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Version: 1.3

Designing with Studio

Studio follows three steps: choose your devices, set a few options, and press Generate. Studio then works out the wiring, the power, the network, and the cost, and shows you the finished design. If you change your mind, tweak anything and generate again. Each run replaces the last result, so you can experiment freely.

You do not need an account to use Studio, and it is free.

Light or dark​

Studio comes in a light theme and a dark theme. Use the sun or moon button in the top bar to switch between them whenever you like. Your choice is remembered, and it carries across the Sensa website, the shop and your account area too, so everything stays in step.

Choosing devices​

The catalogue is split into category tabs (lighting, climate, sensors, security, network, and so on). Browse a tab, then add the devices you want to your build. Each device you add appears in the Selected devices panel, where you can adjust it.

You only need to add the devices you care about. Studio adds the supporting parts for you: the converters, fuseboxes, network switches, wireless hubs, and a Sensa Core if one is needed. These auto-added items appear in your results and your shopping list, and you can see exactly why each one was added.

Per-device options​

Each selected device has a few settings you can change:

  • Location. Which side of the vehicle the device sits on. This helps Studio keep cable runs short and decide whether you need parts on both sides.
  • Already own this. Tick this for a device you already have. It still counts in the design, but it is left out of the shopping list total so your cost reflects only what you need to buy.
  • Controlled by a relay. Tick this if you want the device switched on and off by the system. Studio picks or adds a suitable relay.
  • Connection. For a device that supports both Ethernet and WiFi, choose which link it uses. Ethernet uses a switch or router port; WiFi keeps that port free. By default this follows the build-wide Prefer wired setting (see below).

Some devices show an INTEGRATED badge. These need a Sensa Core to work, and Studio adds the right Core (Lite, Plus, or Vision) to your design automatically.

Settings​

The design settings panel holds the options that shape the whole build. The useful ones to know:

  • Prefer wired. When on, any device that can do both Ethernet and WiFi is wired in and uses a switch port. When off, those devices use WiFi instead, which keeps ports free. You can still override this for a single device using its own Connection option.
  • Power per side. Gives each side of the vehicle its own power distribution, so you are not running heavy DC cables from one side to the other.
  • Switch per side. Gives each side its own network capability, joined by a single cable rather than several.
  • Relay per side. Keeps relay switching on each side local, again to avoid long cable runs.
  • Mobile connectivity (4G, 5G, eSIM, GPS). Turn these on to tell Studio what your router and antenna must support. Devices that cannot meet the requirement are greyed out in the catalogue.
  • Safety margins. A percentage of headroom added to power and relay calculations so nothing runs at its absolute limit. Ten per cent is the recommended default.

Generating your design​

When you are happy with your devices and settings, press Generate. Studio resolves the wireless protocols, lays out the network, sizes the power distribution, checks the relays, and produces the finished design.

If two devices you have chosen cannot work together, the button reads Fix incompatible devices to generate and tells you what to change first. Once that is resolved, generate again and Studio takes you to your results.

See Reading your design for what the results page shows you.

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