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+anti-presence), presence simulation (anti-presence) and so on...

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 is present.

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

[*](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-bearing devices/fittings, e.g. washing machine, dishwasher, water softener, heat pump heating, sink, etc., to detect if something is leaky/defective and water is leaking.
[*]Light barrier on the stairs to switch the stair 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 ensure that the light does not go out when standing behind a glass/wall in the shower and the PM does not see you.
[*]Occupancy mats in the bed/sofa to control night light or automatically trigger scenes or for other shenanigans.
[*]RGB LED strip in the entrance area with a short fast "signal effect" when opening the front door with reed contact, e.g. yellow for recyclable waste, 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 blinds/shutters and possibly as an amateur alarm system.
[*]Garage door with bus connection, whichever type (an unsmart garage door is really annoying).
[*]Ekey in the door communication, e.g. depending on the finger used, opens front door or garage door.
[*]Integration of a robot mower.
[*]Integration of a garden irrigation system.
[*]Glass wall of the bathroom facing the corridor/staircase equipped with switchable glass, switches to milky when presence in the bathroom and sliding door closed.
[*]Pipe temperature sensor in the shower starts towel warmer for a period x.
[*]Intelligent control of the circulation pump based on presence and mode (sleeping, present or absent, etc.).
[*]Hall light blinks a few times when logging off and a window is still open somewhere.
[*]Shutters in the living room lower when it is very bright outside and the TV is turned on - before the shutters move, the living room ceiling light blinks a few times, then you have 10 seconds to lock the logic.
[*]Muting all music when the phone rings or there is a doorbell at the front door.
[*]Air conditioning only automatically turns on at too high room temperature if enough power from photovoltaics is available, otherwise notification "Room temperature too high, air conditioning uses purchased electricity".
[*]At dusk and light on in the kitchen, the blind to the street automatically closes so no one can see the plate.
[*]No longer needed: when the sun shines on the changing table and someone comes in, the shutter moves to 50%.
[*]Depending on the Google calendar, the shutter stays down in the morning if my wife has a night shift and therefore sleeps in longer.
[*]Motion detector in the garden for lawn sprinklers so that the neighbor’s cat does not poop in the garden at night....
[*]Dog barking from ceiling speakers when the (pseudo/KNX) alarm system triggers.
[*]Temperature, date and time controlled switching on of the car parking heater (a remote control must be sacrificed for this!)
[*]Detection whether TV is running. Depending on that, the shading in the living room or the lighting scene activates.
[*]When absent, the robot vacuum cleaner activates independently, ventilation switched to full power for 30 min and then to level 1.
[*]Lighting according to time in various combinations and dim levels via PM (currently 5 different dim levels/combinations in the hallway).
[*]Depending on the position of the window handle, the door to the terrace shutter opens or stays up. Or when on tilt, the shutter opens only slightly.
[*]Moisture measurement of the garden for automatic irrigation, preferably even selectively (e.g., vegetable bed needs different water than the hedge).
[*]Control of circulation based on PM and times.
[*]Integration of the telephone system into KNX to reduce music volume or pause TV during a call, simultaneously displaying caller info on the TV.
[*]Warning message via USB speaker built into room divider at the visualization computer, if windows remain open too long in manual ventilation or rain is detected.
[*]DAX index dependent effect lighting in the baseboard: DAX clearly up: green, moderate minus: orange, larger minus: red, little movement: off – 24V LED strip over DALI.
[*]TV: Display of the caller number during incoming call, including reverse lookup by name, volume reduction.
[*]Warning call when water consumption is measured (pulse output at central softener) and no one is home and neither washing machine nor dishwasher is running. Also at night, if no presence in bathroom or WC (presence detector).
[*]KNX/1wire key rack: when no one is home (all keys gone), an "all lights off" telegram is triggered every xx minutes in case lights were forgotten.
[*]Later: when a key is taken or movement in the hall and it is dark outside and the apartment door opens => stairway light on (apartment building).
[*](Still) via timer, later via weight sensor in the bed: night mode in bedroom, hall, WC so one is not blinded or too strongly woken by light.
[*]As described above, when it is dark outside but lights turn on inside, the shutters go down.
[*]Later: When the sun shines outside (south side) and temperature is much higher than on the north side and no one is home => south side shutters down to prevent the apartment from heating up.
[*]Balcony light turns on when balcony door opens (shutters also go up) and it is dark outside.
[*]Guest WC/Bathroom: reacts to locked door => PM is locked so the light does not go off during longer "sessions" or when standing under the shower.
[*]When a certain number calls, the garage door opens.
[*]Wake-up sequence, slow dimming up of the lights (winter) or gradual raising of the shutter (summer).
[*]Bedroom shutter position at night depending on outside temperature (in summer the shutter must be more open than in winter to have the same air exchange with tilted window).
[*]Timers that also handle "flexible" days like first Advent.
[*]Warning if awning retracts during rain alarm (usually a few drops already on it before the rain sensor reacts; this theoretically causes mold spots).
[*]Switching off balcony lighting when the balcony door is locked.
[*]Deactivating the PM (and lights off) when the shutter is lowered in the children's room.
[*]Dimmed light on in the hallway when the child is sleeping (similar to night light).
[*]Turning on all lights and raising shutters when smoke detectors are triggered or when temperature sensors (e.g. server cabinet) exceed threshold.
[*]Intelligent shading that, among other things, only retracts the awning in the evening if the terrace door is closed.
[*]RGB lighting dependent on the doneness of meat in the smoker.
[*]Shutters, if frost is forecast according to the weather, do not close completely but leave a gap open. I get the weather forecast without my own weather station from one of the three weather stations registered with WU from my town.
[*]Via Asterisk, query via the Harmony plugin what is currently used and depending on the device, different messages are sent (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 "light 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 movie manually restarted.
[*]Next to the WC I installed a light button (a type of reflection light barrier). When you sit on the WC, the Geberit Duofresh odor extraction starts automatically (original has a button to start, very unsmart). This works with every conventional toilet bowl, 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 made of stainless steel sheet. It was built into the property wall and had two doors; one to the street and one to the yard. When the parcel courier rings at the gate and you cannot receive the parcel personally, you can open the street door remotely via HS and the courier can place the parcel inside.
[*]In many rooms a long press "all off in the room".
[*]I have a 5-core cable at the floor sockets going to actuators, so each socket can be rewired and switched later (e.g. essential for Christmas lighting -> no timer, but also helpful for TV, hi-fi in the living room).
[*]RGB LED strip in the stairwell, motion detector switches it on already from 3 pm, while the normal light is switched 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 hood at night and opening a window with actuator (I have no central ventilation in the house...).
[*]An acquaintance wants to control the window motor in the bathroom depending on humidity (he also does not plan central ventilation).
[*]When working quietly at the PC (long reading, just scrolling) a PM often detects no movement. Solution:
PC and/or monitor on switching actuator with current measurement -> as long as PC/monitor is ON, PM 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.?