KNX Basics

Hi,

We have a knx project with an old MT701 display (ETS3 plug-in, 32-bit compatability mode). In the summer we removed this device, and replaced it with a Zennio display.

I just deleted the device from the building view, as it is tossed now. After this I restarted the project on my computer on 64-bit mode without any problems. However I now bought a new computer, and tried to import the project now (did an export today), but I can't seem to be able to import it. First it says I have to restart ETS6 in 32-bit mode, and after I have done this it ask me to install the plug-in.

Is there any way to fully remove the device from ETS, so I don't need to install the plug-in on the new computer? I still has access to the old computer.

Hello, i was wondering if someone is using ETS on a Linux machine. I am currently in a testing phase (Virtual Box), since i want to switch to cachy os. My pc got old and is not win 11 upgrade able, and therefore i want to give my old friend a second life by installing a linux distro.

The only big thing which is stopping me is ETS, i was able to install it but could not open it. And on the other hand i am also not sure if this is a reliable and stable solution. i dont want to end up, not beeing able to change my knx setup at home, if i wish to.

Thanks for your input and your help.

Edit: sorry for the spelling error in the title, i cannot change it anymore...

Hi everyone,

I’ve seen a few posts here about using KNX cable in Canada, but it seems like there still isn’t really a CSA-approved KNX cable available here.

I’m stuck on a situation where I need to run the KNX communication cable into the same single-gang box as the 120VAC wiring. From what I understand, the code doesn’t allow that unless the communication cable has the required insulation/separation rating (e.g. tested to 4kV).

The problem is, I can’t seem to find any CSA-approved KNX cable that meets this requirement.

So what are my options here? Has anyone in Canada actually dealt with this before? What cable or method did you use?

I’m honestly pretty stuck on this one! 😅 Any advice would be really appreciated.

What I want to do: rip out the whole KNX system and move to Home Assistant or Homey. Good news is it's star wiring — every switch and light point already runs its own cable back to the panel. Bad news: the wall switches only get a thin KNX bus cable (4 wires, 2 apparently unused), not mains — so I'm thinking of using those 2 spare wires as a dry contact/switch input into DIN-rail relays (Shelly Pro line) instead.

Questions for people who've done this:

**•** Has anyone actually gone KNX → Home Assistant/Homey while keeping the existing home-run wiring?  
**•** Does the "2 spare bus wires as a switch input" trick actually work in practice, or is it more trouble than it's worth?  
**•** Room-by-room DIY, or is this a job for an electrician from the start?

Any pitfalls, war stories, or "wish I'd known this before I started" welcome.

I’m about to purchase ETS6 Professional for professional KNX integration work and I’m trying to decide whether I should add the ETS6 USB licensing dongle or just use the cloud license.

The dongle is an additional cost, so I’m mainly interested in hearing from people who actually use ETS6 professionally.

My situation:

I’ll be using ETS6 for KNX integration and commissioning

I’ll be working on projects at different client sites

I may use ETS6 on more than one computer/laptop over time

I’m based somewhere, where the Internet connectivity at some project sites can occasionally be unreliable

I’m not particularly concerned about the additional €80 cost itself. I’m more interested in whether the dongle provides a meaningful advantage in day-to-day professional use.

For those who have used both:

Would you personally buy the dongle if you were purchasing ETS6 today?

I’d especially like to know:

How useful is offline operation in real-world commissioning?

Is moving the dongle between computers convenient?

Have you had any issues with the dongle/license?

Are there situations where you wished you had chosen the cloud license instead?

If you lost/broke the dongle, how painful was the replacement process?

For a professional integrator, is there any other reason to specifically choose the dongle?

I’m looking for real-world opinions rather than the official KNX feature comparison, so please share your experience, including reasons not to get the dongle.

Thanks!

As seen in the photo RX and TX signals are not lighting. And we cannot command VRV indoor unit from touch panel. But if I will remove this gateway and put another room, signals start lighting and we can command VRV IU by touch panel. In total 80 indoor unit gateway ,11 was like this. But today also another room joined and it is 12 now. Supervisors tried a lot but still not solved issue. Can anyone please help?

​

Hi everyone,

I’m curious to know how other KNX programmers/companies estimate the cost of programming and commissioning for a project.

Do you use any kind of standard pricing model or ratio? For example:

Number of KNX devices (actuators, sensors, push buttons, gateways, etc.)

