New devices, new gadgets and (frankly speaking) toys are introduced on almost daily basis. The one more useful, the other less. Nevertheless, all new inventions and concepts proof that the world of electronics is moving faster than ever, having effect on our daily life, including our homes and buildings, we spent most of our life-time in.
Making your home smart with all various applications is not a challenge anymore, as we learnt in the previous article. With a simple common and open ground, like KNX, we are able to integrate all various solutions and brands, which turn our homes into smart homes. However, it is easier said than done, isn’t it? We might know the solution to our problems, but still the question remains: ‘How do I integrate this common ground in my home in order to enjoy all the many benefits of a smart home?’
To answer this question right away: It is easy! And best is that each step can either be done by a professional integrator, or even by the user. In this article, we will learn about the many training opportunities, such as interactive webinars, which perfectly explain, how bus technology and smart homes work.
1. Define your needs
The amount of devices, solutions, providers, etc. is becoming more and more confusing, due to almost daily new product launches. And in the end, you might end up with devices and solutions, which might be nice to have, but are not really, what you want. Therefore, before making any purchase, the question that everyone should ask themselves is: What do I actually need and what would be the right solution to satisfy my need?
Your KNX integrator is also always available for your questions and answers, in order to help you to integrate your smart home, which you are looking at.
Want to do it by your own? – A perfect guide for implementing your smart home is the KNX Checklist.
2. Integrate your Smart Home
To start right away: This step is what refrains most of the people to actually go through with the integration of a smart home. What the general user wants is a simple solution, which does not require any complicated integration. Just buy a device and turn your house into a smart home, which satisfy all my needs. With this point, it is hard to argue, as simplicity is all that the customer wants. However, as we know, without a common ground, we might end up with various solutions, which are not compatible with one another, ending up in a big mess and eventually resulting in a less simple but more complicated home. What the market therefore needs to understand is that the initial installation of smart home features requires in most of the cases a professional integrator.
After giving it a thought…this is actually nothing else than the installer, who needs to come to setup your internet connection at home. (Surprisingly) this is more than normal to everybody, as this is a necessity for getting internet. And there we have the point, at which we see that integrating your smart home does not require much more efforts or investments: The integrator comes, installs the devices (either wired or wireless), sets up the installation and leaves afterwards. And there we go: The smart home is integrated! Efforts from the users? Almost none!
To make it a little more challenging: Integration of a Smart Home is not magic or solely reserved to experienced professionals – With a little affinity to electronics and technology, you can learn how to do this step also by yourself! KNX Association offers a comprehensive selection of interactive webinars, which explain you, how to get started with your own smart home project.
3. Optimise your installation
In case you are an integrator reading this article, the encouragement of end-users to make changes to their own installation should make you shake your head: An uninformed end-user, who tempers with the installation might bring the whole installation to its knees. It is true that this could be the case, but luckily the market has a solution for this: The ETS Inside by KNX Association!
Developed for beginners and end-users, the ETS Inside allows to be used as an interface for the users. For this, certain non-critical functions are activated by the integrator and the user has control over certain functions that might require some modification. This allows the end-user to make changes, without having to call an integrator for every tiny little change in the installation. The simple user interface runs on all commonly used handhelds and even allows the user to remotely make modifications at any time.
But the ETS Inside offers more to the users. Thanks to the interactive KNX Webinars and online training possibilities, the users can acquire more knowledge about their installation, which would allow them to use the full potential of KNX. And the more the users know in the end, the more functions can be enabled for the user not to only live in his smart home, but also have control over it.
Knowledge is power! And the more knowledge one has the more can be done and better results achieved!
This also accounts for your smart home. The more you know, the more you can adjust your house to your needs any not the other way around. For this, the ETS Inside already allows the user to make modifications. For all, which would like to do more, KNX Association has compiled a comprehensive amount of training material. Highlights are the interactive webinars by KNX Association, which do not only explain you how to use the ETS Inside, but also give you a deeper insight in the KNX Technology as such! The webinars are hosted by professional trainers, which are also happy to answer your personal questions about any topic. All KNX webinars can be found here.
Conclusion:
Now that we know that having your KNX installation implemented in your home to turn it into a Smart Home is not a bigger deal than e.g. having your internet connection setup, the only thing left to say here is: Start now! Not only will you enjoy an outstanding change for simplicity in your home, but you also save a lot of energy at the same time. Your investment in a smart home will amortise eventually! And the more you know, the more you can benefit from the advantages.
More information can be found at the KNX eAcademy.
