ᐅ Smart Home Solutions for Electrical Renovations – Recommendations
Created on: 7 Jun 2020 13:18
M
MBPassion
Hello everyone,
We want to completely renovate the electrical system in our detached house. Since I am very tech-savvy, this would be the perfect opportunity to install some sensors and actuators and connect them to make the house a bit smarter. After several weeks of evening research, I have learned quite a bit, but sometimes I still find it hard to see the wood for the trees. That’s why I wanted to ask for your advice on the approach you would recommend.
What do I want?
Definitely the control and automation of 10 roller shutters in the house. Also control of lights would be great. The status of windows and the patio door would be nice as well. Possibly temperature sensors or a weather station. It would be fantastic to receive push notifications about mail arriving in the mailbox, which is located a few meters (feet) away from the front door.
Preferably an integration with Apple HomeKit.
What don’t I want?
I would like to avoid having to use a large number of different gateways and apps. I don’t want to have to replace batteries regularly.
I understand that a wired KNX solution would probably be the most robust and future-proof (since it is manufacturer-independent). Just today, I came across a KNX-HomeKit bridge from 1Home that is due to be released soon. However, I fear that a KNX solution would exceed the budget and that adjustments would be less intuitive than, for example, through HomeKit.
During my research, I came across the following products:
What do you think about these components?
Is there any reason not to use Series 64? Would it, for example, be better to install components on a DIN rail instead?
How do I integrate the EnOcean devices into HomeKit? Can I use one of the gateways from Opus or Eltako for all of them, or do they only support their own devices? Would a Homee be a better choice?
As you can see, with thousands of possibilities almost everything is possible, but understanding how everything works together is not so easy. It would be great if you could give me some tips and advice.
We want to completely renovate the electrical system in our detached house. Since I am very tech-savvy, this would be the perfect opportunity to install some sensors and actuators and connect them to make the house a bit smarter. After several weeks of evening research, I have learned quite a bit, but sometimes I still find it hard to see the wood for the trees. That’s why I wanted to ask for your advice on the approach you would recommend.
What do I want?
Definitely the control and automation of 10 roller shutters in the house. Also control of lights would be great. The status of windows and the patio door would be nice as well. Possibly temperature sensors or a weather station. It would be fantastic to receive push notifications about mail arriving in the mailbox, which is located a few meters (feet) away from the front door.
Preferably an integration with Apple HomeKit.
What don’t I want?
I would like to avoid having to use a large number of different gateways and apps. I don’t want to have to replace batteries regularly.
I understand that a wired KNX solution would probably be the most robust and future-proof (since it is manufacturer-independent). Just today, I came across a KNX-HomeKit bridge from 1Home that is due to be released soon. However, I fear that a KNX solution would exceed the budget and that adjustments would be less intuitive than, for example, through HomeKit.
During my research, I came across the following products:
- Eltako Series 64: offers flush-mounted modules for roller shutters, dimmers, and impulse relays that include EnOcean, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi, and are already HomeKit-certified. So, I could cover the roller shutters and lights with this, right?
- HOPPE EnOcean window handles: I find these interesting because they require no power, have no visible parts (e.g., contact magnets), and can even detect a tilted position. What I am unsure about is how to best integrate these into HomeKit.
- EnOcean switches: also battery-free, so they can be placed anywhere.
- Doorbird D2101V plus I/O controller A1081 and indoor station A1101 as a video intercom, since I can operate it remotely or via a Fritz!Fon, use an RFID chip, and it is said to be controllable via an API.
What do you think about these components?
Is there any reason not to use Series 64? Would it, for example, be better to install components on a DIN rail instead?
How do I integrate the EnOcean devices into HomeKit? Can I use one of the gateways from Opus or Eltako for all of them, or do they only support their own devices? Would a Homee be a better choice?
As you can see, with thousands of possibilities almost everything is possible, but understanding how everything works together is not so easy. It would be great if you could give me some tips and advice.
Ben-man schrieb:
Why do you read so little about Homematic here on the forum? For the same reason Loxone is more or less uninteresting. Costs, capabilities, manufacturer dependency.
Ben-man schrieb:
That is my very first choice, and then KNX comes next. And why is that?
Mycraft schrieb:
Costs, options, vendor lock-in.
And why is that? Costs: Is Homematic really more expensive than KNX? In my old invoices (I haven’t checked for a long time) KNX including wiring, etc., was always more expensive.
Vendor lock-in: Is this still a valid argument in smart home times with FHEM, Openhab, ioBroker?
Options: What is meant by that? What can’t I achieve with Homematic?
Ben-man schrieb:
KNX including wiring, etc., has always been more expensive. You always have to compare apples with apples.
Ben-man schrieb:
Vendor lock-in: Is that still a valid argument in smart home times with FHEM, Openhab, ioBroker? Of course.
Ben-man schrieb:
Capabilities: What does that mean? What can’t I achieve with Homematic? Integration and interoperability.
Mycraft schrieb:
You always have to compare apples to apples. What does that mean? I’m comparing the possibility to automatically control my lighting, automatically control my blinds, send emails on events, etc. For the end user, both are apples. Whether one is a standard and the other a product line doesn’t matter at all for the end user.
Mycraft schrieb:
Of course. Says the registered association for KNX standards of the Northern Hemisphere?
Mycraft schrieb:
Integration and interoperability. That doesn’t answer my question and sounds strongly like an evasive response.
Ben-man schrieb:
I am comparing the possibility of automatically controlling my lighting, automatically controlling my blinds, sending emails on events, etc. Exactly. That’s why you have to compare apples to apples. Then you see that KNX is actually cheaper than it is often claimed to be.
Ben-man schrieb:
This doesn’t answer my question and sounds very much like an evasive response. The question has been answered, and if you don’t understand the answer, you probably have some catching up to do.
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