What KNX Wireless devices are out there?

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thewall
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What KNX Wireless devices are out there?

Post by thewall »

Hi All,

In my house I've installed Uponor wireless KNX thermostats in every room. They communicate with a Uponor C-55 systems that kicks off my heating and opens valves to a particular room.
Works fine. But...
...I would like to receive the wireless KNX signals from the thermostats to the C-55 in order to process, modify and/or display them on a webserver etc. So I'm looking for a device that is able to pick up (and perhaps transmit) these KNX signals. Ideally this device should be connected to a computer somehow... hehe.

I've contacted Uponor and did some research on the web, but could only find devices that are able to receive the wireless KNX signals and put them on the KNX/EIB bus. which is useless for me for I don't have KNX/EIB bus.

Any thoughts if such a device exists or are there other ways to solve the issue?

Thanks,

__Frank.
Post-IT
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Re: What KNX Wireless devices are out there?

Post by Post-IT »

I noticed Uponor is a Canadian company, which uses different frequencies. So if you are going for a KNX RF based solution, take extra care in checking frequency compatibility. For example I know Hager has a KNX-RF gateway, but it is for the EU market and uses the 868Mhz frequency while your T-75 thermostats (?) seem to use a 902-926Mhz frequency. I'm sure that's not going to work.

I think you have two options depending on your budget:
1) find a compatible KNX RF gateway and setup a 2-node KNX bus using the gateway, a small KNX powersupply and an IP KNX gateway such as the IP BAOS.
2) choose a different multizone thermostat system which supports your requirements out of the box or with a directly supported add on.

I think creating a KNX bus line is the fastest and cheapest solution. You can use the free version of ETS under 3 devices.

Goodluck!
thewall
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Re: What KNX Wireless devices are out there?

Post by thewall »

Aha, thanks, I'm pretty sure that the modules are transmitting on 866 MHz, but not quite sure. It is a bit mystic.

I've ordered a KNX-RF USB dongle from Amber, should arrive any day now. Didn't cost a fortune (about €60) and I will try to get it picking up the RF signals and see what happens.

Keep you posted!

Thanks, again,, __Frank
rbodforss
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Re: What KNX Wireless devices are out there?

Post by rbodforss »

Hi

I was glad to see that I'm not the only one interested in "exploring" the possibilities of interfacing with Uponor heating systems. I'm waiting for my KNX-RF interface, so for now I can only discuss what I have been able to ascertain from a theoretical approach. The Thermostats (in Europe) operate on 868,3 MHz (KNX RF 1.1) and since the enrollment is done using simplified "push-button" process, my guess is that there is no security implemented at all. This means you should at least be able to listen to the thermostats communicating with the controller. I'm guessing that the thermostats are unidirectional dumb sensors, but that is just a guess. Let us know if you have any success with the Amber dongle (I'm getting one from RadoCrafts). There are ETS files available for the c56 controller and Uponor's standard way of interfacing with the wired KNX bus is through a Hager RF Gateway. This indicates that it should be possible to interact directly with the controller over KNX-RF.
I have a C56 controller and another item that caught my attention was the interface connector (where you plug in the i76/i75 panel). I have searched the dark corners of the Internet for a description of the communication protocol used between the interface panel and controller. My guess is that it is using some form of serial communication and that I have to whip out my logic analyzer and reverse engineer the protocol. Has anybody ventured down this lane or have their hands on a technical description of the controller interface?
I will not rest until I have 100% understanding of how my heating controller interacts with it's surroundings. I understand that my findings may point out a few security SNAFU's, but that is the nature of research. I would be surprised if it is not possible to reprogram your neighbours controller over the air... :wink:
I'm looking forward to some collaborative hive-mind reverse engineering so we can really own the systems we have paid for. Keep the info flowing!!

/R
tomlux
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Re: What KNX Wireless devices are out there?

Post by tomlux »

I'm also interested in interacting with Uponor 868.3 Mhz sensors.

I will try with the rfxcom transceiver:
http://www.rfxcom.com/transceivers.htm

Has anybody already some success on getting some informations out.

Tom
Bwired
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Re: What KNX Wireless devices are out there?

Post by Bwired »

that wont work!
send a mail to support rfxcom about this to be sure
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Re: What KNX Wireless devices are out there?

Post by Post-IT »

rbodforss wrote:... since the enrollment is done using simplified "push-button" process, my guess is that there is no security implemented at all. This means you should at least be able to listen to the thermostats communicating with the controller. I'm guessing that the thermostats are unidirectional dumb sensors, but that is just a guess...
This method does not automatically imply the connection is insecure or that the communication can be sniffed or influenced for that matter. However, the KNX specification is written extensively about, and all the details are in the documentation somewhere... and yes, indeed there is no security defined in the standard for RF. KNX-RF is unidirectional (transmit only), which makes configuring security on KNX-RF device much harder and not user friendly.
kaptenzoom
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Re: What KNX Wireless devices are out there?

Post by kaptenzoom »

Hi,

I'm about to make my own control system for the floor heating for some parts of my home. In other parts I already have the uponor system installed.
Anyone of you who made any progress on receiving information from the Uponor thermostats?

Did you have any luck in getting the amber or radocraft dongle running?

/ Carl
somethingrandom
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Re: What KNX Wireless devices are out there?

Post by somethingrandom »

I'm gonna try and revive this thread.

Did anyone have any success in receiving the data transmitted by the control units to the C-55 (or similar) module?
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