Best Practice: Responsibility for an Installation – where to draw the line
By Simon Buddle, KNXtoday. One of the truisms of life in the low-voltage services world is, that as far as the end user is concerned, everything is our fault. If the lights don’t work, the radiators are too cold, the fans are too noisy, the client’s energy bills are too high, the iPad isn’t controlling […]
Dr KNX: ETS4 and PC Stability Issues
By Dr KNX. Dear KNXer, KNX Association has a team of software experts who test ETS versions before each release. A version will only be released after a number of standard tests have been conducted on all officially-supported Windows versions. See www.knx.org/knx-en/software/ets/ets4/installation/index.php. These tests are always done with a freshly-installed version of Windows; this is […]
Product Article: The JUNG F50 Range of Push-button Interfaces – an Impressive Combination of Design and Technology
By Andrew Taylor, JUNG. In 1912, Albrecht Jung GmbH & Co. KG was founded in Schalksmühle, Germany. Over the last 100 years, the company has become established as a specialist in electrical switches and systems under the motto ‘Progress as a Tradition’. Having its own subsidiaries and represented by a number of agencies all over […]
Business: Lessons that KNX Manufacturers Can Learn from the Big Players
By Jesús Arias García, KNXin. I got so excited about an interview with Tony Fadell by the UK edition of Wired magazine, that I put aside the article I had already written for this month, and offer you this instead! For those unfamiliar with Fadell, let’s just say that he played a big part in […]
Solutions: Is DIY Home Automation Damaging for KNX?
By Sophie Thomas, Ivory Egg. There has been a definite surge in public awareness surrounding home automation recently, thanks to the likes of Nest, Hive, and most recently, Apple HomeKit. No doubt some systems integrators will sigh with a heavy heart each time more so-called ‘smart home’ technology is announced, as they fear the end-user’s […]
Best Practice – Logic Modules on the Bus
By Simon Buddle, KNXtoday. As many small systems integration companies grow, the likelihood is that each year they will add another product or technical capability to their armoury. This gradual growth enables us to navigate successfully through the shark-infested waters of the larger project. Over-stretching a company in resources or technical capabilities, by trying to […]
Technology: KNX over IP – New Solutions for KNX Installations
By Dr. Thomas Weinzierl, Weinzierl Engineering GmbH. While KNX has grown into the most important building automation standard, Ethernet has evolved into a universal communications solution that can also be employed in automation systems. Because of their different system characteristics, KNX and Ethernet complement each other well. The advantage of the KNX bus is that […]
Dr KNX: Updating ETS4 Despite a Proxy-Related Issue
By Dr KNX. Dear KNXer, KNX Association decided to allow ETS updates only for valid licenses, in order to avoid the illegal use of ETS. Depending on its configuration settings, ETS checks for available updates either automatically or manually. Before installing such an update, ETS checks whether any installed licenses are valid. If there is […]
Business: Do We Need a KNX Partner Certification Maintenance Programme?
By Jesús Arias García, KNXin. As part of my email sign off, I display the two certifications of which I am proudest: • KNX Partner (KONNEX Partner). • PMP (Project Management Professional). Both require a reasonable amount of effort and commitment to attain, and both are very well considered amongst professionals in their respective fields. […]
Best Practice: KNX and Security
By Simon Buddle, KNXtoday. The KNX system offers many great features, from the mundane, day-to-day housekeeping functions such as room temperature monitoring to the more sophisticated control of music, door intercoms, and gates. One of the key benefits that I have always believed strongly in, is the facility to automate tasks, to remove a layer […]