Key Takeaways
- -Renovation is the ideal moment for smart home: walls are open, electricians are on site, and the cost of running cable is a fraction of doing it later.
- -The most common mistake: deciding on smart home too late, after the electrical plan is already finalized.
- -You don't need to automate everything on day one. But you do need to pull the cables now. Cable is cheap. Opening walls later is not.
- -Choose your protocol before your electrician starts. KNX for maximum flexibility and AI readiness. Niko Home Control for simplicity. Loxone for a polished package.
- -Nexxteq adds AI on top of any protocol, turning renovation infrastructure into a system that learns, adapts, and gets smarter every month.
Why renovation is the moment
If you're renovating, you have a window of opportunity that won't come again for decades. Walls are open. Electricians are on site. Cable channels are accessible. The marginal cost of adding smart home infrastructure during renovation is a fraction of what it would cost to retrofit later.
This isn't about whether you want a smart home. It's about whether you want the option. Running a thin KNX bus cable alongside your regular wiring costs almost nothing during construction. Running that same cable through a finished wall, with plaster, paint, and furniture in the way, costs a fortune and makes a mess.
The same logic applies whether it's a family home, an apartment, a villa, or a commercial space. A dental practice renovating its treatment rooms has the same window. A restaurant redoing its kitchen can wire the entire dining area for smart climate and lighting at marginal cost.
The decision isn't "do I want smart lighting right now." It's "will I ever, in the next 20 years, want the ability to automate anything in this space?" If the answer might be yes, pull the cable now.
“Cable costs cents per meter during renovation. Opening a finished wall costs hundreds per meter.”
The most common mistake
Deciding on smart home after the electrical plan is finalized. This happens constantly. The renovation is planned, the architect delivers the plans, the electrician draws the electrical scheme, and then someone mentions smart home. Too late.
Smart home affects everything the electrician does. Cable routing changes. Switch positions change. You need space in the electrical cabinet for actuators. You need cable paths to sensor locations that a traditional plan wouldn't include. The electrical panel needs to be larger. Sometimes the cable channels in the walls need to be wider.
If you add smart home after the electrical plan is done, you're paying for plan revisions, potential delays, and compromises. If you involve a smart home advisor at the same stage as your architect and electrician, it integrates cleanly into the existing planning process.
The second most common mistake: trying to save money by pulling fewer cables. "We'll only do the living room for now." Five years later, you want smart blinds in the bedroom and there's no cable. The cost of the cable itself is negligible. The cost of not having it is permanent.
“The most expensive smart home mistake isn't choosing the wrong system. It's deciding too late.”
What to automate (and what can wait)
Not everything needs to be smart on day one. But the infrastructure for everything needs to be in place.
Automate now: Lighting in main living areas. It's the most noticeable improvement and the easiest to appreciate. Blinds and shading, especially on south and west-facing windows. Heating control per room. These three cover 80% of what makes a smart home feel smart.
Infrastructure now, automate later: Pull cable to all switch locations (even if you start with regular switches). Pull cable to window and door positions (for contacts you might add later). Pull cable to ceiling positions in every room (for motion and presence sensors). Pull cable to outdoor positions (garden lighting, gate, weather station).
For offices and commercial spaces, the priority list shifts. Occupancy-based HVAC and lighting deliver the fastest ROI. Conference room booking integration, access control, and energy sub-metering are worth wiring for during renovation, even if you activate them later.
Can wait entirely: Multi-room audio (uses separate cabling anyway). Security cameras (typically PoE, separate infrastructure). Intercom (can be added independently). These systems run on their own networks and don't depend on the smart home bus cable.
The rule of thumb: if a location might ever need a smart device, pull a bus cable to it during renovation. The cost is negligible. The regret of not having it is permanent.
Choosing a protocol
This is the biggest technical decision, and it needs to be made before your electrician starts. Three realistic options for Belgian renovations:
KNX is the strongest choice for flexibility and future-proofing. Open standard, 500+ manufacturers, 30+ years of backward compatibility. It's the best foundation for AI integration because any platform can connect to it. The downside: higher programming costs and you'll need a skilled KNX installer. Best for: larger homes, complex projects, offices, anyone who wants maximum long-term flexibility.
