Intergating 12V devices into 24V system

December 7, 2019Devices, Solutions, Wiring 1 Comment

Home automation systems like Loxone do require 24V DC power supply. In most cases the infrastructure is fed by one separate PSU unit, which has some kind of power outage protection (UPS, either on its primary side AC, or the DC side), and is separated from the other high-consumption components (like LED strips, valves, locks, … Read More

DoorBird Chime

May 11, 2019Devices 11 Comments

If you already have DoorBird intercom installed (like I do) there is an interesting peripheral device you can pair it with to either become your primary source of doorbell sound, or to just enlarge the area where you want to be notified about the doorbell press. And that all over your existing network. There are … Read More

Infrared remote for HiFiBerry

March 15, 2019Devices, DIY, Solutions 1 Comment

There are situations where it is not very convenient to use the phone or tablet to control the music. Sometimes you just need to quickly change the volume, pause the playback or skip a song on a playlist, and this can be done much easier using a IR remote. Adding an infrared remote to the Raspberry … Read More

DoorBird intercom with Loxone

February 16, 2019Configuration, Devices, Solutions 38 Comments

I have been constantly postponing most of the construction finalizations in front and around the house, in order to complete the interior and garden in the back first. That took longer than I expected and as a result some of my initial plans were a bit re-shaped and diverted from the original intent. This was … Read More

Norm 69 lamp from Normann Copenhagen

December 25, 2018Design, Devices, Interior 8 Comments

It is a Christmas time so why not talk about some of the nice gifts. Today I have special one to talk about, it is very nice pendant classics, a design icon that never gets old. The Norm 69 from Normann Copenhagen is a sculptural pendant light that consists of 69 parts. It can be … Read More

24V DMX Dimmers

December 4, 2018Devices 11 Comments

Some of you might already noticed that Loxone silently discontinued few  products and one of the areas impacted are DMX products. Just a simple query to their web-shop reveals that there are no 24V DMX Dimmers any longer. The focus has moved towards Tree and Air products, leaving open standards aside. Same happened to EnOcean … Read More

Controlling Velux windows

October 20, 2018Devices, Interior, Solutions 41 Comments

No KUX, just Loxone Integration of Velux roof components into home automation systems has been often criticized in many smart home forums [1,2,3]. The usage of proprietary protocol is making this “black box” difficult to integrate and to interact with any other solutions. The overall architecture is a bit weird, utilizing a control unit KUX 100 … Read More

DMX dashboard

September 8, 2018Configuration, Devices, DIY, Ideas, Solutions 2 Comments

What I missed since the very beginning was some kind of an overview of the basic status of the house. I know, tablet, I do have one wall mounted in the living room as well, but by dashboard I mean something simpler, giving me the exact info about the things I need to know before … Read More

Outdoor power outlet

September 5, 2018Devices, Garden 1 Comment

Let’s start today with a more lightweight topic here. I have been searching for some nice garden power outlets, that can be placed permanently outside the house,  regardless of the weather conditions. Typical usage would be anything from electric lawn mower to birthday garden party 🙂 I do not need any extra functions there, like movement … Read More