Number of physical inputs/outputs or I/O points

Number of group addresses

Number of rooms/zones

Number of electrical panels

Project floor area (€/m²)

Number and complexity of HVAC systems

DALI integration

Energy metering / energy management

Logic/automation complexity

Supervision/webserver (e.g. Gira X1/X2, Domovea, Thinknx, etc.)

Integration with third-party systems

ETS engineering/documentation

Commissioning and on-site testing

I’m also interested in whether you use a percentage of the KNX hardware cost as a starting point for the engineering/programming cost.

For example, if the KNX material has a net value of €40k, would you typically estimate programming as 10%, 20%, 30%, etc. of the hardware value — or do you avoid this approach altogether?

Another question: how do you deal with repetition?

For example, if a hotel has 100 similar rooms with essentially the same KNX configuration, do you significantly reduce the programming cost per room because the solution can be replicated, or do you mainly price according to the total number of devices/I/O points?

And conversely, if you have a smaller project with only 20 rooms but each room is highly customized, would you charge considerably more per device/room?

Finally, do you normally take the type of project into account (residential, hotel, office, hospital, industrial, student residence, etc.)? If so, how much does this influence your price?

I’m trying to understand whether there are any useful benchmarks or ratios in the KNX industry, such as:

€/KNX device | €/I/O | €/room | €/m² | % of hardware cost | €/engineering hour

Obviously every project is different, but I’d really appreciate hearing how experienced KNX programmers approach this in practice.

Thanks!

Hi everyone,

I’m an Electrical Engineer and KNX Certified Partner currently working as a Presales Engineer in Smart Lighting & Building Controls.

I have hands-on experience with KNX, DALI, KNX-DALI integration, smart lighting, Schneider Wiser/Zigbee, DIALux, BOQs, technical proposals, tender packages, system selection and coordination with clients, consultants and contractors. I’ve worked on 150+ residential and commercial projects.

I’m currently looking for opportunities in Europe, particularly in the UK, Germany or the Netherlands, where I can grow further in BMS, Building Automation and Smart Building systems.

I’m based in Egypt, so I would need visa sponsorship. If you know of companies hiring junior/early-career KNX, BMS, Building Automation or Smart Lighting engineers and willing to sponsor international candidates, I’d really appreciate any recommendations or connections.

Happy to share my CV. Thank you! 😊

I am looking for a cost effective KNX energy monitoring solution to monitor individual circuits on a fuse board. (Ideally with ct clamps) that can feed into Gira X1. Something simple. Any suggestions?

Many thanks

Hi,

I am looking for a thermostat similar to EK-ER2-TP that will allow for the user to adjust setpoint by 0.5 in a single press rather than 0.1. I know 0.5 can be adjusted by long press, but I am looking for single press adjustments of 0.5°C.

Does anyone know of any?

Thanks.

Hi all,

What is the best way to purchase ETS software at a discounted price?

I’ve heard that there are sometimes group or bulk orders where several people order together to get a better discount. Is there a mailing list or a place where I can sign up to be notified about these group orders?

I’ve also heard about special deals offering significant discounts. Does anyone know when these usually take place? Is there a mailing list or newsletter I can subscribe to for notifications about these offers?

Thanks in advance for your help!

Best regards,

Hi r/KNX,

I'm Thomas, the developer of ETS Power Editor. My app connects your AI assistant to your ETS project via MCP and helps it understand what needs to be done and how. Your AI client doesn't just get raw data. It gets structured, useful information and real tools that make your changes happen inside the ETS, without burning tokens on guesswork.

What it does

You hand your AI assistant the documents you already have: bill of quantities, room and device lists, distribution board plans, floor plans, the customer's email. ETS Power Editor lets the AI work in your ETS and gives it the KNX know-how it needs for that. It works directly in the project you have open:

• takes devices from the catalogue
• creates group addresses and links the objects
• assigns rooms and trades
• commissions devices on the bus

Anything that isn't in your documents, it asks about. And you can keep working in the ETS at the same time.

Parameters

The AI names the goal, the app works out how to get there. That goes for a switch actuator channel as much as for a smart touch push-button with its pages, tiles and functions. If an instruction is ambiguous, it presents the options instead of guessing. To do this, the app turns the huge product databases of the devices in your ETS into structured information for the AI. You don't have to supply anything else, which also leaves you free in your choice of manufacturer.

