Home automation system to use with LinuxMCE when building new house?

[trentend]

......BTW, does anyone think it's better to leave some parts of the automation to the wireless?
Motion detectors, fire-alarm's, thermostats for floor heating etc......

I have a load of unused inputs, partly from these ACTinBOX Classic Hybrids, but also from other various KNX inputs.  Potential free inputs work for push buttons (like a door bell) and magnetic reed switches (like door sensors), there are inputs for temperature sensors and movement sensors.  I made a decision to go with a standard fire alarm panel for resilience (mains powered, with battery backup) and take a switched relay output from that, to a knx input, to alert the knx/linuxmce system of an alarm condition. Motion detectors I wire to knx inputs.  This allows me to perform alarm functions in linuxmce via knx (theoretically, I've not done it yet).  Heating I actually have on a separate system controlled by a Heatmiser unit (see discussion elsehwere here) so my HA control of that will be knx->Linuxmce->Heatmiser - but there is no reason you can't do it all in knx.  There are knx heating control units, and the InZennio z38's I mentioned have thermostats and control modules for HVAC.  In this case you would need at least one in each heating zone.  I intend to use these for the upstairs radiators (knx valves on the radiators, z38's as the thermostat control) and the contrived heatmiser scheme for the downstairs underfloor heating.

I like subsystems that work independently, so if the linuxmce box goes down my house still works.  I don't mind so much about security alarm, but I wouldn't trust basic house functionality or fire alarm.  so for me the HA/Linuxmce control is a layer on top of resilient systems, not a required component of it.

[totallymaxed]

Re ZWave LED & Fluorescent Dimmers

We dont know the pricing of these yet...but I would expect them to be similar to other ZWave dimmers already on the market.

Andrew

[Marie.O]

Christian,

re cheap and all. One thing that you, imho, should definitely do is wiring ALL lights into the switching cabinet. That way, you have a central place where all control happens.

re 1..10V: Searching on ebay.de for KNX 10v results in multiple hits, same for knx dali. KNX->DMX does not work direct, but need the intermediate dali step afaik.

[hari]

zwave is nice for retro-fitting. If you build a new house, get KNX.

br Hari

[Raginglynx]

Christian,

re cheap and all. One thing that you, imho, should definitely do is wiring ALL lights into the switching cabinet. That way, you have a central place where all control happens.

re 1..10V: Searching on ebay.de for KNX 10v results in multiple hits, same for knx dali. KNX->DMX does not work direct, but need the intermediate dali step afaik.

Ok, I see..

Do you know if it's possible to control each of the 4 channels in this dmx controller individually?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/DMX-512-Common-Controller-Dimmer-for-RGB-LED-Light-Lamp-_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem19c3585ffdQQitemZ110651531261QQptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

[aico]

Hello Christian,

yes, you can control leds using the Bticino device F413 (0-10V Dimmer).

Regards
Johannes

[Raginglynx]

Hello Christian,

yes, you can control leds using the Bticino device F413 (0-10V Dimmer).

Regards
Johannes

Does that dim by communication or does it need 0-10v input?

[Raginglynx]

About KNX,

If I want to program scenes and situations (like, lights dimmed, motor to projector screen on, for example) that goes on and off by specific conditions, do I need it attached to a running computer all the time, or does it have built in logic?

That won't be a big problem because of the Core, but I just wanted to know..

And if I want timed and counter functions in the knx system, what do I need to realize that?

//Christian

[Marie.O]

Sensors (i.e. switches for example) have logic built in, that work without a computer attached. Also, for more complex stuff, there are dedicated logic devices available.

[Raginglynx]

Sensors (i.e. switches for example) have logic built in, that work without a computer attached. Also, for more complex stuff, there are dedicated logic devices available.

Should I use security within knx? I want PIR sensor that controls both lighting and burglar alarm.

I'm also thinking about a video camera. Are there any good in knx. I've searched around a little, but didn't find any at once, which brings me to my next question. Are there knx producs such as one are able to connect PIR sensor and cameras to the system? For example, can I buy a PIR that's not knx and attach to an analog or binary input?

regards,

Christian

[Raginglynx]

I've found a Linux application called KnxLive that's supposed to work as ETS does for Knx. Anyone tried it? Can it coexist at the side of LinuxMCE (on the same OS) or is it an own OS install?

https://www.auto.tuwien.ac.at/a-lab/knxlive.html

rgds,
Christian

[Marie.O]

I don't see where KNXLive is a replacement for ETS, i.e. for example, I don't see mentioning of application loading support. Each KNX device needs to receive the application program provided by the manufacturer. But I might be missing something.

[Raginglynx]

I don't see where KNXLive is a replacement for ETS, i.e. for example, I don't see mentioning of application loading support. Each KNX device needs to receive the application program provided by the manufacturer. But I might be missing something.

I've sent them a mail asking