The foundations of a quick, easy, and trouble-free startup are laid before the control hardware even arrives onsite. Meeting with the electrical contractor prior to construction is important to establish a good working relationship, explain the requirements for a Crestron lighting control installation, and to exchange contact information so that any technical questions or concerns can be addressed prior to startup.

Though a pre-construction site-visit may seem like a wasted expense, by communicating expectations and requirements to the electrical contractor prior to startup you are actually able to save time and headache on-site. For large jobs especially, taking the time to ensure a proper installation will save hours or days during startup. Any time spent by a technician on-site tracking down serial numbers or troubleshooting/correcting a poor installation is a waste that could have been avoided with good communication and instruction prior to and throughout the installation process.

Covering these important topics with the electrical contractor during the pre-construction phase is critical to smooth ShowRunnerCLC™ startups.

Pre-construction topics to cover:

• Wiring and Installation
  • Do not power up panels until installation is complete and wiring is verified safe to connect
  • Cresnet wiring (for jobs with Cresnet)
    • DO  check for shorts before landing at the panel
    • DO land the shield with COM at the panel
    • DO splice through and insulate shield in the field
    • DO use wire nuts for Cresnet splices
    • DO NOT  use lever-nuts for Cresnet splices
    • DO NOT leave copper showing at terminations
    • DO NOT excessively strip back the teal-yellow jacket
  • Ethernet terminations (where the EC is terminating the Ethernet)
    • DO use standard, non-passthrough RJ-45 connectors
    • DO use T568B Pin-Out
    • DO NOT use EZ-style passthrough RJ-45 connectors
    • DO NOT exceed 100m/328' cable length
  • Zūm Wired wiring (for Zūm Wired jobs)
    • DO use standard, non-passthrough RJ-45 connectors
    • DO use T568B Pin-Out
    • DO NOT use EZ-style passthrough RJ-45 connectors
    • DO NOT exceed 100m/328' cable length
    • DO NOT mix up Zūm Net and Zūm Link cables
  • Follow the load schedule
• Serial number collection
  • SNs should be collected for all networked devices (all Cresnet devices and Zūm Wired devices)
    • If possible, SNs should be provided prior to startup. This way they can be put into the configuration prior to arriving on-site
  • The EC does not need to collect SNs for non-system devices (e.g. Crestron NS occupancy sensors, Steinel occupancy sensors, LDL photocells, and GLPPA-KP keypads
  • It is important to not just have a list of SNs on-site, but to be able to associate individual SNs with specific installed devices
  • The easiest way to do this is to write the SNs of installed devices on the floor plans or riser diagram as they are installed
• MAC address collection (optional)
  • Collecting MAC addresses is redundant if serial numbers are provided
• Establish expectations for what "ready to commission" means by sharing the site readiness checklist