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Pre-Construction

Version 3.1 by Alexander Mott on 2022/06/22 20:00

The foundations of a quick, easy, and trouble-free startup are laid before construction even begins. 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.

Important topics to cover with the electrical contractor prior to startup:

  • 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 not leave copper showing at terminations
      • Do not use lever-nuts (do use wire nuts)
      • Do not excessively strip back the teal-yellow jacket
    • Ethernet terminations (where the EC is terminating the Ethernet)
      • Do use T568B Pin-Out
      • Do not exceed 100m/328' cable length
    • Zūm Wired wiring (for Zūm Wired jobs)
      • Do follow the same rules as Ethernet for both Zūm Net and Zūm Link terminations/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