Which standard to use?

Brains

New Member
hey all... new here and planning to at least run all the necessary wires through the house which is about to be built. we can use them later! :wacko:

question I have is, when running them I suppose it already is important to take into account which technology / standard you will end up using. I seemed to be inclined to going for KNX / EIB, but fail to find any topic here on this board about it...

would KNX/EIB be a good choice or which standard would you propose (and why)?
 
55 views and no answers... :(

seriously... i have been reading up on standards today and although the EIB sounded promising - "open" standard and all, it appears less so now. There are no user forums (except in German), expensive productw with not too many resellers and contrarily to what "open" might suggest, it all seems very closed...

so... x10 as a better alternative or insteon or lonworks... :unsure:
 
Welcome to CT, Brains.

I'm far from an expert, but I built a new house 2 years ago and never considered anything by hardwired for lighting control. I ended up with Centralite's LiteJet system and wired the legs I wanted controlled from the start. I would have wired all the loads, but budget constraints limited that. I knew more reliable wireless systems would be coming in the future. In fact, I ordered Centralite's JetStream system to supplement the LiteJet, but haven't gotten around to installing the JetStream equipment yet. I can say the LiteJet loads just plain work.

I'm not familiar with KNX/EIB you mentioned. I will say X10 would NOT be the way to go if you're looking for reliability. You have so many better options in new construction.

Good luck,

Kevin
 
Kevin, thanks. Had not heard of the Centralite solution.

I just looked at "what would you use if you had to do it all over again" (which more or less answers the question I had).

The amount of different solutions / the lack of a (real) standard makes it all the more overwhelming to start of with HA and although UPB comes out on top, the fact that it runs over power line bothers me a bit (as does X10). I (like you a few years back) have the opportunity to start new. To run extra cabling through the house - specificaly for that purpose.

I want energy control foremost, i.e. regulation of heating depending on the temp outside, depending on whether persons are present. Keeping sleeping rooms cooler than the bathroom, public kitchen or family room. Have heating switch lower when all are asleep and turn on before awaking. Switch lights out if no persons is occupying a certain area. Close skylights when it rains and so on...

I am still at lost on which tech to use and how to have it all communicate (sensors, heatings, lights...) and all info is welcome.
 
I am still at lost on which tech to use and how to have it all communicate (sensors, heatings, lights...) and all info is welcome.
Unfortunately there is no single technology that will do everything for you. But if you are going to use a controller like the M1 or OmniPro, the good news is that they support and integrate most of the good technologies out there. So you can pick your security sensors, pick the thermostat you like best, pick a lighting technology, etc and they will all work nicely together with the panel acting as the 'glue'. ZWave is as close as you will get right now to a protocol that supports alot of other devices besides lighting, but even it has its compatibility issues.

I think you need to have a game plan and break it into manageable sections, then review and choose a technology and product withing each chunk.
 
Back
Top