Loxone offers a polished package with server, app, and hardware designed to work together. Easier for installers to learn, smoother out-of-the-box experience. The downside: you're locked into one manufacturer's ecosystem, and third-party AI integration is more limited. Best for: homeowners who want a finished product with less customization.
Niko Home Control is popular in Belgium because electricians already know the brand. User-friendly app, reasonable cost. The downside: the most limited of the three. Closed ecosystem, basic automation, dated interface, minimal API access for AI integration. Best for: simple projects where basic control is enough.
The AI question matters here. If AI-driven automation is a priority (and given how fast AI is evolving, it probably should be), KNX gives AI the most to work with. Open protocol, rich sensor data, unrestricted device access. Loxone and NHC both create bottlenecks that limit what AI can do. If you enjoy tinkering with technology, Home Assistant can connect to all three protocols and gives you full control over configuration. If you want AI that learns and adapts without your involvement, a managed platform like Nexxteq handles this on top of any protocol.
What to ask your electrician
Your electrician is a critical partner. Here are the questions that matter:
"What smart home systems have you installed in the last two years?" Experience matters more than certifications. An electrician who has done twenty KNX installations will deliver better results than one who has a KNX certificate but has done two.
"Can I see a reference project?" A good installer is proud of their work and happy to show it. If they can't show you a completed smart home, be cautious.
"Will I own the project file?" For KNX: get a written agreement that the ETS project file is yours, delivered at project completion. This is non-negotiable. Without it, you're locked to that installer forever.
"How do you break down pricing?" Ask for cost breakdown by function (lighting, blinds, HVAC, visualization), not by proprietary point systems. This makes it possible to compare quotes and understand where your money goes.
"What happens if I want to change something after installation?" A good installer will explain the options: programming changes they handle, platforms you can use for daily adjustments, and how much ongoing changes typically cost.
How Nexxteq fits into your renovation
Nexxteq adds the AI layer on top of whatever protocol your electrician installs. Whether it's KNX, Loxone, or Niko Home Control, the AI works with all of them. That means your protocol decision and your AI decision are separate, which gives you more flexibility.
What Nexxteq adds: After your electrician completes the installation, Nexxteq connects to the infrastructure and configures AI that makes the hardware worth the investment. Automations that learn your patterns. Natural language control ("set the living room for movie night"). Energy optimization that adapts to your schedule and habits. A modern interface that makes your investment feel premium.
This applies to homes and workspaces alike. A renovated family home gets lighting that adjusts to time of day and occupancy. A renovated office gets HVAC that responds to actual room usage, not a static thermostat schedule.
Because AI evolves at dizzying speed (new models, new capabilities, every month), your space keeps getting smarter. The system you have at move-in is just the starting point. With a managed platform, those upgrades happen automatically. With a DIY setup like Home Assistant, keeping up with AI advances becomes your responsibility.
“The hardware is your electrician's job. The intelligence on top is where Nexxteq comes in.”
Should you add smart home to your renovation?
Yes, if you're opening walls, even partially. The infrastructure cost during renovation is minimal compared to the long-term value. Even if you only automate lighting and blinds now, pull cables for everything else. This applies to houses, apartments, villas, vacation homes, pool houses, home offices, and commercial spaces like offices, salons, and practices. Future you will be grateful.
No, if you're doing a cosmetic renovation (painting, new floors, new kitchen fronts) without opening walls. Without cable access, you're limited to wireless additions, which work but don't deliver the same reliability and depth as a wired system.
The Nexxteq angle: Whether you go all-in on automation now or just pull the cables for later, Nexxteq works with whatever protocol and scope you choose. For the "yes" readers, Nexxteq adds AI that turns renovation infrastructure into a system that learns, adapts, and improves every month. For the "no" readers, wireless sensors and devices can still connect to Nexxteq's AI layer and deliver meaningful automation without opening a single wall. Either way, the intelligence keeps evolving. Your renovation is the foundation. The AI is what makes it worth the investment long-term.