January 2022 update of 2022 article with new thoughts. I think that I will update the article annually, since progress does not stand still. Based on the number of page views, the topic is of interest to everyone.
If you came here for the first time, I am designing modern engineering systems for apartments and country houses, including electrical systems, Smart Home systems, and low-current systems. In the header of this site there are links to what I have to offer.
First an important clarification. This site is called “Smart Home or Smart Home ”. And I write not only about home automation technologies and all sorts of interesting bells and whistles (they write a lot about this without me), but mainly about how to do everything during construction “in the smartest way.” What does “no nonsense” mean? Unfortunately, people still do stupid things often and willingly. Moreover, both the builders and the customers themselves.
Where does “no smart home” end and “smart home” begin? It's difficult to define the boundary. “Smart home” is not a specific technology or even a concept, but a rather vague concept, more of a marketing one. Often they write to me something like “I want to make a semi-smart house,” putting into it the idea that, for example, we control the light and climate, but we probably don’t need sound and curtains.
We need to stop thinking in terms of “there is a smart home” and “there is no smart home”; we just need to try to do everything reliably and modernly. If you need an automation controller to implement your wishes, then we use it. If a programmable relay is enough, that’s also a great option. The problem is that if you turn to smart home integrators, they will install a smart home, trying to make everything fit for it and, if possible, maximize the system budget. And the knowledge about modern electrics of some construction teams and electricians, unfortunately, is insufficient to implement reliable and universal systems.
Pay attention to electrical
This is task No. 1 - to draw customers’ attention to electrics. Every specialist in any field related to construction considers it his duty to say that his area of repair is the most important, and there is no way to save on it, from leveling walls and pouring floor screed to grouting, window sills, painting walls and baseboards.
I talked with a person who said that “in Russia there is no culture of fire hatches.” And he talked about this topic with great passion and understanding of the importance of these very fire hatches.
Everything is important, everything must be paid attention to, and no element should be completely neglected. I have seen apartments that fully fall under the category of luxury housing, in which the electrical panel was left over from the developer: small, with 12 seats, with one RCD and four or five dusty circuit breakers. Sometimes without any RCD at all.
Typical (unfortunately) apartment electrical panel
It’s just that the priorities were set during the repair in such a way that the electrics were moved to the very bottom. What does this mean, you ask? You can live your whole life in an apartment with three automatic machines in the electrical panel, and there will be no problems, this is wonderful. But most likely at some point something will pop up, for example, it will start knocking out a machine gun or, worse, an RCD, and you’ll have to figure it out. If everything in the apartment is on one RCD, then it will knock it out, leaving you without electricity at all. If it doesn’t crash immediately when you turn it on, but once every couple of days, then it will be extremely difficult to understand where to look for the cause of the problem. And periodic shutdown of some important equipment (file server, video surveillance, desktop computer, refrigerator, air conditioner) will be fraught with its breakdown.
There are some basic rules for organizing electrics in an apartment, which have already been rewritten a thousand times in different articles: remember about RCDs for electrical appliances, select machines according to the cable cross-section, install a voltage relay at the input, divide devices into groups by room and purpose. It is also normal to tighten all the terminals in the panel with a screwdriver and repeat this operation once a year. I would also add to the mandatory requirements normal, clear markings on the shield elements so that you can quickly find the machine you need.
And, although I am often criticized for this opinion, try to get rid of hidden mounting boxes altogether. In most cases, there is no need for mounting boxes; cable savings are not worth the maintenance-free system. I am in favor of all cable switching being done either in the electrical panel or in the socket boxes behind the sockets and switches, no hidden unattended boxes. Builders will say “it’s more convenient this way”, “it’s always been done this way”, “we’ll do everything right”, “we’ll leave the box serviced”, “otherwise you’ll waste a lot of cable”, “we’ll solder everything securely” - don’t give in. No boxes. The ideal option is that the sockets are connected in series, the left socket of the next block is connected to the output of the right socket of the previous block. The power supply from the intermediate block of sockets goes down to the block, then rises back and goes to the next block.
The exception is connections to one power cable coming from the switchboard, individual sections of LED strips, to the beginning of which I would like to route a thin cable - here it is most convenient to put a box somewhere in which to connect the cable from the switchboard and thin flexible cables from the strips. But it is very advisable to check the operation of the tapes or at least the presence of voltage at all terminals before sewing up the box if access to it is impossible.
