similar.
In private homes, automation is, from my perspective, primarily a hobby that offers individually assessed convenience gains and questionable return on investment. In commercially used buildings, it is a significant economic factor.
For “DIYers” and hobbyists, this is incomplete:
1. Open source: openHAB is very powerful and suited for people who want to delve deeply.
2. Open source: Home Assistant is somewhat easier to handle, with quick Q&A available from its active community.
3. Open source: Domoticz is popular among Raspberry Pi enthusiasts.
4. Commercial solutions for people with privacy concerns and advanced knowledge include Hubitat Elevation.
Additional tools like:
1. ioBroker for visualization
2. Tasmota for reflashing microcontrollers
If you only want to configure and not program, you look for one of the usual suspects and check the capabilities of Fritz!, Somfy, Loxone, Crestron, various KNX systems (Gira, Jung, ABB, Hager...), Apple Home, Google Home, Alexa, and similar.
In private homes, automation is, from my perspective, primarily a hobby that offers individually assessed convenience gains and questionable return on investment. In commercially used buildings, it is a significant economic factor.
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ArmanyCorrupty10 Jul 2025 18:52Thank you, wiltshire,
I will take a look at Home Assistant.
Best regards
Armany
I will take a look at Home Assistant.
Best regards
Armany
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Bierwächter10 Jul 2025 20:04We are also building a small bungalow, and I plan to get involved with smart home technology myself. Since we are still in the early stages—there isn’t even a foundation slab yet—I’m not an expert. But I can share a few thoughts.
My plan includes:
Shutter control with a weather station and presence detectors. If there is still presence detected in bed, the bedroom shutter should stay closed. In the morning, if I get up but my wife is still in bed, the shutters in the bedroom and bathroom should remain closed.
Lighting will be connected with presence detectors in most rooms. If I go to the kitchen or toilet at night, certain lights should come on dimmed. Presence detectors should work in zones. We have desks in the living room. When I sit at my desk, certain lights turn on. The same applies to the dining table, sofa area, and so on. When I leave, the lights turn off again after a delay. Shutters should provide partial shading in summer when it’s very hot. Possibly, if the terrace door handle isn’t closed, one shutter should stay open to avoid locking myself out. When I enter the shower area, certain lights and an infrared heater placed in front of the shower should turn on.
All lights should be dimmable so that switching on/off isn’t too abrupt. They should brighten or fade slowly.
It’s still uncertain whether the presence detectors will work well, as they seem to require a lot of configuration and tweaking, but I will definitely give it a try.
I don’t see much point in using a heat pump with underfloor heating. As far as I know, it should be set once and not adjusted again.
You are also somewhat limited depending on the builder you choose. For example, I had to plan some lighting in advance with 5-core cables and design transformers with improvised solutions because we didn’t want a suspended ceiling.
I will install everything step by step. If you don’t want to do it yourself, you have to see what is available, which usually isn’t cheap. I will also implement it “only” with Shelly devices, working with Home Assistant and a mini PC.
Smart home technology is all well and good, but it’s a lot of tinkering, and depending on the execution, it’s uncertain whether it will work as intended in the end. A lot of planning is needed, especially when budget is a factor.
Oh yes, don’t forget about access points.
Recently, during our selection meeting, I talked to another homeowner who doesn’t care about electricity at all. He only took the standard package, with a few network outlets that he doesn’t even use.
My plan includes:
Shutter control with a weather station and presence detectors. If there is still presence detected in bed, the bedroom shutter should stay closed. In the morning, if I get up but my wife is still in bed, the shutters in the bedroom and bathroom should remain closed.
Lighting will be connected with presence detectors in most rooms. If I go to the kitchen or toilet at night, certain lights should come on dimmed. Presence detectors should work in zones. We have desks in the living room. When I sit at my desk, certain lights turn on. The same applies to the dining table, sofa area, and so on. When I leave, the lights turn off again after a delay. Shutters should provide partial shading in summer when it’s very hot. Possibly, if the terrace door handle isn’t closed, one shutter should stay open to avoid locking myself out. When I enter the shower area, certain lights and an infrared heater placed in front of the shower should turn on.
All lights should be dimmable so that switching on/off isn’t too abrupt. They should brighten or fade slowly.
It’s still uncertain whether the presence detectors will work well, as they seem to require a lot of configuration and tweaking, but I will definitely give it a try.
I don’t see much point in using a heat pump with underfloor heating. As far as I know, it should be set once and not adjusted again.
You are also somewhat limited depending on the builder you choose. For example, I had to plan some lighting in advance with 5-core cables and design transformers with improvised solutions because we didn’t want a suspended ceiling.
I will install everything step by step. If you don’t want to do it yourself, you have to see what is available, which usually isn’t cheap. I will also implement it “only” with Shelly devices, working with Home Assistant and a mini PC.
Smart home technology is all well and good, but it’s a lot of tinkering, and depending on the execution, it’s uncertain whether it will work as intended in the end. A lot of planning is needed, especially when budget is a factor.
Oh yes, don’t forget about access points.
Recently, during our selection meeting, I talked to another homeowner who doesn’t care about electricity at all. He only took the standard package, with a few network outlets that he doesn’t even use.
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ArmanyCorrupty10 Jul 2025 20:12Hello Bierwächter,
That sounds quite complicated with the presence detectors, especially in the bedroom when the wife is still sleeping.
I have thought about it in advance; we don’t have a general contractor yet.
We are still looking around.
Let’s see where this journey takes us.
Best regards, Armany
That sounds quite complicated with the presence detectors, especially in the bedroom when the wife is still sleeping.
I have thought about it in advance; we don’t have a general contractor yet.
We are still looking around.
Let’s see where this journey takes us.
Best regards, Armany
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nordanney10 Jul 2025 20:55ArmanyCorrupty schrieb:
especially in the bedroom, when the wife is still sleeping. It is said that the Steinel True Presence performs excellently in such cases. It detects micro breathing movements.
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