Using Gira Smart Home sensibly

Hi,

we are in the house planning phase and had an appointment with a construction company. The salesperson offered us a Smart Home thingamajig from the company GIRA. He is quite enthusiastic about the technology, especially about the fact that the price has dropped so drastically over the years. It is supposed to cost around 3,000 euros. Now, when I asked what such a thing can really do that’s great, I couldn't get a convincing answer. Control it remotely? Why? Some things can be programmed by time anyway without such a system.

What do you think about such a Smart Home system? Is it actually interesting? Have I overlooked something or not thought of something useful? I really don’t know anyone who has something like that or anyone who misses it... Rightly or wrongly? What do you think?

Thanks for your input

There is no established standard; no matter what you do, it will turn out to be wrong.

Sufficient empty conduits are enough to be prepared for the future!

KNX is definitely an established standard. It has existed for over 20 years and is open in all directions. It simply requires appropriate wiring.

these systems are for playful men who really want to adjust every little thing. modern devices usually have some kind of web connection anyway, so you can access them via phone/tablet. you just have to think about which things you REALLY want to control remotely in a house. you can basically do everything, but most of it is nonsense.

- controlling heating with underfloor heating is nonsense, because the underfloor heating is set to temperature once and stays at that setting 365 days/year
- electric shutters via radio, there is a dedicated system (e.g. warema) that simply runs via radio
- lighting, yes you can do it. but you can also just put a switch where you want to turn the light on/off later.
- controlling ventilation system: modern systems already offer web control. otherwise it’s just play, since you usually just keep it running anyway (of course you can make a science out of it...)

now the really interesting thing:
- front door with video doorbell and a lot of features: someone rings your doorbell, you get a call on your phone. you can answer and talk to the visitor. you can open your front door on your phone so the visitor (e.g. postman with package) can come in.

problem: the front door can’t be remotely closed again. price-wise something like this easily costs over your 3000€

you can install some nice gadgets, which also work standalone. as said, most systems do not run together anyway (except maybe knx). there are also very good retrofit systems for many comfort gadgets. forcing something in that you don’t want makes little sense.

an idea for someone with too much money: prepare and have installed air conditioning pipes (tubes)

, I have to disagree a bit here. Of course, many things can be dismissed as gimmicks. However, one thing is certain: a retrofit will then result in a wireless system, which never works as reliably as a wired system. In addition, the actuators then have to be installed decentrally, which again leads to higher costs, since I cannot use collective actuators but, for example, have to install an individual actuator for each shutter. However, you won't get much for €3,000, I agree with Payday on that.

I see it a bit differently. I think anyone building without KNX today is making a huge mistake. An installation with comparable functionality to standard electrics can be realized with additional costs in the range of 2,000 euros.

I am doing this myself in my construction and have to say it was the best decision regarding the electrics....

I have presence detectors in most rooms and you get used to not needing a light switch very quickly (even though I do have switches, I hardly use them anymore). Since I am not yet living in my house (move-in is planned for Christmas) but only here for 'working,' I notice at home when I, for example, go from the bedroom to the bathroom (switch the light on 3 times and also turn it off again). It is really nice in the house. When I move from room to room, the light just turns on.

There are more things that simply bring a certain level of luxury. For example, my blinds go down by themselves when it gets dark and come up by themselves when it gets light. When I am on the terrace (door contact), the blind stays up until I lock the door, then it closes. When the blinds are down and I open a window, the blind opens 10% so that the 'cracks' are open for ventilation.

You can also do other tricks if your blinds are already electric. For example, I installed a socket in the flush-mounted boxes where the blinds are clamped, at the windows usually used for Christmas decorations. Since a 5-core cable goes from the distribution board to the blind anyway, I used the free 5th conductor for this socket. When the blind closes, this socket is also switched off. This way you can put the window decoration in there and it automatically turns off.

I only use actuators that can also measure power consumption (the surcharge for this is minimal). This way, for example, a 'fear detection' can be easily integrated. For example, in the utility room where ironing is done, you can tell if the iron is off. For the stove, you can tell if it is switched off, etc.... This is all included in the '2,000' euros already. KNX only gets expensive when you start with visualization, i.e., control panels on the wall, special buttons that work by voice command, or other luxury functions.

The advantage of opting for KNX from the start is that it can be upgraded at any time. I replace the 80-euro button with an 800-euro button and immediately I can talk to the house.

That’s why I would do it again and again. The important thing, as with all things, is to inform yourself accordingly 'BEFORE.' This is what most home builders don’t have on their radar. It takes a lot of preparation time if you don’t want to get ripped off expensively afterward (after signing). I think this applies to all trades. Just thinking about how much time I spent on information concerning electrics, heating and screed, controlled residential ventilation, central vacuum, and so on... That almost takes more time than the actual doing.