At the heart of zencontrol’s approach is an automated emergency test manager, a cloud portal and DALI-based emergency devices that together schedule, execute and record tests across your entire portfolio.
The result is more than just triggering tests. zencontrol delivers a managed, documented test process that tracks every emergency device location, test, change and user action – so you can demonstrate compliance whenever required.
Owners and asset managers: prove systems were tested and maintained.
Facility managers: see live status and reports by building, floor or tenancy.
Tenants: access test results for areas they occupy – and only those areas.
Contractors: work within defined scopes, with a full record of what was changed.
Test manager
zencontrol uses a dedicated test manager to run and track emergency tests. The test manager coordinates:
Tests, repairs and re-tests are grouped into a single test window, so every action related to a given test is linked and recorded together. The reported result for a test reflects the whole story – including failed attempts, repairs and successful re-tests.
The test process implemented in the zencontrol DALI-2 application controller is compliant with IEC 62034, the benchmark standard for automatic test systems for battery-powered emergency escape lighting, and has been independently tested and approved by TÜV.
Device locations
Emergency compliance is about protecting locations in a building, not individual fittings. Over time, fittings fail, are replaced or upgraded – but the obligation to provide compliant emergency lighting at that location does not change.
zencontrol models this explicitly:
By tracking test history, failures, replacements and settings against the device location rather than just the current device, zencontrol maintains a continuous compliance history even as hardware is swapped out.
This makes it possible to answer questions such as:
The test manager treats each device location as the primary object of the test, so every test, repair and re-test is tied back to the location that must remain compliant over the life of the building.
User access & tenancies
In multi-tenant and complex buildings, people only need to see and manage the areas they are responsible for. zencontrol’s cloud platform provides flexible user access control, tenancy control and grouping:
Tenancies and groups
Emergency reports, dashboards and plan views can all be filtered by site, tenancy and group, so:
Certified test process
Automatic test systems for emergency lighting are governed internationally by IEC 62034, which defines how tests must be scheduled, executed and recorded. The standard covers not only how to trigger tests but also the correct operation and proper recording of emergency tests and records.
zencontrol’s implementation of IEC 62034 has been independently tested and approved by TÜV, giving confidence that the test process and reporting are based on a recognised, audited standard rather than proprietary behaviour.
Reports that cannot be changed
In the zencontrol cloud portal:
This combination of standard-compliant testing and immutable reporting supports a robust, defensible emergency testing regime.
Backups & resilience
Traditional emergency and lighting systems often rely on a single on-site PC holding all project files and test records. If that machine is lost, stolen or corrupted, years of compliance history can disappear overnight and rebuilding the system can take weeks.
With the zencontrol cloud:
For sites that prefer local management, the optional zencontrol Onsite software stores configuration on the application controllers themselves and can also produce emergency tests and reports. The cloud enhances resilience with centralised backups and portfolio-wide access, but the day-to-day emergency test logic continues to run on the controllers, ensuring the system keeps operating even if the internet connection is unavailable.
Traceability
Beyond test results, zencontrol records the configuration and change history for your system. A detailed field history view allows you to see:
Applied to emergency systems, each device location can have a full audit trail of:
If someone removes a device from a test, changes a test schedule, or reassigns a device to a different group, the history identifies who did it and when. This level of traceability is critical when questions arise about why a particular device was not included in a test, or why a location did not have coverage at a given time.
It also helps clarify where liability may sit – for example, whether a building owner, facility manager or maintenance contractor had the responsibility to restore a device to service or to its correct test group.
DALI emergency
zencontrol is built on DALI and DALI-2 emergency standards, not vendor-specific shortcuts. DALI emergency control gear must implement both:
DALI emergency devices store their test results and status flags, including pass/fail information and details of failures. The zencontrol test manager uses these flags and timings rather than just reading a final duration number.
This ensures that:
For Australian sites, the system can verify that the first duration test for a new device exceeds the required multiple of the rated duration, aligning with AS 2293 expectations.
The outcome is a fully compliant DALI emergency testing methodology – not a partial implementation that only reads duration or basic status fields.
Multi-site & multi-tenant
For large portfolios, zencontrol’s cloud architecture, tenancy model and grouping allow:
This supports compliance regimes that require both building-level and tenant-level reporting and reduces the risk that devices “fall through the cracks” between different stakeholders.
Together, these capabilities make zencontrol a comprehensive emergency test manager: standards-aligned, cloud-driven and built for full traceability from each device location to every user action.
Device locations
Emergency tests are tracked against fixed device locations, not just the current hardware. This maintains a continuous compliance history even as fittings are replaced over time.
Test manager
A dedicated test manager controls tests, repairs, re-tests and compliant recording within defined test windows, making every test fully traceable from start to finish.
Compliance with standards
The emergency testing process aligns with IEC 62034 and relevant DALI emergency standards and is independently verified by TÜV, supporting Australian AS 2293 requirements.
User access & traceability
Fine-grained user access control, tenancy control and detailed field history provide full traceability of who did what, where and when – including configuration and test changes.
Tenancies and groups
Buildings can be divided into tenancies and logical groups, ensuring occupants, tenants, facility managers and owners see the tests and reports that apply to their areas.
Backups & resilience
Centralised, cloud-managed backups, rapid restoration tools and resilient controller architecture help protect emergency testing data and configuration against hardware failure, cyber incidents and human error.
