Design, consultancy & project management

KNX programming — parameterised by the trainer.

Only parameterisation turns components into a home. We programme new systems – and rescue orphaned ones. The behaviour of your house is created in the ETS — we programme it so that it feels right.

ETSthe professional tool
KNX trainerswe teach the trade
Third-party systemsTakeovers welcome
100 %Documentation & project are yours
What programming delivers

Anyone can have components. Behaviour makes the difference.

The house learns your daily routine

Which switch controls what, how the blinds move in high wind, when the light dims in the evening — the behaviour of your home is created during parameterisation.

Precision in the detail

Presence detectors with the right run-on times, dimming curves that suit the luminaires, logic without side effects — refinements you only notice when they are missing.

Tested, not hoped for

Commissioning to a written protocol: bus voltage, telegram load, every function checked room by room — what is handed over is what demonstrably works.

To be honest

“KNX does not work” — that is almost never down to KNX.

When clients are disappointed, it is rarely the standard and almost always the execution. The same system can be a botch job — or a needs-based, finely balanced system with intelligent energy management. The difference is made in the programming.

Cobbled together

How you can tell.

Functions that half work, and a house you can tell nobody thought through to the end.

  • Switches that nobody can explain
  • Scenes nobody uses
  • Shading moves at the wrong time
  • Five apps instead of one interface
  • No documentation, no ETS project
Mastered

What it can become.

A system that adapts to your daily life — right through to energy management that distributes solar electricity on its own.

  • Every function has a reason
  • Scenes that hold up in daily life
  • Shading follows the position of the sun
  • One interface for everything
  • Documentation and ETS project belong to you
KNX programming is not learned on a basic course.

A weekend course conveys the tools — not the craft. What counts is years and building projects: knowing which run-on time feels right in a hallway, when a piece of logic becomes a trap, and how to hand over a house that a family operates without a manual. It is like playing the piano: everyone knows the keys after an hour. Mastering the keyboard takes years. We play it daily — and as certified KNX trainers we teach others to do the same.

The full repertoire

What KNX programming really covers.

Not "lights on, lights off". Twelve disciplines that together make a home — each with pitfalls of its own that you only know from practice.

01

ETS project design

Topology, individual addresses, a clean three-level group address structure, filter tables and line couplers — a foundation anyone can still find their way around in ten years' time.

02

Parameterisation in detail

Presence detectors with suitable run-on times, brightness thresholds and part areas. Push-button sensors with short and long press, rocker logic and scene recall. Dimming curves that suit the luminaire.

03

Logic & automation

Logic modules, links, time and astro switching, random functions for occupancy simulation, holiday and absence logic — behaviour that follows your daily life.

04

Scenes & sequences

End of the working day, film night, good morning, guests, cleaning light: scenes across all trades, with transition times and sequences instead of hard switching jumps.

05

Lighting & DALI

Commissioning DALI gateways, addressing every luminaire, forming groups, guiding colour temperature through the day (Human Centric Lighting, Tunable White) and dimming flicker-free deep into the low range.

06

Shading with priority

Sun-position and slat tracking per façade, wind, rain and frost alarms with a clear chain of priorities, interlocks when the terrace door is open — safety before comfort, always.

07

Heating, climate & ventilation

Individual room control with PI controllers, control value comparators, heating-cooling changeover, valve protection, window contact inhibit and setback mode — matched to the heat pump and the ventilation system.

08

Energy management

Meter data capture, Modbus integration of inverter, storage and heat pump, surplus control, load management and wallbox enabling: solar electricity that lands where it does the most good.

09

Visualisation

Setting up and designing the server — Gira, Basalte Core or equivalent: rooms, functions, favourites, user rights, secure remote access and an interface your family operates without training.

10

Security & access control

Intruder alarm system, cameras, video door station and access control integrated: scenes on arming, panic lighting, door release and camera image in one place.

11

Voice control & apps

Alexa, Google or Apple sensibly connected — with names that work day to day, instead of a device list nobody understands.