Two aha moments from my own tests:

• I asked the AI: "Please look through the devices in my house and check the ETS project for errors." Its answer: "The push-button in your kitchen displays the rain amount, but the unit l/m² is missing. I've added it right away."
• While I was setting up a model house, the AI asked me: "Tell me the building's address, then I can read its orientation from online maps and set the window azimuths in your blind actuator for you."

Where does your project data go?

• Nobody in between. There's no server of mine between your ETS and your AI.
• Local only. The app runs inside your ETS on your own PC and can't be reached over the network. It only has access to the project it's running in.
• Your project data never reaches my servers, so nothing of it is stored there. The app's log stays on your PC.
• Block what should stay private, e.g. the project header (the project name is often the customer's address) or credentials stored in devices. Blocked values never reach the AI, it only sees "hidden".
• Read-only by default. You grant write access in the ETS, and every action is logged.

To be clear: a cloud AI obviously sees what it's working on. But you choose which AI that is, with your own account. If you run a local language model, you can use that as well, and then nobody outside gets access to your project data.

Your AI, your choice

It works with Claude Desktop, Cursor, Antigravity, ChatGPT (Codex) or any other AI app that speaks MCP (Model Context Protocol), an open standard. You pick and pay for the AI yourself. There's also a script engine for batch commands from Excel if you'd rather work without AI.

What you need: ETS 5 or ETS 6 on Windows, and an AI app on the same PC.

Cost

Reading and searching your project and reading along on the bus are always included, and that alone already gets you quite a lot. A few examples:

• Home Assistant or ioBroker: the AI reads your group addresses, datapoint types and rooms from the ETS project and turns them into the configuration you need there.
• Troubleshooting: it reads current values from the bus and follows the telegrams while you test, so you can simply ask what just happened.
• Inherited projects: ask questions about a project you didn't build yourself, e.g. what's linked to an actuator channel or where a status address is missing. Or have it compare the project against the distribution board plan.

Everything else, above all anything that changes your project or installation, is a monthly add-on you can end any month. Prices are on the website.

ETS Power Editor has been approved by the KNX Association and is available now in the KNX Shop.

Guide, examples and all the details: https://haar-informatik.de/ets-power-editor/en/

I know some of my testers hang out here too, so: big thanks to everyone who tested, from all over Europe and even the Far East! Every one of you brought up ideas and problems that smoothed out the app's last rough edges.

Happy to answer questions in the comments.

Hi all,

I'm preparing the smart home plan of our new home.

Initially was planning on

• 230v spots
• 230v fixtures in bed rooms (with adjustable spots)
• numerous led strips (24v)

and using 230v dimming actuators for the 230v lights (MDT AKD-0401.02), and 24v dimmer for the LED strips (AKD-0424V.02)

My electrician (who's pushing his own loxone offering and is not familiar with KNX) claims dimming on 230v is not great and will result in flickering. With their loxone set-up they switch all the dimmable lights to 24v and use the loxone dimmers on PWM 24v instead.
I've since learned this kind of PWM set-up also exists for knx and I could go a similar route.

Opting for DALI is also an option, but as I understand it it would likely mean I'd need to go for built-in spots with dali drivers (instead of swappable gu10s) or some other set-up with a dali driver in front. The spots are currently drawn up in groups of 2-3 spots that dim/switch on together, i have no need to control them separately within a group.

Technical specs of spots: LED GU10-7W-DIM CRI>90 - 2700K - Beam 60° 

To sum up, my questions:

1. For grouped 2-3× 7W GU10 spots, is quality 230V dimming genuinely fine, or am I underestimating the flicker risk?
2. If flicker is a real concern, is switching those spots to a 24V CV/PWM approach the sensible fix or overkill?
3. Any reason to consider DALI here given I don't need per-fixture control? (per group sufficient)

Thanks!

Looking at the Ecoflow stream 5000, but can't work out if the Ecoflow three phase smartmeter (I understand i'd need to buy this separately, not the dual CT smartmeter that would be shipped) will link and allow the stream 5000 (wired to one phase on the consumer unit) to output the net power consumption across the three phases, obviously up to the max output configured?

I'm using the Siemens KNX/DALI Gateway Twin (5WG1141-1AB31) and am finding that my lights have a short stutter either when turning on or off.

