A commissioning checklist for one audio-visual room — classroom, meeting room, lecture hall or divisible space: electrical safety and grounding, the rack and cabling, every display and input, speakers and measured sound levels, microphones and feedback, hearing assistance, the touch panel, a live test call, recording, network settings without passwords, lighting and room combining, a soak test, user training, as-built documents, a snag list and the client's sign-off.
Room and Project
Which room, what kind, what it contains, and who is commissioning it.
Room name or number
Client
Building address
Building, floor and wing
Project or job number
Installed by
Designed or specified by
Drawings and function list used, with revision
What kind of room is it? — Classroom or training room, Lecture hall or auditorium, Meeting room or boardroom, Huddle room or small meeting space, Divisible room (partition wall), Worship or event space, Other
Seats or capacity
What does this room contain? — Displays or projectors, Speakers and program audio, Microphones, Hearing assistance system, Touch panel or control system, Video or audio conferencing, Lecture capture or recording, Devices on the network, Lighting, shades or occupancy sensing tied to the AV
Which visit is this? — First commissioning, Witnessed test with the client, Re-test after snags, Post-occupancy check
Your company
Commissioning engineer
Also present
Date
Time
Photos of the finished room
Electrical and Physical Safety
Nothing a user can touch is live, sharp or likely to fall.
Was touchable metalwork — chassis, lectern, wall plates, rack — tested and found free of stray AC voltage? — Yes, No, N/A
Highest voltage found on touchable metalwork
Is the rack bonded to ground and every mains-powered item grounded through its own supply? — Yes, No, N/A
Are there no sharp edges, exposed screw points or pinch points within a user's reach? — Yes, No, N/A
Are display, projector and speaker mounts rated for their load and fixed into structure, not into drywall alone? — Yes, No, N/A
Does every item hung overhead have a secondary safety cable or restraint? — Yes, No, N/A
Are floor boxes closed flush and cables at floor level covered, so nobody can trip? — Yes, No, N/A
Is surge protection or power conditioning fitted where specified, and showing no fault? — Yes, No, N/A
After an hour running, is every unit within its maker's operating temperature? — Yes, No, N/A
Safety photos
Rack and Cabling
Built to the drawings, labeled at both ends, dressed, cool and serviceable.
Where is the equipment rack or credenza?
Is the rack laid out as the rack elevation drawing shows? — Yes, No, N/A
Are blanking panels and vent panels fitted in every empty space? — Yes, No, N/A
Does the rack have a clear path for air in and out, with fans running if fitted? — Yes, No, N/A
Temperature inside the rack after an hour at full load
Is that temperature within the limit in the specification? — Yes, No, N/A
Is every cable labeled at both ends with a number that matches the cable schedule? — Yes, No, N/A
Are cables dressed in neat looms, grouped by signal type, with power kept apart from signal? — Yes, No, N/A
Are bend radii respected, with ties snug but not crushing, and hook-and-loop ties on data cable? — Yes, No, N/A
Is every termination firm — no loose screw terminals, every plug pushed fully home? — Yes, No, N/A
Are external power supplies fixed down, labeled with what they feed, and not hanging by their leads? — Yes, No, N/A
Is there enough slack for the rack to slide or swing out for service without unplugging anything? — Yes, No, N/A
Are patch panels and wall-plate ports labeled to the drawings? — Yes, No, N/A
Have cable continuity tests — and certification for network cable — been done and the results attached? — Yes, No, N/A
Is the rack clean, with packaging, offcuts and marker lines removed? — Yes, No, N/A
Rack photos — front, back and both sides
Notes on the rack and cabling
Displays and Projection
One entry per screen. Sharp, square, the right size for the back row, and under control.
Displays
Kind of display — Projector and screen, Flat-panel display, Interactive touch display, Direct-view LED wall, Confidence or lectern monitor
Position in the room
Make and model
Resolution it is running at
Mounted level, secure and protected against theft or tampering? — Yes, No, N/A
Running at its native resolution, with no scaling blur? — Yes, No, N/A
Image sharp corner to corner and evenly bright, with no dead pixels or color cast? — Yes, No, N/A
Picture fills the screen at the right shape, with nothing stretched or cropped? — Yes, No, N/A
Picture stays clean, with no sparkle or dropout, when sources are switched? — Yes, No, N/A
Power and input selection work from the control system? — Yes, No, N/A
On-screen menus, input banners and auto power-off are set as specified? — Yes, No, N/A
From the farthest seat, can small text on a document be read? — Yes, No, N/A
Image square without relying on digital keystone correction? — Yes, No, N/A
Screen level and square, its stop limits set, and raising and lowering from the panel? — Yes, No, N/A
Throw distance, lens to screen
Screen size and shape
Touch lands where the finger is, across the whole surface, from every connected source? — Yes, No, N/A
Modules aligned with no visible seams, and color matched across the wall? — Yes, No, N/A
Photo of the screen with a test image
Where there is more than one screen, do they match in brightness and color? — Yes, No, N/A
Notes on displays
Sources and Switching
Every input reaches every screen and speaker it should, cleanly.
