Ahem…
Velbus anyone? It too is used across Europe in everything from small residential properties to large commercial building, as well as luxury cruise ships.
It’s a lot easier to program than KNX and the hardware has been around for 12 years.
Cédric’s Velbus binding is amazing.
Especially the latest version he’s just released, which includes the ability to set the feedback LEDs
I like the concept of Velbus… It looks like a modern (up to date) IHC system, though Velbus is using BUS, IHC using Data line. KNX uses BUS as well, as far as I remember.
Problem with both KNX and Velbus is, they´re both rather expencive. And regarding Velbus, I found it a bit hard to understand how to get the controller/software online, as there isn´t a controller like IHC. But thats due to not know enough about Velbus.
Hi
Thanks for the positive comments 
Velbus isn’t the cheapest option out there, which I totally respect isn’t for everyone.
Thankfully, it is a lot cheaper / more affordable than some systems.
For example I quoted a customer last week for EVERYTHING he wanted in his modest home and a Velbus solution came in at only 45% of what he’d been quoted from two other companies (who couldn’t easily provide the level of control that Velbus can, or the type of buttons that he / they liked. ).
Velbus doesn’t need a central controller, as each module stores its own programming.
The programming software is totally free and unrestricted, you can download it here.
Direct download link to latest version
You can build a virtual project in the software, but if you want to connect to a live network, drop me a line and I’ll give you connection details for a demo rig.
openHAB2 works really well with Velbus, as it can focus on providing high level automation logic and bridging between technologies.
IE, (a quote I saw on here last year)
“Let openHAB2 influence a thermostat, rather than being the thermostat”
Like IHC 
What I really like about Velbus is it´s buttons with oled displayes. This is an awesome feature.
With such elegant buttons … how do your power outlets look like ?
And do you have any location where power + buttons are combined ?
I use Fibaro and Qubino relays with “normal” push buttons where previously light switches had been installed. All power outlets, buttons, LAN sockets and any other connections are Bticino Livinglight, because I like having the half-size (NT4005A) and especially the light inside the buttons to see them when it’s dark. Bticino’s official lights are orange or green, but I glued some blue LEDs in place, which I got off ebay.
With such a setup, everything is automated, yet even when OpenHAB is down for maintenance, most things continue to work between the wired button and the relay.
In terms of wiring, converting either individual switches or even a multiway setup to push-buttons with Z-Wave relays is easy, and seems to have a high WAF and good resilience to upgrade issues or when the SD card gave up …
The thing about push buttons that I don’t like is most of them have a microswitch hardware and my kids for sure will be banging on those switches. They have already broken some of my momentary switches 
I am surprising why KNX is not famous with some colleagues. KNX is the most common bus system and it is reliable and works for years. It is wired system and the connection as:
Such this system was the only way, with other systems including PLC.
Recently wireless equipment becomes more famous, and can they came for finished house as it is hard to pull cables, but for under-construction houses many people (and I am one of them) prefer the wired medium.
KNX waited too long to enter the North American market (2015ish). By the time they did they had competition from old stalwarts like X10 which don’t require special wiring, and wireless competetion from Zigbee and Zwave. It’s more expensive and requires running new wires. It just can’t compete in this market so it is pretty rare and hard to get.
If their only competition were X10, they probably would have sold a chance, but even then probably not because pretty much all houses here are wired with lights and outlets in series. To support a bus type system the entire house would have to be rewired which is not feasible.
There are not enough people who prefer wired to make it viable in the home market.
Just for another data point: I’ve been using Lutron Pico remotes. They require a separate bridge (I had a used Smart Bridge Pro already and turned on its telnet interface to use with OpenHAB), but the individual switches are inexpensive ($15 USD at the local home store), have long battery lives, and come in a few button configurations with relatively tasteful wall and “pedestal” mounts. Low latency, too, and the buttons give you separate “down” and “up” events.
Did you try these buttons Vitrum; as it mentioned they have two series (Z-wave, KNX). However, the contact link shows email without details about the company!
A late addition, I would recommend not to use ZWave push buttons (or ZigBee or KNX or whatever tech, for what’s it worth) but to decompose the task:
Get a (ZWave or other) device with binary or analog input(s) and put them inside your walls, then attach your favorite switch(es) and mount them on top.
Switches by themselves are technology agnostic so this will give you many more choices and (eventually) better pricing than if you go for a fixed combination.
I, for instance, deployed switches from the series I have been using in my house anyway.
As @rlkoshak wrote you can use any OH supported generic input device. In some cases such as dimming it might work better to stay within a technology though, so if your loads are ZWave, I’d stick with ZWave inputs. Another advantage of this is that switching loads/lights will keep working when OH is down.
On ZWave devices, you can use the Fibaro FGD series’ 2nd input as a scene input that is not associated with any load (light or other) in the first place, or you can use any FGS without attaching a load. Enabling ‘scene’ functionality allows for distinguishing different types of button presses (single/double/triple click, press-and-hold).
