Which sensors for what? Inspiration

Hammer, exactly the input I would wish for. Please more of this!

Another example: I am considering using the Steinel True Presence PM in the living/dining area. It also has a temperature sensor, CO2, and more. How could such a PM be used most profitably... Maybe it’s becoming clearer now what kind of inspiration we are currently looking for...

Well, various controls/regulations for heating (temperature), cooling (temperature), ventilation (CO2, VOC). Shading (light value, indoor + outdoor temperature, presence), lighting (presence + anti-presence), presence simulation (anti-presence) and so on... But what is also simply important: The sensor provides data on the bus which other devices can access. What you do with that later comes with time when a certain affinity for the system exists. Otherwise, here are the application possibilities of others. Everything is very subjective and some things might seem completely crazy. But the residents of the houses find these functions useful for themselves and then that is just how it is.

[*] (Classic) Motion detector under the bed to activate the night light in the dark as soon as you put a foot on the floor next to the bed. [*] Leakage sensor (electric fence) under water-bearing devices/fittings, e.g., washing machine, dishwasher, water softener, heat pump heating, sink, etc., to detect if something is leaking/defective and water is escaping [*] Light barrier at the stairs to switch the staircase light [*] Light barrier / reed contact on the mailbox to see if it has been opened (maybe there is something inside) [*] Pipe temperature sensor on the heating water supply line to the bathroom/shower to automatically trigger a scene or to ensure that the light does not go off when you are behind a glass/wall in the shower and the PM does not see you [*] Occupancy mats in the bed/sofa to control the night light or automatically switch scenes or for other mischief [*] RGB LED strip in the entrance area with a short quick "signal effect" when the front door is opened with reed contact, e.g., yellow for recyclable waste, blue for paper, or red for residual waste collection dates so that you remember to put out the bin. [*] Reed contacts on windows & doors to lock blinds/shutters and possibly as an amateur alarm system [*] Garage door with bus connection, whatever type (a non-smart garage door is really annoying) [*] Ekey in door communication, e.g., depending on the finger used, opens the front door or garage door [*] Connection of a robotic mower [*] Integration of an irrigation system for the garden [*] Glass wall of bathroom towards corridor/stairwell equipped with switchable glass, switches to frosted when presence in the bathroom and sliding door closed [*] Pipe temperature sensor in the shower starts towel warmer for a set period [*] Intelligent control of the circulation pump based on presence and mode (sleeping, present or absent etc.) [*] Light in the hallway blinks a few times when you log out and a window is still open somewhere. [*] Living room shutters lower when it is very bright outside and the TV is turned on – before the shutters go down, flash the living room ceiling light a few times, giving you 10 seconds to disable the logic. [*] Muting all music when the phone rings or someone rings the doorbell [*] Air conditioning only automatically switches on when the room temperature is too high if enough power comes from photovoltaics, otherwise notification: "Room temperature too high, AC costs purchased electricity" [*] At dusk, if the kitchen light is on, the blinds facing the street close automatically so that nobody can see the plate [*] Nowadays no longer necessary: when the sun shines on the changing table and someone comes in, shutters to 50% [*] Depending on the Google calendar, the shutter stays down in the morning if my wife has night duty and sleeps in before [*] Motion detector in the garden for lawn sprinkler so the neighbor’s cat does not poop in the garden at night… [*] Dog barking through ceiling speakers when the (pseudo-KNX) alarm system triggers [*] Temperature, date and time controlled switching on of the car parking heater (a wireless remote control must be sacrificed for this!) [*] Detection of whether the TV is on. Depending on that, the living room shading or lighting scene is activated [*] When absent, the robot vacuum cleaner turns on independently, ventilation runs at full speed for 30 minutes and then at level 1 [*] Lighting depending on time in various combinations and dimming values via PM (currently 5 different dimming levels/combinations in the hallway) [*] Depending on the position of the window handle, the terrace door’s shutter opens or stays up. Or if tilted, the shutter opens only slightly [*] Moisture measurement in the garden for automatic irrigation, preferably even selective (e.g., the vegetable patch needs different water than the hedge) [*] Control of circulation based on PM and times [*] Integration of the telephone system into KNX to lower music volume or pause TV during a call, simultaneously messaging on the TV who is calling [*] Warning message via USB speaker built into the room partition at the visualization PC if a window stays open too long during