Inputs and sources
What it is — Table or wall input for a laptop, Lectern input, Room PC, Wireless presentation, Document camera, Media player or TV tuner, Disc player, Other
Where it is
Connector or connection
Picture reaches every screen it is meant to? — Yes, No, N/A
Sound follows the picture to the right speakers? — Yes, No, N/A
Copy-protected content plays where it is allowed to? — Yes, No, N/A
Input labeled on the plate and named the same on the panel? — Yes, No, N/A
Any lead or adapter supplied here is the right length, strain-relieved and tethered? — Yes, No, N/A
Can every source reach every destination the design allows, and none it should not? — Yes, No, N/A
Longest time for a picture to appear after a source change
Is that switching time within what the specification or client accepts? — Yes, No, N/A
Did an ordinary guest laptop work at its default settings, with picture and sound, on each input? — Yes, No, N/A
Is the room PC licensed, set to the display's resolution, with keyboard and mouse working? — Yes, No, N/A
Notes on sources and switching
Speakers and Program Sound
Even, clear sound across the seats — measured, not guessed.
Walking the room, is the sound even from front row to back, with no dead spots? — Yes, No, N/A
Are all speakers wired with the same polarity, checked with a polarity tester? — Yes, No, N/A
Are transformer taps or amplifier channels set as the design shows, with no amplifier overloaded? — Yes, No, N/A
Does each zone play only the sound meant for it? — Yes, No, N/A
During a slow sweep at full level, is there no buzz or rattle from ceilings, grilles or fittings? — Yes, No, N/A
With every input idle and volume up, is there no audible hum or hiss? — Yes, No, N/A
Background noise in the empty room
Program level at the main listening position
Do the measured levels meet the design or specification? — Yes, No, N/A
Do all sources play at about the same loudness, so nobody reaches for the volume between them? — Yes, No, N/A
Has the room been equalized for clear speech, with before and after curves saved? — Yes, No, N/A
Is the audio processor's final settings file saved and in the handover pack? — Yes, No, N/A
Notes on speakers and sound
Microphones
Every microphone clear, under control, and stable at full volume.
Microphones in the room — Handheld wireless, Lapel or headset wireless, Lectern gooseneck, Table or boundary, Ceiling array, Other
How many microphones in total
Is each microphone's gain set so a normal talker is clear without shouting? — Yes, No, N/A
At the highest user volume, walking every presenting position, is there no feedback or ringing? — Yes, No, N/A
Does mute work from the control panel, and does the panel show the muted state? — Yes, No, N/A
Are wireless frequencies coordinated, with no dropouts anywhere a presenter will stand? — Yes, No, N/A
Wireless channels or frequencies set
Are transmitters fitted with fresh batteries, or is the charging dock working? — Yes, No, N/A
In this larger room, can a presenter be heard clearly at the back through the speakers? — Yes, No, N/A
Notes on microphones
Hearing Assistance
Somebody using a hearing aid or receiver hears the room clearly from their seat.
Type of system — Induction loop, Infrared, Radio frequency, Wi-Fi to phones, Other
Listening on a receiver across the seating, is the signal clear with no hum, hiss or dead areas? — Yes, No, N/A
Does the system carry every source and every microphone? — Yes, No, N/A
Has the system been tested to its own standard, with the test record attached? — Yes, No, N/A
Receivers supplied
Are neck loops supplied for hearing-aid users, and are receivers charged? — Yes, No, N/A
Is the hearing-assistance sign displayed where people will see it on the way in? — Yes, No, N/A
Notes on hearing assistance
Control Panel and System
Every button on the function list does what it says, and the room recovers on its own.
Where the panel is
Is the panel where a presenter would expect it, at a reachable height, with its power or network supply hidden? — Yes, No, N/A
Has every function on the agreed function list been tried and worked? — Yes, No, N/A
Functions that did not work
Do system on and off run in the right order — screens, projector, lift, screen, amplifiers? — Yes, No, N/A
Do volume and mute respond smoothly, with the level shown on the panel? — Yes, No, N/A
Does the panel always show the true state, even after something is changed at the device itself? — Yes, No, N/A
Are sleep timeout, screen brightness and auto shut-off at the end of the day set as agreed? — Yes, No, N/A
Does the panel show who to call for help, and the room name? — Yes, No, N/A
Where devices are driven by infrared, are emitters fixed and shielded so nothing else is affected? — Yes, No, N/A
Notes on control
Conferencing
A real call, both ways, with the far end saying what they saw and heard.
