Open by design
KNX is an international open standard with a broad multi-manufacturer ecosystem—not a single-brand control island.
KNX design & installation
Designed around people. Engineered to last.
From the first room brief to commissioning and handover, see how a professional KNX system becomes a building that simply works.
Lighting · climate · blinds · sensing · visualisation
Start with the outcome
The technology is only as good as the experience it creates.
A strong KNX project does not begin with a list of devices. It begins with the way people will enter, work, present, relax, leave and manage the building.
Those outcomes become a clear control philosophy, coordinated design, professional installation and tested handover.
Designed as one system
Lighting, climate, blinds, sensing and interfaces are coordinated around real room functions.
Documented for tomorrow
A maintainable project includes records, files, testing and a clear path for future changes.
Try the room
One space. Different moments. One coordinated response.
Change the scene to see the human outcome. Then reveal how devices communicate and how the control cabling is separated from the electrical loads.
1
Choose what you want to understand
Start with the finished experience, then reveal the KNX messages or the physical cabling.
2
Change what is happening in the room
Choose a moment—the people, lighting, blinds and energy response will change together.
Welcome scene activeThe room is ready before anyone asks.Comfortable lighting, an open outlook and the right temperature arrive together from one deliberate scene.
- Lighting recalls the welcome level
- Blinds remain open for daylight
- Climate moves to occupied comfort
- Presentation display activates
- Blinds lower to control glare
- Front lighting dims while task lighting remains
- General lighting switches off
- Access and room status can coordinate
- Climate returns to its after-hours strategy
- Presence confirms the room is still used
- Daylight reduces artificial lighting demand
- Only occupied zones need full comfort
Welcome scene active
Wall control
Presence + light
Blind position
KNX communicationOne command is shared across the bus
The telegram carries an instruction and group address. Only the devices assigned to that function respond.
KNX telegramGroup address · command · status
Matched functionSubscribed devices act
Physical cablingThree different paths—not one mystery cable
Control communication, electrical power and DALI lighting remain separate and meet only at the correct devices.
Wall switch + sensor
KNX actuator / gateway
Switchboard supply
Actuator → light / blind motor
KNX–DALI gateway
DALI drivers + luminaires
KNX control Mains/load DALI
What people experience
The room is ready before anyone asks.
Comfortable lighting, an open outlook and the right temperature arrive together from one deliberate scene.
- Lighting recalls the welcome level
- Blinds remain open for daylight
- Climate moves to occupied comfort
People use simple scenes and controls. The complexity stays behind the experience.
- The input sends a command with a group address
- Every connected KNX device can receive the telegram
- Only subscribed actuators and gateways perform the action
- Green: KNX TP control bus between KNX devices
- Grey: 230 V mains and switched or controlled loads
- Purple: DALI bus between the gateway and luminaires
From brief to working building
Good outcomes are coordinated before anyone pulls a cable.
The project team turns human needs into room functions, interfaces, drawings, schedules and responsibilities. Open each stage to see what should be resolved.
01Brief the rooms, not the boxes+
Agree what people should experience in each space: normal operation, scenes, manual control, schedules and exceptions.
02Coordinate every discipline+
Resolve lighting, blinds, HVAC interfaces, sensing, switch locations, data, switchboards and specialist-system boundaries.
03Engineer the KNX system+
Develop topology, power-supply segments, device schedules, load schedules, DALI architecture, interfaces and control philosophy.
04Install from clear documentation+
The licensed electrical team installs the bus, mains, loads and panels against coordinated drawings and labelling standards.
05Program and commission+
The integrator addresses devices, creates group communication, implements logic and proves every agreed room function.
06Hand over the knowledge+
Deliver ETS files, as-built records, test results, user training and a clear pathway for future changes.
The simple wiring picture
KNX does not put the building's power on a tiny green cable.
The KNX TP bus is the communication path. Separate mains and load wiring delivers power. Gateways link specialised systems such as DALI while preserving clear technical boundaries.
Inputs sense intent
Switches, sensors and touch panels send commands and status on the KNX bus.
Devices communicate
A two-wire KNX TP bus links compatible devices. Control is distributed across the system.
Actuators control loads
Actuators switch or regulate the separate mains circuits serving the building.
Gateways connect systems
A KNX–DALI gateway connects the DALI lighting bus; other interfaces coordinate HVAC and more.
Distributed, not dependent on one central brain.
KNX devices can exchange commands directly. Visualisation servers and apps can add a unified interface, but the underlying building functions can be designed to continue independently.
Commission, prove, hand over
Installation is not finished when the cables are connected.
The real finish line is a tested system that matches the agreed room behaviour, is understood by its users and can be maintained by the people who inherit it.
- Addressing, programming and scene testing
- Functional testing across integrated systems
- As-built documentation and project files
- Training, handover and a maintainable pathway forward
CommissioningWhere design intent becomes a working building.
One coordinated building
KNX is the foundation, not the limit.
A considered design coordinates the systems people experience while respecting specialist, compliance and life-safety boundaries.
Lighting + DALI
Switching, dimming, scenes, tunable control, daylight response and luminaire status.
Heating + cooling
Room setpoints, operating modes, fan control and interfaces to HVAC or BMS equipment.
Blinds + shading
Glare control, solar response, privacy, protection and coordinated room scenes.
Presence + air quality
Occupancy, movement, daylight, temperature, humidity and indoor-air information.
Apps + visualisation
A single interface can present control, status, schedules and alarms without becoming the building's only brain.
Access + security
Events and status can be coordinated through appropriate interfaces while specialist systems retain their roles.
Cameras + networks
Video remains on the data network. KNX may coordinate events or status; it does not carry camera video.
Life safety boundaries
Fire and other regulated systems remain specialist systems. Any interface must follow the project design and applicable standards.
What this means for you
The same project, understood from every seat at the table.
For owners
A building that feels effortless—and stays flexible.
Begin with comfort, simplicity and long-term confidence. Your KNX design should make everyday use intuitive while avoiding dependence on one proprietary product ecosystem.
See the right next stepBefore you begin
Questions worth resolving early.
When should KNX design begin?
Ideally during early services and interior coordination, before switch locations, lighting control, HVAC interfaces and switchboard requirements are locked in.
Is KNX only for lighting control?
No. KNX can coordinate lighting, heating and cooling, blinds, sensing, energy functions, visualisation and interfaces to other building systems. The exact scope should follow the building's needs.
Does everything stop if an app or server fails?
Not when the system is designed appropriately. Core KNX functions can be distributed between devices. Apps and visualisation servers add convenience, but need not be the single point through which every command passes.
Can KNX use products from different manufacturers?
Yes. KNX is an open international standard with a large certified multi-manufacturer ecosystem. Compatibility still needs professional product selection and engineering.
Who should install and program it?
Mains electrical work must be completed by appropriately licensed professionals. KNX engineering, programming and commissioning should be performed by competent specialists working from a coordinated project brief.
Plan it properly
Bring the experience, architecture and engineering into one conversation.
Whether you are planning a residence, workplace, school or specialised building, Kadan can help you identify the right products, project pathway and technical resources.
This page is a conceptual system overview, not project-specific electrical, security, fire or compliance advice. Design and mains installation must be completed by appropriately qualified professionals for the applicable Australian project requirements.