manual ventilation or if rain is detected [*] DAX index level-dependent effect lighting in the baseboard: DAX clearly up: green, moderate down: orange, bigger down: red, little movement: off – 24V LED strip via DALI [*] TV: Displaying the phone number on incoming calls, including reverse name lookup, volume reduction [*] Warning call if water consumption is measured (pulse output at central softener) and nobody is home and neither washing machine nor dishwasher is running. Also at night if nobody is in bathroom or WC (presence detector) [*] KNX/1-wire key rack: if nobody is home (all keys removed), every xx minutes an "all lights off" telegram is sent in case you forgot to switch off the lights. [*] Later: when a key is taken or movement in the hall and it’s dark outside and the apartment door opens => stairwell light on (apartment building) [*] (Still) via a timer, later via a weight sensor in the bed: night mode in bedroom, hallway, WC so you are not blinded or strongly woken by the light. [*] As described above, when it is dark outside but light inside goes on, blinds go down [*] Later: when the sun shines outside (south side) and the temperature is therefore much higher than on the north side and no one is home => south side blinds down to prevent heating up the apartment [*] Balcony light turns on when balcony door is opened (blinds also go up) and it is dark outside [*] Guest WC/bathroom: reacts to locked door => PM is locked so that during longer “sessions” or standing under the shower the light does not go off [*] Specific phone number call opens the garage door [*] Wake-up sequence, slowly dimming the light (winter) or gradually raising the shutter (summer) [*] Bedroom shutter night position depends on outside temperature (in summer the shutter must be more open than in winter for the same air exchange with tilted window) [*] Timers that also handle "flexible" days like the 1st Advent [*] Warning when awning is retracted on rain alarm (usually a few drops are already on it before the rain sensor reacts, theoretically risk of mold spots) [*] Switch off balcony lighting when balcony door is locked [*] Disable the PM (and lights off) when the children’s room shutter is closed [*] Dim hallway light on when child sleeps (similar to night light) [*] Turn on all lights and raise shutters when smoke detectors trigger, or temperature sensors (e.g. server cabinet) exceed threshold [*] Intelligent shading that only retracts the awning in the evening if the terrace door is closed [*] RGB lighting depending on degree of meat doneness in the smoker [*] Blinds do not close fully if frost is forecast according to weather prediction, instead leave a gap open. In my case, I get the weather forecast without my own weather station from one of the three weather stations registered on WU in the town [*] Via Asterisk, querying through the Harmony plugin what is currently in use, and depending on the device sending different messages (only TV -> soap message directly to TV, Dreambox -> message to Dreambox, Shield-TV -> display via Tasker) [*] When watching a movie, the film is paused [*] Light is raised to 70% at "lighting times" to be able to find the phone [*] Light is automatically dimmed to 25% when the call is answered or ended [*] The light then must be manually turned off again and the film must be manually restarted [*] Next to the toilet I have installed a light button (a kind of reflection light barrier). When sitting on the toilet, the Geberit Duofresh odor extraction automatically starts (original has a button to activate, very unsmart). This works with any conventional toilet bowl, the odor is sucked through the flush opening and blown through an activated carbon filter. There is also a version for connection to an exhaust pipe. [*] We once built a parcel box from stainless steel sheet. It was embedded in the property wall and had two doors; one to the street and one to the courtyard. If the parcel courier rings at the gate and you cannot accept the package personally, you can open the door to the street remotely via the HS and the courier can put the package inside. [*] In many rooms long press "all off in room" [*] I have a 5-core cable at the floor sockets, which then goes to actuators, so every socket can be reconnected and later switched (e.g. essential for Christmas lights -> no timer, but also useful for TV, Hi-Fi in living room) [*] RGB LED strip in staircase, motion detector switches it on from 3 pm in the afternoon while normal light switches on later (at dusk) [*] Connection of a normal weather station as a replacement for the KNX weather station [*] Balcony light turns on when a balcony door is opened (door handle contact) AND it is pitch dark outside [*] Automatic ventilation by switching on the extractor at night and opening a window with actuator (I do not have central ventilation in the house...) [*] An acquaintance wants to control the window motor in the bathroom depending on humidity (he also plans no central ventilation) [*] During “quiet” work at the PC (long reading, just scrolling), a PM often detects no movement. Solution: PC and/or monitor on a switch actuator with power measurement -> as long as PC/monitor is ON, PM is locked so the light does not go OFF

