Smart home systems: how to plan the wiring in a new home (Akubela and Akuvox IP intercom)

Short answer: In a new home, the smart home system should be planned together with the electrical installation, before conduits and cables go in. Which lights, curtains and climate devices will be controlled, where the central panels and the door station go, and which circuits get control and network cabling are decided at this stage. A smart home can also be added later with wireless devices, but a house left with the right conduits, deep back boxes and network cabling is more reliable and can be extended for years. An IP intercom (the modern video door phone) uses the same network infrastructure, so it is planned together with the smart home.

What does a smart home control?

• Lighting: on/off, dimming, colour temperature, lighting groups.
• Curtains and shutters: position control of motorised curtains, blinds and shutters.
• Climate: thermostats, underfloor heating valves, fan coil and air conditioning control.
• Scenes: one touch for Welcome home, Cinema, Night or Leaving, plus automations based on time and sensors.
• Security: motion, door/window, smoke, gas and water leak sensors; smart locks; camera views.
• Door and visitors: seeing, talking to and letting in visitors with a video intercom.
• Energy: monitoring consumption where the system has metering modules, and switching off unnecessary loads with scenes.

Not all of this is needed on day one. What matters is leaving infrastructure for everything that may be added later.

Wired vs wireless

• Wired systems (e.g. a KNX bus, central relay and dimmer modules): switches and sensors share a data line, loads are controlled by modules in the distribution board. No radio interference, no batteries, consistent in large homes and villas, but the installation must be designed for it from the start.
• Wireless systems (e.g. Zigbee, Wi-Fi): can be added to an existing installation without renovation. Thick concrete walls, distance between floors and many devices can affect the connection; battery sensors need new batteries.
• Hybrid: the usual choice in new builds. Fixed loads such as lighting and curtains are controlled by wired modules; small devices such as door/window sensors are added wirelessly.

When should you decide?

Before plastering and screed, before conduit work starts. At this stage, define:

• Which lighting groups are switched separately in each room (ceiling, cove lighting, linear, spots, pendants).
• Dimmed circuits and driver type (triac, 0-10 V or DALI).
• Motorised curtain and shutter points with power and, if needed, a control line.
• Thermostat locations and a control line to the underfloor heating manifold.
• Central panel, door station, indoor monitor and camera points, each with a network cable (for PoE-powered devices).
• Deep back boxes at switch positions and a neutral where required.
• Board size with spare space for modules, a network switch and a UPS.

• → Circuit breakers, cable sizes and the consumer unit
• → Cable size calculation

Where to put panels and screens

• Entrance hall: scenes for arriving and leaving; the indoor monitor for the door station usually goes here.
• Living room and kitchen: where lighting and climate are adjusted most.
• Bedroom: a small panel or scene button for night mode, curtains and night light.
• Each floor in a villa: an extra panel at the stair landing.

Mount panels at switch height or close to eye level, away from direct sun and humidity, with power and a network cable at each point.

IP intercom: the modern video door phone

A video door phone lets you see and talk to a visitor and open the door. An IP intercom does this over a network (internet protocol): the door station, indoor monitors and the phone app communicate on the same network or via the cloud.

According to the manufacturer's official information, the Akuvox IP intercom systems we use:

• are SIP based and consist of door phones, indoor monitors and access control devices; Akuvox also offers a 2-wire range for existing two-wire installations.
• can be powered by PoE (over the network cable) or by a separate power supply.
• work with the SmartPlus app: see and talk to visitors, preview the camera before answering and open the door from your phone.

Villa kit vs a system integrated with the smart home

• Villa kit: a ready set of one door station and one indoor monitor. In Akuvox kits for villas and apartments, the door phone and indoor monitor pair automatically once connected to the same network, extra indoor monitors can be added for more rooms, and the app is activated by scanning a QR code on the indoor monitor. A simple, quick solution when only a video intercom is needed.
• Integrated system: the door station works together with the smart home panels. Akubela, the smart home system we use, describes its panels as intercoms too: video calls with visitors, room-to-room communication and remote door unlocking from the panel. According to Akuvox installation documents, some Akubela HyPanel models can be added to the SmartPlus cloud as an indoor monitor, so smart home devices can also be controlled from the SmartPlus app. Door, lights, curtains and climate come together on one screen.

What can be connected with Akubela?

Akubela's official product range includes HyPanel and SmartPanel control panels, smart switches, smart locks, the BelaHome app and add-ons such as:

• switch and relay modules, 0-10 V and triac dimmer modules, a dual-channel DALI gateway, LED controllers;
• curtain modules, curtain control panels and shade motors;
• motion and presence sensors, door/window, smoke, gas, CO, water leak and temperature/humidity sensors;
• thermostats, fan coil and floor heating control, IR controllers;
• KNX add-ons and a KNX solution.

According to the Akuvox knowledge base, HyPanel panels can connect Zigbee devices (sensors, thermostats, smart switches, IR controllers) directly. Features differ by panel model, so the model is chosen to suit the home during the project.

Plan dimming and sensors together with the luminaires: decide early how linear luminaires, magnetic track systems and cove lighting will be dimmed. Motion sensor lighting in corridors and stairs can also be part of the scenes.

Villas vs residential complexes

• Villa: one household, several floors. A panel per floor, separate door stations or relay outputs for the garden gate and garage, and outdoor loads such as garden lighting. Wired infrastructure makes the biggest difference here.
• Residential complex: the main entrance, block entrances and apartments share one IP intercom system. Akuvox's SmartPlus cloud brings apartments, door stations and property management together in one community project. Network cabling to every flat, a switch per block and risers must be reserved at the design stage.
• Office: access control (card, PIN, app) and lighting scenes in meeting rooms.

What drives the cost?

Cost depends on the number of controlled points, not the floor area: lighting groups, dimmed circuits and curtains; number and models of panels, door stations and indoor monitors; wired or wireless approach; climate integration; network cabling, switch and UPS; programming and handover. That is why a written quote is prepared per project.

Step-by-step planning

1. Needs list: what to control in each room and which scenes are wanted.
2. Lighting design: lighting groups, dimming and driver types.
3. Smart home and intercom plan: panel, door station, indoor monitor, camera and sensor points are added to the electrical drawings.
4. Conduits and cabling before plastering; deep back boxes and board space.
5. Board and network: modules, network switch and protective devices.
6. Installation and programming of devices and scenes with the owner.
7. Handover and training, app accounts.

Smart home and IP intercom with ENGN

We carry out turnkey electrical installations in villas, homes, residential complexes and offices in Bursa, Turkey, and plan and install smart home and IP intercom systems as part of that work, at the conduit stage. We use Akubela for smart home and Akuvox for IP intercom; Akuvox products are quoted as part of a project with installation. You can see these systems working in our showroom in Nilüfer, Bursa. Our installation service is available in Bursa only, and local regulations apply.

• → Electrical contracting and quotes
• → Our Bursa store