This guide is most useful to Amatis product users who have completed the Level 1 – Basics and Best Practices training and are ready to install a pilot kit or a start installation of a project.

Before starting the installation process, the Amatis team recommends completing the Level 2 – Installing Training. We also recommend completing the Level 3 – Commissioning Training before starting the commissioning process. To complete the trainings, watch all videos in each lesson, then navigate to the next topic.

Steps

Review system design

The first step of the installation process is to reference your design. For most projects, you should have a design provided by your designer, estimator, sales representative, or directly from Amatis Controls. Your design should include product placement, spec sheets, and wiring diagrams.

1. Review sensor placement to determine occupancy detection regions. Occupancy is detected by Amatis Sensors, one of the central components of every lighting controls install. The red circles approximate the detection region of a single sensor within a space. These occupancy regions are placed by the designer to ensure adequate occupancy detection in the space.

2. Review fixture control placement for Smart Drivers and Advanced Load Controllers. Smart Drivers are most commonly used in fixtures where you’re retrofitting a fluorescent tube and ballast to LED. Advanced Load Controllers are used in all other installations for controlling either individual fixtures up to complete circuits.

3 Identify the circuitry in your space leading to your fixtures. Identify your mounting location for the Advanced Load Controller, which receives unswitched power at the start of the circuit and outputs switches power to the fixtures it is controlling. This may mean that circuits need to be reworked in order to accommodate a new switched circuit following the Advanced Load Controller.

If all fixtures are 0-10V dimmable, they need to be daisy-chained. Electricians need to recognize that these circuits may be pre-existing, but don’t correspond to the new control zones defined during the design phase. We do not define how you need to change the circuit. Only the load controller should be receiving unswitched power, and all of the fixtures downstream from that load controller, should receive switched power only from their assigned load controller.

4. Observe the placement of the Amatis Border Router (AMBR) and switches.

Installation prep

Confirm your Amatis inventory matches the quantity and types of devices placed in your design.

Save all device packaging. All devices come with QR code stickers that are unique to the device they come with. These stickers should be used during the installation process to identify the location of each device on the reflected ceiling plan. Performing this step during installation drastically expedites the commissioning sequence, especially in larger installations.

Install Sensors

There are two types of Amatis Sensors. Sensor 1 has two wires for low voltage, 24V DC power. Sensor 2 is powered by an RJ12 cable connected to a Smart Driver or an Advanced Load Controller with 3-foot horizontal or vertical RJ12. Assess each sensor placement to determine if brackets are needed.

It is best to locate the sensors as close to the center of the circle as possible within the design.

When placing sensors, keep in mind the 45-degree cone coming out of the sensor, and observe any obstructions that would impact the ability to detect motion. If you’d like to fine tune the detection region of the sensor, you can rotate the sensor in the ceiling to make slight adjustments to where the sensor can see.  A trick you can use to extend the range of the sensor is to place the LED in the direction you would like to detect. This orientation will extend the range of your sensor in that direction.

Observe where sensor blinders are needed to restrict the sensing region to help avoid unwanted, false triggers.

Install Smart Drivers

Amatis Smart Drivers install much like other LED drivers. The line voltage and neutral wires are connected on one end, and the output is two different channels of DC low voltage to go to your LEDs. No additional wiring for 0-10V or other dimming input is required.

Connect Smart Drivers to nearby Sensor 2s with an RJ12 cable, using the provided 3-foot cable, or an extended 20-foot cable (sold separately).

Smart Drivers are two-channel with two pairs of positives and negatives.

In the event that you only have one LED tube, for instance, that you’re controlling with our smart driver, you should wire the channel-one and the channel-two in parallel to avoid damage to the smart driver. Take positive and positive, take negative and negative. Wire the two channels in parallel to supply the single LED.

Each time you install a Smart Driver, add its QR code sticker to your reflected ceiling plan to label device location.

Install Advanced Load Controllers

Advanced Load Controllers can switch a complete circuit or be used to control individual fixtures.

Zone control: When wiring for more than one fixture, it’s important to know that the power coming in to the load controller should be constant, or unswitched, and the power coming out of the load controller is now considered switched power. Only the fixtures or loads intended to be switched by the Advanced Load Controller should be wired in after the Advanced Load Controller.

To ensure that the lights remain on, if the Advanced Load Controller were to fail, we always wire lights to the Advanced Load Controller using the blue “normally closed” wire.

Connect Advanced Load Controller to nearby Sensor 2s with an RJ12 cable, using the provided 3-foot cable, or an extended 20-foot cable (sold separately).