I can only read it later because right now is my-four-year-old-wants-to-eat-and-full-attention time. But already in advance: I am very grateful to you! My wife has read it and had to smile in a positive way. I will get back to you.

I probably expressed myself incorrectly there. By switchable I don’t mean switches in the classic sense. The plan is to install a smart push button from MDT only in the frequently used rooms. The rest to be done via PMs. By switchable I rather meant switching via the bus. Not manually.

Then you are on a good path and your electrician is probably quite decent after all . I just wanted to warn you about the bad experiences with some electricians (e.g., ours). I would have liked to have the smart push buttons as well, but now I have 4 pcs of 4-fold rocker switches at the living room door. Of course, you can retrofit later, but then it has to be properly plastered and painted again...

Well, various controls/regulations of heating (temperature), cooling (temperature), ventilation (CO2, VOC). Shading (light value, indoor + outdoor temperature, presence), lighting (presence + antipresence), presence simulation (antipresence) and so on and so forth...

But what is also simply important: The sensor provides data on the bus that other devices can access. What you do with it later comes with time when a certain affinity for the system exists.

Otherwise, here are the application possibilities of others. Everything is very subjective and some things will seem completely crazy to you. But the inhabitants of the houses find these functions useful for themselves and then it is just like that.

[*](Classic) Motion detector under the bed to activate the night light as soon as you put a foot on the floor next to the bed in the dark.
[*]Leakage sensor (electric fence) under water-carrying devices/fittings, e.g. washing machine, dishwasher, water softener, heat pump heating, sink, etc., to detect when something is leaking/defective and water escapes
[*]Light barrier at the stairs to switch the stair light
[*]Light barrier / reed contact at the mailbox to see if it has been opened (maybe there is something inside)
[*]Pipe temperature sensor on the heating water supply line to the bathroom/shower to automatically trigger a scene or to ensure that the light does not go off when standing behind a glass/wall in the shower and the presence detector does not see you
[*]Occupancy mats in the bed/sofa to control night light or automatically switch scenes or for other mischievous things
[*]RGB LED strip in the entrance area with short quick “signal effect” when opening the front door with reed contact, e.g. yellow for recycling, blue for paper or red for residual waste collection dates so you remember to take the bin out.
[*]Reed contacts on windows & doors to lock shutters/blinds and possibly as an amateur alarm system
[*]Garage door with bus connection, however it may be (a non-smart garage door is really dumb)
[*]Ekey in the door communication, e.g. depending on the finger used opens front door or garage door
[*]Integration of a robotic mower
[*]Integration of an irrigation system for the garden
[*]Glass wall of the bathroom facing corridor/staircase equipped with switchable glass, switches to milky on presence in the bathroom and pulled sliding door
[*]Pipe temperature sensor in the shower starts towel warmer for period x
[*]Intelligent control of the circulation pump according to presence and mode (sleeping, present or absent etc.)
[*]Light in the hallway blinks a few times when you log off and still somewhere a window is open.
[*]Lowering shutters in the living room when it is very bright outside and the TV is turned on - before the shutters move, blink the living room ceiling light a few times, then you still have 10 seconds to lock the logic.
[*]Muting all music when the phone rings or the doorbell rings
[*]Air conditioning only automatically switches on at too high room temperature if enough power is available from photovoltaics, otherwise notification message "Room temperature too high, AC costs purchased electricity"
[*]At dusk and with kitchen light on the blind towards the street automatically closes so no one looks at the plate
[*]No longer needed: when the sun shines on the changing table and someone comes in, shutter at 50%
[*]Depending on the Google calendar the shutter stays down in the morning if my wife has night shift and therefore sleeps in longer
[*]Motion detector in the garden for lawn sprinkler so the neighbor’s cat does not shit in the garden at night...
[*]Dog barking from ceiling speakers when the (pseudo/KNX) alarm is triggered
[*]Temperature, date and time controlled switching on of the vehicle parking heater (a remote control must be sacrificed for this!)
[*]Detection whether TV is running. Depending on that, shading of the living room or lighting scene activates
[*]If absent, the vacuum robot activates itself, ventilation is set once for 30 minutes to full power and then to level 1
[*]Lighting according to time of day in various combinations and dim levels via presence detector (currently 5 different dim levels/combinations in the hallway)
[*]Depending on the position of the window handle of the terrace door, the shutter opens or stays up. Or if tilted, the shutter opens only slightly
[*]Humidity measurement of the garden for automatic irrigation, preferably even selectively (e.g. vegetable bed needs different water than the hedge)
[*]Control of circulation according to presence detector and times
