Articles
Real solutions from real projects — how our automation actually works.
How to set up a basic humidistat on KNX: a spare panel thermostat instead of a separate device
A humidifier needs a humidistat, but a dedicated KNX humidistat is optional. A spare thermostat in a wall panel does the same job: it takes humidity instead of temperature and switches the humidifier through a relay. Step by step in ETS, on a Zennio Z35 v2 and a MAXinBOX 24 v2.
Two-pipe air conditioning: keeping every mode without the units getting in each other's way
On a two-pipe system all air conditioners can only heat together or cool together. Why it works that way, what problems it causes, and how to set up the automation so every room still gets its own temperature.
Device names in ETS: how not to get lost in a large project
How to name KNX devices so the name tells you what it is and where: type, floor, room and number — SW 1.22.3. Plus the Description field, an individual address plan and the same codes in group addresses, using a 142-device country house as the example.
Motion sensor and wall switch: making them work together in ETS
How to stop a motion sensor and a wall switch from fighting over the light: one button command switches the light and blocks the sensor. Step by step in ETS, using an Elsner Intra-Sewi KNX sensor and a Basalte Sentido button.
Does a Smart Home Pay for Itself Through Energy Savings?
An honest breakdown of where home automation saves money — and where it does not. Based on four years of operating an 860 m² KNX installation.
One project table, two systems: killing duplicate data entry
The same address gets typed into ETS, into the controller config, and into the handover documentation. A year later all three disagree and none of them is authoritative.
The ETS 6 group address import format, explained
Nine columns, and the level of an entry is decided by which column carries the name. The format documented, the pitfalls listed, and a generator published under MIT.
Why one temperature sensor per room is not enough
A thermostat controls the point where its sensor hangs, not the room. What the error costs, why averaging alone does not fix it, and the module we run — published in full.
One setpoint, three devices: what a climate zone has to get right
Underfloor heating, an air conditioner and a humidifier pointed at the same room will fight each other unless one rule owns all three. The dead band, the season lock and the sensor problem — with the code.
How to structure 2 000 KNX group addresses so they are still readable after four years
At 200 addresses the structure does not matter. At 2 000 it decides whether the project can be maintained at all — a real scheme from an 860 m² installation, with the full list published.
A Home That Lives by the Time of Day
Lights you never have to switch: how one project's lighting rebuilds itself for day, evening and night — automatically.
Dispatching: A Home That Reports Its Own Problems
Boilers, ventilation, sensors and even the internet connection — under continuous watch, with alerts to Telegram before you notice anything.
The Whole Home in Telegram: Alerts and Control Without Extra Apps
Context-aware alerts, action buttons right inside notifications, and a full control menu — in the messenger the whole family already uses.
Climate Control That Considers Everything
Heating, cooling, ventilation and humidity working as one system — with per-zone targets, CO₂-driven airflow and equipment protection built in.