Because lighting commissioning should not depend on whether the basement has Wi-Fi.
Anyone who has commissioned a lighting control system knows the reality of a live construction site. The drawings may be immaculate. The programme may say everything is ready. Then you arrive onsite and discover the network is not quite live, mobile reception disappears the moment you enter the plant room, and someone has moved three fittings since the last set of plans.
It is in this very real-world environment that zencontrol has introduced Commission by zencontrol – its new iPhone and Android application for commissioning zencontrol application controllers.
It is not about reinventing commissioning. It is about making the process quicker, more flexible and considerably less dependent on everything around you behaving perfectly.
And on a construction site, that is probably a sensible starting point.
So, What is Commission by zencontrol?
At its simplest, Commission is the working tool between the person commissioning the system, the zencontrol application controllers and the zencontrol Cloud.
It can be used to address and commission DALI devices, work with groups and device information, and configure the system from a phone while working around the building. The wider zencontrol commissioning environment supports tasks including labels, addresses, IDs, states, targets, lux levels, profiles, groups and scenes.
The important part is how the information moves.
zencontrol Cloud ↔ Commission app ↔ Application Controller ↔ DALI devices
The app supports three-way synchronisation between the Cloud, the phone and the application controllers. That means changes can move between each part of the system as connectivity allows.
For an electrical contractor or commissioning engineer, that makes the workflow more practical.
For the consultant, architect or building owner, the benefit is less about the app itself and more about what it can mean for the project: a more efficient commissioning process, better visibility of the system and fewer unnecessary roadblocks during delivery.
The clever bit: it does not panic when the internet disappears
This is probably one of the most useful developments.
Commission can work online or offline.
If the technician is commissioning in a basement, riser, plant room or newly constructed part of a building where internet connectivity is patchy – or completely absent – the work can continue locally. Once a suitable connection becomes available again, the information can be synchronised back to the Cloud.
No wandering around holding a phone above your head looking for one bar of reception.
There is also the option to commission through the Cloud without needing to connect directly to the building’s local network. For secure facilities in particular, this can remove the need to access locked-down network infrastructure simply to carry out commissioning work.
It is a relatively small change in how the job is done, but potentially a very useful one.
What Would This Actually Look Like on a Project?
Imagine a new three-storey commercial office.
There are hundreds of luminaires, sensors and switches across open-plan offices, meeting rooms, circulation areas, amenities and back-of-house spaces.
Traditionally, a significant amount of commissioning happens once the physical installation is far enough advanced.
zencontrol now allows part of that work to start earlier.
Before the site is ready
Using zencontrol Cloud, the commissioning team can pre-commission the project by creating the control systems and device locations before the physical equipment has even been claimed or connected. Device locations can be positioned against the building plan so that the digital structure of the system begins to reflect the actual building before commissioning gets underway onsite.
Think of it as getting the filing cabinet organised before 500 pieces of paper land on the desk.
Then the electrician gets onsite
As the installation becomes live, the Commission app can be used to connect to the relevant application controller and begin working through the installed devices.
Fixtures can be addressed, identified, labelled and grouped. Sensors and switches can be configured. Commissioning information can be associated with the appropriate areas of the project.
Instead of the physical installation and the digital building record developing as two separate things, they progressively come together.
Then they head into the basement
Naturally, there is no mobile reception.
Rather than stopping work, Commission can communicate locally with the zencontrol application controller and commissioning can continue. Once connectivity returns, the changes can synchronise with the Cloud.
Online when you can be. Offline when you need to be.
And If Something Doesn’t Sync?
This is another improvement we like.
From version 2.8.0, Commission includes a Cloud Sync report.
Rather than simply announcing that something has failed – always a wonderfully helpful message when you are trying to finish a project – the app can identify which stage of the sync has encountered a problem.
For example, it can distinguish between an issue synchronising a floor, control system, device or gateway setting, with errors and warnings shown separately and information provided to help resolve the problem.
That matters because commissioning time is rarely lost doing the actual configuration.
It is often lost trying to work out why something isn’t doing what it should be doing.
Better diagnostics mean less fault-finding by elimination and a clearer path to getting the system commissioned.
Why Should Anyone Other Than The Commissioning Engineer Care?
Because commissioning ultimately affects everyone involved in delivering and operating the building.
For an electrical contractor, it can mean a more flexible way to work onsite and less dependence on network availability.
For an engineer or consultant, it provides another step towards a commissioning process that is structured, traceable and connected with the wider digital system.
For an architect, particularly on projects with sophisticated lighting intent, it helps bridge the gap between what has been designed and what is eventually configured onsite.
And for a building or facilities manager, the biggest advantage comes afterwards.
The information does not disappear into a commissioning laptop when practical completion is reached. zencontrol’s Cloud platform can continue to provide centralised access to sites, dashboards, issue management, emergency testing, user access, remote diagnostics and building analytics.
Commissioning becomes the beginning of the building’s operational data rather than the end of the installation process.
That is a much more interesting proposition.
Commissioning is Becoming Part of the Digital Building
For years, lighting commissioning has largely been regarded as one of the final items to complete before a project is handed over.
Tools such as Commission by zencontrol are gradually changing that relationship.
The system can begin taking shape in the Cloud before installation is complete. The commissioning team can then work through the physical building using the mobile app, online or offline. Information synchronises between the app, controllers and Cloud, and the completed system remains available as part of the building’s ongoing digital infrastructure.
It is still commissioning.
There are still drawings, addresses, groups, scenes, sensors and the occasional device that decides it would prefer not to cooperate.
But the tools around the process are getting considerably smarter.
And we think that is worth sharing.
Want to see how Commission by zencontrol could work on your next project?
Talk to the Intelligent Environments team. We can take you through the commissioning workflow, zencontrol Cloud and how the system can be designed around your project from specification through to handover and ongoing operation.
Intelligent Environments is zencontrol’s New Zealand distributor and works alongside architects, consultants, contractors and end clients on lighting control and building technology projects throughout New Zealand.
