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From EIB to KNX – History of the Standard

KNX was created in 1999 from the merger of three European bus systems: EIB (European Installation Bus), EHS (European Home System) and BatiBUS. The TP protocol of EIB/Instabus is technically identical to KNX, older EIB devices continue to work in KNX networks.

Timeline

1990: EIB (Instabus) introduced by Siemens, Berker, Gira and Merten. First true building bus for DIN rail devices. 1992: EIBA (EIB Association) founded. 1999: Merger of EIBA, EHSA and BatiBUS Club International to form KNX Association. 2002: KNX standard published (IEC 14543-3). 2003: ISO/IEC 14543-3 and EN 50090 adopted. 2018: KNX Secure introduced. From 2022: KNX IoT (KNX over IPv6) in development.

EIB Devices in KNX Networks

The TP protocol of EIB/Instabus and KNX is identical. Older EIB devices (ETS 2, ETS 3) can be imported into ETS 6 and reused in modern projects. The names 'EIB', 'Instabus' and 'KNX' refer to the same TP protocol and are technically equivalent.

Key Facts

EIB/Instabus: founded 1990, first TP bus system
KNX merger: 1999 (EIB + EHS + BatiBUS)
ISO/IEC 14543-3: international KNX standard
EN 50090: European KNX standard
EIB devices: compatible with modern KNX projects

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