IHC and smart home — the complete guide
IHC and smart home — the complete guide
IHC (Intelligent House Control) from LK/Schneider Electric is Denmark's most widespread wired control system for residential buildings. Thousands of Danish homes have IHC installed for controlling lights, heating, ventilation and blinds. But what do you do when you want to expand with modern smart home devices?
What is IHC?
IHC is a centralized control system based on a controller (IHC Controller) located in the electrical panel. The controller communicates with push buttons, relays, dimmers and sensors via a wired bus system. Programming is done in LK IHC Visual — a Windows application where you define logic for your installations.
IHC strengths
- Robust and reliable — wired system with minimal latency
- Integrated into the building — installed by licensed electricians
- No cloud dependency — runs 100% locally
- Long lifespan — IHC systems from 2005 still run flawlessly
IHC limitations
- Closed system — no official API for third-party integrations
- LK products only — cannot control Hue, Sonos or Zigbee devices
- Windows-dependent — programming requires LK IHC Visual on Windows
- No remote control — no browser or app control out of the box
The modern smart home dilemma
Most Danish homeowners with IHC face a choice:
- Rip out IHC and start fresh with Home Assistant, Apple HomeKit or Google Home
- Run two systems — IHC for wired, an app for wireless
- Integrate both via a bridge solution
How BT Home integrates with IHC
BT Home connects directly to your IHC controller via Modbus TCP. This means:
- Read all IHC resources — temperatures, dimmer levels, relay states
- Control all IHC devices — toggle lights, adjust dimmers, set thermostats
- Combine with modern devices — Hue, Sonos, Zigbee, 433 MHz in the same dashboard
- Browser-based — control everything from bt.langr.org, no app required
Setup takes 15 minutes
- Place the BT Home Hub (Raspberry Pi 5) in the utility room
- Connect to your network (Ethernet or WiFi)
- The Hub automatically finds your IHC controller
- All IHC devices appear in the dashboard
IHC + Hue + Sonos = one dashboard
With BT Home you can control everything from one place for the first time:
| Device | Protocol | BT Home |
|---|---|---|
| IHC dimmers | Modbus TCP | Full control |
| IHC thermostats | Modbus TCP | Setpoint + readout |
| IHC relays | Modbus TCP | On/off |
| Philips Hue | Zigbee/Bridge | Brightness, color, scenes |
| Sonos | WiFi | Play/pause, volume |
| IKEA TRÅDFRI | Zigbee | On/off, dimmer |
| 433 MHz sensors | RF | Temperature, humidity |
Energy optimization with IHC
BT Home adds intelligent energy management to your IHC system:
- DK2 spot prices — pre-heats your home during cheap hours
- Thermal mass — uses the building's heat capacity as a battery
- 15-30% savings — documented on typical Danish houses
- Automatic — no manual configuration required
Conclusion
IHC is an excellent system — but it's closed. BT Home opens it up and integrates it with the rest of your smart home. You keep everything great about IHC and get modern browser control, energy optimization and multi-protocol support on top.
Ready to modernize your IHC home? See hardware pricing or contact us.