12

Diagnosis & quality

Group and bus monitor, telegram load analysis, bus voltage check, systematic function testing room by room — we hand over what demonstrably runs, not what presumably runs.

And afterwards: documentation, handover and instruction — including the ETS project, the group address list and a functional description that still holds up in five years.

Two starting points

A new system — or rescuing an orphaned one.

New system

From our design to the finished scene.

We parameterise what we planned — or what your own contractor installed. Until every scene is right.

  • Parameterisation in the ETS
  • Scenes & logic to suit your day
  • Visualisation included
  • Tested & logged room by room
Orphaned system

Integrator gone? We take over.

ETS project lost, the system running but nobody daring to touch it — more common than you think. We read it out, reconstruct and modernise.

  • Site survey & system readout
  • Reconstruction of the project
  • Project: revitalised private house in Oberhausen
  • Afterwards: everything documented, everything yours
What you receive

In the end your house really does belong to you.

01

ETS project

The complete project belongs to you — no dependence on the integrator.

02

A systematic group address structure

A clean structure instead of sprawl — still maintainable in ten years.

03

Scenes & logic

End of the day, holiday, good morning: behaviour that fits your life.

04

Visualisation

The whole house at a glance — on panel, tablet and phone.

05

Commissioning record

Every function tested room by room and handed over with documentation.

06

Functional documentation

What your house can do, described plainly — for you, not for technicians.

Proven

Commissioned from Cologne to Riyadh.

01

Riyadh: commissioning on site

800 DALI luminaires, external venetian blinds, pool and climate — parameterised and tested over weeks, until every luminaire sat right.

02

Basalte new build

Sentido push-buttons, touch panel, scenes — a culture of operation is created in the parameterisation.

03

Revitalisation in Oberhausen

Existing KNX system taken over, reprogrammed, new visualisation — without new cabling.

View all projects
Where we work

KNX programming in Cologne, Düsseldorf & North Rhine-Westphalia.

smartfabrik is a smart home planning practice based in Düsseldorf (Reisholzer Werftstr. 31A). We plan for private clients and companies in Cologne, Düsseldorf and across North Rhine-Westphalia — and, where wanted, nationwide and internationally. A selection of the places we have already planned and delivered in:

FAQ

Frequent questions about KNX programming.

What does KNX programming cost?

The effort depends on the number of devices and the range of functions: a detached house with lighting, shading and heating is manageable, while complex logic and visualisations take more time. After a system readout – for systems installed by others, including reading out the devices – you receive a clear quotation. That way you compare on a sound basis rather than by gut feeling.

Can I program KNX myself?

Basic functions such as switching lights are within reach with ETS knowledge and patience. The limit comes with heating control, shading logic and above all with fault-finding. Many of our commissions begin with a self-started project that has stalled. Our honest advice: structure and foundation from a professional, fine-tuning and scenes yourself if you like – we set the project up for exactly that.

Our KNX integrator can no longer be reached – what now?

No reason to panic: your system keeps running, KNX devices retain their programming. We read the system out, reconstruct the project and produce clean documentation. After that, changes and extensions are again possible as normal. We have carried out this procedure several times – including on systems for which not one sheet of paper was left.

How long does KNX commissioning take?

For a detached house, reckon on a few days for addressing, parameterisation and function tests – depending on the number of devices and the extent of the logic. Then comes the most important phase: fine-tuning while the house is lived in. Run-on times, scenes and thresholds we readjust after your first weeks in the house. We allow for that from the outset.

Does smartfabrik also programme systems that others have installed?

Yes, regularly. Your own contractor installs to our design or their own, and we take on parameterisation and commissioning. It is a proven division of labour: the local firm knows the site, we know the system in depth. The condition is a sound installation – we check it before we start and tell you honestly if rework is needed.

The first step

System there, behaviour missing?

New or orphaned — we look at your KNX system and say honestly what it can do.

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