Commissioning Standard
Smart Citizens' methodology for validating and signing off every smart-home system before customer handover.
The essentials
- Every project must be commissioned by a certified engineer
- No handover without a signed commissioning report
- Local-only operation is verified on every site
- Every scene is executed and evidenced three times
Purpose
Ensure every Smart Citizens system behaves as designed under realistic conditions, with evidence that survives an audit years later.
Scope
All residential and light-commercial installations, including retrofits and developer handover projects.
Design principles
Principle 1
Evidence over opinion — every claim is backed by a captured artefact
Principle 2
Local-first — cloud is a convenience, not a dependency
Principle 3
Reproducible — every scene runs three times without deviation
Principle 4
Owner-witnessed — critical scenes are demonstrated to the owner
Engineering requirements
Engineering requirements
- Certified commissioning engineer on every site
- Written commissioning plan issued before starting
- Signed commissioning report at closure
- Screenshots and logs archived to the customer portal
- Sensor calibration recorded with timestamps
Best practices
Plan
Plan: Publish the commissioning plan 48 h before mobilisation
Sequence
Sequence: Commission subsystem by subsystem, not room by room
Witness
Witness: Invite the owner for critical scene demos
Archive
Archive: Store all artefacts in the customer portal same-day
Installation workflow
Installation workflow
How it works
1. Pre-check
Confirm installation dossier is signed and every device is online.
2. Firmware baseline
Verify each device matches the approved baseline for this site.
3. Naming audit
Every device name matches the Smart Citizens naming convention.
Configuration & programming workflow
Configuration & programming workflow
How it works
1. Import scenes
Load the project scene set from the design tool.
2. Bind automations
Attach automations to their trigger sources and confirm state paths.
3. Publish
Push configuration to the site controller and verify sync.
Commissioning steps
Commissioning steps
How it works
1. Scene execution
Run every scene three times; capture logs and screenshots.
2. Sensor calibration
Calibrate presence, lux and temperature sensors under occupancy.
3. Automation dry-run
Trigger each automation manually to confirm expected behaviour.
4. Failover drill
Disconnect WAN and primary gateway; verify local scenes still operate.
5. Load test
Execute a Good Morning sequence and log actuation timings.
Validation checklist
Validation checklist
- Every scene reproducible three times
- All sensors calibrated with recorded values
- Local operation confirmed with WAN disconnected
- Alert paths tested for critical automations
- Signing off without running a WAN-disconnect drill
- Calibrating sensors on the bench instead of in place
- Testing scenes only once
- Skipping firmware verification
Quality assurance checklist
Report completeness
Every commissioning report field is populated.
Evidence archive
Screenshots and logs stored in the customer portal.
Owner sign-off
Owner has witnessed and signed critical scene demos.
Acceptance criteria
| Feature | Target | Verification method | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|
Scene reproducibility | 100% across 3 runs | Automated log review | High |
Local-only operation | Pass | WAN disconnect drill | High |
Sensor calibration record | One per sensor | Portal check | Medium |
Risk matrix
| Feature | Likelihood | Impact | Mitigation |
|---|---|---|---|
Owner absent for handover | Medium | Medium | Reschedule; do not close project without witnessed sign-off |
Cloud-only feature marketed as local | Low | High | Local-first tag on every scene; flagged in commissioning report |
Common mistakes & troubleshooting
Troubleshooting tips
How it works
Scene deviates between runs
Check for a competing automation triggered by an overlapping condition.
Sensor false-trigger
Re-calibrate under real occupancy; check for airflow or reflective interference.
Documentation requirements
Documentation requirements
- Signed commissioning report
- Sensor calibration log
- Scene execution evidence
- Failover drill evidence
Maintenance timeline
Maintenance timeline
How it works
Monthly
Review remote health metrics and re-run critical scene tests.
Quarterly
Repeat failover drill; verify calibration drift.
Version & change log
Version 1.0
Approval status: Approved · Effective date: 2026-01-15 · Last revision: 2026-07-08
Author / Reviewer
Author: Smart Citizens Engineering · Reviewer: Dr. Ashraf Nouri
Change log
v1.0 — 2026-07-08
Initial published edition. (Smart Citizens Engineering)
Frequently asked questions
Frequently asked questions
How long does commissioning take?
A typical villa takes 1–3 days depending on scene count and subsystem breadth.
Can commissioning happen remotely?
Some checks can be remote, but WAN-disconnect drills and owner sign-off must be on-site.
Smart Citizens Engineering. "Commissioning Standard." Smart Citizens, 2026-01-15. https://ai.smartcitizens.ae/standards/commissioning-standard.
Smart Citizens Engineering (2026). Commissioning Standard. Smart Citizens. Retrieved 2026-07-23, from https://ai.smartcitizens.ae/standards/commissioning-standard
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