Smart-Home Site Survey: Checklist and Template for Indian Homes

Short answer: survey before quoting. Collect plans, agree household routines, inspect every room, have the electrician audit wiring, and record network, backup and unresolved questions. Use the printable survey on site.

Safety note

Opening switchboxes and the distribution board is for a qualified electrician. Isolate at the MCB; never open a live box yourself. Record and report burn marks, loose terminals and other unsafe findings before quoting. The survey does not replace electrical inspection.

Step 1: documents to collect before the visit

If drawings are missing, record that and measure rooms.

• Floor plans, with room names and dimensions
• Electrical layout and distribution board schedule, if the builder or contractor has one
• The interior designer’s lighting, furniture and false-ceiling drawings
• Curtain and blind locations, and the AC and appliance list with model numbers
• The broadband provider, plan and router model
• Building or society rules about alterations, cabling and access (for flats)
• The site’s status: occupied, under renovation, or still being built (this changes what is possible in the walls)

Step 2: talk to the client about how they live

Record answers in the client’s words, then turn routines into scene descriptions. Price after the survey.

• Who lives here, and who else needs access (parents, children, domestic staff, guests)?
• What are the three or four daily routines they want easier (waking, leaving, returning, bedtime, guests)?
• What must still work if the internet is down, the hub is off, or the power is out?
• Which wall controls must stay physical, and who will not use an app?
• Which existing devices must be kept?
• What is the budget range and the timeline? (You will price later; do not quote on the spot.)

Step 3: walk each room

Use the room template. Note lamp wattage/dimmability, fan control, track span and motor power position. See switches without neutral.

Room	Lights (type, count, dimmable?)	Fans	Curtains or blinds	AC and other big loads	Switchbox (gangs, neutral?, depth)	Sensors, locks, cameras wanted	Photos taken	Notes
Living room
Bedroom 1
Kitchen

• Wall material (RCC, brick, drywall) and any metal doors, grilles or mirrors
• Where Wi-Fi is weak or strong with a phone in your hand
• Which devices are in reach of a power point or need a battery

Step 4: the load list

Record nameplate figures, not guesses. Match load types and limits to datasheets; flag geysers, pumps and large ACs for a separate switching decision.

Load	Where	Type (LED, motor, heater, compressor)	Rating from the nameplate or driver	How it is controlled now	Notes (inrush, shared circuit)

Step 5: the switchboard audit (with the electrician)

Audit each box with its circuit isolated at the MCB. Neutral and depth can differ between boards and determine module fit.

• Number of switches per plate, and the plate size and type
• Is there a neutral in the box? (The electrician confirms; do not guess by colour.)
• Box depth and free space behind the plate, and whether the box is metal or plastic
• Is there room in the conduit for another conductor?
• Condition: burn marks, loose or overheated terminals, damaged insulation
• At the distribution board: spare ways, whether circuits are labelled, which circuits carry lights, fans, AC and sockets, and which protection devices are fitted
• Earthing present at the points you intend to use

Step 6: the network and the ISP

Test Wi-Fi room by room. For Zigbee, plan the coordinator using the network design lesson.

• Where are the ISP box and the router, and what are their models?
• Which Wi-Fi bands does the router offer, and do many smart devices need 2.4 GHz? (Check the device specs.)
• Walk the home with a phone and note weak rooms. Reinforced concrete slabs and heavy walls absorb a lot of signal; one router vendor’s approximate figure is around 20 to 25 dB per reinforced slab.
• Is there Ethernet, or could cable be run to access points or a hub?
• Does the router have a guest network, VLANs or multicast filtering? Matter relies on local IPv6 and multicast traffic, and the Home Assistant docs say filtering or VLANs can break discovery.
• How many Wi-Fi devices already connect, and does the router cope?
• What does the client use for remote access and voice control?

Step 7: power cuts and backup

Record load, required runtime and recharge time. Backup must cover the whole function: hub, router, ISP box where needed, and loads.

• How often does the supply fail, and for how long, according to the client?
• Is there an inverter, UPS or generator, and which circuits does it carry (lights, fans, router, sockets)?
• Is the router and hub on backup, and for how long?
• After power returns, what should each load do: stay off, come on, or return to the last state?
• Which functions must work during a cut (a door lock, a light path, an alarm)?

Step 8: photographs

Photograph before changes and name files by room/box number. Open-board photographs require the electrician.

• Each room, wide, from the doorway
• Every switchbox with the plate on, and the open box if the electrician has opened it, with the box number written on paper in the shot
• The distribution board, open, with labels readable
• The router, ISP box and any existing hub, with their model labels
• Curtain tracks, rods and the wall above them
• Anything that worries you

Red flags

Report unidentified neutrals, cramped boxes, hot/burnt terminals, overloaded or unlabelled boards and changing site conditions. Do not promise untested lamp compatibility or offline operation without the required backup.

After the visit

Write findings, assumptions, unchecked items, dependencies, open questions and photo references. Quote from this record, not memory.

Where to go next

• Wi-Fi, Zigbee, Thread and Matter: a visual guide
• Smart switches without a neutral wire
• Smart home cost in India: price guide