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SIL & SDA Home Assistive Technology Planning Checklist

Prepare a SIL or SDA technology brief: participant controls, automated doors, emergency calls, Wi-Fi, VLANs, backup power, tender documents and handover.

BY RHODIUM SECURITY · BUYING GUIDE

Use this checklist before commissioning assistive technology for a new SIL home, an SDA project or an existing-home upgrade. It helps participants, support teams and project consultants describe the result they need and the interfaces that must work together. Rhodium Security can use the brief to discuss full design and setup from our Lynbrook base.

1. Describe the person’s tasks and preferred controls

Start with everyday tasks: entering a room, adjusting lighting, controlling blinds, answering a visitor or calling the support team. Record which actions the participant wants to perform and how they prefer to operate a control. Relevant OT or AT recommendations can inform the brief.

  • Preferred mobile/tablet, wall-mounted, voice or accessible remote interfaces.
  • Bedroom-specific permissions and shared-space controls.
  • How the participant receives feedback and changes or cancels an action.
  • Support-staff roles, including onsite overnight assistance where relevant.

2. Mark the equipment and interfaces on the plan

List the nominated dwellings and rooms, the build stage and any existing equipment. Mark required control points on a general layout. Coordinate powered doors, electrical work and mechanical interfaces with the responsible project teams before accepting the design.

  • Automated entry/egress and nominated internal doors, safety sensors and manual overrides.
  • Blinds, lighting scenes, dimming and HVAC zones supported by the mechanical system.
  • Video intercom answering points, door release and staff answering.
  • Adjustable bench/sink interfaces where specified, retaining independent safety and local controls.

3. Define calls for assistance and emergency operation

Describe the whole response arrangement, including who receives a call and how it is acknowledged. Critical communication should not depend solely on internet connectivity or a consumer voice assistant. Agree the required local, manual and emergency behaviour with the relevant support and project professionals.

  • Accessible call points, bedroom calls and pendant/wireless requirements.
  • Audible/visual notifications, staff interfaces and escalation responsibilities.
  • Nominated critical doors, outlets, controller, communications and network equipment.
  • AT backup-power interface requirements for the electrical consultant’s load calculations and engineering.

4. Include the IT network in the brief

An equipment list should show how each device connects and which interfaces need to communicate. Include the network topology, wireless coverage requirements and responsibility for managing the system after handover.

  • Cat6A cabling, managed switches, PoE and cabinet/rack requirements.
  • Wi-Fi access points and the rooms where wireless interfaces will be used.
  • Separate AT/IoT network or VLAN, approved traffic and user access.
  • UPS-supported communications equipment and essential local operation.

5. Agree documentation, approvals and tender requirements

Ask for the design brief, system architecture, layouts, equipment schedule, control/integration matrix, sequences of operation and performance specification. Confirm which consultant coordination and technical tender-query rounds are included. For SDA, identify the nominated design category with the project team and assessor.

Confirm funding and purchasing approvals before ordering; a technical quote is not a funding approval. Use the current NDIS guidance and the participant’s appropriate advisor or plan contact for those decisions.

  • A clear scope for each dwelling and bedroom, with support-staff interfaces.
  • Applicable standards and responsibility for each design or trade discipline.
  • A clause-by-clause compliance schedule for any proposed product substitution.
  • Checks for accessibility, offline/emergency operation, APIs, security, support, lifecycle and spare parts.

References: NDIS guide to assistive technology

6. Agree how the completed setup will be checked

Use the original task list at handover. Confirm that the intended person can operate each control, that shared and private permissions behave as agreed, and that relevant staff understand the system. Record any adjustments and who will resolve them.

  • Demonstrations of normal operation and agreed connection/power-loss behaviour.
  • Participant and staff instructions in a suitable format.
  • Account ownership, authorised access and recovery arrangements.
  • Equipment and configuration records, warranty terms and support contact.
  • Ongoing responsibility for updates, alert checks, batteries and faults.

Keep planning