New home and I want to make it a smart home

[Russell D.]

Hello,

 

I will be have my new home built this year and I would like to know the best steps to make it smart home.

 

They will be starting to build in a few months.

 

I live in Montreal like to know what steps I should take during the build of the home .

 

Thank you

[emosun]

I think realistically you could just add network ports to it and it should be good to go as far as "construction" is concerned. Most smart home systems are not universal or very long lived so there's not a lot you can do to future proof the house. Basically whatever you install will be outdated within a few years , or be outmoded by the company that developed it on purpose.

[Dujith]

Probably to late, but if you want to make your home "smart" you will need to get all the lights either controlled by DALI or have each light its wire to a central place where you place actors/dimmers for control.

Same goes for any HVAC you want to control.

The switches and places where you would like touchscreens for example will need at least an cat6 cable or 2 wire for KNX or whatever system you use.

 

Dont use all wireless stuff like HUE or zwave/zigbee its slow and prone to interference, wired is always better.

 

Either way you will need an actual plan and not: "i want a smart home". Think about what you want to control and go from there.

[BondiBlue]

While it isn't specifically related to making your home a "smart" home, if I were you I'd look into having ethernet run throughout the house. One or two drops in bedrooms, some in the living space (for TVs, media devices, etc.), and some in an office space (if you have an office area). 

 

As time goes on the smart devices will become outdated, but a wired network isn't going to become outdated that quickly. It's also really handy to keep some stuff off of your wireless network. 

[Russell D.]

Hello,

 

Thank you for the response.

 

I have planned to have 8 cat 6 junctions trough the house. 

 

Rooms, basement and one in a closet on the 3rd floor for a easy access point if needed. 

 

The construction of the house has not started so any changes needed can be done

[Russell D.]

14 minutes ago, Dujith said:

Probably to late, but if you want to make your home "smart" you will need to get all the lights either controlled by DALI or have each light its wire to a central place where you place actors/dimmers for control.

Same goes for any HVAC you want to control.

The switches and places where you would like touchscreens for example will need at least an cat6 cable or 2 wire for KNX or whatever system you use.

 

Dont use all wireless stuff like HUE or zwave/zigbee its slow and prone to interference, wired is always better.

 

Either way you will need an actual plan and not: "i want a smart home". Think about what you want to control and go from there.

Thank you for the response.

 

The plan is  to have most, lights heating cooling, front back door 

S,garage doors some type of alarm system

[Dujith]

@Russell D.

You will have to decide on which system to use and what your budget is. I have no idea how the Canadian market is for KNX but if it fits in the budget i would go with a system like that. I think US has mainly Crestron? Tho i would avoid that as while it has a nice interface you wont be able to change anything yourself without  a certified Crestron installer.

 

KNX and DALI combined is the most robust and has the longest support. For reference i installed KNX systems 23 years ago and i can add new components and they still talk to each other  DALI is perfect for lights as most new LED systems will require drivers and DALI LED drivers are a lot cheaper then KNX drivers. You will just need a KNX-DALI Gateway then. For alarms most of them have a KNX interface or a way to talk via the network.

 

Its not cheap all this, so if its beyond your budget you can look at open source systems but i have not had great experiences with them. 

[Pixel5]

first you will need to ask yourself what you consider smart home and how much you are willing to spend to make it happen.

 

A real smart home solution where everything in the house is connected to a central switch panel is gonna cost you anywhere between 40000 - 60000 buck depending on howmuch work you want to do on your own and how much you will let contractors do.

 

So step 1 is figure out what you want to be able to control so people can give better advice.

[Russell D.]

11 minutes ago, Dujith said:

@Russell D.

You will have to decide on which system to use and what your budget is. I have no idea how the Canadian market is for KNX but if it fits in the budget i would go with a system like that. I think US has mainly Crestron? Tho i would avoid that as while it has a nice interface you wont be able to change anything yourself without  a certified Crestron installer.

 

KNX and DALI combined is the most robust and has the longest support. For reference i installed KNX systems 23 years ago and i can add new components and they still talk to each other  DALI is perfect for lights as most new LED systems will require drivers and DALI LED drivers are a lot cheaper then KNX drivers. You will just need a KNX-DALI Gateway then. For alarms most of them have a KNX interface or a way to talk via the network.

 

Its not cheap all this, so if its beyond your budget you can look at open source systems but i have not had great experiences with them. 

Thanks for the info,

 

The budget is between 5 and 10k CND

 

When I get home I will take a look at what is knx and see if its suitable for me.

 

I'm looking for something with a easy interface.

 

Thanks again for your input

 

[Dujith]

@Russell D.

KNX or any other Home automations are not that simple to program without knowing at least the basics.

So either you will need to learn or get an installer to help you with it.

But to know what to advice we would have to know a lot more , like how many lights? what kind of lights? what kind of HVAC? ect ect.

 

The interface you create at the end for using the system can be very simple if you will want that.

Tho programing that depends on what you are going to use for the interface.

(OpenHAB is a good pick as it can talk to pretty much anything)

 

 

[kpluck]

I would go farther than just running ethernet through the house, I would run a completely separate physical network for my smart home devices and my own internet connection.

 

-kp

[HerrKaLeu]

As much CAT6 as possible. Any potential PC or TV location should get 2-3 ports. figure out where the internet comes in and have a closets there for the switches, modem etc. Plan where you locate MESH wireless routers. 

 

Plan out if you want any cameras or other devices with decent data througput. 

 

Determine what you mean by " smart"  and what the objective is. Some people think they need a refrigerator that orders food for them, others need sophisticated HVAC control.

Don't install things just because they are " smart". Be smart and decide how they are supposed to make your life better. 

 

HVAC control depends on the system you have. If you only have a single-zone furnace system, no need to control a lot. Multi-zone hydronic and AC system requires more. 

 

IMHO lighting control is wasted in residences. If you really want motion sensors, use line voltage. I design lighting for commercial buildings and al the fancy control systems have the problem they limit you to expensive light fixtures and control equipment that will be obsolete in a few years and/or expensive to maintain. We often replace the old lighting control system not because it is bad, but because you can't get spare parts anymore. 

 

Think about security. Changing your thermostat from elsewhere sounds nice. But it also will be nice for everyone semi-skilled person who hates you. Also nice to see the inside of your home when you are on vacation, it is equally nice for every hacker who can see the same thing, even when you are at home. Or the NSA.