“Paying attention to electrics” is not so simple. This entails replacing the standard electrical panel with something larger, this is at least additional work + purchasing a panel + allocating space. You can save money and do nothing, but then something somewhere will eventually stop working or require maintenance, and then the lack of a project will play a role, and no one will want to work with a panel in which it is unclear which wires go where. I am writing as a person who often tries to deal with someone else’s switchboard or organize some electrical maintenance work.
Acceptable savings are to install all the elements from some inexpensive Russian or Chinese company. Much better than reducing the number of elements in the shield to a minimum.
When I made an electrical plan for a one-room apartment “for rent”, I got a panel with 60 modules: RCD of sockets and 12 circuit breakers of sockets, RCD of light and 3 circuit breakers, separate circuit breakers for the refrigerator, circuit breaker for the router, input switch, voltage relay, block LED strip power supply on DIN rail, LED strip controller. Everything is very convenient and spacious, with zero busbars on the DIN rail, no twists or terminal blocks in the wires lying at the bottom of the panel or hanging in the air. No frills.
The same situation, by the way, as I have already seen a dozen times, is with plumbing - we save five hundred rubles on pipes and the work of a plumber, who decided that he didn’t want to go to the store to get the necessary connection, and would connect it with what he had, and a year later we would break it urgently tiles and look for the accident site. I have already developed my own algorithm for how to explain to a plumber the importance of his work for you and the need not to skimp on pipe connections.
We end up with two extremes: people who don’t take into account electrical costs at all, since the new apartment already has a panel, and people who ask to assemble a panel like in the photo, which appears in the search for “beautiful panel.”
A shield that looks like a work of art, with perfectly straight cables and a precise arrangement of elements is, of course, cool, but not necessary. The difference in labor costs between a simply reliable and convenient shield and a shield “the pride of the owner” is approximately twofold, here the choice is yours.
By the way. You can’t always blame an electrician for a poor apartment electrical system. For example, someone will run a cable with a cross-section of 1.5 to a socket, because the customer promised not to plug anything powerful into it, he will honestly install a 10-amp machine, and after 5 years the person will buy a 2600-watt kettle and knock out this machine from him. Call an electrician, change the machine to 16 amps - problem solved. And if you honestly tell the customer that you can’t connect a kettle to this wire, you might not even get paid for the work. So such simplifications and unforeseen things develop into problems over time.
Features of electric grid innovations
For efficient operation of electrical networks, it is necessary that they be self-regulating and self-healing.
In the event of emergencies and overloads, the automation itself switches electrical networks in such a way that the supply of electricity to facilities is not disrupted and overloads do not occur. Such innovations are being implemented in Canada, China, Japan, USA, and India. Work is also underway in Russia to develop similar projects.
Such innovations require large financial costs. Energy companies are not very willing to invest in projects that will only begin to pay off over a long period of time. To solve this problem, it is necessary to issue laws that encourage investment in promising projects to modernize the electric power industry. We need clear and coordinated work by all companies that were previously part of RAO UES.
Work on the creation of electrical smart networks (Smart Grid) in Russia was started by the company FSK EU, where the prospects for innovative innovation were appreciated. The company's activities involve significant investments in the development of domestic smart grids.
Difficulty Level 1 - Basic Rules
I will write a few rules, quite simple. How you feel about a smart home - it doesn’t matter whether you plan to rent out or sell an apartment - it doesn’t matter either. But follow the rules , this is not such a capital investment. Not more expensive than health.
Starting from the most obvious, but with non-obvious nuances.
- The machine protects the cable! It is selected based on the cross-section of the cable, and not the powered device. Cable 1.5 - automatic 10A. If you want more security, install a type B machine, which is more sensitive. But it’s better not to place such machines on LED lamps; the inrush current can knock them out. I met a person who, for reasons of reinsurance, installed 2 or 6 ampere breakers on the light cables and sockets, since nothing more powerful would be plugged into these sockets. More precisely, for each socket he prescribed what would be plugged into it, and what power this device would have, and based on this he chose the machines. There is no point in this. If you want to install a 3x0.75 cable to the light, install it, but install a 6 ampere circuit breaker.
- A voltage relay at the input is required. It has already been written a thousand times that this thing for 2,500 rubles saves a hundred thousand in one fell swoop in the event of an accident such as a zero burnout and power surges.
