Safety: protecting homes against electrical surges
With experts warning of increasing lightning strikes due to climate change, Simon Buddle makes the case for overvoltage protection of mains and low-voltage systems in the home. Historically the weather in Europe has been, by and large, middle of the road. The summer of 1976 saw UK temperatures more than 30oC for over two weeks. […]
KNX IoT: Broadening the KNX Development Landscape
Jesus Arias discusses how KNX IoT makes it even easier to create products, solutions and services, and explains the main features of the KNX IoT 3rd Party API server and the KNX IoT Point API device. Developing a KNX solution was a very straightforward exercise 30 years ago: a KNX device was, in a simplified […]
Better Living: KNX is ideal for the accessible home
Simon Buddle explains why KNX is the ideal solution for a smart home that can bring significant benefits to people with disabilities whilst remaining adaptable to new technologies. Selling expensive systems into posh homes is something that many of us take for granted. It’s super cool for customers who love the technology, but can be […]
KNX Secure: how safe are voice assistants?
Whilst KNX IP Secure and KNX Data Secure protect KNX installations from unauthorised local or remote access, Christian Kiefel reminds us that we must also consider the security of cloud-based voice assistants connected to systems within the home. The market for voice-controlled assistants is rapidly expanding worldwide, and is expected to grow by 7% per […]
KNX Standard Version 3.0: the ‘Access All Areas’ for KNX members in the Internet of Things
It’s here! On 22 April 2022, KNX Association launched Version 3.0 of the KNX Standard to its manufacturer members. This was the first major release of the KNX Standard since the publication of Version 2.1 in 2013. Here are the key points. A milestone The publication marks two major steps. 1) It is the first […]
KNX Secure: ensuring system security in a connected world
Simon Buddle explains why any building control system which can be physically or electronically tampered with must be made secure, and why KNX Secure is the answer. KNX Secure is the most important system update that we will ever see. The global data network is fraught with danger, as it is open to any would-be […]
Weinzierl Presents Wireless IP Interface for KNX
KNX IP Interface 740.1 wireless Weinzierl Engineering GmbH presents the KNX IP Interface 740.1 wireless as a new edition of the successful KNX Interface 740 based on WLAN. It can be used by ETS5 or ETS6 as a programming interface. On the laptop the user simply has to establish the connection via WLAN, and ETS […]
The New Living and Working Environment: KNX at the core of safe and energy-efficient spaces
Paul Foulkes looks at the way we must adapt buildings to provide safe, healthy and energy-efficient environments for living and working, and outlines why KNX technology offers the ideal choice in terms of space flexibility, adaptability and maintainability. Covid has affected almost every aspect of our lives, and how we work has been a key […]
System Security: how to set up a VPN
Whether a client’s home control system has access to the Internet for remote control, monitoring or maintenance reasons, Simon Buddle explains how to use a VPN to protect the connection. I have just returned from a fantastic week away skiing. It has been a holiday in the making for more than two years; repeatedly cancelled […]
Integration of Disparate Systems in Commercial Buildings: IP-BLiS promotes common best practices
As building control technology converges with IT, the market interest group, IP-BLiS, is recommending the consistent use of Internet Protocol (IP) across the entire network. Yasmin Hashmi looks at the rationale behind this and discusses the common best practices proposed by IP-BLiS for providing secure, multi-standard, IP-based harmonised networks. Until recently, different technologies used in […]