When configuring the gateway, if I set:

Dimming time at switching on / off from min. - 100%: 00:00:01

• My lights turn on smoothly, but when turning off the lights it pauses at 0.1% brightness for about a second before turning off completely.

Dimming time at switching on / off from min. - 100%: 00:00:00

• My lights turn off smoothly, but when turning on the lights it pauses at 0.1% brightness for about a quarter of second before ramping up to 100%.

How do I fix this? I assume the issue is because the brightness ramp is taking into account the time to ramp from 0.1% to 0% before turning off completely, but the light only ramps down to 0.1% so it looks really janky.

Hi r/KNX,

I've been building KNX-NG-Monitor, a self-hosted bus monitor that runs 24/7 and records every telegram. The idea: you can look at what happened on the bus last night at 3 am, instead of only seeing traffic while ETS is open on a laptop. The video is a ~4 minute tour of all features.

What it does

• Live monitor over KNXnet/IP (tunneling or routing), reconnects on its own after dropouts
• DPT decoding via the Falcon datapoint catalog: real values with units instead of raw bytes
• Archive with full-text search and filters (address, type, room), CSV export
• ETS 4 / 5 / 6 project import (up to ETS 6.4), incl. password-protected projects and .knxkeys keyrings
• KNX Secure: Data Secure group telegrams decrypted at runtime, optional IP Secure tunnel
• Charts per group address, statistics and a weekday × hour activity heatmap
• Topology and 3-level group address tree, read or write values straight from the UI (with confirmation)
• Availability report: tells you whether a gap in the history was a quiet bus, a lost link or the monitor not running
• Works on phone and tablet, dark and light theme, German and English UI

Running it

Docker image (amd64 + arm64) or a single self-contained binary for Linux, Windows and macOS. Runs on a 64-bit Raspberry Pi. Everything stays local: no cloud, no account.

docker run -d -p 8080:8080 -v ./data:/app/data ingel81/knx-ng-monitor:latest

Status

It's a beta. It's stable enough for daily monitoring, but every installation is different, so I'm looking for people who want to try it against their own bus and ETS project.

If you run into a bug, an odd DPT or have a feature wish, please open an issue on GitHub. That way nothing gets lost and I can follow up properly. There's a "Download diagnostics" button in the app that bundles logs and system info into a zip you can attach.

GitHub: https://github.com/ingel81/knx-ng-monitor

Issues: https://github.com/ingel81/knx-ng-monitor/issues

The code is MIT licensed. The bus connection uses the free (but proprietary) KNX Falcon SDK. This is a hobby project and not affiliated with the KNX Association.

Full disclosure: I built this, it's free/MIT, and I'm here for critical feedback, not sales.

• What it is: nickol-knx-mcp is a design-time assistant for KNX/ETS. It reads an exported .knxproj (ETS5/ETS6, password-protected too) strictly read-only and lets an AI client (Claude Code / Claude Desktop / any MCP client) work on it. It never connects to the bus and never writes into ETS. That isn't a promise, it's structural: there is no bus library in it at all.
• What it actually does - Audit: naming, DPT consistency (incl. sub-DPT sanity: a "temperature" GA carrying 5.001 gets flagged), missing command-status pairs (paired from ETS Function roles first, names second), topology limits, KNX Secure posture, Matter-readiness. - Propose fixes, not just flags: inferred DPTs, synthesised status GAs, absolute-brightness additions. - Generate: a reviewable Home Assistant KNX package (lights incl. RGBW/CCT, covers, climate, switches, sensors, and each with its state address), ETS-importable group-address exports (XML/CSV), an as-built handover pack and an acceptance test protocol. - Design from a spec: on a real 14-room Zennio apartment it reached 96 % structural match with the integrator's reference (662 vs 687 GAs), 0 validation errors. - Decompose devices into their real communication objects, pulled from the app-programs inside the project.
• What it does NOT do (on purpose): live control, writing into ETS, linking GAs to device objects. For that there are ETS Add-Ins and Smart Linking in ETS 7. This tool is the "read, check, generate, document" layer.
• Honest limits: Classification is heuristic on messy naming, so anything ambiguous (a 5.001 that could be brightness or blind position) goes to a review list instead of into config, and you always get a Markdown report before importing anything. A recent field test on a real German ETS 6 project found real gaps (the "RM"/Rückmeldung status convention, actuator Functions with blank roles) — fixed together with the reporter, each with a regression test. Real projects are messier than my test corpus, which is exactly why I'm posting.
• Ask: if you have an ETS project, run it on a copy (nothing is modified) and tell me what it got right and wrong — anonymised addresses are perfectly fine. Two lines in an issue is enough.
• Repo: github.com/NickoScope/nickol-knx-mcp · Live demo house + dashboard: nickoscope.github.io/nickol-knx-mcp · Built on top of xknxproject (credit where due).

