Tinkerbus compared with ETS 6
Feature by feature comparison with the ETS 6 engineering tool, with honest status.
ETS is the engineering tool of the KNX Association. Tinkerbus is an independent project that reads and writes the same
project format for part of what ETS does. This page lists what Tinkerbus does and does not do compared with ETS 6. It
describes Tinkerbus only; it makes no claims about ETS beyond what is needed to name a feature.
Done implemented and tested. Partial implemented with a limit that the note names.
Not yet not implemented.
Projects
| Feature |
Status |
Note |
| Open an ETS 6 project |
Done |
Password-protected projects need the password. A key derived from it can be remembered per project. |
| Open ETS 4 or ETS 5 projects |
Not yet |
internal/converter is a stub. |
| Create a new project |
Not yet |
You start from an existing ETS 6 project. |
| Areas, lines |
Done |
Add, rename, delete. |
| Buildings, floors, rooms |
Done |
Add, rename, delete, move devices by drag and drop or with a selector. |
| Add a device from a product database |
Done |
Parameters start at their defaults. The result has not been opened in ETS 6. |
| Move, rename, delete devices |
Done |
|
| Group addresses |
Done |
Create, edit, delete, data type from the KNX master data. |
| Group address import and export |
Done |
CSV in the ETS 5.7 and later format, and the group address export XML. |
| Link group objects to group addresses |
Done |
|
| Group objects of modules not yet linked |
Not yet |
Needs the channel id. |
| Parameters |
Partial |
Edit and reset. No translations, nested modules, repeated parameters or calculated parameters. |
| Undo, redo, list of changes |
Done |
|
| Compare with another project file |
Done |
|
| Trade views |
Not yet |
|
| History of snapshots kept by the tool |
Not yet |
You can compare with any earlier file. |
| Save |
Partial |
Always to a new file. See below. |
The project signature
An ETS 6 project can carry a signature. After Tinkerbus changes the content, the signature no longer matches. Tinkerbus
saves a new file and tells you when the project had a signature. ETS 6 may then refuse to open the copy or warn about
it. Signing a project would need permission from the KNX Association or credentials of the project’s own, and Tinkerbus
does not reuse anything belonging to ETS. Always try an edited project on a copy.
Reports and exchange
| Feature |
Status |
Note |
| Printable report |
Done |
One HTML file; print or save as PDF from a browser. There is no print dialog in the application. |
| Device list as CSV |
Done |
Devices with their place. |
| Telegram log as CSV |
Done |
From the monitor table or recorded live. |
Product data (catalog)
| Feature |
Status |
Note |
Import .knxprod files |
Done |
Also zip files that contain one. |
| Find product data on your computer |
Done |
Downloads, Documents and folders you add. |
| Which products of a project are missing from the catalog |
Done |
|
| Product data from the project itself |
Done |
The project carries the data of its devices. |
| Online catalog |
Done |
Uses the knxprod-index service. Optional. |
| Download from the KNX marketplace |
Not yet |
|
| Licence handling |
Not yet |
internal/license is a stub. |
| Translations of product data |
Not yet |
|
Bus access
| Feature |
Status |
Note |
| Find KNXnet/IP gateways |
Done |
Multicast search on the local network, or ask one address. |
| Tunnelling over UDP |
Done |
|
| Tunnelling over TCP (KNXnet/IP v2) |
Done |
|
| Device management connection |
Partial |
Used by knxprobe -mgmt to open and close a connection. |
| KNXnet/IP routing (multicast) |
Partial |
The library has it. The application and tools do not use it, and it was not tested on hardware. |
| KNX USB |
Partial |
The library can talk to a USB interface on Linux (hidraw). The tools only list interfaces. Not tested on hardware. |
| KNX IP Secure |
Not yet |
Not implemented. Secure gateways are not supported. |
| Telegram monitor |
Done |
Names from the project, values decoded with the data type of the group address. |
| Recording |
Done |
|
| Send group read and write |
Done |
Gated, see safety. |
| Line scan |
Done |
Compared with the devices of the project. |
| Device information, programming-mode search |
Done |
|
Programming devices
| Feature |
Status |
Note |
| Full download |
Partial |
Five mask versions. Others are refused with a message. |
| Partial download (parameters, group communication) |
Partial |
See the masks page. |
| Assign an address to a device in programming mode |
Done |
|
| Backup of the device memory before writing |
Done |
|
| Verify a device against the project |
Done |
knxdownload -verify, or the check step in the application. |
| Restore a device from a backup |
Not yet |
The backup is saved, there is no restore command. |
| Filter table of line and area couplers |
Partial |
Calculated and shown in the application. Written by knxprogram -partial grp for the IP router tested. |
| Programming several devices in a row |
Not yet |
|
| Search for the programming button of new devices |
Partial |
The programming-mode search lists devices whose programming mode is on. |
What ETS has that is not listed here
ETS is a large product. This page covers the features Tinkerbus sets out to match. Anything not named above, for example
commissioning workflows, plug-ins, diagnostics reports and licensing, is not part of Tinkerbus.