KNX design and ETS programming

KNX programming is the invisible layer that decides whether a smart building truly works — our certified engineers produce structured ETS designs and fully tested group-address plans that make installation straightforward and systems dependable for years.

The smart building you eventually live in is really decided months earlier, in a quiet room with no cables in sight. That is where KNX design and ETS programming happen — and it is the part nobody photographs, yet it is the part that determines whether your system just works or nags at you for years. Get the design right and the installation is almost boring. Get it wrong and no amount of good hardware will save it.

What we produce here is the engineering brain of the project: a structured topology, a documented group-address plan, and ETS programming that has been tested to do precisely what the building needs. ETS is the official, manufacturer-independent software for setting up any KNX installation, and because KNX is an open standard, the same project file can drive devices from a dozen different brands. The catch is that doing it well takes engineers who design for how a space is genuinely used, not who paste in a generic template and hope.

What a design is quietly deciding for you

A good KNX design settles the awkward questions before a single contractor shows up:

  • How the system is structured — areas, lines and couplers laid out for speed today and room to grow tomorrow.
  • What goes in — every actuator, sensor, switch and power supply named and counted, so nothing is “we’ll figure it out later”.
  • What connects to what — channels matched to lighting, blinds, sockets and climate at the correct ratings.
  • How it is addressed — a logical scheme any KNX professional can open and read without a translator.
  • How the board looks — engineered tidy, and smaller wherever integrated-relay devices let us drop the separate contactors.

How your programming gets built

Step by step, here is what “ETS programming” actually means on your project:

  • We set up the project from your design, pull in the device catalogues and assign physical addresses.
  • We program the functions — dimming, scenes, blinds, HVAC, logic and timers, all to your brief rather than a default.
  • We build the visualisation so the touch panels and apps feel obvious to use, not like a cockpit.
  • We test every group address, channel by channel, on the bench or on site.
  • We hand over the lot — the ETS project file, the address list and the as-built notes.

Nothing disappears into a black box. You, or any KNX engineer who comes after us, can open the project and understand it in minutes.

What this means if you are not an engineer

You will never need to read ETS, and you should not have to. What is worth knowing is that careful design is mostly a way of protecting your wallet. It stops you paying for an oversized board, it heads off the expensive rework that happens when things are improvised on site, and it makes the change you will inevitably want in two years cheap instead of painful. We take the way you describe things — “the cinema scene”, “wake-up lighting”, “holiday mode” — and turn them into behaviour that has been tested, then we walk you through all of it at handover. From here the work flows straight into on-site commissioning.

If you are a contractor handing this off

This is the part most electrical contractors are happy to outsource, and we make that easy. Send the schematic, the device list and the cable plan, and a tested ETS project comes back — frequently done remotely, on your schedule. You hold the technical direction; we do the keyboard hours. For repeat work, ready-made room templates mean the second apartment programs far faster than the first, and when you call you reach an engineer rather than a ticket number. Only need the addressing structure, or only the visualisation? Order that slice and nothing more. It dovetails with our wider KNX integration services whenever you would rather hand over the whole thing.

Frequently asked questions

What exactly is ETS programming?

It is the configuration work done in the official KNX software — assigning addresses, defining what each device does and linking switches to the loads they control. Because the tool is manufacturer-independent, a single ETS project can run an installation built from several brands.

Can you program a system remotely?

To a large extent, yes. With a finished design and the device list, most of the programming can be prepared and tested off-site, then finalised during commissioning. For contractors who just want the engineering off their desk, that is usually the ideal arrangement.

Do I actually get the ETS file?

You do — the project, the group-address list and the as-built documentation. That is the whole point of an open standard: you are never hostage to one supplier, and any certified KNX engineer can pick up where we left off.

How long does design and programming take?

It scales with the number of rooms and functions, but a clear scope lets us commit to a firm timeline early. Templated room types keep multi-unit projects moving quickly once the first one is dialled in.

Request a quote and we will scope your design and ETS programming properly before anyone reaches for a drill.