[*]Integration of the telephone system into KNX to lower music volume or pause TV program on incoming call, simultaneously with notification on the TV who is calling
[*]Warning message via USB speaker built into room divider at the visualization computer if windows are left open too long during manual ventilation or rain is detected
[*]DAX index level dependent effect lighting in the baseboard: DAX clearly up: green, moderate down: orange, large down: red, little movement: off - 24V LED strip via DALI
[*]TV: Display of caller ID on incoming phone calls, including reverse lookup by name, volume reduction
[*]Warning call if water consumption is measured (impulse output on central softener) and no one is home and neither washing machine nor dishwasher is running. Also at night, if no one is in bathroom or WC (presence detector)
[*]KNX/1wire key board: if no one is at home (all keys gone), every xx minutes “all lights off” telegram is triggered in case you forgot to turn off lights.
[*]Later: if key is taken or movement in the hallway and outside is dark and the apartment door opens => stairwell light on (apartment building)
[*](Still) via a timer, later via a weight sensor in the bed: night mode in bedroom, hallway, WC so that you are neither dazzled by light nor too strongly awakened.
[*]As described above, when it is dark outside but light inside goes on, shutters go down
[*]Later: If the sun shines outside (south side) and temperature is much higher than on the north side and no one is at home => south side shutters down to prevent overheating
[*]Balcony light turns on when balcony door opens (shutters also go up) and it is dark outside
[*]Guest WC/bathroom: respond to locked door => presence detector is locked so that for longer “sessions” or standing in the shower the light does not go out
[*]On call from a specific number the garage door opens
[*]Wake-up sequence, slow dimming up of the light (winter) or gradual raising of the shutters (summer)
[*]Shutter position bedroom at night depending on outside temperature (in summer the shutter must be more open than in winter to have the same air exchange at tilted window)
[*]Timers that also handle “flexible” days like 1st Advent
[*]Warning when the awning is retracted due to rain alarm (usually there are already some drops on it before the rain sensor reacted, theoretically risking mold spots)
[*]Switching off balcony lighting when balcony door is locked
[*]Deactivating presence detector (and light off) when shutter in children’s room is lowered
[*]Dimmed light in hallway when child sleeps (analogous to night light)
[*]Turn on all lights and raise shutters when smoke detector is triggered or temperature sensors (e.g. server cabinet) exceed threshold
[*]Intelligent shading, for example awning only retracts in evening if terrace door is closed
[*]RGB lighting depending on meat doneness in the smoker
[*]Shutters, if weather forecast predicts frost, do not close completely but leave a slit open. I get weather forecast in my case without own weather station from one of three WU-registered weather stations from the town
[*]Via Asterisk, querying via the Harmony plugin what is currently used and sending different messages depending on device (only TV -> soap message directly to TV, Dreambox -> message to Dreambox, Shield-TV -> overlay via Tasker)
[*]When watching a movie the movie is paused
[*]Light is increased to 70% at “light times” to be able to find the phone
[*]Light is automatically dimmed down to 25% when call is answered or ended
[*]Light must then be manually switched off and the movie must be manually restarted
[*]Next to the WC I installed light switches (a kind of reflection light barrier). When you sit down on the WC, the Geberit Duofresh odor extraction automatically starts (original has one button to start, very unsmart). This works with any conventional toilet bowl, odor is extracted through the flush opening and blown through an active carbon filter. There is also a version for connection to an exhaust duct.
[*]We once built a parcel box made of stainless steel sheet. It was recessed into the property wall and had two doors; one to the street and one to the yard. If the parcel courier rings at the gate and you cannot receive the parcel personally, you can open the street door remotely via the home server and the courier can place the parcel inside.
[*]In many rooms a long press on a button means “all off in the room”
[*]I have a 5-wire cable at the floor sockets, which is connected to actuators, so every socket can be switched later (e.g. essential for Christmas lights -> no timer, but also helpful for TV, Hi-Fi in living room)
[*]RGB LED strip in the stairway, motion detector switches it on from 3 pm onwards, while normal light is switched on later (at dusk)
[*]Connection of a normal weather station as replacement for the KNX weather station
[*]Balcony light turns on when balcony door is opened (door handle contact) AND it is pitch dark outside
[*]Automatic ventilation by switching on the extractor fan at night and opening a window with a motor (I don’t have central ventilation in the house...)
[*]A friend wants to control the bathroom window motor based on humidity (he also does not plan central ventilation)
[*]When “quiet” working at the PC (long reading, just scrolling) often a presence detector registers no movement. Solution:
PC and/or screen connected to switching actuator with power measurement -> as long as PC/screen is ON the presence detector is locked so the light does not go off

