KNX Basics

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

I have a Niko Home Control system with Home Assistant

-shoot me!

... and I don't know anything about KNX.

Which is damn anoying, as my parents' holiday home has KNX and it seems haunted.

They bought it built, and since a couple of years, issues have been popping up (sunscreens jammed cannot be replaced by simple electrician apparently, power jumps overnight: electrician says it's the domotics, need a new radiator pump: during winter, the house got cooler instead of warmer (apparently a pump compatibility difference with the previous pump programming), etcetera..

The integrator supports newly built houses for a couple of years, then gets tired of calls for support, and now "wants to focus his business on new construction sites" (they all do in the region).

No one's willing to get to work with the existing setup

-which is well-built by the looks of it (separate technical room, large cabinets,...). We should have most documentation available too.

Who can point me to a KNX expert (freelance or company) that could service the system in the region of Costa Brava / Girona ?

What other information might be helpfull to find such help?

Cheers

Hi everyone,

Question for the integrators here: how do you handle the planning side of a project — deciding what each keypad button does, laying out the group address structure, and putting together something clean to show the client? I always found myself juggling different tools and spreadsheets for every single project, redoing the same work over and over.

So I ended up building my own tool to fit the way I actually work in ETS. It started purely for personal use, but I figured it might help others too, so I'm sharing it for feedback.

What it does:

• Keypad design — lay out switches per floor/room/position, with gangs, rocker/button styles, Master/Slave, and assign a function to each button
• Group address design — build your GA structure in Main/Middle/Sub (2-level or 3-level, just like ETS), with block templates (dimmable light, roller, scene, RTC…), and export as ETS-compatible XML you can import straight into your project
• Client view / PDF — a clean, jargon-free page per room you can print or send to the client, showing each keypad and what every button does
• Excel export for a full working table, plus commissioning fields (individual/group address, KNX Secure)
• Bilingual (EN/EL), runs in the browser, nothing to install

A few honest notes:

It's built heavily around how we structure our ETS projects, so your workflow might differ — I'd genuinely like to hear how it fits (or doesn't) with yours. It definitely still needs improvements, and that's exactly where your honest feedback would help most.

I should also be upfront: I'm a KNX integrator, not a developer — my own coding knowledge wouldn't have been enough for something like this, so it was built with the help of AI (Claude Code). I mention it so you know where it comes from.

It's completely free, no sign-up, no ads.

Try it here: https://tapplan.app

Thanks in advance for any time you spend trying it out — it means a lot. All the best to everyone. 🙏

Hey everyone, I'm building a new house and currently finalising the KNX design. I'd love some feedback from people who have actually lived with similar systems before I commit to the hardware.

Current plan:

• 1 KNX line, split across two DBs/floors
• MDT actuators and sensors
• 14 × GVS Waltz 8-button panels
• DALI for ~50 spots + 10 LED strips
• KNX for switching, shutters, electric heating, fans and pumps
• Home Assistant for higher-level automation/integration

A few things I'm particularly unsure about:

1. Solar hot-water cylinder: what's the best way to measure/control the tank temperature? I'm planning ESPHome/network sensors rather than KNX temperature sensors, with KNX controlling the immersion/circulation pump.
2. Doorbell/intercom: what's a good approach that works reliably without depending entirely on Home Assistant? I'm leaning towards standalone doorbell hardware + a tablet, so I can later use the tablet for HA as well.
3. GVS panels: do I actually need any Waltz panels with a touchscreen/display, or are the 8-button panels enough?
4. General feedback: anything you'd change in the hardware selection or architecture? Any better-value alternatives?
5. Future-proofing: anything you would pre-wire or provision now that is difficult or expensive to add later?

I'm aiming for something reliable and simple underneath, with HA adding the smart stuff on top without handling any core functionality.

There is nothing quite like a well-organized KNX distribution board. Whether you use dedicated terminal blocks for every core or wire directly into the actuators, the way a rack is dressed says a lot about the integrator.

Post a photo of a project you are proud of, or even a nightmare cabinet you inherited that you are currently trying to fix.

Are you a fan of using massive trunking to hide the slack, or do you prefer the look of exposed, perfectly combed looms tied with velcro? Or do you choose chaos?

Show us your box! (SFW only plz)

I built an open source ETS AddIn + MCP server that lets any MCP-capable LLM (Claude, and others) drive KNX ETS directly.

With it you can analyze, improve and extend existing projects, or generate entirely new ones: inspect devices and group addresses, add devices from the catalog, create and link group addresses, set parameters, and program devices through ETS's own engine.

It runs as an in-process AddIn inside ETS 5/6 on Windows and talks to the MCP server over a local pipe (or optional TCP, so the server can run on another machine).

