Automate Smart Home Studio
How a DALI system fits together
Mains power goes to each light. A separate two-wire control bus tells each light what to do. Click any part of the diagram, press the buttons, then check how many devices one bus can carry.
Notice the coupler and sensor have no mains connection. They take their power from the bus.
What happens when someone presses a button
Each action shows who sends the command. Switch the gateway off to see what keeps working.
Typical keypads, inputs and sensors
These are the input devices that sit on the DALI bus. Example brands are starting points only, so confirm DALI-2 certification, power needs and gateway support on the datasheet.
Wiring the wall switches
The switch no longer breaks the lighting circuit. It is a low-voltage input that sends a command. There are four common ways to wire it.
Option 1 · Recommended
Coupler on the DALI bus
A DALI-2 push-button coupler or keypad sits on the bus. A standard momentary push-button wires into its dry-contact inputs.
- Strength
- Works with the gateway or HA offline
- Cost
- Low per switch point
- Setup
- Assign actions with the vendor software
Option 2
Buttons into the gateway
Buttons wire as dry contacts to a central controller or input module, which then drives the bus.
- Strength
- All logic in one place
- Risk
- If the controller fails, the switches stop
- Seen in
- Sunricher, Lunatone, Wago, Loxone, KNX
Option 3 · Avoid for main switching
Switches into Home Assistant
Buttons go to a wired input module or ESPHome board that reports presses to HA, which then commands the gateway.
- Strength
- Long press, double press, time-of-day logic
- Risk
- Basic lighting depends on HA and the network
Option 4
Wireless or keypad-style
DALI-2 keypads, or battery switches on Zigbee or Matter, placed anywhere without chasing cable.
- Strength
- Easy retrofits and extra switch points
- Risk
- Batteries and wireless coverage
Wiring notes
- Use momentary (retractive) push-buttons, not standard maintained switches.
- Home-run low-voltage cable from each switch point back to the board in a new build. This is the cheap part of pre-wire.
- The coupler needs only the DALI pair. It is bus powered.
- Check separation rules where a wall box also has mains nearby.
- A licensed electrician does the 230 V work. Confirm bus and low-voltage cabling rules with them.
Australian plates and systems
Plates
Clipsal Saturn, Iconic, Classic
Clipsal makes retractive push-button mechs, so the plate looks like any other in the house.
- Use for
- Builder-grade and mid-range homes
Plates
Vimar, HPM, Bticino, Legrand
Designer ranges work too with momentary push-buttons. Vimar lines such as Eikon and Plana are sold here with DALI coupler options.
- Use for
- Premium finishes
System
Clipsal DALIcontrol
Schneider's own DALI system, compatible with Clipsal ranges. It is a closed ecosystem, so bench test before promising Home Assistant integration.
System
zencontrol
An Australian DALI-2 manufacturer with MQTT support. Strong on local support, but more commercial in focus.
Check local stock, lead times, RCM approval and wall-box depth before specifying any coupler.
Connecting DALI to Home Assistant
DALI is not an IP protocol, so a gateway sits between the bus and Home Assistant (HA). These are the main routes.
Simplest · Built in
Sunricher SR-GW-EDA
HA has a Sunricher DALI integration. Lights, scenes, illuminance, motion and per-light energy appear as entities, with live updates from wall controls.
- Limit
- Scenes are created and edited on the gateway
- Best for
- Standard homes
Matter / HomeKit
Atios SmartCore or KNX Bridge
The vendor supports DT6, DT7 and DT8 lights and DALI-2 keypads in HA via Matter or HomeKit.
- Limit
- Deeper commands such as scene recall may need the REST API
- Best for
- Vendor-supported, no custom code
Matter / HomeKit
Lunatone DALI-2 IoT
64 addresses, 16 groups, multi-master state sync, and a built-in bus supply that can be switched off.
- Limit
- Direct HA integration is a community custom component
- Best for
- Premium builds with Matter
Proven
KNX-DALI gateway
MDT, Theben, Zennio, Gira and others, using HA's mature KNX integration. DALI is abstracted by KNX.
- Limit
- Adds KNX cost and ETS programming
- Best for
- Jobs already on KNX
Avoid
Generic DALI-to-MQTT converters
Users report that MQTT discovery does not work out of the box and that extra software such as Node-RED is needed. Too much commissioning time for client work.
Recommendation
- Standard residential: Sunricher SR-GW-EDA.
- Premium or larger: Atios SmartCore or Lunatone over Matter, or a KNX gateway when the job is KNX.
- Keep scenes and switch logic in the DALI layer so the lights work if HA is down.
- Bench test a gateway before putting it on a client job, because integrations change often.
Sources: Home Assistant Sunricher DALI, Atios and Matter, DT8 with least effort, KNX-DALI gateway.
DALI against standard downlights with Shelly
Both work with Home Assistant. They are different architectures, so the right one depends on the job.
| DALI | Downlight and Shelly | |
|---|---|---|
| Control | Every fitting individually addressable | Per circuit, or one Shelly per fitting (costly) |
| Regrouping | Software change | Rewire, or accept the circuit layout |
| Dimming | Smooth, usually to 0.1 to 1% | Depends on driver and Shelly pairing. Flicker and poor low-end are common |
| Reliability | Wired bus, local | Wifi dependent |
| Feedback | Lamp and driver status | Limited |
| Wiring | Extra DALI pair and a gateway | Often needs a neutral at the switch |
| Cost | Higher up front | Cheaper per circuit, especially retrofit |
Where each fits
- New builds and builders: DALI pre-wire fits the Consultation, Specification, Pre-Wire, Install and Handover process. Home Assistant stays optional on top.
- Existing homes: Shelly or similar suits retrofits where chasing cable is not practical.
How big can one bus be?
Move the sliders to match a project. The current figures are typical values for explanation only, so check the datasheet for every product you specify.
Cable run, longest bus length
| Cable size | Max length (about 2 V drop) |
|---|---|
| 0.5 mm² | 100 m |
| 0.75 mm² | 150 m |
| 1.0 mm² | 200 m |
| 1.5 mm² | 300 m |
Also fixed by the standard: 16 groups and 16 scenes per bus. The bus can run as a line, star or tree, but never a loop.
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Illustration only. The 230 V work must be done by a licensed electrician, and bus cabling and separation rules should be checked with them. Current figures: control gear up to 2 mA each, couplers about 3.3 mA (typical datasheet value), sensors and keypads assumed at 6 mA each.