EnOcean roller shutter drives: Costs savings and Apple HomeKit integration
Issue 01-2021:
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EnOcean is a cross-vendor standard for self-powered wireless sensors in home and building automation. It is primarily known for its low energy consumption and supports the energy harvesting principle, in which the sensors and switches are largely self-powered. These devices draw their energy from their immediate surroundings – for example, through motion, light and temperature differences.
EnOcean drive from Becker
For some time now, Becker has offered a drive which “speaks” the EnOcean wireless standard. An associated radio receiver is built right into the drive and works with all devices and controllers that support the corresponding roller shutter profile. These controllers are typically EnOcean wall transmitters or gateways (central interfaces). The fascinating thing about this technology is that window catches and smoke detectors can now be trained right in the drive. This makes it possible, for example, to set up lockout protection, so that automatic timer commands are prevented if a door is open. It also allows doors to be opened automatically, thereby clearing escape routes during a smoke alarm.
The EnOcean technology is particularly suitable for the prefabricated home segment and has already become established as standard among some providers. However, up to now drives for roller shutters or venetian blinds with integrated radio receivers have not been used in this segment. Instead, the solution has required an external actuator in the switch box, for instance, with a supply cable for the window. This has resulted in an enormous amount of installation work and farsighted advance planning, especially when it comes to prefabricated construction. The EnOcean drive from Becker makes this external actuator superfluous because the wireless module is built right into the drive. By eliminating the actuator and the complex cabling, the customer saves a significant amount of time and money with the Becker EnOcean drive.
The applications were installed in the renovated office building and are now controlled from a central point.
Smart home automation
The EnOcean wireless system can, of course, also be integrated into a central home automation system. One option is the system from mediola, which is an open, integrative and future-proof all-in-one smart home solution. It is easy to install, can be continuously expanded and provides countless combination possibilities regardless of brand.
JÄGER DIREKT offers the OPUS SmartHome gateway, which can be used to integrate the EnOcean drive from Becker into Apple HomeKit. Apple users can thus very easily incorporate their roller shutter drives into their HomeKit app. The HomeKit app allows the roller shutter functions to be intuitively and comfortably programmed and controlled, including setting up automations and interplay between roller shutters and sensors.
The Becker building is controlled via OPUS Gateway and integrated into Apple HomeKit (Apple HomeKit is a trademark of Apple Inc.). A tablet makes it possible to control everything from a central point.
Gathering experience
When Becker embarked on the renovation of an office building, the company seized the opportunity to install EnOcean drives. The building is controlled entirely with the OPUS system, which operates via Apple HomeKit. Suitable peripherals from this product range were also installed. Becker used external actuators from JÄGER DIREKT – the OPUS Bridge devices – to integrate the existing awnings/venetian blinds, while the roller shutters were equipped with Becker’s own EnOcean drive. Smoke detectors and light control components were installed as well.
Sustainability and cost savings also played an important role in planning. The EnOcean system combines the two and is a modern control solution for building automation. Additional smart home components can now be retrofitted without much effort because the basic installation is already in place. Window catches for status checks and radiator actuators for optimizing energy use are still in the planning stage.
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