Switching the light on and off

This step-by-step plan shows you how to program the 'switching the light on and off' function in the Niko Home Control software.

The starting point for this step-by-step plan is a project for which the Project information has already been entered and for which a drawn or uploaded plan is available.

If you do not yet have a project, follow the steps in adding a new project and thereafter in drawing a plan or upload a background image.

Click Creation at the top of the screen. 

You will now place all of the players in the plan and thereafter connect them with actions. 

Roughly speaking, there are two types of players:

• inputs start and stop an action. For example, a push button, a motion detector or a thermostat.
• outputs are the parts that are controlled. For example, lamps, roll-down shutters, ventilation or zone heating.

An action defines how one or more outputs react to an input.

Click on add an output.

You go to the detail screen.

Click on lamp in the selection list in the right-hand section of the screen.

The output appears in the plan.  

For a group of lamps that make up one circuit, and therefore can never be operated individually, you create only one output. This step-by-step plan also works for a switched socket outlet, a switched ventilator and other switched devices.

Drag the lamp to the right place, and assign it a recognizable name.

Integrate the location into the name so that the output can later be quickly recognized in an action that applies to several locations, for example the ‘All off’ action. 

Click on add a location and then enter a name for the location.

Make sure that you enter unambiguous names for the locations. These locations will also appear on the customer's touchscreen/smartphone. For example, place living room and dining room under the classification living, so that all of the functions for this room appear under the same tab on the touchscreen/smartphone. 

Click save.

You return to the Add an output screen.

Click save.

You return to the start screen of the Creation step.

If you want to add several outputs, you can skip this step and again select an output from the selection list. The first output is then created automatically.

Click on add an input.

Click on single push button in the selection list in the right-hand section of the screen.

The input appears in the plan. 

Drag the push button to the right place, and assign it a recognizable name.

The Niko Home Control software automatically enters the most recently defined location. 

If you want to select another location, click on the arrow next to the name of the location. You will then see a list of the locations that have already been defined. To add a new location, click on add a location.

At the bottom of the screen, you can modify the basic settings. Several possibilities:
- Push button: set the operation time (brief press or press and hold) 
- Indoor motion detector: set the switch-off delay
- Water and gas metering: set the scale of the measurement

This is not possible for specific push buttons (including dimmers and single motor controls).

Click save.

You return to the start screen of the Creation step.

Click on add an action.

The action appears in the plan as a text balloon.

Drag the action to a place that you consider logical and convenient, for example, next to the relevant input or output.

Assign it a name.

If you later add touchscreen or smartphone operation to the installation, then the action will be displayed under this name.

The Niko Home Control software automatically enters the most recently assigned action.

Click Continue.

You go to the players tab.

Click on the lamp and the push button in the plan to couple them to the action.

The inputs and outputs that you just created now appear in the plan with a ‘+’ sign. In other words, they can be selected as players for this action. If an input or an output does not display a ‘+’ sign, that means that the selections that you have made are not compatible with this action.

Click continue.

You go to the basic behaviour tab.

The basic behaviour, as a default, consists of a start and a stop behaviour. The start behaviour is carried out when you press the button for the first time. Once all of the outputs have reached the status described in the start behaviour and the button is pushed again, the stop behaviour is carried out.

A basic behaviour can control several outputs. The start and stop behaviours will then consist of more than one line. The start behaviour must always consist of a minimum of one line. The stop behaviour can be completely removed. You can erase the relevant line from the start and stop behaviour lists using the red X at the end of the line(s). 

For an action between a regular push button and a switched lamp, the Niko Home Control software proposes the following basic behaviour:

The default start behaviour is the immediate (sec 0) switching on of the output.

The default stop behaviour is the immediate (sec 0) switching off of the output.The Niko Home Control software will always propose the most logical start and stop behaviours, so that the adjustments are kept to a minimum.

If necessary, program a delay in the first field, for example, to switch on a lamp a number of seconds or minutes after the button has been pressed. The time that you enter is the time between the pressing of the button and the performance of the action that is described in that line.

Click continue.

You go to the conditions tab.

Click continue.

You go to the time automation tab.

Click save.

You return to the start screen of the Creation step.

Now continue with Cabinet set-up and Realisation.