Unipi is based on a raspi and Arduino do PLC’s too but I think you need to get to grips with the wiring of a plc type smart home. No matter which system you go for the wiring concept will be the same.
The idea is to have all the “control” in one place so all the relays and switching will happen in your node zero (main cabinet)
Your switches will be low voltage cat cables which turn an input within a plc on/off, the logic of the plc then determines what output or relay you want to switch on/off. This relay will usually be switching high voltage, your standard normal house electric wiring.
It will not look like any “normal” house wiring. PLC will be wired in a star topography, every switch(input) and light (output) will have its own connection back to the plc, there will be no direct connection or cable running from one light to another in a ring type either.
The Loxone knowledge base is a good place to start, the diagrams will give you a good idea of how things are connected up.
Well. As always it depends. If you want a industrial grade, proved and solid infrastructure that scales out very well, without any vendor lockin, I would go for knx. I’ve around 40 lights, 17 covers, 15 heating valves, 30 controlled outlets, 12 temperature sensors, 10 motion detection sensors plus some extras like weather station and so on based on knx. Actors and sensors are from different brands, always choosed the piece I liked most in price and functionality.
I was thinking about using loxone, but after all I decided to go for an open and wide spread solution which does not depend on one single company.
Additionally I integrated some things using esp8266 and hue to my installation using hass. So for me its the perfect mixture of all worlds. I can add self made things using hass if I want not to afford or it does not exist in the knx world.
The only thing i really dont like about KNX is that the ETS licence model is all or nothing. No special licence for home owners. ETS lite or this new ETS Inside is a bit crappy. And in fact, ETS professional is only available for Windows.
Quick update.
I’ve made a decision on Loxone and will not be going down the Unipi route.
Lighting, which is the main priority in a domestic smart home is really well served under Loxone and with the DMX extension you can add cheap chinese dmx dimmers to control all sort of lighting and even external relays so this pretty much solves the problem for “switching and dimming”.
I really like the Loxone wall switches which have 5 buttons and also the ability to click through preset scenes for each button. Having one of these in every room with a common logic throughout the house should make it very intuitive. For example you can have Top left for blinds up, bottom left for blinds down. Right up for music vol up and bottom right for music vol down and middle button to toggle through light settings or any combination you like but I think it’s important to decide on a “logic” and stick with it thoughout the house.
What worried me with Loxone was the limited I/O and the additional extensions are expensive but with the tree extension you can add 100 devices. This covers motion sensors and the wall switches so even though the devices themselves appear expensive at first, the fact that they connect problem free with no need for additional inputs make them very appealing. The light switches also measure temperature and humidity and the motion sensors have a light sensor too so you get more than just one action from each device. This should cover any expansion needs without having to buy more PLC hardware.
The software was a bit tricky to understand at first but if you can set up HASSIO, you can manage this. It’s simple, well documented and very flexible.
I like it alot! The customer service on the other hand is useless but I’ve had some good advice from the forums.
I’ve still got to get my head around how this will control the UFH and pump etc but I’m confident this will manage it just fine.
That is very interesting! I am also considering KNX as a “Rock Solid” solution because it is wired and has a lot of other positive characteristics (design, diversity, pricing*) Pricing in comparison with a Z-Wave Installation
Have you ever experienced that you have to reboot the “KNX Server” because it has frozen. Or is it as stable as I would expect it from a wired solution?
A knx installation does not have a controller nor a central server. If one device would fail the communication of other devices would not be compormised (except the power supply fails).
ETS Inside is used to configure the knx devices - I think you could power it off when configuration is done. (I personally have no experience with ETS Inside, but the conventional KNX with ETS Professional installation).
I have not had a frozen KNX device that needs a powercycle for the 2 years I’m using the system.
The “controller” you linked is an IP-Interface. It connects KNX-TP to IP. You can use any. HA connects to KNX over IP so you will need one (ETS Inside and Professional does too so I think you would need one anyway).
Thank you! Now I understand KNX better. I thought you would need a central server/controller that handles all the stuff.
OK let´s see if I have it right:
I would need knx sensors and actuators all connected to the 2-wire bus cable as well as KNX-TP to IP. Then I can use my HA instance to do the visualization, scenes and automations?
Now I have a better understanding about the solution and how it works. Basic KNX is more parameterization than programming. A lot of “programming” is done by using the ets and preconfigured “automations” like eg “Turn on light when there is movement”. The fact that all parameters are stored on the devices itself and the ability to “talk” directly to each other makes it as “rock solid” as it is.