How to connect different brands in one smart home system
Why you don't have to replace every device to get a single interface — and the role of MQTT, Modbus and KNX as the common language.
A real home is rarely from a single brand: the inverter is one manufacturer, the heat pump another, the cameras and locks a third. The classic approach is to install one app per device. The goal is the opposite: one screen, regardless of brands.
A unified device model
HoumeOS describes every device with a common model — what it measures and what it controls — independent of how it connects. A new manufacturer is added with a lightweight driver, without rewriting the screens or the rules.
The common language: protocols
- MQTT — the lightweight bus that nearly all devices and gateways attach to.
- Modbus TCP — inverters, energy meters, batteries.
- KNX and 1-Wire — built-in installations and sensors.
- Zigbee / Z-Wave / Bluetooth LE — wireless devices via a gateway.
- ONVIF / RTSP — cameras; OCPP — charging stations.
For integrators
The platform is designed so that the installer can assemble a system from whatever components they choose and maintain it for years — with no lock-in to a single brand and without depending on the client's cloud account staying alive.
Want the same for your home?
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