Sponsor Article: why open frameworks matter
By Chris Irwin, J2 Innovations. When a technology is new, it is usually very expensive and proprietary because it is difficult to achieve and complex to deliver. This was certainly true of computers; which were hugely expensive compared to now and each manufacturer offered systems that were unique to them, because they designed all the […]
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 […]
The New KNX TP1-256 Topology: more devices and fewer line repeaters
By Mark Warburton, Ivory Egg. The KNX Association has recently announced the completion of a long-running project to update the system topology in order to make KNX even easier and simpler to use. Until now, the smallest part of the topology is a line segment with 64 devices. To expand the line, line repeaters can […]
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 […]
KNX Secure: the way to protect your installations
By Thomas Weinzierl, Weinzierl Engineering GmbH. Communication and data processing are hardly conceivable today without considering security aspects. In the future, insecure communication systems are unlikely to be accepted. The way has already been shown by the Internet, with the well-known http protocol from 1991 having been largely replaced by the encrypted https variant. Incidentally, […]
Product Article: Upgrading Existing Buildings with Wired and Wireless KNX Devices
By Thomas Weinzierl, Weinzierl Engineering GmbH. Using KNX to upgrade existing buildings may seem like a contradiction to some installers because often, it is not an option to open walls to lay bus lines. However, a detailed analysis of the existing inventory and installation can provide interesting solutions. Important installation points can, in many cases, […]
Lighting: Pros and Cons of using DALI with KNX for Homes
By Colin Price, Ivory Egg. DALI is well known as a commercial lighting control protocol that works perfectly with KNX. The question is why and how can DALI be used for residential lighting control? Addressable DALI lighting is organised in lines, or ‘universes’, of up to 64 addressable DALI ballasts. These are connected to luminaries […]
Trade Talk: At last – a Code of Conduct
By Simon Buddle, Future Ready Homes. Nearly every day at work feels like I’m wading through a swamp of treacle; adjust this drawing, update the revision number and drawing issue sheet, update the quote, dial in and change the lighting scene levels. Then there’s the constant barrage of questions from site. What size is the […]
Project Haystack: a Boon to Bringing Order to Group Address Naming Conventions?
By Simon Buddle, Future Ready Homes. So much of what we do as an industry requires absolute precision. From the choice of actuators for a specific function, to communication devices that control third-party products. Is it Modbus RTU or Modbus ASCII? Buy the wrong device and not only are you unable to communicate with the […]
Assisted Living: using Voice Control in a KNX System
By Neil McCarry, IDES Ltd. Our long-term client, a young lady who has been severely physically disabled and recently bedridden, lives in a KNX-automated house that was originally installed eight years ago. On good days, she has a little movement in her hands, which allows her to use a specially-adapted tablet that sends IR commands […]