As sensors receive power, LED green lights will appear. If motion is detected, the light will toggle to orange, and then back to green.

Any unused wires should be capped off after installation.

For easy mounting to a junction box or fixture, use the threaded connection that can go through a junction box or fixture knockout to secure the Advanced Load Controller.

Each time you install an Advanced Load Controller device, add its QR code sticker to your reflected ceiling plan to label device location.

Install Switches

Switches come in two types – gang mount and surface mount. Both of these switches can be battery powered, though we also offer a wired version of the gang-mounted switch that requires 24V DC power.

  • If you have a battery-powered switch: pull the two battery tabs to activate the switch.
  • All switch types have “TOP” on the label for proper orientation when installed.
  • All switch types have a green LED that illuminates when the switch is pressed.
  • If you have a gang-mount switch: mount into wall box like any other switch.
  • If you have a surface-mount switch: use the included double-sided tape to mount.

Each time you install a Switch, add its QR code sticker to your reflected ceiling plan to label device location.

Install Border Router

Plug the Amatis Border Router (AMBR) into a 24V power supply.

Connect the AMBR to the Internet with the included ethernet cable.

Place the AMBR as close to where it’s located in the design. Observe that the AMBR should be relatively central to the other devices in the network, and unobstructed by metal, which could stop wireless signals from getting out.

First power up

As Advanced Load Controllers and Smart Drivers receive power, the blue light will illuminate when communicating to a nearby AMBR, and has a flashing blue when powered but not communicating with an AMBR.

Advanced Load Controller

As sensors receive power, LED green lights will appear. If motion is detected, the light will toggle to orange, and then back to green.

As an AMBR receives power, it will go through a connection sequence that may take one to two minutes. When the center LED blue light is solid blue, AMBR is connected to the Internet. When flashing blue, AMBR is connected to the Internet and the Amatis cloud through a secure VPN connection. Speak with your building owner or facility IT team about potential firewall barriers if the AMBR does not reach this state.

You cannot proceed with commissioning your site until your AMBR is properly connected.

App and Dashboard

Visit the Apple or Android app stores and search for “Amatis” to find and download the free app on your phone or tablet.

Or, access the app on your desktop at app.amatiscontrols.com.

To create an account, provide your email address, create and confirm an 8-digit password and add the six-digit Device ID number located on your AMBR Border Router.

The Amatis App requires cellular or Internet connection to communicate with your site’s mesh network via the Amatis Border Router (AMBR).

After commissioning is complete and the system is operational, building owners can monitor their energy savings and system data through the Amatis Dashboard, found through your web browser at amatisdash.com.

Monitor energy savings, occupancy rates, light levels, and temperature fluctuations.

Commission your site

Important: Check with your Amatis representative to confirm your site’s Amatis Border Router(s) (AMBR) has been secured before going any further. If this has not happened yet, your representative can schedule this for you.

There are three basic steps to follow to commission a location. This simple process can be used again and again as you add more locations to your site. You’ll still be able to move through the steps out of order and make changes when needed later on.

Step 1 is to add a location.

Choose a descriptive name for locations that can be easily understood by the next person who uses the app. Once you’ve named your room, you can also select from a list of room types that help pre-configure your location based on the most common features in each type of room. Or you can choose to stay on “Default” which does not use any predefined features.

Step 2 is to add devices to your location.

Select “Click to add devices” to get started. The Devices drawer will display on screen. In the top list, you can see what devices were added to your AMBR network during the AMBR configuration process. Start by referencing your floor plan to determine which devices should be added to your location, then select them from the list. You can either select them directly, or use the search bar to find them by entering the last 4-digits of the unique wireless IDs on your floor plan. Once added the devices to your location, they will populate in the list below. If you have question about which device is in which location because it’s not clear on your plan, you can click on the light bulb icon to the right of its name, and the device will perform an on-off sequence. Check the green checkmark to save the devices to your location.

Step 3 is to configure your location settings.

Between all setting changes, perform a sync to wireless program your devices to perform the newly assigned tasks. Click the checkbox to save changes before exiting the Location Features section of the app.

  • Slider Control: Enables control of this location’s light level from the Amatis app
  • Normal Hours Occupancy: Enables occupancy detection with customizable parameters in this location
  • After Hours Occupancy: Enables a secondary set of customizable parameters for occupancy detected outside of the Normal Hours time span
  • Enable “Switch Control” to control your space by clicking the switch control checkbox in the location features tab.
  • Daylight Harvesting: Enables location to reduce interior lighting level when outside light is helping to illuminate the space