SMART HOME
Why then make the step into craftsmanship, into selfemployment
and the risk of having your own business? “Well,
in the evenings and on weekends, I worked on some electrical
installations on the side,” recalls the dynamic master
electrician. “This became more and more frequent. And at
some point I had to make a choice – all or nothing.”
The result of the decision is clear to see. But how did
Christmann come into his current specialization? “For one
thing, of course, my prior knowledge in the field. But also due
to the situation in the trade. There is enormous competition
in the classic field of electrics. But for the topic of building
automation, you need a different way of thinking and a
different knowledge, both about products and solutions, and
also in the field of customer acquisition and support. Anyone
can set the standard, but we want to develop further and look
beyond what is in front of us.”
“More than 90 percent of my customers come to me
about the subject of Smart Homes. To do so, they drive the
one hour journey from Frankfurt, or the one and a half hours
from Cologne, here to me out in the sticks. They expect
professionalism, both in craftsmanship and in the appearance.
You should never forget – when it comes to smart homes, it’s
not employees turning up with requests for building projects;
it’s the bosses themselves. Our regular catchment area is the
extensive Rhine-Main area. And that sometimes reaches as far
as the Balearic Islands,” smiles Christmann.
The smart home expert even employs two programmers
in his team who adapt the various systems to the respective
control systems. “I mainly use Phoenix Contact components
because my customers are not interested in low-cost, but
rather in extremely secure, extremely reliable, and very futureproof
products,” he says, explaining why he swears by the
Blomberg product range. “Cheap doesn’t work at that level.”
Sales representative Hans-Jürgen Heep supports
Stephan Christmann and provides the entrepreneur
with an overview of the product range
KNX – the bus for smart homes
Christmann Automation uses Phoenix Contact
KNX terminal blocks, among other products. KNX
is a globally recognized standard for intelligently
networking electrical installations in buildings,
and is based on a bus system. More than
400 manufacturers support the standard, and
therefore, all products are compatible.
The trick is that the device controller is separated
from the 23 V power supply and has its own control
network. For example, with just one installed switch,
you can control the heating, the lighting, and raise
or lower the shutters. In addition, the functions
can be reprogrammed later and, if desired, can
also be accessed with a smartphone. Door opener,
lighting, air conditioning, and heating – everything
can be accessed with the KNX standard and can
be addressed in the home thanks to the dedicated
cable network.
KNX requires a 24 V power supply in the control
cabinet – an ideal task for a suitable “Step Power”
power supply from Phoenix Contact. The small
power supply derived from the industrial sector does
not take up much space, generates little unwanted
heat, and is extremely stable due to its quality
manufactured to industrial standards.
Trabtech surge protective devices ensure
the necessary safety of the entire system,
protecting sensitive smart home devices and all
communication devices such as a PC or telephone
against lightning strikes and line fluctuations.
18
UPDATE 5/20
The Phoenix Contact innovation magazine