Calling platform or service
Does the camera frame every seat, with presets saved and recalled from the panel? — Yes, No, N/A
Is the camera's view clear of obstructions and not pointed into a window? — Yes, No, N/A
Was a call placed from the room and answered? — Yes, No, N/A
Was a call received in the room and answered? — Yes, No, N/A
Did the far end hear every seat clearly, with no echo of their own voice? — Yes, No, N/A
Did the room hear the far end at a comfortable level? — Yes, No, N/A
Was content shared to the far end, and received from them, during the call? — Yes, No, N/A
Do camera privacy and microphone mute work, with a visible indicator? — Yes, No, N/A
Test call — who was at the far end, and where
Notes on conferencing
Recording and Capture
A test recording that is worth watching.
Was a test recording made, with clear picture and clear sound from the presenter? — Yes, No, N/A
Does the recording include the shared content as well as the camera? — Yes, No, N/A
Do recordings start and stop as intended — on schedule, from the panel, or both? — Yes, No, N/A
Did the test recording arrive where the client expects to find it? — Yes, No, N/A
Notes on recording
Network and Device Settings
What the client's IT team will ask for. Never passwords.
Do not write any password, passcode or key on this form. Record only that defaults were changed and how credentials were handed over.
Networked devices
Device
Hostname
IP address
MAC address
VLAN
Addressing — Static, DHCP reservation, DHCP
Firmware version left running
Can every device be reached from the control processor and from the client's management system? — Yes, No, N/A
Has the client's IT team confirmed bandwidth and traffic priority for AV and calls? — Yes, No, N/A
Have default passwords been changed on every device? — Yes, No, N/A
Were credentials handed to the client by a secure route, not by email or on paper in the rack? — Yes, No, N/A
Is firmware current on every device, as agreed with the client? — Yes, No, N/A
Notes on the network
Lighting, Shades and Occupancy
The room around the AV behaves when the AV asks it to.
Do the lighting presets on the panel set the lights as agreed for each mode? — Yes, No, N/A
In presentation mode, is light kept off the screen while the audience can still take notes? — Yes, No, N/A
Do shades, blinds or blackout respond from the panel? — Yes, No, N/A
Does the room switch the AV off after the agreed time with nobody in it, and not while people are still there? — Yes, No, N/A
Empty-room timeout set
Notes on room integration
Room Combining
Each half works alone, and together they work as one room.
How many spaces combine
Has every combine and split mode been tried, with sources, sound and microphones following? — Yes, No, N/A
Does every panel show whether the room is combined or split? — Yes, No, N/A
Where a partition sensor is fitted, does closing or opening the wall change the mode? — Yes, No, N/A
How the room is meant to combine, and what was found
Whole-System Tests
Everything running together, for a long time, through a power cut.
Soak test — hours run with the system on
Did the system run the soak test with no lockups, dropouts or overheating? — Yes, No, N/A
After mains power was switched off and on, did the room come back to a known, usable state on its own? — Yes, No, N/A
Did a full run-through of a typical session — start, present, call, finish — go without help? — Yes, No, N/A
Does the finished room meet the latest revision of the specification, with any variations agreed in writing? — Yes, No, N/A
Is all equipment new, and as listed in the specification or an approved substitute? — Yes, No, N/A
Notes on the whole-system tests
User Training
The people who will use and look after the room can do it without you.
People trained
Name
Role — Everyday user, Presenter or teacher, AV or IT support, Facilities, Other
What they were shown
Did the users who were trained run the room themselves while you watched? — Yes, No, N/A
Is a one-page quick guide displayed in the room? — Yes, No, N/A
Are device remote controls handed over or secured at their devices, with fresh batteries? — Yes, No, N/A
Documents and Handover
The paper the client needs when you have gone.
Do the as-built drawings and schematics show the room as it was actually built? — Yes, No, N/A
Equipment found in the room but not on the drawings — or on the drawings but not in the room, and why
Have operation and maintenance manuals been handed over, in print or electronic form? — Yes, No, N/A
Have configuration files — control program, audio processor, codec, displays — been saved and handed over? — Yes, No, N/A
Are software licenses and warranties registered in the client's name? — Yes, No, N/A
Warranty starts on
Support contact for the client
Snags
Everything still to put right, with an owner and a date.
Snag list
What is wrong
Where
How serious — Blocks handover, Fix after handover, Cosmetic or advisory
Who will fix it
By
Photo
Acceptance and Sign-Off
The commissioning engineer signs that it is done; the client says whether they accept it.