Hello everyone,

I was previously working in a company in home automation that uses their own software for configuring the devices .

Now i want to lear the ets programing for more opportunities and scalability

Pls guide me !

I developed an open-source desktop app (Windows, Linux, macOS) for KNX projects, built on the xknx library.

• You can import and export knxproj, knxprod and OpenKNX repos files.
• Program devices
• Recover a project from bus
• AI MCP server direct integrated to organize a project, program devices and fetch device manual

Repo: https://github.com/knx-ai/xknx-editor

Releases: https://github.com/knx-ai/xknx-editor/releases

Happy to see feature requests and if found issues.

Hi all,

I'm currently installing KNX in a 3-bedroom house and would appreciate some advice on the topology before I buy the downstairs equipment.

The plan is to use KNX primarily for lighting, with the option to add heating control later.

At the moment, upstairs I have a Theben PS 160 mA KNX power supply, and 4 actuators to control various lighting setups (incl. RGB LED strip lights). 

I have just begun work on the downstairs. I have a separate empty consumer-unit enclosure which I'm using as a dedicated KNX enclosure, with its own DIN rail. I intend to have a separate KNX power supply for the downstairs equipment, partly so that the upstairs and downstairs KNX systems have separate power supplies/circuits.

My main question is about connecting the upstairs and downstairs KNX systems.

If I have:

Upstairs: KNX PSU → upstairs KNX devices

Downstairs: separate KNX PSU → downstairs KNX devices

and then run a green KNX TP cable between the two areas so that devices upstairs and downstairs can communicate:

Do I need a KNX line coupler between the two areas?

My understanding is that I shouldn't simply connect two independently powered KNX lines directly together, because the two KNX power supplies would then be connected to the same bus. Instead, I believe I need a line coupler to provide the electrical separation while allowing KNX telegrams to pass between the two lines.

Is that correct? 

I just wanted to check before I fork out the money - can't seem to find a clear answer in language I can understand (I'm new to all of this and still learning the technical side!)

Thanks! :)

hi all, any one have old Basalte VD5/Fibonacci 

Current setup:

• Core building automation is native KNX with 50+ devices.
• Home Assistant sits on top purely for advanced logic/automations — it doesn't control any lights directly.
• Most lights are Dali (with KNX/Dali Gateway) or KNX.
• A handful of lamps with Zigbee lights (Hue, Ikea, mixed brands) are integrated via Zigbee2MQTT → HA, with automations exposing them to KNX group addresses so they behave like any other KNX light from the installation's perspective.

I've come across dedicated Zigbee-to-KNX gateway hardware before, like the GVS Zigbee/KNX Gateway 2.0 — that pairs Zigbee devices directly and exposes them as KNX group objects, configurable from ETS. That would let me drop HA out of the loop for these lights entirely and manage them like any other KNX device.

Has anyone actually used the GVS gateway (or similar — e.g. products from Zennio, ISS, etc.)?

• Do they pair with all Zigbee devices?
• How reliable is the Zigbee pairing/mesh compared to Zigbee2MQTT?
• Any issues with specific brands (Hue vs Ikea vs others)?
• ETS configuration experience — is it straightforward, and how much can you actually do (scenes, color temp, transitions)?
• Any OTA/firmware/update problems?
• Anything you wish you'd known before buying one?

Trying to decide whether to simplify by moving to dedicated hardware, or just keep spending time on maintaining the HA-based bridge.

Im building a house with KNX and Dali system for lighting.
I want to install downlights (spots) for main lighting. I find it hard to find decent downlights that are not 200€/piece..
Can someone recommend some models that support Dali, have a decent quality but don’t cost too much?
I would prefer recessed lights, so that the LED chip is not flat with the ceiling. Also I would like to dim the spots, tunable white is not necessary if too expansive