Hi,
I’m still undecided about installing home automation in our planned new build.
My requirements are as follows:
- Control of roller shutters or blinds (possibly window contacts to detect open windows)
- Control of heating / air source heat pump or solar system
- Control of a video intercom system via a tablet
Of course, I have looked into KNX and the material costs alone would be around 6000€ (approximately 6,350 USD). As an alternative, Loxone is mentioned increasingly often, although the proprietary format is a bit off-putting.
My requirements could also be met with a manufacturer-specific system.
Do you have any recommendations for or against home automation (in my case)?
Best regards
Acd85
I’m still undecided about installing home automation in our planned new build.
My requirements are as follows:
- Control of roller shutters or blinds (possibly window contacts to detect open windows)
- Control of heating / air source heat pump or solar system
- Control of a video intercom system via a tablet
Of course, I have looked into KNX and the material costs alone would be around 6000€ (approximately 6,350 USD). As an alternative, Loxone is mentioned increasingly often, although the proprietary format is a bit off-putting.
My requirements could also be met with a manufacturer-specific system.
Do you have any recommendations for or against home automation (in my case)?
Best regards
Acd85
Mycraft schrieb:
No, there are also WAGO I/O, LCN, Beckhoff, Modbus, Crestron, DMX, and many more...
Each has its advantages and disadvantages... KNX is not the ultimate solution and it can’t do everything, but it follows different goals. It’s not about having “the best system,” but about achieving maximum flexibility, integration, and of course interoperability.
With KNX, the systems I mentioned above and others can be connected. For example, you can control a DMX device with an Enocean switch or turn off the heating with a DALI occupancy sensor—all on the KNX level...
Without KNX, you often depend solely on manufacturer-specific solutions, which are often excellent in one area but poor in another...
With KNX, you have the full range at your disposal and can pick out the best parts...Okay, so it’s nothing that couldn’t also be done with many other systems... proprietary or not doesn’t really matter then.
Clearly: YES and NO
Without integration, you end up with a building permit / planning permission at home; the construction takes forever, nobody really knows what is going on or who is responsible... and if it ever gets finished, it turns out too small... half of the solutions are dead ends, and with the other half, there is no more support because the company decided to stop developing that product line or the entire company is out of business.
I don’t know, but I wouldn’t want something like that in my house...
Without integration, you end up with a building permit / planning permission at home; the construction takes forever, nobody really knows what is going on or who is responsible... and if it ever gets finished, it turns out too small... half of the solutions are dead ends, and with the other half, there is no more support because the company decided to stop developing that product line or the entire company is out of business.
I don’t know, but I wouldn’t want something like that in my house...
ONeill schrieb:
@FreakErn: What arguments do you currently have against implementing KNX?
Clearly, the cost.
I decided to go with a Loxone solution and am very satisfied with it. I can also solve most of the tasks mentioned here with a standard Loxone setup. Unfortunately, there are no devices like a stereo receiver that can directly integrate with Loxone, but since Loxone also supports EIB, I could even get a stereo receiver with EIB and connect it through one of my empty conduits to the home automation system (if that ever becomes my goal, which I doubt).
The costs simply don’t match the requirements. Basic control of roller shutters and lights wasn’t even mentioned. Window contact sensors, heating / air-source heat pumps or solar system control, and a video intercom system—almost any system today can handle these.
This could probably even be solved with a Raspberry Pi plus a bunch of relays and reed switches, and that would give me endless flexibility and unlimited programming possibilities...
@Acd85 What kind of heat pump do you have or plan to get? What type of solar system is it? Have you already considered a specific model for the intercom? Do these devices have interfaces? If so, what kind?
If these devices have KNX add-on modules, then I would probably recommend KNX to you. Simple HTTP (REST) interfaces are supported by almost all systems nowadays...
And please, don’t be impressed by a weather station—there are countless free services online that provide you with data for the next 16 days with just a few clicks!
S
Sebastian798 Apr 2016 10:06They are very precise...