Outcome — Accepted — ready for handover, Accepted with snags listed, Not accepted — retest needed
Practical completion effective from
What will be re-tested, and when
Overall comments
Commissioning engineer — signature
Client's representative — name and title
Client's representative — signature
Facilities Management
AV System Commissioning Checklist
A commissioning checklist for one audio-visual room — classroom, meeting room, lecture hall or divisible space: electrical safety and grounding, the rack and cabling, every display and input, speakers and measured sound levels, microphones and feedback, hearing assistance, the touch panel, a live test call, recording, network settings without passwords, lighting and room combining, a soak test, user training, as-built documents, a snag list and the client's sign-off.
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Fill this in and download the finished PDF. Your answers stay on this device as you type. We ask for an email address once, at the download.
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AV commissioning is the last job before a room goes into use: the integrator or an independent engineer goes through the finished installation and proves that it is safe, built the way the drawings say, and does everything the client was promised — every source on every screen, sound that is clear in the back row, microphones that do not howl, a call that connects, a panel a visitor can use without a manual. This checklist covers one room, opens only the sections for the equipment that room actually has, and ends with a snag list and the client's signature. Fill it in here and download a PDF without an account, or speak while you walk, and the document writes itself.
Commissioning is not the same as installing
An installer finishes when everything is fixed, cabled and powered. Commissioning starts there and asks a different question: does the room work for the people who will use it? A projector can be perfectly mounted and still show a soft, stretched image because the source runs at the wrong resolution. A ceiling full of speakers can be wired correctly and still leave the back third of a lecture hall struggling to hear.
That is why the form records measurements and tests, not just ticks: the voltage found on touchable metalwork, the rack temperature after the system has run for an hour, the background noise and program level in the room, the test call and who answered it, how long the system ran in its soak test.
One room per form, and only what the room has
Each room gets its own checklist, because the snags, the re-test and the client's signature all belong to that room. The first section asks what kind of room it is and what it contains. A huddle room with one display and a conferencing bar shows a short form; a divisible lecture space with a hearing loop, wireless microphones, recording and lighting control shows all of it.
Displays and input points are lists, so a room with three screens and five wall plates gets three and five entries, each with the checks for its own kind — keystone and screen limits for a projector, touch alignment for an interactive display.
The order to work in
Start with safety: nothing in reach of a user should carry stray voltage, have a sharp edge or hang from a ceiling without a secondary fixing. Then the rack and cabling, because a fault found later in a test is usually a termination, a label or a cable that was never right.
Then each sub-system on its own — displays, inputs, speakers, microphones, hearing assistance, control, conferencing, recording, network — and only then the whole room together: a long soak test, a power cut and restart, and a run through the functions the client was promised. Training, documents and the snag list come last, because they depend on everything before them.
Network details, without the passwords
Most rooms now have a control processor, displays, a DSP and a codec on the network. The form keeps a list of each device's hostname, IP address, MAC address and VLAN, because that is what the client's IT team will ask for the first time something drops off. It deliberately has no place for passwords. It records that default passwords were changed and that credentials went to the client by a secure route — never the credentials themselves.
Snags, acceptance and the re-test
Anything that is not right goes on the snag list with where it is, who will fix it and by when, and whether it blocks handover. The client's representative then accepts the room, accepts it with the snags listed, or asks for a re-test. In the ReportWalk app, Start a re-inspection turns every failed check into its own card for the return visit, so the re-test covers exactly what was wrong and shows it beside what you found the first time.
Common questions
Who should commission an AV system?
Usually the integrator's commissioning engineer, who did not install the room, with the client's representative or the AV consultant witnessing. On larger projects an independent consultant may repeat or witness the key tests. The form records who took part.
How long should a soak test run?
Long enough to show heat, power and network problems that do not appear in the first few minutes. Many specifications ask for 24 hours or more with the system on and sources playing. Record the hours actually run and anything that failed during it.
What sound levels should I measure?
At minimum the background noise in the empty room and the program and speech levels at a few listening positions, with a sound level meter on A-weighting. The targets come from the design or the specification; the form records what you measured and whether it met them.
Do I need a separate form for every room?
Yes, one room per form. The project details carry from one room to the next in the app, so a floor of identical meeting rooms goes quickly, and each room keeps its own snags and sign-off.
Can I record passwords on this checklist?
No, and the form says so. The report travels by email and sits in shared folders. It records that defaults were changed and credentials were handed over securely, which is what the client needs to know.
Does a hearing loop need its own test record?
Usually yes. Induction loops and other assistive listening systems are often tested against a specific standard with their own measurements. This form records that the system was tested across the seating and that the test record is attached, rather than replacing it.