Imagine a world where figuring out which KNX visualisation system is fit for you is a piece of cake.
Since such a world isn't a reality yet and there are still so many different ways to visualize your KNX smart home, it can make deciding for KNX feel like you've hit a wall.
You are probably building or planning to build a new house and have already picked KNX system for its stability and robustness.
Now you have to research visualisation servers among the sea of possibilities and decide for one.
Apple Home app for KNX
More than mobile app
Integrate IoT
Automation without ETS
Voice control
Geofencing
Setup & support
High profile users with Apple Home app in KNX
Gira
Jung
ABB
Loxone
MDT
BAB Technologie
Control4
Divus
PEAKnx YOUVI
While a wired KNX home doesn't need any visualisation for it to work, there isn't much fun (or use) in having a smart home and not visualising it, controlling it from your wall-mounted tablet, remotely from your smartphone or even by using your voice. You should be able to check the state of your KNX devices (lights, heating, sensors, alarms, AC, …) from the comfort of your couch, control them, if they're in another room and even tie them together in scenes with IoT devices like Sonos speakers, Philips Hue lamps and thousands of others.
While there are many features of a good smart visualisation system including a variety of supported devices, scenes, timers, remote access, IoT integrations, and more, there is one universal thing that's on everyone's list:
The visualisation needs to be simple to use.
Below we will list the best KNX visualisation options based on the mobile OS you're using and their user experience. This list can serve as a good starting point to find visualisation systems that you are interested in.
📱 Control your whole smart home (KNX & IoT) with the Apple Home app. Secure remote control included.
🗣️ Put the smart in a smart home with Siri voice control.
⚙️ Manage your KNX & IoT automation independent from KNX ETS software without the need to pay for a licence.
📍️ Use location as an automation trigger via geofencing.
Switch between screens to learn about how Apple Home app works.
Dashboard
Lighting
Shading
Security
Temperature
Ventilation
Switch
Doorbell
Music
Wall Button
Air condition
Sensors
Runs even without the internet
Both KNX and Apple HomeKit run completely locally. If you lose access to the internet, your smart home will continue to work uninterrupted. The only time HomeKit needs to send data outside of your home is when you want to access your home remotely or when it needs to better understand your voice commands.
Secure remote control
Home security footage keeps one of the most sensitive information in your home. You want to make sure that the footage is only seen by the people you allow. Apple HomeKit offers a Secure Video for your cameras which prevents anyone from seeing the camera footage except for you, even Apple. Videos are analyzed locally on your HomeKit hub located in your home. Only important bits are stored in iCloud for you to see, all end to end encrypted.
HomeKit Secure video
HomeKit Secure Video, available on iOS 13.2 and later, leverages Apple's iCloud service to securely stream and store video clips from compatible third-party indoor and outdoor cameras and doorbells. Activity notifications come directly through the Home app and include thumbnails to provide a quick glimpse of what's been detected.
KNX smart homes are great but you might find yourself stuck in a wired world as it is really hard to integrate other products. And while KNX is definitely a reliable and long-lasting technology there is a whole new world of exciting wireless devices for music, security, cleaning, and more. You have one smart home - and you should only have one mobile app for controlling it. It is not surprising to end up using 5 mobile apps for managing different smart devices. With Apple Home app, you can centralize them all in a single, sleek mobile app that is really friendly to use. It can also be used to access your home remotely from anywhere, anytime.
Even use your location as an automation trigger.
Create a scene
A geofence is an invisible boundary, a virtual perimeter for a real-world geographic area. For example, with geofencing you can create triggers so that when a device enters or leaves the pre-defined boundaries, a device turns on. This way a nicely lit house can await you when you come back from work.
AI Algorithm automatically sets up 1Home products with KNX or Loxone.
We have put extreme effort into making this as simple as possible to set up with your KNX or Loxone smart home. Our device auto-detection algorithm will read your smart home configuration and sync it with 1Home. Requiring no technical knowledge or help from certified professionals to setup.
Friendly dashboard to manage the integration.
In our 1Home dashboard, you can manage your smart home and your smart assistants. All your KNX and Loxone devices get synced once you connect to your smart home. Then you can decide which devices you want to use with smart assistants and also rename them. You can also manage your data privacy settings in the dashboard - making you in charge of your data at 1Home.
Helpful Support team & Money-back guarantee.
All our products are set up with no technical knowledge (except in a scenario of Direct KNX BUS connection) but if you need any advice our support & engineering team is happy to help. And if it turns out the product is not right for you, we give you your money back, no questions asked. You can always 'activate us' through the chat button in the bottom right corner. We'll first ask few questions automatically to segment your case and then the right person will engage.
All our products are installed Plug & Play.
Our 1Home Server and 1Home Bridge devices that connect KNX and Loxone smart homes to smart assistant platforms are installed simply by connecting power & ethernet cable to the device. No technical skill required.
Dr. David Darmanin, CEO of Hotjar
"I finally feel independent in managing my Loxone smart home."
Jan Rezab, Forbes 30 under 30
"New kick-ass wireless devices are coming out every day and I can finally fully utilise them with KNX through one mobile app."
Simon Grabowski, CEO of GetResponse
"Now I can finally show my friends where is the smart home I have been telling them about."
Zoom in to your project location and contact the closest partner to handle the setup of 1Home devices for you.
Are you a smart home integrator? Get featured on the map.
Gira is one of the most well-known players in the KNX visualisation market. Their portfolio consists of two high-quality products: Gira X1 and Gira HomeServer.
Gira X1 (~ 1000 €) is primarily meant for automating and visualising a single-family home. The simple to use interface is available on iOS and Android, and supports all the basic functions any homeowner would want.
What people say about their Gira X1 mobile app:
- Android - 10K+ downloads, 4.1 on 72 ratings
- App Store (DE) - 3.7 on 76 ratings
If Gira X1 is not enough, Gira HomeServer (~ 2600 €) will definitely do the job. It is Gira's most premium product that packs even more features and power than X1. It's controlled through the Gira Interface that can be accessed from the Gira Control Client either via PC, tablet, or smartphone. It continuously records all operating and consumption data and evaluates it to find potential savings.
What people say about their Gira HomeServer mobile app:
- Android - 10k+ downloads, 2.3 on 464 ratings
- App Store (DE) - 3.1 on 77 ratings
Jung Smart Visu Server (~ 800 €) is a great alternative to the Gira X1. While X1 has an iOS and Android app, Jung Smart Visu Server comes with an HTML5 compatible web app that can work on basically every device. It comes a bit cheaper but you could argue that the design of the X1 interface looks better.
What people say about their mobile app:
- Android - 5k+ downloads, 3.9 on 26 ratings
- App Store (DE) - 3.9 on 21 ratings
ABB Busch ControlTouch (~ 900 €) provides a simple KNX visualisation for smartphones, tablets and Windows computers to control your KNX home. It supports many functions such as home automation, switching, dimming, blinds, RTC control, IP cameras, notifications via push notifications or email, scene/sequences, timing and more. You can also monitor usage data for up to 3 years. The interface is not the best looking, but it does the job.
What people say about their mobile app:
- Android - 5k+ downloads, 3.9 on 26 ratings
- App Store (DE) - 3.9 on 21 ratings
Even though Loxone Miniserver (~ 650 €) is essentially meant to be used with Loxone's proprietary wired systems, it can also be used as a KNX visualisation tool. The setup process might not be as smooth, but if you are a fan of the Loxone visualisation you should give it a try. Loxone visualisation app works on iOS, Android, Mac and Windows.
What people say about their Loxone mobile app:
- Android - 100k+ downloads, 4.4 on 1717 ratings
- App Store (DE) - 4.5 on 30 ratings
MDT Objectserver VisuControl Easy (~ 500 €) is one of the two least expensive KNX visualisation options on this list. If you are looking for something affordable and you want the most aesthetic visuals out there, you only need an iOS app and you're ready to try the VisuControl Easy.
What people say about their mobile app:
- Only on App Store, not enough ratings
EibPort v3 (~ 500 €) comes packed with a unique visualisation app named CubeVision 2 that is quite different from other options . While EibPort v3 is a complete KNX server with many features that a KNX server should have, you can also purchase only the visualisation CubeVision module that comes at half the price. The CubeVision can be used on Android, iOS or in the browser.
What people say about their mobile app:
- Android - 5k+ downloads, 4.7 on 36 ratings (old app), 4.5 on 15 ratings (new app)
- App Store (DE) - 3.3 on 13 ratings
Control4 CA-1 (~ 370 €) can now be connected to KNX. You can use the Control4 App for iOS, Android and PCs to control your smart home. Even though Control4 is meant to be used together with their proprietary systems, you can give it a go as it should also work with KNX.
What people say about their mobile app:
- Android - 10k+ downloads, 3.9 on 160 ratings
- App Store (US) - 4.5 on 163 ratings
Divus KNX Server (~ 1900 €) comes with the DIVUS OPTIMA interface. Due to its web support, the interface can be displayed on all devices, from mobile to desktop. The best way to see first-hand how the OPTIMA interface works is to try out their live demo (username: user, password: user).
What people say about their mobile app:
- Android - 1k+ downloads, 4.0 on 29 ratings
- App Store (DE) - too few ratings.
YOUVI (~ 219 € for software) enables reliable KNX Smart Home control. The software package from PEAKnx consists of a stylish visualization including a Smart Home App, a bus monitor and an IP router software.
YOUVI thus offers a Smart Home solution that works without an external KNX server or IP router.In addition to basic control functions such as lights, heating and shading, it is also possible to integrate surveillance cameras, weather stations, web widgets, voice control and logics. The smart home visualization of PEAKnx offers a light and dark mode and is available in German, English and French.
What people say about their mobile app:
- Android - 100+ downloads, 4.5 on 5 ratings
- App Store (DE) - 4.0 on 3 ratings
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