Design, consultancy & project management

KNX design — the nervous system, properly thought through.

KNX is only as good as its design. We define topology, sensors and interfaces before the first cable is laid. We ask every trade for its interface, size every gateway and bring it all together so that later everything talks to everything else — in one app.

30+ yearsOpen world standard
Hundredsof manufacturers in the standard
KNX trainerswe teach the trade
One appInstead of eight isolated systems
Why KNX

A standard instead of a dependency.

Every trade, one language

Lighting, shading, heating, climate, energy, security — every switch, sensor and actuator speaks the same language. Third-party systems we connect through planned gateways too, instead of leaving them standing as islands.

No cloud required

KNX runs over cable in your house, not on a supplier's server. If a manufacturer disappears, your home keeps working — components can be swapped and added to.

Planned by the trainers

We train KNX specialists ourselves. The technology we plan for you is the technology we teach — depth instead of half-knowledge, special cases included.

The real job

Every trade has an interface these days.

KNX planning does not mean giving devices power. It means asking every trade what it needs, clarifying its interface and bringing it all together so that later everything talks to everything else. Otherwise the air-conditioning firm hands you a remote control, the pool has its own display, the photovoltaic system its own app — and you manage eight systems instead of one home. Every gateway is planned and sized by us — so that what remains in the end is one way of operating, one logic, one app.

01

Heating, climate & heat pump

Not the remote control from the air-conditioning firm but individual room control within the system: heat pump, underfloor heating, split air conditioning and ventilation answer to the same logic — window contact and absence included.

02

Photovoltaics, storage & energy

Generation, state of charge and consumption in one interface. The surplus drives the loads: storage first, then the wallbox, then the heat pump — intelligent energy management instead of four isolated apps.

03

Pool, sauna & garden

Pool control, filter times, water and air temperature, the cover, sauna control and garden irrigation — trades that otherwise each switch on their own run here through the same controls.

04

Lighting & DALI

Light can do far more than on and off: dimming curves, colour temperature across the day, individually addressed luminaires, scenes per room. For that we plan DALI and the matching gateways — not merely switching channels.

05

Shading & weather

External venetian blinds and awnings follow the position of the sun rather than the clock — with a weather station, wind and frost protection taking priority, coordinated with lighting and climate.

06

Alarm, cameras & access control

Intruder alarm, video surveillance, video door station and access control run in the same visualisation — door release, camera image and scene in one place.

07

Multiroom & media technology

Audio zones, streaming, projector and screen can all be operated from switches and scenes — the cinema evening starts with one press, not with four remotes.

08

Wallbox & charging infrastructure

Charging on PV surplus, load management balanced against the heat pump and the household, release and status in the visualisation.

The result: one system, one interface — light, climate, energy, security and comfort mesh together instead of running side by side.

What you receive

Depth of design, not an outline sketch.

Many "KNX designs" consist of one page with a bus symbol. Our documents go down to terminal level — and that saves weeks at the far end: no improvisation, no variations, no questions of interpretation.

01

Room schedule

Every function documented room by room: what happens at the press of a button, on presence, at sunrise.

02

Bus topology

Lines, areas, power supplies — with spare capacity for everything still to come.

03

Distribution board schedules

Drawn down to terminal level: actuators, sequence, labelling, thermal design.

04

Address concept

Group addresses with a system instead of undergrowth — still maintainable in ten years.

05

Device lists

Specific device types, chosen manufacturer-independently: from Gira and Jung to Basalte.

06

Interfaces

DALI for the lighting, Modbus for heat pump and meters, IP for visualisation and network.

The system question

KNX or a wireless system — compared honestly.

KNX — the standard

For houses that stay.

Open, wired at its core, proven for more than 30 years. The right basis for a new build or a major refurbishment.

  • Hundreds of manufacturers, one protocol
  • Runs locally — no cloud, no subscription
  • Extendable at will & maintainable
  • Adds value, because it can be documented
Wireless — the addition

Good where cable cannot go.

Single-supplier wireless systems are quicker to install but tied to that supplier's cloud and product policy. We use wireless selectively — not as the foundation.

  • Sensible in existing & listed buildings
  • Project: a 400-year-old manor house — made smart by wireless, without opening a wall
  • Planned as a hybrid, not an isolated solution
From drawing to system

Four steps to handover.

1

Design

Topology, sensors, actuators and interfaces take shape at the desk — not on site. The result: documents any specialist contractor can work with.

2

Supervising the installation

Installation by our sister company elektrofabrik or by your own contractor. We check the installation before the walls are closed.

3

ETS commissioning

We configure the system in the ETS, test every function and agree the scenes with you until the house feels right.

4

Documentation & handover

You receive the complete project documentation including the ETS project — your house belongs to you, digitally as well.

Proven

From a detached house to 800 DALI luminaires.

01

Riyadh villa, 1,200 m²

Complete KNX engineering from Cologne: design, control cabinet supplied, commissioning on site — 800 DALI luminaires on one system.

02

Basalte new build

Sentido switches, touch visualisation, lighting coves — KNX as the invisible backbone of the controls.

03

KNX revitalisations

Existing systems are rarely dead: we reprogramme them, extend them and bring old KNX installations into the present — through to a retrofitted visualisation. If the ETS project exists, it begins with a capacity check; if it is missing, with the system readout or the reconstruction of the project.

View all projects
Where we work

KNX planning 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:

FAQ

Frequent questions about KNX design.

What is the difference between KNX design and electrical design?

Conventional electrical design covers circuits, sockets and protection. KNX design lays the control system over the top: bus topology, sensors, actuators, logic and interfaces. The two have to mesh – which is why at smartfabrik we design both from one source or coordinate closely with your electrical designer. That way no gaps open up between the trades.

Can I extend KNX later?

Yes – if the design provides for it. We leave spare capacity in distribution boards, bus cables in every relevant room and conduits for later wishes. A well-considered KNX system grows with you: multiroom audio, a wallbox or additional sensors can be added later without opening walls. That is exactly what the open standard is made for.

Which trades can be integrated into KNX?

Practically all of them: lighting including DALI, shading, heating and cooling, ventilation, weather station, video entry, intruder alarm, energy management with PV and wallbox, multiroom audio. In the design we define which systems sit directly on the bus and which are connected through interfaces such as Modbus or IP. That keeps the system clear and maintainable.

Does every smart home need KNX?

No – and we say so plainly. For a rented flat or a limited budget, a wireless system can be the more honest route. For a house you are building or fully refurbishing and will live in for decades, KNX is in our view the most durable basis. As independent planners we advise with an open outcome – without a package we would have to sell.

Does smartfabrik plan outside NRW as well?

Yes. Our focus is Cologne, Düsseldorf and North Rhine-Westphalia, but we have planned and delivered far beyond that – the Villa Remus on Mallorca, for instance, and a villa in Riyadh with 800 DALI luminaires. Design, programming and commissioning can be organised regardless of location; the installation we coordinate with local contractors or with our elektrofabrik.

The first step

Let us talk about your backbone.

New build, refurbishment or revitalisation — in the first conversation we establish what KNX can do for your project.

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