Installation preparations

Follow the guidelines below when installing Niko Home Control.

Bus cable guidelines

• Use a bus cable with at least two wires. Choose two wires (two colours) and use these throughout the entire installation. The bus cabling used for connecting the control elements is non-polarised.
• The copper diameter of each wire should be between 0.5 to 1 mm.

The cross-sectional area of the copper wire selected will determine the maximum permitted cable length between the connected controller and the furthest control element in the installation.

• The bus cable to the control points has a free topology, which means that bus cables can be laid out in a star or in a bus topology, or in a combination of both. The rule of thumb is that at least two bus cable wires must be used between the electrical cabinet and the control points per power supply module. Do not loop cables.
• The total length of the bus cable used in a single installation should not exceed 1000 m.

Control  point guidelines

• Push buttons with or without status LED:
  • to be installed at 90 to 110 cm above floor level.
  • to be mounted onto a single or multiple wall-mounted printed circuit board (one flush-mounting box will suffice for a multiple wall-mounted printed circuit board).
  • to be connected to a two-wire bus cable.

• Push buttons with display (thermostat, HVAC thermostat, mood control eco-display):
  • to be installed at 120 to 150 cm above floor level.
  • to be mounted onto a standard single flush-mounting box.
  • to be connected to a two-wire bus cable.
    To function properly, it is recommended to limit the number of buttons with display to a total of 20. Per installation a maximum of 20 (HVAC) thermostats and five eco-displays can be installed.

• Indoor motion detectors:
  • to be installed at 90 to 110 cm above floor level.
  • to be mounted onto a standard single flush-mounting box.
  • to be connected to a two-wire bus cable.

• Touchscreens:
  • to be installed at eye level.
  • to be mounted onto a standard single flush-mounting box.
  • to be connected to an IP cable (twisted pair) and to a 26 Vdc power supply cable.
  • a total of ten touchscreens, smartphone or PC applications can be used per installation.

Electrical cabinet set-up regulations

• The standard Niko Home Control installation includes one connected controller. Other modules are available separately.
• The internal layout of the electrical cabinet uses a left to right assembly system. Install the connected controller first. Then mount any other Niko Home Control modules onto the DIN rail and interlink them using a sliding contact. Do not place any dimming modules close next to, above or below the connected controller.
• A maximum of 12 Niko Home Control modules can be interconnected per DIN rail.
• A maximum of 20 DIN rails can be used per installation.
• A rail coupler, or a second power supply if needed, should be used first on every new DIN rail. Connect all four connection terminals (+, –, B1, B2) to the corresponding connection terminals of the rail coupler or the power supply on the previous and next rails.
• A maximum of two power supply modules can be used per installation. To calculate how many extra power supplies you need, see Additional power supply unit .
• One installation may include several electrical cabinets. Connect the electrical cabinets in the same way as the rail couplers or power supply modules inside the cabinet, i.e. using four wires. If the cable length between the electrical cabinets exceeds 20 m, you use a new power supply for the second cabinet.
• Make sure that low-voltage signal cables, such as the bus cable, the IP cable and any cables connected to SELV components are kept separate from 230 V cables to avoid crosstalk and signal disruptions.

Programming  guidelines

• Program the installation via computer. The software is compatible with PC and Mac.
• The installation can be temporarily programmed manually during the testing phase. Manual programming options are limited and will be overwritten as soon as you program the installation via computer.
• The diagnostics page can be consulted via the programming software and allows you to make a quick analysis of the set-up and functioning of the installation.