- All power electrical appliances must be protected by an RCD of no more than 30mA. Both lights and sockets. Let there be only one RCD from some inexpensive company at the entrance to the apartment, if you really want to save space and money, but it should be there for everything. But if there is only one RCD and it works, you will be left without sockets and without light until you find the problem, and a problem with current leakage can be difficult to find. So it's better to have at least two. Is RCD expensive? Use IEK or Dercraft, it’s much better than nothing at all. RCD for wet rooms 10mA - at your discretion, there are no such requirements, I usually just install a separate RCD for 30mA. Low-current equipment such as a Wi-Fi router and alarm system do not require an RCD.
- The size of the electrical panel is determined by its contents! We make a diagram of the shield assembly on paper or on a computer, not forgetting about the zero buses and space for cables and reserves, we understand which shield everything will fit into. There is no need to do the opposite - choose a shield based on the place for it on the wall, and then think about what will fit in it. You just need to draw the shield, you don’t just count the DIN space and add 10-20%; the elements are not always distributed in the shield in even rows right next to each other.
Lasso - a smart bin for recycling waste right in the kitchen
Every year the number of conscious citizens who are concerned about the environment increases. They will appreciate a new product from Lasso - a device for household waste recycling.
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It is made in the form of a compact tank, reminiscent of a washing machine, into which waste plastic, paper and glass can be placed. It is important to completely clean them of food debris before doing this.
The device determines the type of waste and the possibility of recycling it; if this is not possible, it returns it back. Recycled waste is steam cleaned and crushed, after which it is stored in a separate storage unit. After completing the process, you will receive a notification on your phone and all you have to do is order garbage removal. The device helps not only save time when sorting waste, but also eliminates the need to frequently take out the trash or wash the bin.
Lasso - a smart bin for recycling waste right in the kitchen
A smart tank is one of the most environmentally friendly devices because it eliminates the need for additional waste sorting - more people can take care of the environment. A mobile application from the manufacturer will help you make more informed purchases - you can scan the barcode of any product and receive a notification whether its packaging is recyclable or not.
Despite the undoubted benefits of such a device, it is not suitable for everyone.
The estimated cost after announcement is $3,500, and the dimensions are not suitable for a small apartment.
Difficulty level 2 - For advanced
- Remember about non-switchable devices. If there is an accident somewhere that triggers an RCD or an automatic circuit breaker, then what should remain working? The most obvious answer is a refrigerator. It is also possible, if there is one, an alarm system and video surveillance. Wi-Fi router, since remote access to video surveillance and some devices depends on it. We install separate protection on them with an automatic or automatic + RCD powered from the input (after the voltage relay). If there is a good short circuit, it is possible that the input circuit breaker will also go out, but there is no way to insure against this. The likelihood that such a short circuit will occur when you are not at home is not so great; you just need to plug something seriously faulty into the outlet.
- Make more power supply groups. Sockets in each room have a separate cable. Kitchen - usually at least 5 cables: countertop sockets, hob, dishwasher + chopper (filter) + microwave, oven. Sometimes countertop outlets are split into two or even three separate groups. The more groups, the fewer cable connections, fewer devices are turned off in the event of an accident, less cable heating, and it is easier to localize the problem. But there are also more costs for cables and installation.
- We add voltage and power indication to the panel. VAR-M02 or a similar device shows the voltage of each phase and current consumption, as well as the number of power outages. Helps control consumption and phase balance.
Media sockets, thermostats, dimmers
It’s nice when the installed electrical system matches the spirit and concept of the interior without disturbing the harmony of the design. Wires gathering dust and getting tangled under your feet or hands look unsightly and increase the risk of mechanical damage to the cables. Modern technologies require functional solutions, therefore, in addition to traditional electrical sockets, Legrand produces a number of special electrical installation products.
If you need to hide numerous wires from audio and video equipment, speaker sockets come to the rescue. The wiring is hidden in the wall, and the cable outlet is covered with a decorative panel with terminals for direct connection of equipment. Only the types of connectors differ - HDMI, USB, VGA, RCA video/audio, stereo audio 2 RCA, BNC, mini-jack 3.5 mm, VGA+mini-jack, speaker system connection.
Modern TVs are used not only for watching TV shows, but also for running games, as a computer monitor, viewing content from mobile devices, and accessing the Internet. This functionality requires the connection of third-party gadgets - antennas, audio systems, set-top boxes, receivers, etc. To hide the wires, they are hidden in the wall, and only simple, terminal or pass-through TV sockets with the necessary ports remain outside. For example, only TV, or a set of TV+RD / TV+RJ45. The most convenient ones are triple ones: TV/RD/SAT.
