Is Smarthome KNX automation possible based on the floor plan?

In Grym we have a person who is annoyed by automation at the workplace and among other things resists technology because of that...whether someone here was at work who can only do 0815-parameterization I don't know...but that could be the case...

What? Not at all...

At work we have a manual venetian blind, but it is electric. We raise and lower it as needed and tilt it or make it flatter. We also have an air conditioner, but it too runs more or less according to our wishes and not fully automatically.

And annoyed? No. It does what it’s supposed to do. The venetian blind protects against the sun and the air conditioner cools when needed.

What is this and how do I operate it?

I don’t want it to be just a gimmick. Oh look, I can lower the blinds with voice control instead of pressing a button here. Oh look, I set the dining scene (tablet on, scene selection, dining scene, tablet off = 4 actions) instead of turning on the light here and dimming over there (dining light up; kitchen light down = 2 actions). But maybe there is a real benefit beyond just a gimmick?

A scene is a function stored in the actuators / sensors that is triggered by pressing a button. No one needs a tablet for that. A scene initiates an automated sequence. With one button press, I can perform any number of actions. AND NO ONE NEEDS A TABLET FOR THAT. I don’t understand why everyone is always hung up on such a stupid tablet. Of course, I can use a tablet, but I don’t have to.

And as far as planning goes. The art of good KNX planning lies in leaving things out. If I have someone plan it who thinks normally, then I have the odd motion or presence detector at every door, plus another switch. Which actually wouldn’t be needed anymore.

If I drive the car into the garage, then the light in the garage, stairwell, and hallway turn on if it’s too dark there. If I walk into the garage normally (no gate drive command in the last 2 minutes), then only the light in the garage turns on. And so on and so forth, all things that the standard KNX functionality already makes possible.

Do you need that? No, you don’t need it. But I want it. I stroll through the house without having to worry, in the evening I leave the office and know that everything is off when I fall into bed. Sometimes I ‘just’ go downstairs to eat and then don’t feel like going back upstairs to the office anymore. Then my house turns off the lights and lowers the blinds. Do I need that? No, but it’s relaxing. Oh, and the monitor, the printer, and some other devices you have in the office also turn off when not present.

And as mycraft has already shown, even if you install a switch at every door, the KNX components are usually powerful enough that you can trigger a lot of actions with a 'one-gang' device. Whether scenes or individual actions.

And once you get used to it, you don’t want to miss it anymore.

So for me, a house without KNX is no longer an option!!! And I wouldn’t want to give up my Synohr either, even if it’s just a gimmick. But before I let my wife out of my arms and get up to turn off the light, I’d rather say ‘James’ – good night … the rest is done by the house.

In this sense, sweet dreams!!!

: that is a switch and you press it

Two more switches, both for an up box




you simply press the labeled buttons. the labeling can be changed dynamically and you can set up to 4 levels. this way you always have the main function on the top level and can trigger 4 actions with the small one and 8 actions with the large one.

Yep, this is a typical KNX push sensor... colloquially also called a switch and it is located on the door frame... the haptics are often similar to a conventional push button, so that there is a distinct pressure point.

I'll stick to one series...

You can design it now for just one function:



or like this with three toggles:



as in my example with three toggles and RTR:



or also like this:



depending on how many functions you need at this point. The buttons are freely parameterizable... which means you can

- top left LIGHT_ON and - top right LIGHT_OFF
- top left LIGHT_DIM_UP - top right LIGHT_DIM_DOWN
- top left LIGHT_DIM_UP / STOP / LIGHT_DIM_DOWN - top right LIGHT jump to 30%
- top left call TV scene / top right turn on RGB strip blue

etc. the possibilities are virtually endless...

If you have the RTR variant, you can then control the room temperature via it and directly display the currently set parameters / operating modes / temperatures...

What you put on the wall is up to you. In the storage room a simple ON/OFF is enough, in the study maybe 2 toggles are needed and in the kitchen three...

All push sensors I mentioned have the same connection on the back at the bus coupler (flush-mount insert):



Namely the bus cable...

1 - is the sensor (push button) shown in the illustration
2 - the interface between sensor and bus coupler

3 - the bus coupler

In other words, you can swap the switches/push buttons as you like, and if there’s a desire to add or remove new functions, e.g. roller shutter groups in the living room / kitchen / bedroom... then you just exchange the push sensor including coupling with one having more functions (it does not matter which manufacturer it is from) and reprogram the sensor... you then have more comfort without having to lay additional cables.

Additionally, the new generations of push sensors often come with integrated bus couplers, which usually lowers the purchase price and also makes replacement even easier.

And what exactly belongs to a "fully functional" KNX installation? Everything wired in star topology, of course. Does every socket also get a bus line or is the socket centrally switched?

Do all light and roller shutter switches each get a bus coupler (standard?) and a toggle switch? For my example living room, where I want to control 2x lights and 3x roller shutters, would I use a 5-gang rocker and RTR? Does this switch also measure temperature and humidity?

What else belongs to a "fully functional" KNX installation?
- Weather station!? (including sun and wind for venetian blinds)
- Window contacts on every window to determine if open, tilted, closed?
- Integration of smoke detectors?

Do heating and ventilation have to be KNX-capable?