Security: safeguarding your customers’ networks

By Simon Buddle, Future Ready Homes. I’ve been around long enough to know a time when people left their front doors unlocked during the day. People would pop in for a tea and chat, children running between houses to gather up the gang before heading off down to the river or out into the fields […]

Report: KNX International Training Centre Conference

By Julian Barkes, BEMCO. The annual Training Centre Conference took place on 18th October at the Grand Hotel Bristol, Stresa, Italy, overlooking the beautiful Lake Maggiore, a very pleasant 45-minute train journey from Milan. KNX Certification Manager, Ufuk Unal, went through the updates that have been made to the training documentation this year and floated […]

Looking Ahead: does the wireless light controller spell the end for the dimmer rack?

By Simon Buddle, Future Ready Homes. We still rely heavily on copper in our industry. It forms the backbone of any system we install. Power and communications travel back and forth from switches to dimmer panels to lighting fixtures. It’s all very ordered, and everyone knows what to expect from the respective parts. The dimmer […]

Interview: Siemens CEO of Smart Infrastructure, Cedrik Neike, on smart buildings

Cedrik Neike holds an MBA at the INSEAD Business School as well as a Bachelor (Honours) in Engineering and Business Finance. He started his career at Siemens as a Product Line Manager for Wireless Internet. In 2001 he joined Cisco Systems for several management positions in the US and Germany, returning to Siemens in 2017. […]

Tutorial: controlling SMI and shading using KNX

By Mark Warburton, Ivory Egg. After a recent expansion at Ivory Egg headquarters, we have been making some improvements to the control system to make sure we are showing the full potential of KNX. It’s always great fun to get back on the tools and be reminded of just how functional a KNX system can […]

Overview: predictive building management relies on intelligence and standards

By Philip R. Juneau, ATC. The international community is truly in an interesting mindset these days; with the nearly endless streams of information flooding through our conscious state, we rarely have time to quiet our minds in order to think creatively, innovatively, or even rationally. I’m a member of Generation X, which means that as […]

The Climate Challenge: the advantages of programmable logic control

By Simon Buddle, Future Ready Homes. Well it’s been another extraordinary summer of weather. One stage of the Tour De France had to be cut short due to a snow blizzard in July, that closed a mountain pass. To be more accurate, it was the landslide as a result of the water that caused the […]

Case study: Porto Mykonos – a hotel operating at half power in Greece

By Nick Gliatis, GDS Digital Systems. Comprising 90 rooms, Porto Mykonos is a luxury hotel located at the famous and bustling port of Mykonos Town on the Greek island of Mykonos. This is where all the action happens, both by day and by night. The hotel was to undergo major renovations, including expansion, so a […]

Interview: Sue Milne gives a fresh take on the home automation industry in the UK

Sue Milne started her career in advertising sales within the luxury marine market. She progressed into general management, and led sales and account management teams based in the UK and throughout Europe. Having worked for a large American corporation, she knew that she wanted to be in a smaller business where she could make an […]

KNX and Domestic Alarm Systems: how effective is your fire strategy?

By Simon Buddle, Future Ready Homes. Fire is without doubt one of the most devastating incidents that can befall us. The ferocity and magnitude of house fires can leave a home a decimated pile of ash. People who escape stand and watch as thousands of gallons of water are poured onto their home. By the […]