USB sockets are rapidly gaining popularity. The advantages are versatility, the absence of a large number of wires, saving electricity, increasing the service life of gadgets. Using the Legrand USB charger, you can easily charge smartphones, tablets, players, photo and video camera batteries, etc.
Dimmers, or dimmers, are needed to adjust the intensity of artificial lighting. Sometimes they are installed instead of conventional switches. They can be push-button or have a rotary knob. First, increasing or decreasing the brightness of the light is carried out by holding the button for 2-3 seconds.
Thermostats allow you to set and regulate the temperature of heating systems, artificial climate control units, and forced ventilation. They usually look like a plate with a scroll handle and a temperature scale. Advanced models are equipped with temperature sensors, switches, and LED indicators.
Difficulty 3 - Adding simple automation
But here there is already room for imagination in the realization of various wishes. What can be done, in order of difficulty:
- Function to turn off lights and/or sockets with one button. To leave the house and immediately turn off all the lights and sockets. We have separate batteries for the refrigerator and low current, so they will not turn off. How to turn it off is up to you. You can have a card switch, like in hotels, you can make a hidden button, you can have a code keyboard or a contactless key reader. You can use a fingerprint. Or you could put a big red button on the shield. Read Turning off the lights with one button, Turning off the sockets with one button.
- Walk-through lighting groups through simple automation. For example, impulse relays or programmable relays. An excellent option is programmable relays ARIES PR or any others, they cost very little and are easy to program. You can connect motion sensors to the relays, light sensors in the corridor or on the stairs (in a private house) and configure the cunning switching on of the light at different brightnesses at different times of the day according to the motion sensor. Or just convenient control of light from different places, without bothering with pass-through and cross switches. And most of all, I recommend using Wirenboard relay modules and dimmers; they can be used to implement light control of any complexity, very flexible and convenient. It is not even necessary to understand module programming; it may not be needed.
- Programmable relay for controlling bathroom hoods and ventilation. By turning on the lights, by timers. Read Control of hoods via a programmable relay. Or also via Wirenboard relay modules.
Similarly, through programmable relays, you can control street lighting, create a presence simulation mode and other things. It is enough to try to program the Aries PR relay according to the instructions once to understand how easy it is to create different scenarios on it. There are many analogues, for example, Siemens Logo or X-Logic, EKF.
Mercedes Hyperscreen - an innovative car media system
This is a multimedia system for luxury Mercedes models that performs an entertainment function without distracting the driver. Artificial intelligence remembers the habits of the owner of the car, opens sections and launches functions, depending on the specific situation and taking into account the individual characteristics of the owner.
Manufacturers claim that the system is capable of remembering information about 7 people, so the whole family can use it individually. If there is nothing on the front seat, the screen saver will simply turn on
Mercedes Hyperscreen - an innovative car media system
Three separate screens form a single 56-inch panel. It is hardened at temperatures above 600 degrees Celsius, so it is extremely impact resistant. However, break points are provided to ensure that in the event of an accident, the system does not injure passengers.
Performance is ensured by an 8-core processor and capacious 24 GB RAM. The application will be installed for the first time on the Mercedes EQS, sales of which will begin in 2022. The manufacturer calls the media system both the brain and nervous system of the car.
Most importantly, consider this level 0
Whatever you do, always ask the performers for a diagram! And talk about this not after the work is done, when no one remembers anything (they will draw at random in order to at least give something away), and those who remember have already been replaced, but before the start of work. Payment only after transfer of the scheme. Print out a dozen floor plans for an electrician so that he can mark on it with a pen what goes where, and then redraw it completely, at least let it be that way. It should be completely drawn; there is no need to accept scribbled, dusty, crumpled pieces of paper for another electrician to understand later. It is important to identify all cables, both electrical and low current, with cable markings and the location of all elements.
Example. You don’t want to implement any automation now, but install twisted pair cables along all power cables to make it happen. Five years later, you decide to install something like a Smart Home and call different integrators. What's the first thing they ask? Cable diagram, of course. But there is no diagram. Someone at this stage will immediately refuse, since he will already begin to understand how the end will end, but someone needs money more, he will offer to check all the cables and draw this very diagram, only for quite a significant amount of money.
A Smart House is a Smart House, and the electrical work must be done correctly. With all the necessary elements, a normal panel and installation diagram.
I can complete an electrical supply project with any elements of modern electrical and Smart Home systems. Read more about project options and costs here.
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myQ Pet Portal - automatic door for pets
This is a compact door that is additionally built into the entrance. It is equipped with cameras, IR sensors and microphones with speakers - they respond to the pet’s movements and eliminate the risk of it getting stuck.
