KNX home system – Installers Opinion

By Jacob Bennett

“The main advantage of KNX is reliability, stability and longevity. If you want every light switch and light fitting to work reliably every time then choose KNX. It has its own bus for communication so can’t be impacted by other systems (for example, Control4 lighting is IP based so if your network goes down so does your lighting). Hardware is usually made to a very high standard and I have had zero hardware failures with KNX so far.

The other advantages of KNX are flexibility and programming. Flexibility because there is a solution for almost every device you would want to control – lighting, heating, doors, shutters, generators, pumps, weather stations, HVAC etc – meaning you can integrate as much of your home as you want without limitations (except for budget). The programming side can be really powerful with several dedicated logic modules available. Yes, to do the initial system programming you need expensive software and to complete a course (just pay someone to do the initial setup for you – trust me, it’s so much easier), but to do the logic programming afterwards uses free and freely available software. I’m thinking of the Gira X1 module here, which is really powerful and allows you to program scenes, timers, logic and more.

There are systems out there that are easier for the user to install, such as Philips Hue and other wireless systems. They are fine if you just want to do a couple of lights or rooms. But if you’re looking to do a whole house, and want to also include other systems such as heating, pumps, blinds etc. then I think you’ll quickly start to have issues. Wireless systems are inherently fragile and even Zigbee systems are not immune to interference. Also manufacturers have a habit of issuing app updates that break systems or discontinuing support when they get bored of supporting old hardware.

Fundamentally the biggest factor is going to be budget. If you can afford a full house KNX system, then go for it. If you can’t then look at the rooms that will really take advantage of the extra control (e.g. kitchen, lounge, main bedroom, etc.) and see what you can afford to do. Bear in mind if you want the functionality of a professionally installed system, but want to do it yourself, then it’s going to take up a LOT of your time.” – Reddit

“From an installer’s point of the view the first fix cabling is simple. In the majority of cases, it’s quicker to install than a traditional 230V wiring system and, with point-to-point wiring, final testing is easy. The green 4 x 0.8mm bus cable runs to every KNX device in the building: actuators, switches, room controllers, push buttons, PIRs, multi-function displays and room thermostats.

You can daisy chain, star or spur up to 64 devices on one bus cable alone, easily enough for a standard four bedroomed home. The bus cable is screened, twisted and mains-insulated so you can even run it alongside the mains cabling with no extra containment, no extra holes in the joists and no separate clipping runs.

Imagine a scenario of a kitchen-living-dining area with three entry doors, up to 10 lighting circuits (all of which are LED), with switching and dimming. The client would like each circuit to be three-way controlled or, even worse, they can’t make up their mind which switch will turn on which lighting circuit. It’s a situation we’ve all been in!

That would require some serious cable runs and modular switch plates and cabling connections, but with KNX it would be one single green cable daisy chained to each switch and taken back to the distribution board.” – Simon

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