Respect for your answers, you could charge money for that.

Well, various controls/regulations of heating (temperature), cooling (temperature), ventilation (CO2, VOC). Shading (light value, indoor + outdoor temperature, presence), lighting (presence + anti-presence), presence simulation (anti-presence) and so on and so on...

But what is also simply important: The sensor makes data available on the bus that other devices can access. What you do with that later comes with time when a certain affinity for the system is present.

Otherwise, here are the application possibilities of others. Everything is very subjective and some things will seem totally crazy to someone. But the residents of the houses find this function useful for themselves and then it just is that way.

Great. Exactly the things I wanted to hear. Sure, there’s a lot that seems nonsense at first. But when you think about it, as already said, it’s simply great.
Two things interest me in particular:
1. How do you implement things with light barriers?
So far I haven’t found a sensor in the common shops. I also didn’t look because I never thought of it.
Can you give me a tip on how to do something like that?
2. How, tell me again, do you do the thing with the braised meat?

Then you’re on a good path and your electrician is probably quite decent after all . I just wanted to warn you about the bad experiences with some electricians (e.g. ours). I would have liked to have the smart switches too, but now I have 4 pieces of 4-gang rocker switches at the living room door. Sure, you can retrofit later, but then it has to be properly plastered and painted again...

Thanks to you and Mr. Heinle, I have fortunately internalized that by now.

Respect for your answers, you could charge money for that .

Seriously, Mycraft’s information treasure trove is so huge and informative and his posts are always constructive. That is really appreciated.

One more fundamental thing about wiring. I openly admit that I’m still very green in the electrical part. Did I get it right that basically I should make sure that everything is laid with bus cable (4 cores?) wherever possible, so that we are as flexible as possible in the end? Can you control everything with that in the end? Also lighting, shading, etc.?