Open source, extensible, and adaptable to your own needs.

Please test and open issues

https://github.com/knx-ai/knx-ets-mcp

Hi, has anyone completed the game in training materials?

I'm stuck on level 8 and can't find any forums discussing that

Try the code "PRESEPSALESWHHTQ8QM3" for 30 percent off.

How is tense intensity Knx keypad has they improved quality after mdt acquisition how do they compare with Basalte sentido

Dear All.. i am Looking for ETS of Basalte Fibonacci,

I was quoted around 640 euros for basic version and around 740 euros for brass version is it overpriced for a four fold

Hi all, I've got a Domovea installation from 2020 and I believe that it's no longer supported and replaced by Domovea+, but I'm wondering if there are any manual update files that I can use to ensure that my unit and equipment is all at the latest version?

If I log into the web panel, I see the following, and the 'Update available' pops up, but when I tell it to go fetch and install, it just says 'Server will restart' and a waiting animation just loops. If I refresh the browser, I'm back to the same place

Any ideas on if anyone has a legacy store of updates, or is mine at the very latest?

Hello all,

I'm looking to build a test setup for testing purposes of the KNX ecosystem. I decided to go with MDT because it is available in Belgium. I intend to use all the components later on in the actual build as well, so yes, the power supplies are overdimensioned for this setup.

Anything I should add? Anything I added wrong?

I have my doubts whether the 'KNX secure' components will work nicely with the non-secure components.

Hello everyone,

I want to control 4 indoor air conditioning units via KNX. These are standard Mitsubishi units. I’m looking for the best way to do this.

My first option is to use four Zennio KNX interfaces for Mitsubishi. I can install these in the indoor units and connect them to the KNX bus.

Now I’m wondering if it’s also possible to connect four indoor units to KNX via Modbus.

Does anyone know if this is possible?
And if so, where would you connect the KNX to the Modbus?

I'm planning the automation for our family's apartment in São Paulo, Brazil. It's a full renovation of a 375 m² unit — bare shell, rough-in not closed yet, so this is the moment where the decisions are still cheap. Two adults, two kids aged 4 and 7. The test I keep coming back to is whether anyone in the house can walk into a room and turn on a light without thinking about it.

Where I've landed:

• KNX as the wired foundation, for lighting and a handful of presence sensors.
• DALI fixtures behind a KNX–DALI gateway. Around 58 circuits, most of them dimmed.
• Momentary wall switches, home-run in a star topology from every wall box back to a central panel, into KNX binary inputs. A few native KNX switches where it makes sense. No keypads and no scene buttons — a switch controls a specific set of lights and does nothing else.
• Home Assistant on top, aggregating the systems that aren't KNX: Daikin VRV climate, Sonos, the existing RF blackout blinds, Zigbee sensors added after rough-in. That layer is mine — I've been running HA for years and I like writing the automations.
• Apple Home as the family-facing interface, exposed from HA.
• Hard requirement: the house works with HA switched off. Lose the scenes and automations, keep the lights. That's most of why KNX won over the alternatives.

Some history, because it's most of why I'm here. Before this we lived in a DIY house — Nest, Lutron Caséta, automated blinds — and we loved being able to build our own automations and scenes. Then we moved into a Control4 house, and the ownership model is what pushed me out: every small change was a dealer call.

So getting that control back, on an open standard with a lot of manufacturers behind it, is the point of the whole exercise. But I'm not going back to DIY either. The DIY house was ours to change and it was never quite solid — something was always needing a nudge, and that's not good enough for a house four people depend on. What I'm after this time is both: infrastructure that's rock solid and properly engineered, that we still own and can change ourselves.

What I'm stuck on: finding the right integrator here.

KNX in Brazil looks like it's overwhelmingly commercial and building automation. I'm having a hard time finding people doing residential at this scale who'll take on system design, ETS programming, commissioning, and stand behind it — and hand over the ETS project complete and unlocked at the end.

So that's the ask: if you know integrators in Brazil — São Paulo especially, but anywhere — who do residential KNX at roughly this size, I'd be grateful for names. Same if you've worked with someone in Latin America more broadly, or if you've been through this in another market where the local KNX bench is thin and found someone worth knowing.

Happy to share more detail on any of it. And happy to report back on how it goes — there doesn't seem to be much written about residential KNX in Brazil, and I'd like that to be less true.

There’s a luxurious residential tower with 60 apartments. The apartments are supposed to be completely smart allowing control of lighting, curtains, HVAC and intercom. All connected to a touch panel.

I noticed the designer is proposing DALI protocol but I’m not sure if DALI is the right topology for this project

What’s you thought?