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www.konnex.org

Home & Building Automation with

KNX – Benefits compared to

competing systems

Joost Demarest – KNX Certification and Administration Director 

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February 07KNX: The world’s only open STANDARD for Home & Building Control

A multitude of KNX solution providers (1)

The KNX family is an association of

approximately 100 manufacturers• Including key players in the electrical, HVAC

and white goods market

• Including SMEs as well as multinational

companies

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February 07KNX: The world’s only open STANDARD for Home & Building Control

A multitude of KNX solution providers (2)

The KNX family is an association of morethan 100 manufacturers

• Companies predominantly with Europeanheadquarters but some also in Asia/USA

• Offering KNX compatible solutionsranging from system components/stackimplementations to complete off-the-shelf KNXdevices

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February 07KNX: The world’s only open STANDARD for Home & Building Control

Backed up by sound organization

KNX Association cvba

• profit organization with headquarters near Brussels (Belgium)reuniting all activities of the former KNX and the legacyassociations (Batibus, EIBA and EHSA)

• Promotional work of KNX system in various countries done byKNX national groups (currently in 18 countries)

• Source of income:

membership contributions (staggered to size of company)

Licenses (on KNX technologies and KNX software tools)

registration/certification fees

License fees of ETS and other KNX tools NO sale of KNX solutions, be it system components, stacks or final

products

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February 07KNX: The world’s only open STANDARD for Home & Building Control

free use of Intellectual Property Rights

IPR License Agreement concluded between KNX

members• At the publication of a new version of the KNX

standard, every member is obliged to come forward with patentsnecessary for the development of a product compliant to this new version

• Member must

Either declare that the use of the patent is free of charge by othermembers in KNX certified products or 

The relevant chapter in the KNX standard has to be rewritten tocircumvent the relevant patent

• Result:

KNX specifications = patent free for KNX members (truly open) KNX product can be built on the basis of KNX standard

• entirely by the KNX member

• without being obliged to buy system components from a particular provider 

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February 07KNX: The world’s only open STANDARD for Home & Building Control

Multi-vendor and cross discipline Interoperability (1)

Datapoint Type

Datapoint Behaviour 

Functional Block

 Application Model

 Application Domain

Format Encoding Range Unit

SEEEMMMMMMMMMMMMS = Sign 0: Positive

1: NegativeEEE = ExponentM..M= Mantissa

Value = (-1)S*2

E*MMMMMMMMMMM

-276 ... +65536 °C

2 octet float Temperature in °C

2 octet float temperature in °C

Controller Setpoint Temperature

Hot Water Boiler 

Heating

HVAC

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February 07KNX: The world’s only open STANDARD for Home & Building Control

Multi-vendor and cross discipline Interoperability (2)

KNX Specifications Volume 3

• Contain a description of the protocol grouped according to layers of the

OSI model

•  Also contains a description of the Interworking Model

List of standardized data point types (DPT) for general purpose or foruse in the context of a particular functional block only

Rules for use of standardized and non-standardised data point types for

parameterization, testing/diagnostics/discovery and runtime

Runtime communication: very strict rules

KNX Specifications Volume 7

• Contain for many application domains numerous functional blockdescriptions

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February 07KNX: The world’s only open STANDARD for Home & Building Control

Sound certification (1)

Certification of products

• Products branded with the KNX Trademark guaranteeconformity to KNX standard (emphasis on KNX protocol and KNXinterworking)

• Conformity is checked by independent third party test labs

• KNX Association only acts as certification administration center (registration of the products – issuing of KNX certificates)

• Facts & Figures: more than 6000 certified products available

Certification of Training Centers

• Ensuring uniform training on KNX system throughout the world by Theoretical and practical examination of KNX tutors

Publication of uniform KNX training documentation/examination papers (for basic,upgrade and tutor course)

Minimum requirements for didactical material used by training center (KNX, media, …)

Minimum organizational requirements

• Facts & Figures: more than 100 KNX certified training centers worldwide

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February 07KNX: The world’s only open STANDARD for Home & Building Control

Sound certification (2)

Certification of persons

• Persons having passed examination at KNX certifiedtraining center can apply for KNX partnership

Listed in KNX database of KNX qualified persons on KNX web pages

Possibility to use the KNX partnership logo free of charge

• Facts and Figures: more than 11000 listed KNX partners worldwide Accreditation of test labs

• Ensuring uniform testing of KNX products throughout the world through

Verification of aptitude of candidate labs on basis of sample test

Compliance to ISO 17025

• Facts and Figures: 4 accredited KNX accredited test labs in Europe

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February 07KNX: The world’s only open STANDARD for Home & Building Control

One Tool

KNX System Mode (PC based linking/parameterization):

ETS 3 Professional

For KNX trained persons  Allows linking and parameterization of

KNX S-mode compatible products (85% ofall KNX products are S-mode compliant)

Support of entire address range – maximum

number of devices Multi-vendor and multi-application

Foreseen to be the future binding tool for projects configured via otherinstallation modes (see next slide)

• ETS 3 Starter 

Lower level step-in version of ETS - Getting acquainted with KNX  Allows creation of projects with limited amount of devices, reduced

functionality

Only subset of S-mode compatible devices are starter compliant (8%)

Multi-vendor and multi-application

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February 07KNX: The world’s only open STANDARD for Home & Building Control

Other configuration modes

KNX Easy installation (6%)

Easy controller 

Master device checks for partner devices on the network – configuration(“linking/parameterization of channels”) via display at master device

Most controller mode devices are also S-mode compliant

• Easy Push button

 Activating actuators to acquiresensors as partner devices

Stimulate sensors to be enrolled

Current only realized on KNX RF

• Easy Logical Tag Extended

For HVAC applications

assigning semantical or geographical zoning tag

 All current certified LTE devices also contain an S-mode interface

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February 07KNX: The world’s only open STANDARD for Home & Building Control

A European and a worldwide Standard

Internationally Standardized

• KNX Technology approved as a European

standard (December 2003) including

KNX media TP and PL

KNX kernel (LL, TL, NL, AL)

KNX Network Management Procedures

• Referencing in CEN of EN 50090 as EN 13321-1

approved December 2005

• KNX RF medium approved by CENELEC in May 2006

for inclusion in EN 50090 as part 5-3

• Medium independent layers approved as a worldwide

standard as part of ISO/IEC 14543 series in October2006

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February 07KNX: The world’s only open STANDARD for Home & Building Control

From single family home to high rise buildings

Penthouse at ZurIch lake – KNX Award

2004 – special distinction

Research center Janssen

Pharmaceutical Belgium

 – KNX Award 2004 –

1st Price

Shoe shop Athens Greece – KNX Award

2004 – 2nd price

Belgorodenergo building Moscow – KNX

 Award 2004 – 3nd price

Frankfurt Port Management Building –

KNX Award 2004 – special distinction