Home automation for property developers works best when you plan it at specification stage, before the walls close and before units go on sale. Keystone is our programme for property developers. You get one named project engineer and one team from the first drawings to the day each owner gets the keys.
This guide follows a development through each stage. It covers choosing wired or wireless, writing the specification per unit type, show homes, who runs the cable and what every owner gets at handover. Our own team does all the programming and commissioning on every job.
When should a developer bring in a smart home partner?
Bring us in as early as you can, ideally while the MEP drawings (mechanical, electrical and plumbing) are still being drawn. We work from your drawings. At that stage, planning cable routes, back boxes, distribution board space and data points costs nothing extra.
If you wait until the walls are closed, you will be cutting into concrete or falling back on wireless. Wireless works well in many homes, but you should pick it because it suits the project, not because nothing else is left.
Wired KNX or wireless: which suits your development?
For new villas, we recommend wired KNX, the wiring standard most wired systems use. That includes three-bedroom villas as well as larger ones. The cables go in during the build, and switches, sensors and AC control all talk over one cable. Our guide to KNX automation in Dubai explains it in more detail.
For apartments, it depends on whether the building is KNX ready. If it is not, wired KNX is best fitted during a major renovation, and a wireless system is the practical choice for most units. In the UAE we find Zigbee is the best wireless option. A wireless install usually takes a couple of days per home. Read when wireless works and when to wire before you decide.
If your development has both villas and apartments, you can use both systems. Owners still get the same app and control their homes in the same way.
What goes into the specification?
A good specification sets out what each unit type controls, which products it uses and where every device goes. We can write a standard specification for each unit type, with optional upgrades that buyers choose at sales stage.
These are the areas we usually plan with developers in Dubai.
- Lighting: control and dimming. We can do the lighting design ourselves or work alongside your lighting contractor, and we can supply the fittings and LED drivers or use fittings you source.
- AC: control of every brand and type, from split units to VRF and ducted systems, through the right gateway.
- Curtains and blinds: wired (dry contact) or wireless motors on Somfy and Zigbee. Somfy and Aqara are our preferred brands, and we work alongside your curtain supplier.
- Switches and keypads: we offer products from 18 high-end suppliers, so the finish can match your interior scheme.
- Network: Ubiquiti UniFi access points and switches. In apartments we can often reuse the existing wall data points and fit wall-mounted access points.
- Security and intercom: UniFi Protect cameras and Akuvox intercoms, with recordings stored in the home and an option for cloud backup. Our licensed partners plan and fit the CCTV.
- Smart locks: Tedee, Yale, Aqara and Oji.
- Leak protection: wireless leak sensors with shut-off valves fitted by your MEP contractor. Fitting the valves during construction is much simpler, and costs less, than adding them later.
Decide early about the building intercom
Plan the intercom at specification stage if you want owners to answer the lobby door from the same app as the rest of their home. Most built-in lobby intercom systems will not accept a connection from a third-party system, because connecting one voids their warranty.
Can buyers try the system before they buy?
Yes. We fit out show villas and show apartments, so buyers can use the keypads and the app for themselves. A show home also shows buyers the optional upgrades in your specification before they choose them.
Who runs the cable and who programmes the system?
You choose who runs the cable. Your MEP team can work from our drawings and cable plan, or our team can install it.
If your contractor runs the cable, our team is on site during the primary wiring stage and checks their work every 2 days. That way we find mistakes before the walls are closed.
Programming and commissioning always stay with our own team. Commissioning means switching the system on, testing every device and setting up the scenes. We plan our visits around your first fix (when cables go in) and second fix (when devices go on the walls).
How Keystone runs, from specification to handover
Every development is different, but the order of work stays much the same. Your named project engineer runs each step with you.
- We review your drawings and agree what each unit type controls, plus any buyer upgrades.
- We produce the device layout and cable plan for your MEP team or ours.
- Cable and back boxes go in at first fix, and we check the cabling while the walls are still open.
- Keypads, sensors, gateways and the hub (the small box that runs each home's system) go in at second fix.
- Our team programmes and commissions each home.
- Each owner gets a handover pack and a training session.
What does each owner receive at handover?
Each owner gets full control of their own system, so they are not tied to us or to you. That makes each home easier to sell on and easier to support.
Our engineer can also join the owner's handover or snagging inspection to check smart home points, AC, data points and curtain boxes on the day.
- A handover pack with drawings, a wiring schedule and written system records.
- For KNX homes, the ETS project file (the programming file for the system) and all passwords.
- Site and test logins removed, and new logins set up for the owner.
- A household training session on the keypads and the app.
Which platform runs each home?
Every home runs on Symphony, Avario's automation platform. We designed it to make large, complex homes easier to manage.
Symphony runs in the home, so owners can use the app over their home Wi-Fi even when the internet is down. If the home network goes down too, the keypads still work.
Smart locks still open by keypad or fingerprint without the internet. Only remote unlocking stops until the connection returns. Our team can give remote support, but only with the owner's approval, and owners can switch remote access off completely.
What support do owners get after handover?
Owners contact us directly through the support chat in the Avario app, so support questions do not land on your sales or after-care team. From Monday to Saturday, 8am to 7pm, our team replies straight away, and call-outs happen within 4 hours.
Equipment carries its manufacturer's warranty. Owners can also take a maintenance plan built around what their home needs.
What affects the cost of automating a development?
The cost of each unit depends on a few clear things. We can prepare a budgetary estimate from your drawings, then price each unit type once you agree the specification. Our guide on how much a smart home costs in Dubai explains these in more detail.
- The number and size of the units.
- Wired KNX or wireless.
- New build or retrofit into finished units.
- The brands of keypads and devices you choose.
- How much each unit controls: lighting only, or AC, curtains, network, security and leak protection as well.
- Which optional upgrades buyers choose.
Working with your contractors and designers
We work alongside your MEP contractor, lighting contractor, curtain supplier and interior designer. We do not replace them. We can contract with you as developer, with your main contractor or directly with the buyer, depending on how your project is set up.
For interior designers, we deliver samples of keypad and switch finishes, so they can match them to the scheme. If you are a contractor or builder delivering the project for a developer, our page for contractors and builders explains how we fit into your programme. All our trade services are listed on our smart home partner page.
Questions people ask
Can you work with our existing MEP contractor? Yes. They can run the cable from our drawings, or our team can install it. We check their cabling during the wiring stage and coordinate the valve and AC connections with them.
Are your engineers KNX certified? Yes. Our engineers hold KNX certification, and Avario is a registered KNX Partner.
Can buyers choose upgrades for their unit? Yes. We set a standard specification for each unit type, with optional upgrades that buyers can pick at sales stage.
What happens if an owner later wants another installer? They can switch. Each KNX owner holds the ETS project file and passwords, so nothing is locked to us.
Do the outdoor devices cope with Dubai summers? Every outdoor product we fit is IP rated (rated against dust and water) and tested in Dubai heat.
Next step
Call our team on +971 4 458 2205 to tell us about your development and arrange an engineering survey. If you have drawings, send them first and we will prepare a budgetary estimate.
