Smart home / Home automation - Consulting

Example scene watching TV. All necessary devices turn on, lights and blinds adjust to the previously desired state. Example absence simulation. You simply start the vacation scene. Randomly, music plays in the house for half an hour. Lights turn on in the evening. Example storm/fire. Blinds automatically go up based on the data from the weather station/smoke detector. Example burglary. Reed switch triggers although no owner is in the house. Automatic call to the mobile phone with video transmission from the property.

One could go on endlessly.")

Then continue, I have a switched power strip for the TV etc., one button press, everything except the blinds is ready (and Logitech Harmony remote control for the rest), but I only have to lower the blinds sometimes, mostly they stay up during the day. Professional burglars are not deterred by absence simulation, others tend to come rather in the morning or thereabouts and not at night, because usually people are home at night. Storm.. Not a big deal for me, as I might need to secure something in the garden, but nothing on the house (only proper blinds), fire can make sense, it would make extinguishing easier for us. For burglary, I would rather rely on a proper alarm system.

Hi,

ok, here we already have something:

Example scene watching TV. All necessary devices turn on, lights and blinds adjust to the previously desired state.

How can you turn on your receiver / TV / system with a bus system? Lights and blinds ok, but then I would need x different scenarios depending on the current weather/day/night/sun position. Personally, I find a central control of the blinds plus a light switch somehow clearer.

Example absence simulation. You simply start the vacation scene. Music randomly plays in the house for half an hour. Lights turn on in the evening.

Ok, good point. Lights are difficult without central control. Music... well... how loud should the system be so that you can hear it all the way to the street? And at least mine definitely cannot be connected to the KNX bus. But I can just leave it on permanently and turn on the satellite receiver now and then. But you don’t need a bus for that...

Example storm/fire. Blinds automatically go up based on data from the weather station / smoke detector.
Example burglary. Reed switch triggers although no owner is in the house. Automatic call to mobile phone with video transmission from the property.

Storm? I want my blinds to stay nicely down! They are also meant as protection for the window!
btw. do they really react directly to the anemometer? So shoot once with the air rifle at the measuring wind wheel and the blinds go up?
Cool, that’s a real service for every burglar!

In case of fire, the blinds going up is a good thing. I will probably implement that with Somfy blinds and a smoke detector as well.

Burglary. Yes, ok, that only helps if the burglars actually open windows and doors and don’t get in through the window panes (the former is admittedly more likely). But that is also possible with cameras and any common NAS for 150€ using built-in features.

Best regards,

Andreas

Then keep going, I have a switchable row of sockets for TV etc., one button press, everything except the roller shutters is ready (and a Logitech Harmony remote for the rest), but I only sometimes have to lower the roller shutters, mostly they stay up during the day for me. Professional burglars are not deterred by absence simulation, others tend to come more in the morning or so, and not at night, because usually people are at home at night. Storms... no big deal for me, maybe I have to secure something in the garden, but nothing on the house (only proper roller shutters), fire can be useful, would make extinguishing easier for us. For burglary I would rather rely on a real alarm system.

But you really are looking for the salt in the soup

KNX is luxury. For TV you need 2 or 3 activities. With KNX only 1 -> advantage.

Sure, many things can be solved without KNX, but those who have it, have it and those who can, can.

You can also specify lowering roller shutters, e.g. only lower rollers if the sun shines on this or that side of the house.

I find it more sensible to catch the burglars and be able to call the police to have them arrested. And not make noise immediately so they run away and come back someday; matter of taste.

Continuation:

Presence detectors everywhere. Lights turn on below a certain lux threshold and stay on as long as someone is in the room. From 10 p.m., the light turns on only at 20% to show the way.
Assume you have a laundry chute to the basement with washer and dryer. Below the laundry chute is a light barrier that sends a message "do the laundry" to the terminal. The same goes for the washer and dryer as soon as they are finished.

It is difficult to make people enthusiastic about KNX if they have not experienced it yet. That is why it remains a niche and quite expensive.

How can you turn on your receiver / TV / system with a bus system? Light and blinds ok, but then I need x different scenarios depending on the current weather/day/night/sun position. I personally find a central control of the blinds plus a light switch somehow more clear

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No one is saying that this central control no longer exists. These are all bonuses. The scene can also be spun so far that it sets the blinds and lights differently depending on the sun position/time.

Ok, good point. Light is difficult without central control. Music.. well... how loud should the system be so that you can hear it on the street? And at least mine certainly cannot be connected to the KNX bus. But I can simply leave it on permanently and turn the Sat receiver on from time to time. But you don’t need a bus for that...

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It only has to be loud enough for the intruder to hear it at the house. Instead of music, you could also add a few voice recordings (of course not just 1, that would be noticed immediately ). Sonos, for example, can be well integrated into KNX.

Storm? My blinds should stay nicely down then! They are also intended as protection for the window! btw. do they really simply react to the wind sensor? So if you shoot the measuring wind wheel once with the air rifle, the blinds go up? Cool, that’s a real service for every burglar!

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They go up when a value is exceeded over a period of time. So no air rifle On the other hand, you could also use it to close motorized windows when it rains.

Burglary. Yes, ok, it only helps you if the burglars really open windows and doors and not get in through the window glass (the former is admittedly likely). But it is also possible with cameras and any off-the-shelf NAS for 150€ with standard equipment.

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With RC2 windows and doors, a burglar already has quite a hard time. With an active alarm system that notifies me, the police have enough time to pay him a visit.

Best regards,

Me

But KNX is not really KNX - you also need the appropriate sensors. Most people use it for heating, roller shutter, and lighting control... and for that, the system is way too good.

I thought about it for a long time, but couldn’t find any obvious benefit for myself either - but I’m also a fan of many switches. I have quite a bit running on motion detectors (also dimmed lighting at night), have automated my roller shutters, and they run with a sun sensor (but only on the west side).

Conventional wiring is actually quite extensive in my case and would have cost me over 20,000 euros with an electrician - which probably would have been enough for KNX in the end as well.

The only thing that really bugs me is that I couldn’t implement my lighting at the front door as planned - even though the description from GIRA said otherwise. DALI would have been good there...

Now there is an expensive motion detector that can do a lot, but now only switches the light on and off.

I have a video system that can notify me based on motion detection. Everything works and it is of course not networked together. But that’s not as negative as it is often portrayed.

KNX is not just KNX - you also need the appropriate sensors. Most people use it for heating, roller shutter, and lighting control... and for that, the system is much too good .

And this is exactly where the problem lies.

Many buy KNX to control roller shutters and lights individually. But almost every new product can do that nowadays.
The merging of several steps with logical (although with the keyword logic KNX immediately becomes significantly more expensive) decisions is, in my opinion, the ultimate discipline that only KNX masters if you don’t want any limitations.