Hello everyone,
My wife and I are planning to build a house next year and are currently working with our architect on the design. At this point, the floor plans for the building (about 160sqm (1700 sq ft) of living space) are set, and the next step is to address the technical aspects.
I would like to learn more about home automation, as this is a topic of interest to me.
I hope to get some tips, ideas, suggestions, experiences, and recommendations from you.
Background:
-----------------
First, a few words about myself to provide some context. I completed a training program as a communications electronics technician in the mid-1990s. During this training, I also encountered electrical installations, although back then it was mostly about basic switch circuits rather than intelligent electrical installations. We also covered a brief introduction to PLCs (programmable logic controllers), so I am somewhat familiar with the basics (I even spent a couple of class hours directly in front of a PLC). Assembly programming was also part of the training.
However, in my professional career, I moved more into IT and have hardly worked with electrical installations or PLC programming.
During my technical college diploma, I encountered EIB (as it was called at the time) and was able to define some logic in the laboratory.
In my industrial engineering studies, I dealt with programming in various high-level languages.
Why am I sharing this? For deciding on home automation, costs and requirements are important, but I also want to understand how my house “works.”
I am also considering doing part of the work myself (e.g., laying cables, connecting sensors and actuators, possibly programming PLCs or other intelligent control systems). Even though I have little practical experience in this area, I am confident I can learn with the support of a knowledgeable electrician, up to learning PLC programming, for example.
Requirements:
---------------------
* Scenarios for living/dining area (dinner, guests, watching TV, all on/off, etc.); also controllable via remote control
* Possibly other scenarios for different rooms
* Roller shutters/awnings: time-dependent, south side sun and/or temperature dependent, manually switchable
* Various motion/presence detectors for passageways and secondary rooms (e.g., hallways, stairs, bathrooms, etc.)
* Electronic locking system for front door, side door, and garage: keyless via RFID ID card/fob, garage controllable by remote from vehicle
* Possibly integration with heating system? (=> energy saving: reduce heating when no one is home, using presence detectors vs. time schedules?)
* Possibly smoke detectors
* Possibly water leak detectors near washing machine
* Possibly alarm system (as a “byproduct” using existing motion detectors)
* Possibly status monitoring for windows/doors: open/closed
Ideas/Considerations:
----------------------------
Infrastructure:
Conduits? Cable ducts? Cable installation methods?
How can/should wiring be done to remain flexible (e.g., for adding a new socket later) and “future-proof”?
Star wiring, conventional wiring, or bus system?
PLC, fieldbus systems, or proprietary solutions?
What offers the best cost/benefit ratio?
What is your experience with the following systems?
KNX?
LCN?
LON?
HomeMatic?
Siemens Synco Living?
Other systems?
As mentioned before, cost is an important factor. Based on what I have seen elsewhere, a budget of 30,000 EUR (~$32,700) for the technology would be too much. Perhaps a step-by-step expansion could be an option, starting with minimal requirements and gradually adding more. However, the solution should be “future-proof.”
I hope you can share tips, ideas, suggestions, experiences, and recommendations!
Thank you very much in advance!
Christian
My wife and I are planning to build a house next year and are currently working with our architect on the design. At this point, the floor plans for the building (about 160sqm (1700 sq ft) of living space) are set, and the next step is to address the technical aspects.
I would like to learn more about home automation, as this is a topic of interest to me.
I hope to get some tips, ideas, suggestions, experiences, and recommendations from you.
Background:
-----------------
First, a few words about myself to provide some context. I completed a training program as a communications electronics technician in the mid-1990s. During this training, I also encountered electrical installations, although back then it was mostly about basic switch circuits rather than intelligent electrical installations. We also covered a brief introduction to PLCs (programmable logic controllers), so I am somewhat familiar with the basics (I even spent a couple of class hours directly in front of a PLC). Assembly programming was also part of the training.
However, in my professional career, I moved more into IT and have hardly worked with electrical installations or PLC programming.
During my technical college diploma, I encountered EIB (as it was called at the time) and was able to define some logic in the laboratory.
In my industrial engineering studies, I dealt with programming in various high-level languages.
Why am I sharing this? For deciding on home automation, costs and requirements are important, but I also want to understand how my house “works.”
I am also considering doing part of the work myself (e.g., laying cables, connecting sensors and actuators, possibly programming PLCs or other intelligent control systems). Even though I have little practical experience in this area, I am confident I can learn with the support of a knowledgeable electrician, up to learning PLC programming, for example.
Requirements:
---------------------
* Scenarios for living/dining area (dinner, guests, watching TV, all on/off, etc.); also controllable via remote control
* Possibly other scenarios for different rooms
* Roller shutters/awnings: time-dependent, south side sun and/or temperature dependent, manually switchable
* Various motion/presence detectors for passageways and secondary rooms (e.g., hallways, stairs, bathrooms, etc.)
* Electronic locking system for front door, side door, and garage: keyless via RFID ID card/fob, garage controllable by remote from vehicle
* Possibly integration with heating system? (=> energy saving: reduce heating when no one is home, using presence detectors vs. time schedules?)
* Possibly smoke detectors
* Possibly water leak detectors near washing machine
* Possibly alarm system (as a “byproduct” using existing motion detectors)
* Possibly status monitoring for windows/doors: open/closed
Ideas/Considerations:
----------------------------
Infrastructure:
Conduits? Cable ducts? Cable installation methods?
How can/should wiring be done to remain flexible (e.g., for adding a new socket later) and “future-proof”?
Star wiring, conventional wiring, or bus system?
PLC, fieldbus systems, or proprietary solutions?
What offers the best cost/benefit ratio?
What is your experience with the following systems?
KNX?
LCN?
LON?
HomeMatic?
Siemens Synco Living?
Other systems?
As mentioned before, cost is an important factor. Based on what I have seen elsewhere, a budget of 30,000 EUR (~$32,700) for the technology would be too much. Perhaps a step-by-step expansion could be an option, starting with minimal requirements and gradually adding more. However, the solution should be “future-proof.”
I hope you can share tips, ideas, suggestions, experiences, and recommendations!
Thank you very much in advance!
Christian
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