Planning, advice & control

Independent Advice — free to choose, clear in our recommendation.

We are tied to no manufacturer — and still hold a clear view. From over 100 projects we know what proves itself in day-to-day use and what suits your home.

Manufacturer-independentFree choice
100+Projects behind the experience
Clear recommendationRather than a list of options
SamplingHands on, not a data sheet
Where we stand

Independent does not mean anything goes.

Free to choose

We are tied to no manufacturer and committed to no product range. Gira, Jung, Basalte as the ultra-premium choice, Occhio for the lighting — the selection follows your project, your interior and your budget. The backbone stays KNX as an open standard, so that you can still decide freely in ten years' time.

We know what is good

Independence on its own helps nobody if what stands at the end is a list of twenty possibilities. From over 100 completed projects we know the differences in feel, software and durability — and we tell you plainly what we recommend and why.

And what suits you

The best solution is the one that suits your daily life and your architecture — not the one with the most functions. We listen before we recommend: how do you live, who operates the house, what part do light, sound and security play? Sometimes good advice also means advising against something.

Two sides of the same coin

Freedom in the choice. Clarity in the decision.

Independence

Everything is possible.

No brand ties, no obligatory packages: we can draw on the whole KNX universe with its hundreds of manufacturers.

  • Every brand available
  • KNX as an open standard
  • No fixed product range
  • Freely extendable, later as well
Experience

Not everything is sensible.

Only experience turns a choice into a decision — we recommend something specific instead of listing options.

  • A clear recommendation, with reasons
  • From over 100 projects
  • What has proved itself, not gimmicks
  • Advising against is part of it
Your result

What you hold in your hands after the advice

Not minutes of a meeting, but working documents that take you further — with us or without us.

01

Functional concept

Room by room, a description of what your house should be able to do — written to be understood, without technical vocabulary.

02

Room schedule

Every room documented with its functions — the basis for every planning step that follows.

03

Cost estimate

You see early on what your project will be able to do and what range it moves in.

04

Priorities

From ‘indispensable’ to ‘preparing for it is enough’ — so that budget decisions have a clear order.

05

A specific recommendation

Not ‘these five options’, but: this is what we recommend to you — and these are the reasons.

06

Sampling

Switch ranges, Basalte controls in aluminium and bronze, the effect of Occhio lighting — experienced for real.

How it runs

From the initial conversation to a clear decision

1

Initial conversation

We establish requirements, wishes and preferences — how the house is to be fitted out, whether an interior design studio is involved, how much weight light, sound and security carry. Without technical vocabulary.

2

Functional concept

Room by room we describe what the house should be able to do — with priorities from ‘indispensable’ to ‘preparing for it is enough’. This document is the basis for every decision that follows.

3

Sampling

You see switch ranges from Gira and Jung, Basalte controls and the effect of Occhio lighting side by side — with an honest account of what the difference means day to day and in the budget.

4

Your decision

With our documents you can appoint any specialist contractor — or carry on with us into planning and execution through our sister company elektrofabrik. Most stay, but not because they have to.

Bewiesen

Advice that proves itself in projects

01

Manor house Cologne, 400 years old

Listed building — so deliberately solved over a wireless system: alarm system, access control, garden irrigation, Siedle camera. Honest advice means choosing the system that fits, not the usual one.

02

Villa Cologne with Studio ASH/Dohmen

Developed together with the interior architects: Basalte controls, bespoke multiroom solutions, pool and garden irrigation — recommendations that belong to the interior.

03

Period building Düsseldorf-Oberkassel

From the concept to the complete electrical installation: Occhio lighting, DoorBird, shading and a smart office — a project in an existing building, developed consistently out of the advice.

View all projects
Where we work

Unabhängige Smart-Home-Beratung 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

Frequently asked questions.

What does smart home advice cost?

The initial conversation is the way in — in it we establish whether your project and the way we work fit together. For the concept work that follows you receive a clear quote with a defined result: functional concept, room schedule, recommendations. You are not buying open-ended consulting hours, but a document you can carry on working with — with us or without us.

Why does manufacturer-independent advice matter?

Anyone who sells only one system will recommend it to you — whether or not it fits. We plan on the basis of the open KNX standard and choose components per project: operation, design, budget, availability. If a manufacturer drops out, your house keeps working. That freedom is the core of our advice — and your strongest protection against a wrong investment.

How does the initial conversation run?

You talk, we ask: the state of the project, floor plans, living habits, what bothers you, what you would like. The technology comes after that. At the end you know what is realistic for your project, in what order the decisions come up and how things can go on. At your place, at ours or by video — with a floor plan to hand it gets more specific.

Can I get advice if I already have an electrician?

Yes — it is in fact a typical case. Your electrician installs, we supply the concept and the system planning alongside. Many electrical contractors value that division of work: clear specifications instead of room for interpretation. And if the question is KNX competence: as a KNX trainer we train professionals ourselves and speak the language of both sides.

Who is independent advice worth it for?

For clients building new, from the design phase onwards, for those refurbishing before the electrical decision — and for anyone confused by quotes that cannot be compared. The earlier, the greater the leverage. Even if you are not building for another year: an early conversation costs little time and prevents the most expensive mistakes.

The first step

Let us talk about your project.

Independent, specific, and with a recommendation we stand behind.

Request a consultation