Taking over support

Your integrator is gone. We take over.

A KNX system with nobody looking after it soon grinds to a halt: nobody changes anything any more, small faults are left unresolved, and at some point the verdict is that KNX simply does not work. We take over existing systems — including ones we did not build, and ones without a project file.

  • Takeover even without an ETS file
  • Document first, then change
  • A fixed point of contact instead of changing fitters
  • Remote diagnosis and remote maintenance possible
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The starting point

The typical starting points.

The company no longer exists

Insolvency, retirement, a sale — the business that built the system no longer exists. Calls lead nowhere, and the project sits on a computer nobody can reach any more.

Nobody gets back to you any more

The installer still exists but has no interest in aftercare: no call-backs, no appointments, no release of the file. Formally your point of contact, in practice non-existent.

The experience is missing

The electrical contractor is good and reliable, but KNX is not their core business. A basic course is enough for installation — not for logic, visualisation, gateways and fault-finding.

Our approach

How a takeover works with us.

01

System readout first

We change nothing before we have understood the system. It starts with reading out the existing installation — remotely where possible, on site where necessary.

02

Reconstructing the project

If the ETS file is missing, we recover it from the devices and name group addresses so that the system becomes readable. If a file exists, we reconcile it with the real state of the system.

03

Naming legacy issues

We show what is solid and what will cause problems in the long run — and suggest the order in which to tackle it. Without pressure to renew everything at once.

04

Back in control

After that, the system can be changed again: reassigning push-buttons, adjusting scenes, adding trades, building a visualisation. This is the point at which most clients realise what their system can actually do.

05

Permanently on hand

We remain your point of contact for changes, extensions and support — with remote access subject to your approval, so small adjustments do not need a site visit.

06

No dependency

You are handed the project and the documentation. Anyone who keeps us should do so because the collaboration works — not because they could otherwise no longer get at their own system.

We train KNX integrators ourselves. That experience is the reason we can take on systems others have given up on.

Related situations. When the installer disappears, the project usually disappears too — then it can be recovered from the devices. If it is unclear what is installed at all, the system readout comes first. And once the system is back in good hands, the takeover often turns into an extension of the existing system. If the system is abroad, it starts with remote diagnosis across borders.

What it costs

An order of magnitude, so you can run the numbers.

“A custom quotation” is no help when you are trying to think it through. So here is an anchor — not a fixed price, but an honest ballpark figure.

around €5,000net

A detached house of about 150 m², switching and dimming actuators. For that we need roughly a week.

Device countthe real driver

With logic modules it takes longer, with commercial systems considerably longer. Naming is the largest share of the work.

freeinitial assessment

A phone call and an initial indication cost nothing. The figure becomes reliable once we have seen photos of the distribution board or a device list.

No prior knowledge

You do not need to know what is installed.

Most people who get in touch here have taken over a house and know of the controls only that they exist. That is enough to start with. Four questions, then we talk.

  1. 01
    We read your answers and get back to you — usually on the same working day.
  2. 02
    Ten minutes on the phone, in which we sort out what exists and what is missing. A photo of the distribution board helps, but is not a requirement.
  3. 03
    Then a written assessment with an effort range. Only then do you decide.

Even "in your case this is not worth doing" is a result we will tell you. Both cost you nothing.

Rather talk straight away+49 211 838 66 870

Notes for the call

01

What is your name, and how can we reach you?

We need the email for the written assessment. A number only if you would prefer a callback.

02

Which property is this about, and where is it?

In the Rhineland we come round. If the property is further away, we start with a remote diagnosis before anyone travels.

03

Is there an ETS project file?

"I don't know" is the most common answer here and perfectly fine — the question only decides where we start.

How do I tell whether the file even exists?

It ends in .knxproj and usually sits in the electrical contractor's handover folder, on a USB stick or as an email attachment. If nothing turns up, that is the normal case with houses that have changed hands — we then work with what the system itself yields. A photo of the distribution board helps us; please have the cover opened only by a qualified electrician.

04

What has prompted this?

Two or three sentences are enough. You need no technical terms — we sort that out in the call.

A planner from our team reads it — somebody who would later look at the system themselves. We treat details of your property as confidential and never show them in any reference.

We use your details solely to deal with this enquiry. More in our privacy notice.

FAQ

Clearly answered.

Do you also take over systems you did not build?

Yes, that is everyday work for us. We take over systems regardless of who built them and which makes are installed — even when no project file exists any more. The only condition is that we may read out and document the system first, instead of blindly downloading changes.

My electrician says the system has to be completely redone. Is that true?

Rarely. A KNX system is almost never dead — the devices work, the cabling is in place, only the knowledge about it is missing. Ripping it out means walls, dust and a five-figure sum; a reconstruction means reading out and documenting. After the diagnosis we tell you honestly which route is the more economical in your case.

What if the old installer releases the file after all?

All the better — then we reconcile it with the real state of the system, which is usually much faster than a full reconstruction. Feel free to ask there first; we only start once it is clear that route goes nowhere.

Do you also work outside NRW?

Yes. The first step is done remotely anyway, and for that, distance does not matter. For work on site we travel throughout Germany, and where needed internationally — with holiday properties abroad that is a regular case. Remote diagnosis ensures a visit only happens once it is worth making.

The full picture

Everything on KNX reconstruction

Specialist software, gateway programming, BACnet and Modbus, logistics halls, remote diagnosis — the complete overview.

To the KNX reconstruction overview page
Where we work

KNX reconstruction in Cologne, Düsseldorf & NRW.

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: