KNX home automation is a wired system. A thin control cable runs to every keypad, sensor and control module, so your lighting, AC, curtains and blinds work together without relying on Wi-Fi.
In Dubai it suits new-build villas and major renovations best, because the cable has to go in before the walls and ceilings are closed. For a finished apartment or a rented home, wireless is usually the simpler choice.
This guide covers how KNX automation works, how it compares with wireless, what changes the cost and what maintenance involves. It also explains how our engineers take a project from survey to handover. Avario is a registered KNX Partner, and our KNX-certified engineers design and program the KNX systems we install.
What is KNX automation?
KNX is an open international standard for controlling lighting, AC, curtains and other systems in homes and buildings. It is approved as ISO/IEC 14543-3. Open means no single company owns it. More than 500 manufacturers make KNX products, and products from different makers work together, so you are not tied to one brand.
Keypads and sensors send commands along the KNX cable. Actuators carry them out: these are the modules in your electrical panel that switch or dim a light or drive a curtain motor.
Every KNX device has its own small processor, so the system does not need one central control box to work. If your home network goes down, your keypads keep working.
Your system's setup is saved in a project file made in ETS, the official KNX programming software from the KNX Association. Whoever holds this file can change or extend your system. That is why we hand it to you.
How does KNX automation compare with a wireless smart home?
Wired KNX is the stronger choice for a new villa. For an apartment, or any home that is already finished, wireless is usually easier. For wireless homes in the UAE we recommend Zigbee, a low-power radio standard where the devices pass signals to each other around the home.
Here is how the two differ day to day:
- Cabling: KNX needs cable in the walls, so it fits a new build or a major renovation. Wireless needs no new cables.
- Time on site: a wireless system usually takes a couple of days to install. A KNX installation follows the build or renovation programme.
- Batteries: KNX keypads are wired, so you never change their batteries. Some wireless devices run on batteries.
- Concrete: wireless signals have to pass through concrete walls and floors, which takes careful planning in a larger Dubai villa. KNX commands travel along the cable instead.
- Choice of switches: KNX gives you a wide choice of keypads and switch plates in different finishes.
Is KNX automation right for my villa or my apartment?
If you are building a new villa of three bedrooms or more, we recommend wired KNX. A new build is the one time it is easy to run cable to every room, and a larger home gets the most from it.
For an apartment, it depends on three things: whether you own it, whether you are opening up walls and ceilings, and how many rooms you want to control. If your apartment is not already KNX-ready, the best time to install KNX is during a major renovation. If you rent, or want to avoid building work, a wireless system will suit you better.
Our guide to wireless smart homes in Dubai explains when wireless works well and when it makes sense to wire.
What affects the cost of KNX automation?
A wired KNX system usually needs a bigger budget than a wireless one. How much bigger depends on your home and on what you want it to control.
These are the main things that change the cost. Our guide on how much a smart home costs in Dubai covers budgeting in more detail, and the home visit gives you a written quote for your own home.
- The size of your home and the number of rooms you want to control
- How much you control: lighting only, or AC, curtains and blinds, audio and security as well
- New build or renovation: opening up finished walls and ceilings adds work
- The keypads and switch plates you choose, and their finishes
- Your AC: we connect all brands and types. With ducted and VRF systems (one outdoor unit serving many indoor units), it depends on the equipment fitted when the AC was installed.
How do certified installers deliver a KNX project?
Our KNX-certified team designs your system and does all the programming and commissioning (setting everything up and testing it before handover). On a new build, the work follows your build programme, not a fixed number of days.
Warranties on the equipment itself come from its manufacturers.
You can see the kind of homes we work on in our Dubai smart home projects. A typical KNX project runs like this:
- Home visit or engineering survey: our engineer looks at your home or drawings, your AC units and what you want to control.
- Written quote: usually 2 days after the visit.
- Cabling: our team runs the KNX cable, or your MEP team does (the contractor for mechanical, electrical and plumbing work). If your MEP team runs it, we are on site during the first wiring stage and check their work every 2 days. Either way, the cable goes in before walls and ceilings are closed.
- Programming and testing: our engineers set up your scenes, schedules and keypads in ETS and check every circuit.
- Handover: you get the ETS project file and passwords as standard, with written system records, drawings, a wiring schedule and a training session for your household.
Where does Symphony fit in a KNX home?
Symphony is Avario's own automation platform and the hub in our KNX homes: the small box that runs the app, your schedules and your reports. We designed it to make large, complex homes easier to manage.
Inside your home, the app keeps working over your Wi-Fi even when the internet is down. If your home network goes down too, the keypads still work.
Symphony adds energy features such as away mode, set temperature limits and usage reports. You can view the reports in the app, on a tablet or on your own computer, in as much or as little detail as you like.
It can also start cooling a room before you get home, either when you tap the app or based on your phone's location. In a Dubai summer, that means walking into a cool room without leaving the AC running all day.
What does KNX maintenance involve?
Most faults are fixed without a visit: 90% of our support is completed remotely. You approve each remote session, and you can switch remote access off completely.
To report a fault, use the support chat in our app. During business hours, Monday to Saturday from 8am to 7pm, we are able to respond instantly, with callouts within 4 hours. If another company installed your system and you don't have our app, call us on +971 4 458 2205. For systems installed by others, we always start with a health check.
We build each maintenance plan around what your home needs, so you don't have to fit into a fixed package.
Moved into a home with an older KNX system and nobody has the project file? Without it, you cannot change or upgrade the system. We rebuild the configuration and replace the hub with Symphony, and you keep a copy of the new file. Whether your existing keypads and switches stay is your choice.
For architects and interior designers: how does KNX automation fit your design?
With KNX, the controls can match the interior. We offer keypads and switch plates from 18 high-end suppliers, and we deliver samples to you so you can choose finishes that suit the scheme.
We offer lighting design and work with local lighting specialists. We can supply the light fittings or work with your lighting contractor, and we work alongside your curtain supplier on motorised curtains and blinds.
The earlier we see your drawings, the easier it is to agree keypad positions and lighting circuits before the walls close. Our partner programme for interior designers and architects explains how we work together, and we share the partnership terms when you sign a partnership agreement.
Questions people ask
Does KNX work without the internet? Yes. Your keypads keep working without the internet, and so does the app over your home Wi-Fi. To control your home from your phone while you are away, you need an internet connection.
Can I add KNX to an existing apartment? Only if you can run new cable, which usually means a major renovation. If you can't, a wireless system gives you similar control without building work.
Who owns the programming? You do. We hand over the ETS project file and passwords as standard, so you are never tied to one installer.
Who runs the KNX cable on a new build? Our team can install it, or your MEP team can, with our engineers checking their work every 2 days during the first wiring stage.
How long does a KNX installation take? A wired system is completed in line with the build, or during a major renovation. A wireless system usually takes a couple of days.
What should I do next?
Book a home visit or engineering survey. We get in touch the next business day to arrange it. Our engineer looks at your home or drawings and tells you whether KNX or wireless suits it, and you get a written quote, usually 2 days after the visit.
