Every home can be smartly retrofitted, without huge costs or complicated installation. Here we‘ll show you how with some basic smart home tech from Homematic IP.
The central switching point of the smart home is the Homematic IP Access Point. It is connected to the router and then connects all other devices with each other, as well as with the Homematic IP Cloud. To control the smart home, users will need to download the Homematic IP App, which is free for Android and iOS.
Smart heating with Homematic IP
The basic features of your smart home should at least be able to regulate light and heating. All radiator thermostats can be replaced by the Homematic IP Radiator Thermostat. The installation of these new thermostats is simple and doesn’t have to be done by a professional, as no intervention into the existing heating system is required.
Homematic thermostats can measure the room temperature and regulate the heating automatically. The desired temperature can be set either on the thermostat itself or via the Homematic IP App.
In larger rooms with multiple radiators, it makes sense to install a Homematic IP temperature and humidity sensor with LC display at a distance from the radiators as well, because then the temperature is measured in the middle of the room where people are. The desired temperature is set via the app and the wall sensor regulates the radiator thermostats accordingly.
The Homematic IP App also makes it possible to set fixed heating cycles. For example, you can specify that the living room is only fully heated in the evening, while the kitchen is in the morning. It’s also possible to set different cycles for each day of the week.
Simply integrate existing lighting
Several solutions are available for lighting: ceiling lights can be integrated into the smart home by retrofitting the associated wall switches with Homematic IP switching / measuring actuators or dimming actuators. There are a variety of adapters available, meaning existing brand switches can be reused.
Ceiling washlights, floor lamps and bedside lamps are easily integrated via Homematic IP switch sockets or dimmer sockets, which are simply plugged into existing sockets.
The motion detector
Another smart home feature is the motion detector, such as the Homematic IP motion detector or inconspicuous motion detector in the 55 frame, which can be placed in an existing switch housing or simply glued to the wall. The motion detector can be mounted in the hallway and configured via the Homematic IP App so that it automatically switches on lights when it is dark and detects movement at the front door.
The complete basic smart home equipment guide
Overall, the basic configuration of a Homematic IP Smart Home consists of the following components:
- a Homematic IP access point
- one Homematic IP radiator thermostat per radiator
- possibly one Homematic IP wall sensor per room
- one Homematic IP switching actuator or dimming actuator per room
- possibly a Homematic IP switch socket or dimmer socket per room
- a Homematic IP motion detector
Configure smart functions
The Homematic IP App offers many options to configure the basic equipment according to your own needs. Devices can be grouped together, such as a wall sensor and the associated radiator thermostats in the same room, or lamps that are often switched on and off together.
In addition, it is possible to assign a duty cycle to a group. For example, it may be sensible that the light in the hallway is only switched on for five minutes at a time, as there is usually no need for it to be on longer. Time profiles are also possible for both heating and lighting.
As an example of how this works, let’s say a homeowner gets up at six o’clock in the morning on weekdays to go to work. Every morning the kitchen heater can start at five o’clock to bring the room up to a comfortable temperature while the lights in the kitchen are switched on at six o’clock – but only Mondays to Fridays. It can also be specified that the light is only switched on when the sunrise is after six o’clock.
Many other settings and options ensure that the smart home optimally adapts to user needs.
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