Likewise, there’s the FGRGBW-441 which is a RGBW LED actuator but also comes with 4x 0-10V inputs. These you can use to directly control the output channels but also as standalone inputs.
If button events are the only thing that is required, then that’s a great suggestion.
There is a universal Velbus module that provides that functionality.
https://www.velbus.eu/images/products/0/vmb8pbu.jpg
If your selected switches have LEDs in them, this unit will supply the 1v to drive them 
With ambient intensity and feedback states.
These units also include the standard Velbus time events programming too, for simulating button presses.
2 pairs of changeable alarm times.
Sunset & Sunrise (based on a system time and {an editable} table)
Static time events.
I’m currently looking for ‘nice’ wall switches to integrate for a refurb of my kitchen.
I’m liking the look of the Velbus glass panels with multiple pages etc.
I literally only want the glass panel, so was looking at that plus the usb module. Can the glass panel have items linked from openhab or only other Velbus items?
So for instance page 1, would have on/off for 4 Phillips hue groups, page 2 could be used to activate 4 different scenes, and page 3 to display some strings (energy use) from openhab.
Couldn’t find much on this so any advice welcome.
Hi Dave
Absolutely you can do this.
You’ll get full access to all the button events, which includes the HVAC thermostat feature.
The feedback LEDs (even the Edge Lit lights are in development) can be controlled by openHAB2.
So for example ;
A Velbus button event can switch on a Non-Velbus device, via an openHAB2 rule. (I believe this is referred to as “Protocol Translation”)
openHAB2 will set the Feedback LEDs in accordance with the device status (assuming the rules are in place), so that if the device is switched off / on by another means, the feedback LED remains accurate.
Fairly simple rules can dictate the action dependant on other device status’, so toggling a status, or incrementing (brightness / volume etc) until a button is released is fairly easy. (Incrementing / decrementing is easier with NodeRed flows)
You’ll also be able to use the Velbus button events that can be triggers by the timers inside each panel, which makes scheduling even easier, as you can adjust any of the 4 independent timers (in each Velbus Input device) from openHAB2.
Each timer can trigger events -
As for the Memo Text feature.
Yes, you can set Page 3 to display the Memo Text content. (Screensaver will always show the Memo Text)
So you could, use the 4 buttons on page 3 (for example) to manipulate the Memo Text content. (Max 64 characters)
(Reset / clear by sending a blank Memo Text command)
If you buy a number of Oled panels, I’ll throw in a VMB1RYNOS so that you can easily access some of the advanced features of Velbus glass panels that aren’t yet directly supported in openHAB2.
You’re the first non-commercial person to go down this route, but you’ll be glad to hear that there are a number of commercial installers who ONLY take this route.
Feel free to ask for any information or advice, I’m always willing to assist.
FYI,
As an example, I’ve got an Oled panel in my house which controls many DMX chases and other devices.
With a simple NodeRed flow, I can scroll through a series of scenes from a single button, or selection of buttons from different panels.
(With a Long press action set to switch off everything)
(I have similar DSL rules, but I find NodeRed flows easier to create & Debug)
Best wishes,
Stuart
MDAR Ltd
Reference links
Thanks for the fast and detailed response.
I thought it would be the case but I couldn’t find concrete clarification and without already owning it’s not like I could test.
You’re very welcome 
If you want to test further, without buying any hardware, I can give you the connection details for a Velbus demo rig I have here.
You’ll just need the latest Velbus binding and setup a Network bridge.
Pull this update script and run it on your Linux machine.
Or look at it to see where it pulls the binding jar from
wget http://www.mdar.co.uk/dl/openhab2/update-velbus-jar.sh
You’ll need to have unzip loaded on your machine 
Then add the V1 Serial binding to openHAB2 via PaperUI / Addons / bindings
Sorry couple of other bits:
What size backbox is required
How far does the panel protrude from the wall?
Excellent questions
Ideally, I like people to install 50mm deep, 67mm diameter round back boxes.
40mm deep is acceptable, just slightly less room inside.
Depending on the ID of square UK boxes, 40mm deep single boxes are okay, but they require a 2mm adapter plate to support the blue mounting frames.
Assuming you’re using round back boxes, the panels stand proud of the wall by 12.35mm.
If…
You don’t want to use the thermostat functionality AND you’re extremely careful, it is possible to rebate the back box and open up a square aperture to accept most of the glass panel, leaving 3.2mm proud.
Likewise, you could make a slightly bigger aperture and fit the panel flush.
BUT…
If you take either of these options, YOU’LL NEVER get the panels out again, without risking delaminating the front face.
I’ve purchased a 3D printer and come up with a better way of supporting the Blue frames in UK boxes, by effectively giving them support from the base of the box.
These are a work in progress, but easy enough to adapt for different back box designs,
How about doing something for the LK Fuga (stupid danish micro-design) wall boxes 
