Best Practice: Programming in ETS – Back to Basics
By Christophe Lavergne, DMC USA. When we train people in KNX technology, we often see bad habits that they have developed when programming. Whether a newbie or an old hand, their projects in ETS software fail to have a correct structure and/or documentation. Some of the most common problems we see in ETS projects are […]
Trade Talk: LED and the Lighting Designer
By Simon Buddle, Future Ready Homes. Ambience, colour temperature, accent and task lighting – these are trademark phrases for a lighting designer. Creating wonderful room moods, with task lighting to enable reading, and accent lighting to draw one’s attention to an impressive architectural feature or well-placed ornament, lighting design requires an eye for design as […]
Best Practice: Heating Control via KNX – Part 3
By Nikita Thompson, Ivory Egg. In Part 1 and Part 2 of this series on heating control using KNX, I discussed getting the temperature onto the bus, the types of control used, the modes available with KNX, using heating and cooling, two-stage heating and the dead band. In Part 3, I will bring all of […]
Security: Protecting Buildings from Cyber Attack – Part 2
By Chris Topham, Abtec Building Technologies. In Part 1 of this two-part series, we looked at simple ways to protect KNX projects from malicious attack over IP networks. In Part 2, we will explore some valuable tactics to protect your building management system (BMS). Whether you design, deploy or use KNX devices, this article will […]
Case Study: ABB Automation for Office Building in Glarus, Switzerland
By Franco A. Bonutto, Soltris Gebäudesystemtechnik. As a public utility company in Switzerland, Technische Betriebe Glarus Nord (TBGN) has statutory obligations regarding energy saving. Having decided to expand its office complex by adding another floor, TBGN commissioned us to plan, build and install an energy-efficient system for lighting, shading and HVAC control. The project was […]
How to Solve it: Efficient Ways to Link Group Objects and Group Addresses
By George Lazos, Quantum KNX++ Training Centre. The Problem Time is money and money is time. Whilst delivering coaching or consulting services to certified KNX Partners, I often notice that they only use basic ways to link group objects with the appropriate group addresses. This is a time-consuming habit, especially when doing medium-to-large-scale projects with […]
Best Practice: Heating Control via KNX – Part 1
By Nikita Thompson, Ivory Egg. As the days warm up and spring is in the air, heating seems like an odd topic to tackle. We all know however, that it is a crucial part of home automation and must be planned well, at the start of the build, no matter what time of year it […]
Business: A Modular Approach to Sustainable Homes
By Jesús Arias García, KNXin. I know quite a few systems integrators and distributors who aim to deliver modular solutions. This is very interesting, for various reasons. Modular systems can be replicated, which means less effort, and the procedures involved can also be replicated. Costs can be reduced, which helps the penetration of the technology, […]
How to Solve It: Climate Control in Different Rooms
By Hans Walltin, Walltin Building Control. The Problem When planning climate control, i.e. heating and cooling, for different rooms, such as kitchens, living rooms, bedrooms and bathrooms, one problem that could easily occur is an unevenness in temperature between rooms with different functions and characteristics. For example, the kitchen may have very warm cooking areas, […]
Case Study: The King’s School Science Learning Centre, Sydney Australia
By Alistair Grice, mySmartCTI. Founded in 1831, The King’s School is Australia’s oldest and one of its most prestigious independent schools. Located on 148 hectares in the Sydney suburb of North Parramatta, The King’s School is home to around 1500 students, from kindergarten to Year 12. Construction started on the AUS$20M Science Learning Centre in […]