I’ve been using the Homematic system for quite some time now, and I have to say, it’s been a fantastic experience. My setup spans across a large two-family house with several outbuildings, and integrating Homematic wherever possible has made life so much more convenient. One of my favorite projects has been the implementation of the RS485 gateway for controlling Velux windows and blinds. After some trial and error, I managed to get everything working smoothly by switching to wired components, which was essential due to the frequency overlap with Homematic.
However, I’ve hit a bit of a snag. I recently tried to extend my setup to the outbuilding, which is connected via Ethernet over fiber optics. My goal was to add wired components for controlling the garage doors and some analog values, like the oil tank level, using an Endress+Hauser sensor. To my dismay, I discovered that only a single RS485 gateway can be used in the system. This limitation feels quite restrictive, especially when trying to manage multiple buildings or floors.
Wired components are incredibly useful for extending the system to different floors or sections of a building, but with only one gateway allowed, it severely limits the scalability. I’d have to run the RS485 bus through multiple floors to reach the outbuilding, which is not only impractical but also makes the system highly susceptible to lightning strikes and voltage spikes. It would be amazing if future firmware updates could remove this restriction, allowing multiple RS485 gateways to coexist seamlessly. For now, I’m hoping to find a workaround or alternative solution that doesn’t compromise the integrity of my setup. Any suggestions or experiences from the community would be greatly appreciated!