You can control the door from your phone - find out whether it is closed or not, and also open it if necessary. Additionally, you can purchase a Bluetooth collar: if you put it on the animal, the door will open automatically when it approaches.
myQ Pet Portal - automatic door for pets
Such a system costs from $3,000, but these are not the only expenses. You need to pay a subscription of $200 every year to have access to the application, which stores videos from cameras.
Modern protection of apartments and houses
The electrical panel also undergoes changes when installing modern wiring. Now the household electrical network is divided into zones and protection is installed for each zone:
- voltage relay;
- automatic switch (to protect the consumer from short circuits);
- spark protection device UZIS;
- differential switch or RCD (devices that monitor the state of insulation on the line and turn off the voltage when the insulation resistance changes).
Many electrical appliances do not tolerate power surges well, and even minor voltage surges can cause significant damage in the form of burnt household appliances. To combat this destructive phenomenon, voltage monitoring devices have been developed. When changing parameters, the voltage relay turns off consumers, thereby protecting their functionality. Based on the set voltage parameters, the relay constantly measures the external voltage of the network. If there is a deviation (usually the default is set to 170 Volts lower and 250 Volts upper threshold), the entire network after the LV is disconnected. After a few minutes, the device re-monitors the voltage parameters and, if everything is in order, makes a connection. Thus, the device helps to avoid electrical breakdowns and spontaneous fires. For a city apartment, a relay with a switching power of 40 Amps - PH40 - is quite suitable.
If suddenly a short circuit occurs in the home network (accidental connection of a phase and neutral conductor), the current in the conductor increases hundreds of times. At this moment, the conductor is heated to a state of melting, which in most cases can lead to fire of nearby objects and damage to electrical devices. To prevent short circuits in the power circuit, automatic switches are installed that react to a sudden surge in current and break the circuit with their contacts. This is not a device you should skimp on when designing modern electrical wiring. Before purchasing any brand of machine, you need to read reviews about this manufacturer. In this case, you need to ask the seller for a certificate for the product. This will protect you from purchasing a counterfeit or substandard item.
In turn, our portal recommends brands of circuit breakers ABB, Schneider Electric, Legrand.
Before installing the machine, you need to determine the load. As a rule, a circuit breaker from 16 to 25 Amps is installed on the sockets, and 6-10 Amps is enough for lighting. You can save money if you correctly calculate the consumer current in the socket group and purchase the necessary machines. The fact is that machines from trusted manufacturers differ significantly in price in different positions.
In order to monitor the insulation status of the network and consumers, it is imperative to install an RCD or a circuit breaker in the panel on each of the controlled zones. The operating principle of such devices is based on comparing two currents, incoming and outgoing, in a special transformer. If current leakage occurs not through the insulation to the ground, but through the human body, when it touches live parts, then the RCD will turn off the voltage, saving his life. For rooms, as a rule, an RCD with a nominal value of 30 mA (milliamps) is installed, and for bathrooms or rooms with high humidity - 10 mA. The general RCD in the panel, for the entire house or cottage, is set with a rating of 100 to 300 mA.
A device that monitors the quality of wire connections in junction boxes and the condition of contacts in sockets and extension cords, preventing overheating in places of poor contact and possible spontaneous fires - ultrasonics. The arc protection device will disconnect the load until the arc and heat damage the wiring. Why is it necessary to install an ultrasonic protection system - neither an automatic machine, nor a differential switch, much less a voltage relay, are able to recognize arc and spark processes in places of poor contact. That is why modern electrical wiring in a wooden house requires the installation of spark protection. In an apartment or an ordinary brick house, you can also play it safe and install this protection option.
Razer Project Brooklyn - the chair of the future for gamers
Razer has announced the development of an innovative chair that will be suitable for computer game lovers. It will be made of hydrocarbon fiber, have 4D armrests that move out when necessary, and when not needed, they are retracted into the chair.
Razer Project Brooklyn - the chair of the future for gamers
There is also a folding table that allows you to play comfortably - use a mouse, keyboard or gamepad. But the main feature of the chair is the built-in panoramic curved display, which also folds into the back of the chair when not in use. Manufacturers claim that the effect of complete immersion in virtual reality is created even without 3D glasses.
Special attention is paid to the ergonomics of the chair; it will be made taking into account all the anatomical features of the spine. Even with prolonged use it does not cause discomfort or back pain.
The chair is under development and a release date has not been announced. It is also unknown what the cost of such gaming equipment will be.
