ᐅ Smart Home without switches? P.Hue, Home Assistant, Homematic wired IP

Good morning,
well, I see it a bit differently. Since routers and Devolo now coordinate well regarding interference, I have very few concerns. Your prejudices about DLAN probably come from the past. Nowadays, there are hardly any problems.
That’s why I’m not too worried about it, and at the moment I’m very satisfied using it in my own home. Network and Wi-Fi everywhere I want it...

I’m happy to explain it again... So, I want to set up the electrical installation centrally, which makes sense since it will be a shell construction. I will build the cables and distribution cabinet myself and pull the cables through the house. The central cabinet will supply two apartments. Everything there should be smart. That’s why I came across Homematic; an alternative would probably be Busch-Jaeger. I don’t want to install switches, as there aren’t really any rooms in the apartments, just large open spaces. The only room is what you could call a toilet cabin. That’s why I would like to have a display to control everything.
Since I want to control lighting, shutters, air conditioning, and heating all via this display, I’m looking for a suitable system. There are Raspberry Pi solutions like IO-Broker, Home Assistant, etc., which can network these various systems and make them controllable. I’m not quite sure about Busch-Jaeger free@home yet. Nuki will also be integrated there for PIN input from outside and general access control to the apartments.
Of course, I don’t want to tinker forever, but an expensive KNX system with pricey software faces an open community with system solutions and a CPU costing around €70 (about $75).

For me, it’s not a question of whether to go for a DIY solution or Busch-Jaeger. The real question is whether BJ is open enough to communicate with all systems equally — for example, to activate the condensing boiler if the air conditioning can no longer keep up with heating, so it stays warm in winter. Or to only use the air conditioning when the sun is shining, since the photovoltaic system is smartly accessible. Or to access the power meters I will need. I just assume they cover all shutters and lighting.

The complexity here is not in the wiring or whether there is a network socket, but in linking and unifying interfaces and their operation... and that’s exactly where I need expert knowledge...

So, I’m looking forward to experiences with free@home, Homematic IP, IO-Broker, Home Assistant, or alternatives that might be even better at making all these systems operate together.

And since, according to the unanimous opinion here, I have no clue and need help, I look forward to constructive responses.

Regards,
Bampa

If you want to have something like this in a house where you plan to live for 20 years or more.

To me, it sounds like a makeshift solution that will likely prove to be too unreliable in the long run.
Just the fact that you have three systems (Raspberry Pi, IO Broker, etc.) that are supposed to work seamlessly together is concerning.

Also, having "no switches" for certain functions— a physical control button is more practical than relying solely on an app.

So, I’ll admit I’m a huge iobroker fan.

I’ve been running the system steadily for 2 years now. It integrates, among other things, Shellys, Homematic, robot vacuums, robotic lawn mowers, photovoltaic system, washing machine, dryer, dishwasher, NAS, etc.

You have to say, it’s quite a powerful tool. There are many small and large scripts running that are supposed to automate everyday tasks to some extent. I also created a visualization that’s displayed on a tablet mounted in the hallway and constantly powered.

It looks something like this.

When it comes to networking, I can imagine that it’s possible for you with plenty of time and patience. But for a guest without any fallback option, I agree completely with others. For example, what happens if the guest doesn’t charge the tablet or fiddles with it so the visualization disappears? Or if the tablet crashes, etc.

Hi, okay, that looks good!
So, IO-Broker…
The tablet—I planned to securely mount it in a steel enclosure on the wall with charging… it shouldn’t be carried around all the time.
Takes a lot of time and patience to configure?
I’m hoping that with good planning, most of that can be managed upfront… ☺️
Deciding on which system, wiring, etc.

Well, if you want to cover all the scenarios you mentioned—heating, air conditioning, blinds, lighting—you’ll need to write quite a few scripts for that.

It’s definitely not something you can just click together quickly. I’ve already spent a lot of time getting everything to work smoothly, not to mention the visualization.

You should also keep in mind that the visualization in iobroker only runs in a web browser. Occasionally, Firefox (in my case) may freeze briefly. That’s not a problem for me; I just reopen the app, and the visualization reloads.

But who will handle that for you?

Audiobampa schrieb:

Well, I see it a bit differently. Since routers and Devolo now coordinate well regarding interference, I have very few concerns. Your prejudices about powerline communication (PLC) probably come from the past. Nowadays, there are hardly any issues.
That’s why I don’t have many reservations about it and currently I am very satisfied with it in my own home.

This isn’t about the past, but about the situation on site. The equipment can work perfectly well in one apartment, but in the next building the same technology can be a disaster. Especially if you are planning this here:

Audiobampa schrieb:

I will gladly explain again ... so I want to set up an electrical installation centrally, which makes sense since it will be a shell construction. I will assemble the cables and the distribution board myself and pull the cables through the house.

… then just do it properly and run network cables where you need them, and don’t start off in a near-new build with such rubbish.

Audiobampa schrieb:

That’s why I came across Homematic, an alternative would probably be Busch Jäger.

No, those are fundamentally different things. Homematic is relatively open, Busch Jäger is a closed solution with one or two compatibilities.

Audiobampa schrieb:

So I’m looking forward to experiences with free@home, Homematic IP, IO-Broker, Home Assistant or alternatives that might do an even better job at making all these systems controllable together.

From that list, I would choose Home Assistant. Don’t mix too much, or you’ll end up frustrated, and so will your guests. HA has an extensive integration list. You should check in advance whether the devices you plan will work together. No matter what, out of the box this won’t meet your requirements.

Audiobampa schrieb:

And since, as the general opinion here is, I have no idea and need help, I look forward to constructive answers.

Then you should probably start by trusting people who know what they’re talking about.

Audiobampa schrieb:

I hope that good planning will already solve a lot... ☺

Again, no—or no, with reservations. Experience is what really helps to avoid many problems. Of course, you can buy all sorts of equipment based on the datasheets, but the fine pitfalls aren’t listed there. If you stick to one system, planning is fairly straightforward, but if you mix wildly, things can get complicated. Assuming that everything will just work together inevitably leads to a hard landing.