And update from my side. I got an Atios KNX Bridge for testing. It works perfectly fine for my setup and is super easy to setup and configure, including integration in HA via HomeKit (Note: I do not have any other HomeKit application running. HomeKit is only used to integrate the Atios Bridge in HA). I can control Dali lights via HA or any other controller device (e.g. Lunatone rotary dimmer). And I get a feedback on the state of the ballasts no matter by which device they are controlled. The Bridge is called “KNX”, but there’s also a Dali integration.
As for now, the feedback is only on on/off but no brightness values yet. However, Atios say that they have that feature on the roadmap for this spring.
My setup:
- Dali (not Dali2), i.e. a dimmer sends a message to a certain address and the corresponding ballast reacts. There is no central master involved that could feed back the states of the ballasts to a third party system like HA
- Several Dali ballasts (lights) in several groups on one Dali line, i.e. broadcast-only controllers wouldn’t work
- Dali power supply already in place, i.e. any additional device like a gateway to HA must be without power supply
- Several kinds of controllers: rotary dimmers by Lunatone, Dali Enocean gateway by Eltako
- Lights / ballasts with on/off/brightness only, i.e. no color
A remark on the HA integration: The Atios Bridge has a nice web interface. You configure your Dali ballasts via that interface first (i.e. a handful of clicks per device, no struggle with code/JSON/templates or whatsoever). Then you pair the Bridge to HA via the HomeKit integration (i.e. typing the pairing code from the Bridge into HA). And then your Dali ballasts are automatically discovered by HA and added as devices. Done. So really easy and straightforward, no need to code or template.
Also nice: the Atios Bridge can be powered via external power supply or PoE. The latter might be easier for many people since you do not need to touch any AC power parts.
You can read between the lines that I’ve become a fan of the Atios Bridge. Especially after having gone through the struggle and dozens of hours of trial and error with other solutions like the ADF, which I never got to work 100%.
The two aspects I recommend having a closer look when you think about getting an Atios Bridge: Does it work for you in case you have color control? And if you absolutely rely on dim value status feedback (not just on/off), you might want to wait until they release it for real in a few weeks/months.
Disclaimer: Atios gave me a device for testing (which I’m going to purchase now). I met them personally, since I live only a few minutes away. Very nice guys! However, I’m not affiliated with them in any other way and I have not known them before.