A few more things clients usually realise only in retrospect
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many devices run on 12V instead of 220V. This means that you will need to use a power transformer. But transformers emit some noise, so you must think through where to hide your transformer and whether the noise there will bother you. Less noisy transformers are more expensive.
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sensors are typically low voltage devices. You can have the sensors set up in a bus system or in a star network. The difference between the two is that in a bus topology, switches and sensors are, theoretically, connected to “one” wire. In a star topology, every switch and sensor (the typical inputs) has its own wire. From this description, the bus system may seem preferable because it needs fewer cables. This is not necessarily true. You should choose between the two topologies considering your needs and the size of your wallet. But star networks certainly require a lot of cables that must be run through the house. All of that wiring requires a lot of space. In today’s modern homes it is particularly challenging to ensure airtightness while running your wires through the house. What’s good for one is surely bad for the other. It’s physically impossible to have airtight sealing for a bunch of round cables running together. There are actually some solutions, but you must pay attention to the problem.
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always get extra cables everywhere. Some things will be missing even with the most thorough planning.
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wireless systems are all the rage now. But if your internal walls are light-weight drywalls attached to a metal framing, your home will not be particularly wireless friendly. The enclosed metal cage shields invisible waves. Reinforced concrete ceilings have the same effect. Make sure that you have cables fed through these walls and ceilings to avoid having to drill holes later.
Switches
Non-technical home-owners typically distinguish between three basic types of switches:
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traditional switch: you can tell by looking at it that it is in the ON position. Its main disadvantage is that it’s not compatible with automatic operation. After all, the smart home can’t get up and walk over to flip the switch to the on/off position.
- blind switch: I just call it the mouse in the wall. You hear a click when you press it, and when it’s released, it flips back to its original position. It has the advantage of allowing you to program a double click function as well (depending on your home’s system). This means that, for example, a simple dual switch can be used to produce four different scenarios.
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multiple-switch switch: there are many different types; some even come with a built-in display. It gives you an opportunity to put even more buttons on the wall that only you will be able to use. Honestly speaking, I have yet to find one that’s really usable. Wherever we needed more buttons, we just placed several blind switches under one another.
Mounting height for switches:
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about 120 centimeters: this is the classic height, but I have yet to figure out its benefit
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90 centimeters: this is where we placed the switches in our home. At this height, children can also reach the switches and get used to using them. A further advantage is that adults don’t need to raise their hand to operate the switch; you can simply hit it as you walk by.
PS for the switches: to mark the function of the switches, we bought some plain, solid-colour self-adhesive wallpaper and used craft punches. I needed the craft punch to make the shapes look nice. The buttons were given one or two moons, or one or two suns in accordance with the light intensity. Even kids understand that the two suns mean more light.
Things to know about networks
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it makes sense to set up a gigabit network access point in every room of the house (maybe not in the restroom). Smart appliances are now appearing even for the kitchen. If they have a LAN port, always use a wired connection and not Wi-Fi. This will reduce electrosmog.
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windows and drywalls vs Wi-Fi: you don’t really hear about this, but drywalls use metal studs, which really shield the Wi-Fi signal. The same is true for metal-framed windows. You either need to use a high-quality Wi-Fi router or be prepared to boost your Wi-Fi signal several times.
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use static IP addresses for your devices. In larger households as many as 30-50 devices may connect to the internet. Make a list of your IP addresses for example in Google Docs to make it easy to find and update.
Living in a smart home 